It happened, my 2018 ecodiesel engine blown up

[biodiesel]

I have seen you on these forums a lot. In your educated opinion, what is up with the failures on these things, and how can we prevent it?

It seems to boil down to assembly issues. You either get a good engine or a bad engine. VM Motori has several bearing sizes. It appears that the wrong bearing size was used in many of the failures. The engine builders are now using a better bearing, but they are also measuring and making sure the correct sized bearing is used.

 

[biodiesel]

I bought mine at 129k. Removed the oil pan and to my surprise the pick up was spotless.

The clogged oil pickup screen is due to carbon buildup from a leaking injector seal. As long as the injectors haven't been touched, then you shouldn't have any problems. The issue is when the injectors get pulled and the tech either tries reusing the same copper seal, or the injectors aren't torqued to spec.

 

[tduenas4520]

It seems to boil down to assembly issues. You either get a good engine or a bad engine. VM Motori has several bearing sizes. It appears that the wrong bearing size was used in many of the failures. The engine builders are now using a better bearing, but they are also measuring and making sure the correct sized bearing is used.

You're a wealth of knowledge. But I have read a few guys getting to 100-130k and still have a blown motor. Makes me nervous. I was under the impression if it got to 100k, I was good

 

[biodiesel]

You're a wealth of knowledge. But I have read a few guys getting to 100-130k and still have a blown motor. Makes me nervous. I was under the impression if it got to 100k, I was good

The vast majority of bottom end failures happen before 70,000 miles. The higher mileage failures that you speak of can be due to oil starvation from carbon buildup on the pickup tube, or the bearings eventually fail due to a combination of wear and tear and weak bearing material. This is why I recommend that owners/operators take UOA samples. If you begin to see silver at 3 - 4 ppm in the UOA report, then you know your bearings are on their way out. An improper fitting bearing may not fail right away, but the tighter clearances will lead to gradual degradation of the bearing surfaces. This is why some bearings last 12,000 miles and others last 124,000 miles. It just depends on how tight those tolerances are.

 

[tduenas4520]

What's your guide on proper maintenance/checks for the ecodiesel? I've read so much and read so many of your comments I feel you could write A book on what to do, what not to do.. other than the owners manual recs

 

[biodiesel]

What's your guide on proper maintenance/checks for the ecodiesel? I've read so much and read so many of your comments I feel you could write A book on what to do, what not to do.. other than the owners manual recs

There's nothing magical that you can do to prolong engine life. Some engines will live a healthy 500,000 miles and others won't make it past 100,000 miles. The intake and head ports will get gunked up due to emissions, which is why some people delete. Deleting is illegal, so that becomes a moral and ethical decision. I personally own three EcoDiesel trucks (2015 Ram, 2020 Ram, and 2023 Jeep Gladiator) and all three of mine are bone stock.

I'll have to spend money on EGR coolers, DPFs, SCRs, DEF Pumps, DEF injectors, NOx Sensors, etc. that others who fully delete won't have to worry about. With that said, most of these parts will last 100,000 - 150,000 miles before they need to be replaced. If one truck goes down, then I have a backup truck. As a matter of fact, I'm looking for a regular cab EcoDiesel to buy as a work truck, too.

I love the EcoDiesel and feel like it's a pretty good engine, but like all modern diesel engines, they will have issues. I'm planning to keep our vehicles for the long haul (30+ years), so I'm committed to the platform. I hope to save a significant amount of money by not having a vehicle payment. The 2015 EcoDiesel, for example, is my daily driver. I actually make money on that truck. I use it in my side business, and it's been super cheap to keep and maintain (so far).

Below is my repair log for the 2015 EcoDiesel. The truck is paid off and has been super cost effective to maintain thus far. I'm also saving a significant amount of money annually by not having a truck payment.

Date	Mileage	Part Description	Part #	Cost
02/11/21	92,313	Water Pump	68211202AB	Powertrain Warranty
08/10/21	96,304	Front Shocks Rear Shocks	Bilstein 24-187343 4600 series Bilstein 24-187350 4600 series Labor	$204.00 per pair $152.00 per pair $280.00
09/01/21	97,036	Lower Ball Joints	N/A Labor Wheel Alignment	$199.90 $211.46 $119.95
07/20/22	105,715	Driver side CV Axle	Mopar 68028398AC Labor	$381.89 $211.80
08/27/22	106,964	Rear Cab Exhausters	Mopar 68323649AB	$12.44 per pair
10/28/22	109,119	Battery	Odyssey AGM49H8L5	$312.46
09/15/23	113,732	NOx Sensor - upstream NOx Sensor - downstream	Mopar 68250217AB Mopar 68250214AB	AEM Warranty AEM Warranty
09/27/23	114,118	DEF Injector DEF Pump	Mopar 68438682AA Mopar 68232842AD	AEM Warranty AEM Warranty
11/21/23	115,542	EGR Valve Cooler Bushing x 2 EGR Tube Gasket x 2 O-ring x 2	Mopar 68483334AA Mopar 68490221AA Mopar 68211320AA Mopar 68150060AA	AEM Warranty AEM Warranty AEM Warranty AEM Warranty
02/05/24	118,626	Taillight Blinker Bulb	Sylvania 3157	$16.26 per pair

 

[RandyZinck]

You're a wealth of knowledge. But I have read a few guys getting to 100-130k and still have a blown motor. Makes me nervous. I was under the impression if it got to 100k, I was good

mine blew bottom end at 130k

 

[tduenas4520]

mine blew bottom end at 130k

I guess I should specify. 130k miles, not 130k kilometers.