Mileage - Service - Etc

7/21/2018 - 19,5000 miles - new to me

 

Haha, having trouble managing attachments, attempting to delete from first post, I will figure this out ! lol

 

First big mod will be the GDE hot tune. cannot wait. should be within a couple weeks.

First decent road trip yesterday, impressive MPG in stock form, very pleased with this truck so far. Charlotte, NC to Georgetown SC, and back

 

stocking up for first maintenance, being a used truck, my oil life said 100% when I drove her home. Sticker on windshield says next service at 24K. have acquired ecoguard oil filters, OEM fuel filter, OEM air filter, 3 jugs of T6. Checked air filter the other day, looked new. will monitor and clean / replace as needed.

I may wait until I get the GDE tune on it to swap the oil. cant remember who on here said it, but will likely send in that oil for analysis, and then the next run of oil for analysis after the tune for comparison sake.

Monitoring coolant level in the reservoir. was 1/2" or so down when I got it, filled back to line, and was down 1/8" after a week, filled back to line. Will monitor.

 

I had filled the coolant reservoir the day after I got home with Babe. it was down 1/2" or so. checked again a couple weeks later, down a tad, re-filled, and monitoring. Is this a concern? will monitor.

 

Continue to monitor and report back.

 

Will do, still have some warranty left, so I want to get any issues documented / resolved in a timely manner. Thanks !

 

I had to top off mine once or twice but now stable.

 

Sweet, hopefully mine does same. Thanks !

 

I like that blue, very pretty truck. Congrats and enjoy!

 

Thank You. I like the blue too, this is the most colorful vehicle i have ever owned. I was not searching color, had a few i did not want, but was being open minded on color. was more searching for a good low mile motor with service history.

 

The EGR is on the right/passenger side of the engine and is a common source of coolant leaks. Look at it closely and you'll see coolant lines going into it; if there is pink residue around where they go into the EGR then you may have a leak. If you do the GDE tune you can delete the EGR with no issues and no CEL's since the GDE tune eliminates the sooty exhaust going into the intake and therefore the EGR is made "invisible" to the ECM. Deleting the EGR will eliminate one source of coolant loss.

The water pump needed replaced on mine shortly after buying it (used) but the repair was covered by the powertrain warranty. I had significant coolant loss - puddling in the garage and on the driveway. Not a cheap repair by any means - the water pump is a dealer-only part and is $497. And getting to it for removal and replacement is a serious job. Glad I didn't pay for it ;-)

Keep us posted!

Bob

 

The EGR is on the right/passenger side of the engine and is a common source of coolant leaks. Look at it closely and you'll see coolant lines going into it; if there is pink residue around where they go into the EGR then you may have a leak. If you do the GDE tune you can delete the EGR with no issues and no CEL's since the GDE tune eliminates the sooty exhaust going into the intake and therefore the EGR is made "invisible" to the ECM. Deleting the EGR will eliminate one source of coolant loss.

The water pump needed replaced on mine shortly after buying it (used) but the repair was covered by the powertrain warranty. I had significant coolant loss - puddling in the garage and on the driveway. Not a cheap repair by any means - the water pump is a dealer-only part and is $497. And getting to it for removal and replacement is a serious job. Glad I didn't pay for it ;-)

Keep us posted!

Bob

 

Great info, thank you. I will certainly monitor and see what I can see as I get more familiar with this motor.

 

Coolant level holding for past 2 weeks, pic from this am.

 

Coolant level holding for past 2 weeks, pic from this am.

View attachment 74176

..
That's good , and everything else you posted on your planned maintenance ,
weitheir it is the material , or planned moments to do the switch is spot on ,
keep up the good planning ..........

 

While not a major mod, they all count right ? Dee Zee Tailgate assist installed last night. EZ PZ, 20 minutes while taking my time.

 

I just installed one myself. Don't have to worry about dropping the tailgate any more.

 

Made some bed bars on the cheap over the weekend for my RTT, like this guy did in the youtube vid. will post some pics when I head out all rigged up, weather is going to get cooler soon, getting anxious to go camping.

 

Did my first oil change today, oil filter, and fuel filter. Bought truck used with 19,500 on her, sitting at 22,711 today. Prettty uneventful. Ecoguard oil filter, mopar fuel filter, T6 and lucas. I did not have a 1-1/16” socket for the oil filter, had to run to lowes for one, they only had a 12 pt, but it worked fine. Will get a 6 pt just because.

Also got rid of some chrome. Removed the RAM 1500 from the doors, and removed the bighorn from tailgate. Dipped the ram badge and the 4x4 badge. Also made my bumper black. I scuffed with a grinder / flapper, clean, prime, bedliner, and semi gloss topcoat. Also blacked the exhaust tips. Pretty pleased.

 

Threw the dreaded P0299 code over the weekend (sunday afternoon) at about 22,700. Was heading to Lowes, and threw code as I pulled away from house. made it to lowes (2 miles away) and checked codes. cleared the P0299 code. made it home, ran the truck up and down the highway for an hour that evening, no re-occurrence yet.

Been in touch with the local dealership service dept, yesterday / today. they do have eco diesel techs. they recommend monitor and bring in next time it happens.still under the 3/36 warranty for now. they actually seemed responsive, and willing to help.

 

Found a cheap white grille for sale locally. I color matched it, installed it today. I think it came out pretty decent. Before and after pics. I used paint from automotivetouchup.com

 

Found a cheap white grille for sale locally. I color matched it, installed it today. I think it came out pretty decent. Before and after pics. I used paint from automotivetouchup.com

View attachment 74936

View attachment 74938

Very nice!!


Bob

 

Well, finally ordered the GDE hot tune over the weekend. am excited to say the least. the only option i added was the regen message. I dont tow, so engine braking was not needed, and I dont live in a harsh cold climate, so I opted to not get the high idle. Hopefully by mid week I will have this thing installed. Sitting at just under 25K miles currently, picked up truck a few months ago with about 19,500.

 

..
No more Soot crap ...
I feel it is exactly like Learning that your Truck was a 2 pack a day smoker , now just quit smoking ,
a lot of similarities , for those who tuned from new , a non-smoker forever , and those who tune later
are like people who stop smoking , and it's never too late tostop smoking ,,,,, no offense to smokers .

 

That coolant bottle is clean. Mine dropped a few times until about 60,000 miles or so. Then it stopped. I would not be alarmed.

When you install the GDE, remember the information is on their website, see if you can detect much of a difference. What is important is the internal positive changes made to your engine and operation. They are not easily seen or felt at all. In the long term you sure will enjoy the changes.

 

Thx Cap'N

My coolant level has stabilized, I have not had to add any in some time now, I believe it is good to go.

Have already printed off the instructions form GDE, read, re-read, and read once more. also watched a couple youtube vids. might make one myself of the install, will see. cant wait, should arrive tomorrow

 

You are thorough and informed. That puts you in the top percentage of owners.

 

Well, i got a delivery notification for my GDE hot tune today about 130, tried to wait till 430 to leave work, but left about 230 or so. Got home by 3 and took 38 minutes from hood open to hood closed. Ez pz job. Took another few mins to do the startup sequence, then headed out down the road. The regen went quick, maybe 10 minutes to complete once i got to the highway.

I attempted to remove the ecu without pulling the airbox, but found i could use some more room, so i pulled it. Top bolts piece of cake. Bottom bolts not too bad either. I actually removed the “hard” one first by accident, i thought i was on the easy one. No issues, no dropped bolts, everything plugged back together very easy.

Initial driving impressions. I feel the lag to start moving is reduced. I can hear the turbo. More snappy throttle response. Less downshifting when accelerating.

Will follow up after i drive it for a bit, but so far am very pleased.

 

link to best deal on T6 currently

https://amzn.to/2IDBjoU

https://amzn.to/2Pf5uoW

 

links to common maintenance items, filters, oil, etc

Oil - T6
https://amzn.to/2RzRisf 1 gal
https://amzn.to/2pF9u6W 2.5 gal

ecoguard oil filter
https://amzn.to/2RvlvbU

MOPAR fuel filter
https://amzn.to/2ynxS15

MOPAR engine air filter
https://amzn.to/2PgHtOd

Diesel and DEF caps, 10 beans
https://amzn.to/2BZWssl

 

my favorite tool....ever.....battery ratchet

https://amzn.to/2yooB8X

 

Have been working on color matching a set of headlights over the past few weeks. The insides came out great. However I need to pull them back apart and re-set the clear cover. they did not seat right going back together. there is a deep groove / lip at the pointy end, and a nice groove around the rest of the housing. I was not able to get the cover into the groove at the pointy end, resulting in an awful gap where it is displaced outwards a bit. Also threw in half a dozen packs of desiccant just in case.