Please Help! 3.0 Eco Diesel Engine Failure

[Evan CTO SCI]

I manage the vehicles for my concrete construction company here in Florida.
We have a 2017 Ram Eco Diesel Laramie. 58k miles, Dealer maintained, no towing, and no modifications.

Two weeks ago (8-7-23) we brought it to the dealership. The truck was shaking and making noises and a noticeable loss of power. They had it for a day and concluded that everything was sound. Sent us on our way with a clean bill of health. Two weeks later we have to have it towed to the dealership because it is running so rough we thought it was going to explode. They informed me that the Engine is blown and needs a complete replacement. It is indeed strange that an engine blows at less than 60k on a truck that has been taken care of. It was used to simply drive back and forth to work, regularly maintained, and did not tow anything. I have no idea how this could have happened after we had it looked at two weeks before and they said nothing was wrong.

What can I do? We received a quote from the dealership.This is a gut punch 3 weeks later.

2017 Ram 3.0 diesel 1C6RR7NM5HS875096
complete engine 10550.00
coolant 5 @ 23.00 115.00
inner cooler 521.40
engine oil [email protected] 109.45
misc 100.00

LABOR [email protected] 4070.00
_________________________________________________
SUBTOTAL 15465.85
Shop Supplies 31.00
Sales Tax 1084.78
TOTAL $16581.63

Does this number sound right?
Why would I want to replace it with a motor that fails before 60K?

Any suggestions would be great.
Thank you for taking the time to read this.

 

[chri5k]

Try reaching out to @RamCares to see if you can get some "good will" assistance with the replacement cost. Talk to your business insurance agent to see if the business policy covers such losses. Check with an independent shop that does engine swaps to see what they would charge. Sell it for scrap and take the loss as a business tax deduction.

 

[Evan CTO SCI]

10-4, I will begin that process.

 

[Jeepwalker]

Did you get a detailed description of the probable issue? Or get an alternate diagnosis by different shop/dealer?

"Blown engine" is a broad-brush description. That doesn't tell anything specific. Maybe it's just the head gaskets? Or cracked head, bad injector pump ...or something else? A failed alternator pulley on a diesel can make the belt snap wildly (which you can't really see) and combine it with a bad engine mount, the engine could shake terribly.

I had a TDI which ran so terrible, shaking, plume of black smoke etc. I had the local TDI guru whom I know & trust, come out to my place and looked it over, on jackstands (it was pretty much undriveable). He checked a number of things, did some scans & ultimately diagnosed it "for sure" as a bad turbo, and possibly there was crap from the turbo in the engine too ...from the turbo. "He see's it all the time". This guy is highly knowledgeable on diesels, esp these cars which he's worked on hundreds ...and didn't want the work at the time (was too busy).

Well, in the end, (after replacing with a brand new turbo ..having the intake and turbo pipes off & a whole bunch of other things I did myself), the problem ended up being a faulty $75 Mas Air-Flow sensor!! Yep, it's true! The "Worn & sloppy turbo" with 200k mi on it had the same amount of play as the brand new $800 Garrett I bought, and actually looked really good & clean inside once I had it off the vehicle. The 'bad' MAF sensor read on the very low side of 'good' but NOT enough out of calibration that it affected operation. No codes though. My bad for accepting the "expert's word" instead of doing the basic diagnostics myself. Learned a good lesson on that one!

The point is, good mechanics don't always get it right the first time. I would get another opinion at a different shop by a good diesel Mech.

 

[Evan CTO SCI]

I have to say, Mopar's response has been great so far. The @RamCares is the way to go. I will post future updates.

 

[Jeepwalker]

Good to hear.

Note, I edited my post above with a few extra details...OP please reread...

 

[Evan CTO SCI]

@Jeepwalker Holy smokes, A bad sensor!!!! We did not have any codes either.
They did not give a reason for the failure. It does have 2 open recalls that we tried to have fixed but the parts are backordered. The dealership said it would be 1000-1500k just to open it to find out what the damages were. I got on here before we opted to do that.
Another diesel mechanic's opinion is in the cards, want to see what happens with the service call.

Thank you for the post.

 

[Jeepwalker]

I should have asked if the engine still operates even a bit ...or if it's locked up?

If it's locked up or making terrible desperite noises (bearings, etc) ...then it probably is toast. Best of luck with your case.

 

[Evan CTO SCI]

@Jeepwalker The engine was still operational when we brought it in. The service lady did mention bearings when I asked her about it.
Again, I appreciate the response.

 

[Evan CTO SCI]

UPDATE!!!! @RamCares called this AM and is covering the replacement with a $1,000 deductible. The customer service has been the best I have ever worked with. I am so happy and thankful for everyone's advice. We own a small business and this is huge, as we have seen a slowdown in business recently.

 

[RamDiver]

UPDATE!!!! @RamCares called this AM and is covering the replacement with a $1,000 deductible. The customer service has been the best I have ever worked with. I am so happy and thankful for everyone's advice. We own a small business and this is huge, as we have seen a slowdown in business recently.

Congrats, Evan.

And thanks for the update.

This will assist others in the future and possibly provide hope to those experiencing a similar failure.

.

 

[Evan CTO SCI]

@RamDiver Thank you. It is nice to know I have a place to go to get advice like this forum.

 

[tangocash001]

I manage the vehicles for my concrete construction company here in Florida.
We have a 2017 Ram Eco Diesel Laramie. 58k miles, Dealer maintained, no towing, and no modifications.

Two weeks ago (8-7-23) we brought it to the dealership. The truck was shaking and making noises and a noticeable loss of power. They had it for a day and concluded that everything was sound. Sent us on our way with a clean bill of health. Two weeks later we have to have it towed to the dealership because it is running so rough we thought it was going to explode. They informed me that the Engine is blown and needs a complete replacement. It is indeed strange that an engine blows at less than 60k on a truck that has been taken care of. It was used to simply drive back and forth to work, regularly maintained, and did not tow anything. I have no idea how this could have happened after we had it looked at two weeks before and they said nothing was wrong.

What can I do? We received a quote from the dealership.This is a gut punch 3 weeks later.

2017 Ram 3.0 diesel 1C6RR7NM5HS875096
complete engine 10550.00
coolant 5 @ 23.00 115.00
inner cooler 521.40
engine oil [email protected] 109.45
misc 100.00

LABOR [email protected] 4070.00
_________________________________________________
SUBTOTAL 15465.85
Shop Supplies 31.00
Sales Tax 1084.78
TOTAL $16581.63

Does this number sound right?
Why would I want to replace it with a motor that fails before 60K?

Any suggestions would be great.
Thank you for taking the time to read this.

I manage the vehicles for my concrete construction company here in Florida.
We have a 2017 Ram Eco Diesel Laramie. 58k miles, Dealer maintained, no towing, and no modifications.

Two weeks ago (8-7-23) we brought it to the dealership. The truck was shaking and making noises and a noticeable loss of power. They had it for a day and concluded that everything was sound. Sent us on our way with a clean bill of health. Two weeks later we have to have it towed to the dealership because it is running so rough we thought it was going to explode. They informed me that the Engine is blown and needs a complete replacement. It is indeed strange that an engine blows at less than 60k on a truck that has been taken care of. It was used to simply drive back and forth to work, regularly maintained, and did not tow anything. I have no idea how this could have happened after we had it looked at two weeks before and they said nothing was wrong.

What can I do? We received a quote from the dealership.This is a gut punch 3 weeks later.

2017 Ram 3.0 diesel 1C6RR7NM5HS875096
complete engine 10550.00
coolant 5 @ 23.00 115.00
inner cooler 521.40
engine oil [email protected] 109.45
misc 100.00

LABOR [email protected] 4070.00
_________________________________________________
SUBTOTAL 15465.85
Shop Supplies 31.00
Sales Tax 1084.78
TOTAL $16581.63

Does this number sound right?
Why would I want to replace it with a motor that fails before 60K?

Any suggestions would be great.
Thank you for taking the time to read this.

I have a 2018 Eco diesel, the exact same thing happened at 108,000 km. 16500 CDN to get a new engine. The mechanic I took it to has replaced a lot of Eco diesel engines and said they are completely hit or miss, but for the most part, they are terrible engines. His advice was to dump the truck before the new warranty expired and said people should only own Eco diesel engines if they have a very good warranty attached to them. Glad to hear things worked out for you.

 

[RamDiver]

@RamDiver Thank you. It is nice to know I have a place to go to get advice like this forum.

You're most welcome.

There is endless information available here and many knowledgeable people to help guide you through almost any repair.

And any contributions you might share are also greatly appreciated and just add more value to Ram Forum.

.

 

[Evan CTO SCI]

@tangocash001 @RamDiver You guys rock! I will post what happens next. I will also look forward to contributing to the forum.

 

[turkeybird56]

The Gen II engines were known for the Mains going in the lower end. Why, even though there was nothing wrong with my 2015, I traded up to my Hemi before I encountered any issues. Did not want to roll the dice. Between the CARB BS, and the ECU BS (programming), and the known EGR issues, etc, Mains, lower engine poor parts used, BOIRD bailed while he could.

 

[Jeepwalker]

You know something (OP), your sensible approach on your catastrophic issue probably went a long way how your problem was resolved. Too many owners stammer, blame and go nuts, where you reached out for help and suggestions. And Ram responded positively to your needs (kudo's to them!).

Best of luck.

 

[turkeybird56]

You know something (OP), your sensible approach on your catastrophic issue probably went a long way how your problem was resolved. Too many owners stammer, blame and go nuts, where you reached out for help and suggestions. And Ram responded positively to your needs (kudo's to them!).

Best of luck.

Maybe OP has an outstanding Zodiac Symbol, lol. just a saying.

 

[Shiva]

UPDATE!!!! @RamCares called this AM and is covering the replacement with a $1,000 deductible. The customer service has been the best I have ever worked with. I am so happy and thankful for everyone's advice. We own a small business and this is huge, as we have seen a slowdown in business recently.

Isn't it nice to hear about a happy customer.