New to all things truck

[abn]

I'm new; not only to this forum but also to truck ownership! I sent my Subaru to heaven, and decided to replace it with a 2015 Ecodiesel - because that makes a whole lot of sense, right? Well it does if you've always wanted a truck, but couldn't stomach the low fuel mileage because you commute. At the end of the day, I love the truck and all the new things I am able to do because of it, but I'm not at all sure about the issues that have popped up in the first month of ownership.

Thankfully I was able to secure not only my first truck, but also a live-in diesel mechanic to go with it (aka my hubby). Though he is very capable and tinkers all the time on his '01 RAM, the lack of eco-diesel owners in our area is making it difficult for us to determine what is "normal" based on what other owners are experiencing. We have watched a lot of doom and gloom videos in preparation for this purchase, but it's still not the same as talking to others and collectively figuring out what goofy things were done that are now in turn causing us to get headaches and promoting that feeling of "well at least it's 5 o'clock somewhere time to pop a top."

So glad to have found this post, and have already had a couple issues cleared up just by reading.

 

[Zachary]

What big issues are you having? The forums are a great place to troubleshoot issues before going to the dealer; lots of owners know more about the trucks than service managers.

 

[abn]

What big issues are you having? The forums are a great place to troubleshoot issues before going to the dealer; lots of owners know more about the trucks than service managers.

The big problem is a egr/coolant leak and this weird lurching that we can't pin down. It always happen as the truck is shifting. My hubby and I were debating if it's normal for it to lurch, my stance was no it's not, and hubby said it was just me not being used to a normal transmission (since my Subaru had a CVT). However I borrowed a car with a automatic transmission and it didn't lurch when it shifted, so I don't think this is normal because it's not simply grabbing a gear, it's more than that. But after some reading/video watching I wonder if its possible the air intake being clogged with gunk.

 

[Zachary]

The big problem is a egr/coolant leak and this weird lurching that we can't pin down. It always happen as the truck is shifting. My hubby and I were debating if it's normal for it to lurch, my stance was no it's not, and hubby said it was just me not being used to a normal transmission (since my Subaru had a CVT). However I borrowed a car with a automatic transmission and it didn't lurch when it shifted, so I don't think this is normal because it's not simply grabbing a gear, it's more than that. But after some reading/video watching I wonder if its possible the air intake being clogged with gunk.

The lurching isn't normal. First place to start is re-flashing the transmission control unit and see if that fixes it. The ZF 8 speed is really smooth. Without knowing anything about maintenance of your truck you may want to service the transmission. Did you get a tune to delete the EGR?

 

[abn]

Ok, I thought it should be a really smooth ride and that this bumping and lurching couldn't possibly be normal. Flashing the TCU is a good idea. The transmission is on the list of things to check up on, once we recoup a bit from this emissions business. Hopefully a flash will correct the problem.

We don't know much about the truck either. All we know about the truck is that it was pulled behind a RV for a lot of its miles, although it did have about 25% of the miles on it from towing. We had thought that maybe it was still being broken in. Does the transmission "learn" how people drive? Hubby seems to think so, and i guess that would make sense for optimization, but it's hard for me to really believe.

We did get a tune from Green Diesel Engineering. Very exited to see what happens when everything is all said and done.

 

[Zachary]

Ok, I thought it should be a really smooth ride and that this bumping and lurching couldn't possibly be normal. Flashing the TCU is a good idea. The transmission is on the list of things to check up on, once we recoup a bit from this emissions business. Hopefully a flash will correct the problem.

We don't know much about the truck either. All we know about the truck is that it was pulled behind a RV for a lot of its miles, although it did have about 25% of the miles on it from towing. We had thought that maybe it was still being broken in. Does the transmission "learn" how people drive? Hubby seems to think so, and i guess that would make sense for optimization, but it's hard for me to really believe.

We did get a tune from Green Diesel Engineering. Very exited to see what happens when everything is all said and done.

The transmission does learn, which is another reason to get the TCU flashed; it can learn your driving habits and adapt. The previous owners may have had some weird driving habits. You'll love the GDE tune, it makes it a whole different truck. GDE also just came out with a transmission tune which I've heard people love. I hope the EGR issue is remedied soon and permanently. My plan is to delete emissions equipment as it fails; far too expensive to replace it!

 

[Zachary]

One other thing I was thinking about since you mentioned the truck was pulled behind an RV a lot; was it on a trailer or towed? My concern is that the previous owners didn't know how to tow it. You have to manually place the transmission in neutral (lever on the transmission housing) to tow it. Hopefully it isn't damaged and simple flash will help.

Edit: I just went through my manual and I'm now confused regarding "recreational towing". I wouldn't feel comfortable flat towing the truck, I'd get a trailer.