[Jordan1500]

With respects to the travel trailer all 1/2 ton Mfgrs recommend a weight distribution hitch when over 5k. Air bags are also relatively inexpensive and a great addition.

22 mpg is typical running around local. Highway unloaded running 65 mph would be high 20s for her commute.

I have a WDH for my current truck so would use it with the eco. I also want to get a sway bar for the added help with sway on the freeway. Current truck doesn’t sway much but it’s a dually so it can handle it. I don’t want to have cooling problems with the load but I’ll just have to watch temps

 

[biodiesel]

Are the main bearing failures do to lack of good maintenance on these trucks?

According GDE, "the main bearing issues is partially design weaknesses and assembly tolerance stack-ups." You either get a good engine or you get a bad engine. It's estimated that a good 10% - 12% of engines are bad. That means you have an 88% - 90% chance of getting a good engine.

 

[VernDiesel]

Their may be something I am missing. But the way I see it is a sway bar is for body sway or lean when cornering. Having nothing to do with trailer sway going down the highway. Weight distribution between steer & drive axle makes the truck steady to best withstand or resist trailer sway. Proper tongue weight helps greatly. After that a WDH with sway control resists sway before its even allowed to start. Additional electronics such as alternating brakes are an after the fact. A dually further makes the truck steady in that it has more rubber and a wider stance plus more weight plus stiffer suspension. Cooling issues are managed by simply keeping sustained rpms at or below 3k when the truck is really being taxed.

"According GDE, "the main bearing issues is partially design weaknesses and assembly tolerance stack-ups."" I subscribe to that. "You either get a good engine or you get a bad engine." I don't subscribe to that. I believe they are all bad or rather could be and now in the new gen are better with respects to the bearings. The reasons some fail early and some live a lets say full life is likely in duty cycle or use and maintenance including getting an actual and appropriate diesel oil. IMO Putt around at as low an rpm and high a gear as possible all the time not good. No oil pressure heavy load possible crank harmonic. Use generic bulk oil made for a gas 4 cylinder not good. Never let the oil get run a long time at full operating temps in order to evaporate water and unburnt diesel not good. Again just IMO.

 

[Dieseldragon]

Thank you but I’m trying to find something with fewer miles on it. Thinking about the 20 or newer if I can afford it. Anybody with knowledge comparing the two?

Hi: Jordan1500... "If I can afford it"? The extra maintenance can be a drain on your economy too!!!
Dieseldragon North shore of Lake Erie.

 

[Jordan1500]

Their may be something I am missing. But the way I see it is a sway bar is for body sway or lean when cornering. Having nothing to do with trailer sway going down the highway. Weight distribution between steer & drive axle makes the truck steady to best withstand or resist trailer sway. Proper tongue weight helps greatly. After that a WDH with sway control resists sway before its even allowed to start. Additional electronics such as alternating brakes are an after the fact. A dually further makes the truck steady in that it has more rubber and a wider stance plus more weight plus stiffer suspension. Cooling issues are managed by simply keeping sustained rpms at or below 3k when the truck is really being taxed.

"According GDE, "the main bearing issues is partially design weaknesses and assembly tolerance stack-ups."" I subscribe to that. "You either get a good engine or you get a bad engine." I don't subscribe to that. I believe they are all bad or rather could be and now in the new gen are better with respects to the bearings. The reasons some fail early and some live a lets say full life is likely in duty cycle or use and maintenance including getting an actual and appropriate diesel oil. IMO Putt around at as low an rpm and high a gear as possible all the time not good. No oil pressure heavy load possible crank harmonic. Use generic bulk oil made for a gas 4 cylinder not good. Never let the oil get run a long time at full operating temps in order to evaporate water and unburnt diesel not good. Again just IMO.

I should have been more specific. I was referring to a sway bar on the trailer hitch not the truck. Do you personally think these motors are junk? I like the idea of them but if they have bad failure rates I’m not so sure about them. Any other info would be appreciated

 

[biodiesel]

Do you personally think these motors are junk?

The engines are not junk; however, the engines are economical throwaway engines. That's why they cost $7,895.00, which includes a new turbo, new CP4 pump, new injectors, etc. That's cheap!

If you want long-lasting durability, then buy a Cummins. The Cummins is a medium duty engine designed to be overhauled. That's why they are $20,000 to replace. Also, look at the design life for both engines.

The EcoDiesel has a B10 service life of 150,000 miles (light duty diesel applications). This means that 10% of the engines will need a major repair or replacement at 150,000 miles.

The Cummins has a B50 service life of 350,000 miles (medium duty diesel application). This means that 50% of the engines will need a major repair, overhaul, or replacement at 350,000 miles.

 

[okieram]

That’s exactly what I’m looking for. Something that can do it all. I don’t tow all the time or crazy loads so no need for a 3/4 ton let alone the 1 ton dually I have. I just want to make sure these can tow 7500 fairly easy and not way overload it. I hear things about the grills being restrictive and a few other things. Can they tow fine without a tune? I’m in ca and it’s illegal to have those

Depending on where you live, if interested in a exceptionally clean well maintained ed, email me at: [email protected]. I’m in Oklahoma.

 

[biodiesel]

@Jordan1500, think about the EcoDiesel's life expectancy as a bell-shaped curve. There are many EcoDiesels with 200,000 miles. There are some with 300,000. There's been a few with 400,000 miles. There's even one documented EcoDiesel that reached 500,000 miles!

Statistically speaking, the truck that cruises on the highway all day every day is going to last longer. The truck that makes lots of short commutes and doesn't get up to operating temperature is statistically going to run into more issues earlier on. So, how you drive the truck will be a big factor.

I'm the person that does both. I short trip my 2015 EcoDiesel nearly every day. The 2015 might hit the highway once per month. This is why I change the oil every 5,000 miles or so, then pull an oil sample just to monitor the engine condition. My 2015, at this time, has 104,000 miles with no signs of issues.

Before inflation, I ordered a new 2020 to have as a backup truck. The 2020 was just valued two weeks ago at $68,000 with 18,000 miles. I literally paid $54,000 for the truck when it was brand new (which included taxes)! I'm averaging about 10,000 miles per year on the 2020 and I'm averaging about 10,000 miles per year on the 2015. As you can see, both trucks will most likely last 15+ years before I need a major repair. Financially, this is the best option for me.

 

[TCretired]

Are those 10 - 12% the Friday afternoon or Monday Morning assemblies?

I'd suspect as someone mentioned earlier in another thread, it has as much to do with the oil used. Especially if the dealer is using 5w20...

 

[Jordan1500]

@Jordan1500, think about the EcoDiesel's life expectancy as a bell-shaped curve. There are many EcoDiesels with 200,000 miles. There are some with 300,000. There's been a few with 400,000 miles. There's even one documented EcoDiesel that reached 500,000 miles!

Statistically speaking, the truck that cruises on the highway all day every day is going to last longer. The truck that makes lots of short commutes and doesn't get up to operating temperature is statistically going to run into more issues earlier on. So, how you drive the truck will be a big factor.

I'm the person that does both. I short trip my 2015 EcoDiesel nearly every day. The 2015 might hit the highway once per month. This is why I change the oil every 5,000 miles or so, then pull an oil sample just to monitor the engine condition. My 2015, at this time, has 104,000 miles with no signs of issues.

Before inflation, I ordered a new 2020 to have as a backup truck. The 2020 was just valued two weeks ago at $68,000 with 18,000 miles. I literally paid $54,000 for the truck when it was brand new (which included taxes)! I'm averaging about 10,000 miles per year on the 2020 and I'm averaging about 10,000 miles per year on the 2015. As you can see, both trucks will most likely last 15+ years before I need a major repair. Financially, this is the best option for me.

Thank you for all of that. We will short trip it some but my wife’s commute is up and over a mountain as we live far from big city so it should get up to temp fine going up and down the mtn. And freeway driving will be nice for road trips or just long distance for family visits and things. I hope to be getting one soon

 

[Jordan1500]

Are those 10 - 12% the Friday afternoon or Monday Morning assemblies?

I'd suspect as someone mentioned earlier in another thread, it has as much to do with the oil used. Especially if the dealer is using 5w20...

What is the best oil to use with these? I plan on changing every 5k

 

[Jordan1500]

Depending on where you live, if interested in a exceptionally clean well maintained ed, email me at: [email protected]. I’m in Oklahoma.

Thank you but I’m out in California so might be a bit of a drive to purchase lol

 

[biodiesel]

What is the best oil to use with these? I plan on changing every 5k

It depends on the engine. Rotella T6 has proven to be a good oil in the 2014 - 2019 EcoDiesel for both stock and tuned trucks. If you're going to buy a 2020+ EcoDiesel, then I would run either Pennzoil Platinum or Amsoil 5W-40 EFM. The 2014 - 2019 EcoDiesel runs dirtier than the 2020+ EcoDiesel, so adhering to the 5,000-mile oil change is probably a good idea. The 2020+ trucks use a low pressure EGR which draws gas after the DPF and is then pumped back into the intake pre-turbo.

For now, I'm using Pennzoil Platinum, which is what the dealer recommends for the 2020 trucks. The Pennzoil has proven to hold up well, too. I like some of the UOA reports I've seen from others using Amsoil. Feel free to look at UOA reports posted on the forum to get an idea what others are running. Keep in mind, most people who are posting UOA reports are also running tuned and/or deleted trucks.

 

[Augiedoggy]

Are the main bearing failures do to lack of good maintenance on these trucks? I’ve read a bunch on some other forums and some other people about not changing oil for 10000 plus miles and that can relate. I don’t believe in that long between oil changes on any vehicle

No, multiple folks here have gone through multiple engines some seem to be great and others fail, no real trends pointing to maintenance or lack thereof

 

[biodiesel]

Are those 10 - 12% the Friday afternoon or Monday Morning assemblies?

According to GDE, "most engine failures on this platform failed below 60,000 miles, although there have been a good number above that. The low hour failures would point to assembly plant issues with the line bore operation, crank straightness, bearing sorting and block distortion compensation. I have been to Cento, IT assembly plant many times and there is room for improvement. The higher mileage failures show more of the design weaknesses in bearing sizing and crank bending moment."

 

[HYDREX]

No issue with changing T6 at 10,000 mile intervals on the 2014-2019 models. Blackstone Labs UOA's at 10K changes have always come back fine for me. 140,000 miles, GDE tuned. Oil actually looks pretty clean at 10K. I use T6 in my Subaru and by 5,000 miles it looks black as coal. Love the Ecodiesel, do my own maintenance and it's been perfect. If you get one learn how to change oil and oil and fuel filters filters and change the transmission filter and lube at least every 100,000 miles. No harder to service than a hemi, imho. Much rather change Ecodiesel fuel filter than spark plugs on a hemi. Just got 32+ mpg on a 1,700 mile road trip, 65 and under with 3:92 gears.

 

[biodiesel]

No issue with changing T6 at 10,000 mile intervals on the 2014-2019 models.

Yes, but your truck is tuned.

Even with the GDE EPA Compliant Tune, my oil is looking depleted by 6,000 miles. Some of that is due to EGR and running biodiesel. Oil has a hard time neutralizing acids when the TBN drops down to 3. I've read that most fleet managers recommend changing oil at 4 TBN. The 2020+ engines are not as hard on TBN, which tells me the low pressure EGR is a gamechanger.

 

[HYDREX]

@biodiesel , yes, old GDE tune and my EGR cooler is safely away from my truck in a box in my shop where it can do no harm! TBN was 5.1 last time checked. To the OP, if you get a 2nd gen Ecodiesel, look for one with the GDE tune, if possible.

 

[VernDiesel]

I run 10k oil changes no issues with T6. 875,000 miles over 3 engines never spit a bearing. Pre government intervention GDE. Like Hydrex EGR cooler removed and placed in the proper receptacle. I also regularly run long hours at full operating temps which evaporate moisture and fuel that get into the oil. Also I try not to run much bio.

"The 2020+ engines are not as hard on TBN, which tells me the low pressure EGR is a gamechanger." This is good to know.

 

[Jordan1500]

@biodiesel , yes, old GDE tune and my EGR cooler is safely away from my truck in a box in my shop where it can do no harm! TBN was 5.1 last time checked. To the OP, if you get a 2nd gen Ecodiesel, look for one with the GDE tune, if possible.

I’m in cali so it’s gonna be hard to find one