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2018 Problems??

TC Diesel

Well-Known Member
Jul 14, 2016
2,444
689
Truck Year
2015
That's 5 years of Failures Icem your not the 1st 2018 to puke either....I only know of a hand full of 3.0 to make it past 200K miles, ALL have been commercial hwy Miles , I don't know of any DD to make it to 200K W/O puking and the ones I know close to that mileage All have had major repairs to Turbo/ EGR / Plenum, Crank sensor, etc.

Icem FCA been collecting 3.0 for 5 years its a lie telling you they need yours for R/D, more like the recycled pile along with the 10000s of other 3.0s 2014-18
 

TC Diesel

Well-Known Member
Jul 14, 2016
2,444
689
Truck Year
2015
It's interesting because the ED has been used in Maserati for over a decade.

Yep.. Here's the history 3.0 GM/VM are the originators ,joint venture to place the 3.0 in its Cadillac's Sold in Europe, So its original Purpose was to move 3200Lbs car, GM sold out to Detroit/Penske, They sold to FCA, FCA bought VM back in 2010.

IMO this engine will work but its needs complete makeover, its probably less cost to design new power plant then try and risk any type of overlay.
 

icem237

New Member
May 15, 2019
10
4
Truck Year
Not Listed
Yep.. Here's the history 3.0 GM/VM are the originators ,joint venture to place the 3.0 in its Cadillac's Sold in Europe, So its original Purpose was to move 3200Lbs car, GM sold out to Detroit/Penske, They sold to FCA, FCA bought VM back in 2010.

IMO this engine will work but its needs complete makeover, its probably less cost to design new power plant then try and risk any type of overlay.

If I can get about 3 years out of it since I purchased it I'll be happy. I'll move it on after that. So 2021.

Real shame though. Mileage is great. Does the tuning help with longevity?
 

TC Diesel

Well-Known Member
Jul 14, 2016
2,444
689
Truck Year
2015
Yes... the EGR is like this, Hose from butt to mouth, No human last very long either do diesels at the % that small displacement diesel engines need to meet Nox levels. The 3.0 get's the Oscar for mileage.
 

eeeehaw

New Member
May 3, 2018
7
3
Truck Year
2016
Creep, I have a 2016 Eco with 53000 miles and not one single problem. I did put the GDE upgrade in when I had 1500 miles. My mileage is between 30 and 33 miles per gallon. I do a mix of city and hwy everyday to work (about 45 miles).
Jcole108, I have that year ED 1500 and average 21mpg mixed. What is this "GDE" upgrade you refer to?
 

computerdiehard

New Member
Jun 8, 2017
18
9
Truck Year
2016
You can bulletproof the Ecodiesel

You can also either replace the small turbo with a bigger one or add another turbo to it as well.
 

cs in Alabama

Active Member
Feb 21, 2019
522
135
Truck Year
2015
Jcole108, I have that year ED 1500 and average 21mpg mixed. What is this "GDE" upgrade you refer to?
Right now the tune is SofaKingTuned They give you a good deal on an engine and tranny tune. Improves mileage, longevity, and a lot less problems with the truck. I think it helps the crank because you are not adding soot to the oil nor fuel. It helps the oil stay clean and protects your engine. The other option is GDE, or Green Diesel Engineering. Same result, more money.

All the problems like Electronic Throttle Control (ETC) CEL's go away and your mileage goes way up. I have been running the GDE tune since 5k miles and so far never a problem with this truck. I need it to go three more trouble free years. I kept my factory ECM so I can do the swap out if / when I go in for dealer service. That preserves my warranty. Honestly, FCA should honor the warranty with these trucks. They make the engine less likely to fail.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

cs in Alabama

Active Member
Feb 21, 2019
522
135
Truck Year
2015
You can bulletproof the Ecodiesel

You can also either replace the small turbo with a bigger one or add another turbo to it as well.
that video was made "back in the day" when they thought the engine was dying over the cam gear failure issue. He also recommended catch cans but eventually he came around to the need to tune the engine or deal with the many, many headaches caused by the EGR. The EGR, which was not used in Europe, has caused so many owners grief. A while back he committed suicide.
 

gkls6971

New Member
May 19, 2019
1
0
Truck Year
2017
I have a 2016 if your towing I would recommend the 3.92 gears if your pulling around 6000lbs. Sure this truck is rated for more but I think you should never max out your towing ratings in any truck. I would not go over the 75% rating of this truck. I pull around 6000lbs and I feel comfortable doing it. Just watch your temps and drive accordingly. I go no more than 65 mph. Around 62 mph is a sweet spot for this truck. Sure there was some engine failures early builds. I was informed it was a quality control fault on the torque of camshaft gears. And happened in the first 40k of mileage. Look into a gde tune to turn off the demonic egr that soots up this motor. The factory tune is so restricting due to emissions. The gde tune seems to iron out some of these issues. This truck has exceeded my expectations. Enjoy the eco
What kind of fuel mileage when towing 6000 lbs.
I have two 1500 Hemi’s that are getting 7-8 mpg when hauling our 14’ enclosed work trailers, carrying 3500lbs of equipment. Single cab trucks with 3.92 gears and upgraded springs.
 

computerdiehard

New Member
Jun 8, 2017
18
9
Truck Year
2016
What kind of fuel mileage when towing 6000 lbs.
I have two 1500 Hemi’s that are getting 7-8 mpg when hauling our 14’ enclosed work trailers, carrying 3500lbs of equipment. Single cab trucks with 3.92 gears and upgraded springs.
Shawn used to haul from Salt lake city to Rock springs, Wyoming and he was getting 20 mpg hauling around 8k pounds.
 

icem237

New Member
May 15, 2019
10
4
Truck Year
Not Listed
Well got the truck back yesterday with new engine! Running perfectly. Clean cab off job.

It turned out to be the #3 cylinder main bearing was shot . Sounds like same as what others have seen. They gave a new 100k powertrain warranty .

So the turn around was about 3 weeks, not to bad.
 

ICF Guy

New Member
Aug 8, 2018
20
7
Truck Year
2014
Well got the truck back yesterday with new engine! Running perfectly. Clean cab off job.

It turned out to be the #3 cylinder main bearing was shot . Sounds like same as what others have seen. They gave a new 100k powertrain warranty .

So the turn around was about 3 weeks, not to bad.
I guess that answers my question...the 2018’s are still experiencing bearing failures. Dealer replaced my 2014 (failed main bearing) with a new 2018 engine, but I am still nervous about it happening again to my new engine.
 

cs in Alabama

Active Member
Feb 21, 2019
522
135
Truck Year
2015
I guess that answers my question...the 2018’s are still experiencing bearing failures. Dealer replaced my 2014 (failed main bearing) with a new 2018 engine, but I am still nervous about it happening again to my new engine.
I am going to give you my theory on what can be done to avoid some engine failures, but not all. I am not saying this is the solution to an improperly assembled truck, but I think this is part of the solution to reduce engine wear on a truck that has a known history of (weak? bad?) main bearings.

Theory 1. The EGR dumps a lot of soot into the engine intake and in turn it gets into the oil. The comparison between the oil drained from a tuned truck and a factory tuned truck is night and day. If changed by the truck's oil monitor the oil from a tuned truck will be dark but clean. The oil from a factory tuned truck is black as coal and dirty. Yes, the use of an API certified CJ-4 (or CK-4) synthetic oil helps. But! Anything you can do to keep good oil on those main bearings instead of an oil loaded with trash in suspension is a net positive. RECOMMENDATION: Tune your engine GDE or Sofa King.

Theory 2. The second thing is fuel in the oil. Oil dilution by having up to 5% fuel in the oil damages the lubricating properties of the oil. This is (supposedly) caused by short trip driving and failed regen cycles (my theory). RECOMMENDATION: The truck needs a good 1 hour highway drive each week, at least.

Risk: If you don't keep a second ECM for when you get dealer service you could have the dealer discover you are running a tuned truck and have an engine related claim denied. (TC Diesel convinced me to say this)
 

TC Diesel

Well-Known Member
Jul 14, 2016
2,444
689
Truck Year
2015
If soot was aiding the failures it would show up in OAs, I've done 2 filter analysis both low levels of soot.

Fuel in Oil would shorten the life of the rotating mass, not puke it to death, Fuel in Oil destroys the rings first the bearings would be way down on My list for fuel in oil wear.

Nothing can be done to save a zero build.
 

icem237

New Member
May 15, 2019
10
4
Truck Year
Not Listed
I am going to give you my theory on what can be done to avoid some engine failures, but not all. I am not saying this is the solution to an improperly assembled truck, but I think this is part of the solution to reduce engine wear on a truck that has a known history of (weak? bad?) main bearings.

Theory 1. The EGR dumps a lot of soot into the engine intake and in turn it gets into the oil. The comparison between the oil drained from a tuned truck and a factory tuned truck is night and day. If changed by the truck's oil monitor the oil from a tuned truck will be dark but clean. The oil from a factory tuned truck is black as coal and dirty. Yes, the use of an API certified CJ-4 (or CK-4) synthetic oil helps. But! Anything you can do to keep good oil on those main bearings instead of an oil loaded with trash in suspension is a net positive. RECOMMENDATION: Tune your engine GDE or Sofa King.

Theory 2. The second thing is fuel in the oil. Oil dilution by having up to 5% fuel in the oil damages the lubricating properties of the oil. This is (supposedly) caused by short trip driving and failed regen cycles (my theory). RECOMMENDATION: The truck needs a good 1 hour highway drive each week, at least.

Risk: If you don't keep a second ECM for when you get dealer service you could have the dealer discover you are running a tuned truck and have an engine related claim denied. (TC Diesel convinced me to say this)
If soot was aiding the failures it would show up in OAs, I've done 2 filter analysis both low levels of soot.

Fuel in Oil would shorten the life of the rotating mass, not puke it to death, Fuel in Oil destroys the rings first the bearings would be way down on My list for fuel in oil wear.

Nothing can be done to save a zero build.

While Im waiting to pull the trigger to on tuning and deletes. Will a earlier oil change help at all? 7,000 miles?
 

TC Diesel

Well-Known Member
Jul 14, 2016
2,444
689
Truck Year
2015
IMO, NO, it may extend a hero's life , but not a zero.

10K Miles is My change Level after OA support, otherwise its 6-8K miles.
 
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