Dealer wouldn't update my 2015 TCM today or do the Rotella switch

[dbr2]

My dealership loans a vehicle for free while they do the service so you don't have to sit there and wait for 2 hours. I took my 2016 in with 1800 miles on it because of a front tire issue. They changed the oil and did the flash on it at that time. I was getting 27/28 running 75/80 mph here in north Texas. After flash I get 25/26 at same speed. I am seriously considering GDE tune after things settle down with this EPA stuff.

I just installed the GDE on my truck about 10 days ago, my truck is a 4x4 with the 3.92 rear end. So, I never got 26mpg. I would get 21-21.5 in town and 24 on highway at 70, when I go 75 on the North Louisiana/Texas roads I would get 21.5mpg. I just took a trip down to Baton Rough from Shreveport and back, 450 mile round trip on my new tune. I pulled into drive way with 26.2mpg showing on dash. I have never seen it that high on a trip. I have kept track of my gas mileage since I bought the truck new. I have 22k on truck and the actual life time average is 21.4mpg and my first in town fill up a week ago gave me 24.2mpg actual vs. my 21-21.5 prior in town actual average, I was impressed. I have not filled my truck up since I came back from Baton Rouge, so I do not have the true actual mpg, but if it is like all of my others fill-ups it will be about 3/4 mpg lower than the dash reads. I will be extremely happy with 25+mpg on the highway at 75-78mph.

The tune does make the truck much more drivable, it is just more responsive and a little quicker from the line, I have not had a chance to tow with it yet, or run it down the road with camper either. I am really quite curious on how well it does when I slide in the camper and hitch up the boat. The Camper loaded and wet about 2250lbs and the boat is 5500lbs towing weight about 350lbs hitch weight and then I use my extend hitch when the camper is loaded on truck. I was getting around 13.5 mpg at 68mph. I slow down when the truck is loaded like that and the truck just settles in and pulls. Can't wait to see if the fuel mileage is any better towing as that is a full load for this truck and a lot of wind resistance. My 2011 Ford Lariat Ecoboost 2 wheel drive would get about 10-11 mpg when loaded with the same camper and boat at 65-68mph.

I know there are people on both side of purchasing the tuner, for me it works and in my opinion it is definitely worth it. Again, my opinion only. The drivability is just so much nicer, not a speed demon, just more drivable and you have more faith when you step on the throttle to cross an intersection. Wife was actually surprised how much more she liked driving the truck after she drove it around town. We live out a ways and do not have a lot of stop and go traffic until you go to town, when she made it too town, she became a convert. Just to confer with your thoughts about the Tune.

 

[Retired Bones]

"Boostin", I have a nagging question. There are continuing issue with very high engine oil temperatures.
Where is FCA in addressing this? Someone posted 180 degrees, I posted 170+ degrees. The ED is a competent tow vehicle in my two year experience. I am fast approaching 40k miles. The vehicle works wonderfully on flat long stretches of road.
We all have mountain ranges to cross. So I had a Ram 3500 long bed, crew, with all the tow advantages. 10 miles per gallon towing, 17mph totally unloaded was unacceptable.
Oil warming has a need when starting, I get the it!
After two hours travel towing, cooling becomes the "need". Is there anybody at FCA, with a clue?
If this vehicle lasts to the end of my payments I will be looking at the 5 liter Nissan. Diesel is the way to tow. The eight speed automatic is a great tool for the small diesel to do it.
But FCA maintaining a blind eye, to require us to solve a design flaw, cooling after sufficient heat is in place, needs a factory fix.
Is there a current, factory installed cooler that is thermostaticly activated at 210 degrees? It is obvious that something like what I am describing would be necessary to allow our Ram trucks to survive what we are all lead to believe.

 

[dbr2]

Great question, I do have the same concerns as I do not tow a lot, but when I do, I have the truck pretty much maxed out. In the hot southern summers the truck does get rather hot on the temps. I have seen some after market oil coolers for the engine, but of course FCA would hold that against us if something went wrong. Also Curious to what might be in the works if anything.

 

[NC-RAM]

another good question; what should you oil temps be? 210-224 ? what is the range for T-6?

 

[KC-Pitt]

I have changed my own oil since new. I purchased the Kendall Euro Oil 2-12qt cases delivered to door for $134.00. I have switched to the 5/40 on my last purchase.. I bought 6 oil filters and 6 fuel filters in a package, 14.00/per oil filters & 9.00/per fuel filter. I have installed an oil cock or brass valve on the oil pan. So, dropping the oil, pull filter and let it drain and then swapping out fuel filter. It literally takes less than 2 minutes to slide oil reservoir under truck and pop open the brass valve, (Fumoto F-106N Engine Oil Drain Valve). It takes longer to pour the oil in the engine than it does to pull filter and drop the oil. My oil changes with fuel filter is about $78.00.

Would you mind sharing the product number/name on the filters. I am paying over $200 for a change and would like to save some money.
Truck looks nice I have a 2015 White Laramie, what kind of mileage do you get with that camper. I pulled a 6x12 cargo trailer to Florida and got 13/14 mpg driving 65-70 mph. Same trip last year got 16/17 mpg, not sure what was different.

 

[Retired Bones]

I just installed the GDE on my truck about 10 days ago, my truck is a 4x4 with the 3.92 rear end. So, I never got 26mpg. I would get 21-21.5 in town and 24 on highway at 70, when I go 75 on the North Louisiana/Texas roads I would get 21.5mpg. I just took a trip down to Baton Rough from Shreveport and back, 450 mile round trip on my new tune. I pulled into drive way with 26.2mpg showing on dash. I have never seen it that high on a trip. I have kept track of my gas mileage since I bought the truck new. I have 22k on truck and the actual life time average is 21.4mpg and my first in town fill up a week ago gave me 24.2mpg actual vs. my 21-21.5 prior in town actual average, I was impressed. I have not filled my truck up since I came back from Baton Rouge, so I do not have the true actual mpg, but if it is like all of my others fill-ups it will be about 3/4 mpg lower than the dash reads. I will be extremely happy with 25+mpg on the highway at 75-78mph.

The tune does make the truck much more drivable, it is just more responsive and a little quicker from the line, I have not had a chance to tow with it yet, or run it down the road with camper either. I am really quite curious on how well it does when I slide in the camper and hitch up the boat. The Camper loaded and wet about 2250lbs and the boat is 5500lbs towing weight about 350lbs hitch weight and then I use my extend hitch when the camper is loaded on truck. I was getting around 13.5 mpg at 68mph. I slow down when the truck is loaded like that and the truck just settles in and pulls. Can't wait to see if the fuel mileage is any better towing as that is a full load for this truck and a lot of wind resistance. My 2011 Ford Lariat Ecoboost 2 wheel drive would get about 10-11 mpg when loaded with the same camper and boat at 65-68mph.

I know there are people on both side of purchasing the tuner, for me it works and in my opinion it is definitely worth it. Again, my opinion only. The drivability is just so much nicer, not a speed demon, just more drivable and you have more faith when you step on the throttle to cross an intersection. Wife was actually surprised how much more she liked driving the truck after she drove it around town. We live out a ways and do not have a lot of stop and go traffic until you go to town, when she made it too town, she became a convert. Just to confer with your thoughts about the Tune.

"Boostin", I have a nagging question. There are continuing issue with very high engine oil temperatures.
Where is FCA in addressing this? Someone posted 180 degrees, I posted 170+ degrees. The ED is a competent tow vehicle in my two year experience. I am fast approaching 40k miles. The vehicle works wonderfully on flat long stretches of road.
We all have mountain ranges to cross. So I had a Ram 3500 long bed, crew, with all the tow advantages. 10 miles per gallon towing, 17mph totally unloaded was unacceptable.
Oil warming has a need when starting, I get the it!
After two hours travel towing, cooling becomes the "need". Is there anybody at FCA, with a clue?
If this vehicle lasts to the end of my payments I will be looking at the 5 liter Nissan. Diesel is the way to tow. The eight speed automatic is a great tool for the small diesel to do it.
But FCA maintaining a blind eye, to require us to solve a design flaw, cooling after sufficient heat is in place, needs a factory fix.
Is there a current, factory installed cooler that is thermostaticly activated at 210 degrees? It is obvious that something like what I am describing would be necessary to allow our Ram trucks to survive what we are all lead to believe.

The temperature s above are 280+ and 274 in my situation.

 

[dbr2]

The T6 meets the CJ-4 specs. Here is a small cut of the specification:

NOACK Volatility (D 5800)
Evap Loss @250°C, Vis Grades
other than 10W-30, max % 13

Evap Loss @ 250°C, 10W-30, max % 15
High Temp / High Shear Viscosity (D 4683)
Viscosity @150°C, min cP 3.5

So Oil with start to evaporate @250°c or 482°F
And the High Temp-Shear or operating max? @150°C or 302°F

Assumption, oil should keep viscosity and protect engine up to 302°F, I really would not want to run up to that temp. I would assume if your truck is running a temp in the mid 200's for short or moderate periods of time, you are protected by the oil specification. The other protection I believe is the EcoDiesel will start to defuel if the engine temps start to go past a safe range. I do not know what those Temp parameters are set too, but most consumer diesels in the last decade or so have programmed in several different parameters to defuel the engine for its own protection.

Personally, I would watch temps and drive accordingly, I know that my oil is made to take the temp 302°F before it breaks down or losses viscosity. If I have some stress loads going up a mountain pass and my temp runs in the mid-high 200's for a short time, I am not going to get stressed.
Link to the complete spec's of the CJ-4:

http://www.apicj-4.org/performance_specs.html

 

[Retired Bones]

I see "defueling", is some kind of protection? So I'm pulling a load up a pass, and at some unknown temperature ? "In the area of 280 degrees or 300 degrees Fahrenheit" I get to be stopped by a controlled defueling programmed into the computer governing the engine parameters.
Gee, that's comforting! Why not keep oil temperatures within the proven specifications of the motor oil.
Again this is left to the owner to attempt to correct! I am still in disbelief that any alterations to the power train, I as an owner, would be a warranty covered effort. An exposure to tampering I feel would void any warranty.
I have never towed anything near the maximum specified tow weight of my truck. 6,500 lbs. Is well under the listed maximum for my crew-cab, 1500, ED, with 392 gears, and 17" rims.
I am attempting to understand what FCA thinks the 1500 ED, truly is capable of towing?

 

[dbr2]

The defueling mean's depower, not a shut down, it is a backing off of the throttle. I have never had a defueling event yet? Never say never. I have a camper as you can see about 2250lbs when loaded in box of truck and a tandem axle trailer with a 23 foot boat about 5500lbs - 350 tongue weight. I have not had a problem with any major temps. Again, I live in Louisiana and it gets quite hot hear. I have not had an over heating or high temp problem myself. I have towed up and down hills and mountains thru Arkansas and some in Tennessee, I have not made it to Colorado yet. We just haven't had the time to go there yet. I know if you look on youtube you will find a video of a 2015 running up the Colorado Ike Gantlet as the call it. The video is pulling a 7200lbs trailer from 9k to 12k altitude. full throttle the entire way.
Now with that said, it was a rather cool day, but it is an interesting video. Show the truck will just pull at what it is meant to do and won't hurt itself, get very good fuel economy compared to the competition, for what that is worth. 8 miles 7% grade and almost 12,000 ft.

 

[Retired Bones]

I have also not had a "defueling" event in my travels.
I do travel, I see a hot oil issue. Why is this not a FCA issue?

 

[bobcat67]

Having had the flash on my 2016, I would strongly suggest not getting it done. Just as @GearHead says above, it does reduce fuel economy significantly. Wish I could go back to original settings. Would love to know if anyone has found a way to do that.

GDE tune