Thinking of upgrading to a 2500 should I get Gas or Diesel?"

[ppine]

Not a wash. Diesels save money.

 

[dhay13]

Salt is pretty bad here in western PA too. 5-6 years cars start seeing rust bubbles, at least in my experience with our Jeep Commander, Dodge Durango, 2007 Ram, and 2013 Ram. So far my 2018 Ram and 2017 Subaru are still holding up

 

[nlambert182]

That's your preference, but most people would buy used and not even blink. Also a new hemi is like $7000 directly from mopar, which is still cheaper than doing injectors.



I live in Canada, but many in the USA have rusty trucks as well. DEF issues are not related to "up north" in any way.

Slightly bigger truck, my brother drives a peter built (small box truck) and recently his company had to spend $32,000+ (CAD) within a few months; turbo, DEF issues, something else I'm forgetting.

Another guy on this forum was also quoted $30,000 to fix his cummins. I don't remember the thread but I can try and find it back. I can buy 3 new hemis for that price.

A diesel mechanic on YT (Alex from The Getty Adventures) drives a power wagon but absolutely loves Cummins. He fixes a ton of them and other diesels, mainly in busses and trucks like that but it's the same 6.7 cummins in Ram vs a bus. If you watch his videos he'll tell you the truth about diesels, you need very deep pockets.

I think the point is: there are only 2 real problems with the hemi, broken manifolds and lifter tick. Manifolds are cheap to fix (permanently) and lifters happen to < 3% IMHO. Beyond that it will run pretty much guaranteed without repairs for $250,000+ with standard maintenance. It's definitely the cheaper option. No turbos, no DEF, no injectors, no gelling diesel in the tank (for those who experience winter) etc etc.

If memory serves, the dealer was trying to replace the entire fuel system on that truck. I've heard of that one time in that thread. Doesn't mean it couldn't happen but a repair like that is about a .001% chance given the number of Cummins engines on the road. I would call that an outlier and not the norm and wouldn't personally consider it in my decision making. There's always an outlier somewhere.

I worked for a dealership that did all of Cummins warranty work for a long time. I'm well versed in them, and can tell you that you don't need very deep pockets to own a diesel unless you own one that was not maintained properly and is nearing the 250k mile mark. But.... this does get said a lot and it steers a lot of folks away from a diesel. I don't think it's always warranted.

But again... location could definitely play a factor in the decision making. Where we live there's zero rust and no diesel gelling to be concerned with. Keep up on the maintenance and the likelihood of running into an issue with a turbo, injectors, etc.. are about as high as a chance of cam/lifter failure on the Hemi. But... if someone drives these like a Honda Civic (short/empty trips) then you will likely deal with DEF issues sooner than later.

People have to pick their poison. If you're going to tow a lot and tow heavy that engine will be happy as a lark for many trouble-free miles/years to come.

 

[HEMIMANN]

Really, the debate was fundamentally changed by EPA emissions regulations of diesels.

Perhaps it was long overdue, but owing to their inherent efficiency, diesels were far more expensive to cut emissions, principally NOx. First came higher injection pressure, to cut PM. This required inline injection pumps, more expensive than single cam rotary pumps.

Then came low sulfur fuel for the same reason, resulting in more expensive fuel that also had less energy and lubrication as a byproduct.

As EPA kept ratcheting down NOx & PM to near zero, diesel engines became unreliable, expensive science fairs - multiple injection piezo injectors and supporting super ECM, variable vane turbocharger, EGR, and last but not least, exhaust aftertreatment despite all that other stuff.

Diesel exhaust aftertreatment is far more expensive than spark-ignited, and far less durable. It consists of a DOC, DPF, and an active NOx catalyst with consumable DEF. Cars have a passive 3 way oxidation catalyst. That's it.

Don't tell me diesel is a good deal for consumer use. I was at Cummins when all of these were developed. We had to apply and control all that crap in generator sets.

 

[jejb]

DEF issues are not related to "up north" in any way.

I read the forums too. Folks up north have a lot more issues with DEF since it can freeze and cause problems.

 

[HEMIMANN]

I read the forums too. Folks up north have a lot more issues with DEF since it can freeze and cause problems.

As can biodiesel, which is mandated by many states due to agribusiness lobbyists. High gel temp and short storage life make all but daily use, high load applications untenable for diesel engines anymore. Here in Minnesota, biodiesel is mandatory. Their is no pure No. 2 diesel to be found. Anywhere.

 

[farout75]

Help Please, I bought a 2022 1500 BH with the 3.6 eTorque and am hauling a fiberglass boat and trailer (approx weight 3000lbs). I fear I should have bought a HD truck and am considering doing so. I'll be taking 1 or 2, 1000 mile trips per year hauling the boat/trailer. The remainder of the time I'll be using the truck as my primary vehicle and usually do 10,000 to 12,000 miles per year running here and there. If I do buy the 2500 what kind of fuel mileage can I realistically expect with the 6.4 Hemi or the 6.7 diesel? Any input or lessons learned will be greatly appreciated.

The 3.6 is a light duty truck, I had two and never again, 269 pounds of torque is very poor. You would have been more pleased with just the 5.7 no E-torque.

 

[jejb]

As can biodiesel, which is mandated by many states due to agribusiness lobbyists. High gel temp and short storage life make all but daily use, high load applications untenable for diesel engines anymore. Here in Minnesota, biodiesel is mandatory. Their is no pure No. 2 diesel to be found. Anywhere.

So glad I don't live there anymore, for so many reasons. I am headed up that way soon though. I'll have to watch for biodiesel.

 

[JNelson]

I pay $220 for an oil change at the dealer for my 2022 2500 Cummins.

I replace my own fuel filters. It’s too easy not to. I got one of each 2500 for work and 3500 for the future fith wheel

 

[06 Dodge]

I pay $220 for an oil change at the dealer for my 2022 2500 Cummins.

I replace my own fuel filters. It’s too easy not to. I got one of each 2500 for work and 3500 for the future fith wheel View attachment 520054

$220 wowzers here in high price Portland Oregon area local dealer offers Rotella T-6 15w40 or 5w40 oil changes for $179.00 including tire rotation...