I just pulled the trigger on a new truck after having my ‘07 Ram 1500 5.7 SLT for 14 years and just hitting 150,000 miles a week ago. Still running great. New truck is Ram 2500 6.7 diesel with 6 speed auto crew cab short bed. I learned about starting it up and driving it right away easy till warmed up....no idling warm up time is what i have been warned about all over the place.
Any other things i should know about? We just had borderline freezing temps at night here (32-34 F) and i went out and bought some anti gel additive. Should i run it all winter long, or wait for lower temps to add it in? I also inderstand i should wait till the DEF is low to add more to fill it. Like, about 1/4. Then there’s the exhaust brake. I read that it is good to run it all of the time to keep the turbo cleaner. Any downside to the engine doing this? Any accelerrated wear on the engine doing this? Any other tips or knowledge i should know? I am pretty good with early maintenance of things and i will keep up on it all.

Thanks!

Keep up on the maintenance. I bought my Ram new in 08.Last of the 5.9s. At 15k I switched to AMSOIL. Change oil religiously at 6k miles. Diesel fuels have a blend of anti gel but addicting more can’t hurt but not necessary. if you lived in Alaska then maybe.



Get a good fuel additive that Lubercates. Don’t use a solvent based additive. You’ll dry out the seals on your injectors. I use a lubercant every third Fill up. Diesel is an inherently dirty fuel. Don’t let your fuel level drop below a 1/8 of a tank. You’ll be sucking garbage into your fuel system. I change my fuel filter which I use WIX every spring and fall.

congrats! FYI northern fuel comes out of the pump ready for winter use no anti gel needed.

Congrats.

Brand new diesel Ram?

Google and research the CP4 injection pump. Can be a real nightmare if it fails.

I'm on my 2nd diesel Ram. First was a 2004 HO bought in 2007, truck was bulletproof, sold it last spring at 200k running perfect but rusting badly.

Bought a loaded, used, low mile 2016 Ram diesel, so far so good. Very comfy, lots of buttons.

Haven't heard about not letting the truck warm up, what's the reason?
I use my remote start and let my truck run for 5 minutes before driving.

Be careful when filling DEF it makes a real mess if spilled.

I've been told to keep the fuel filters clean, my 2016 has 2 filters, changed them already, pretty easy.

I added locking fuel caps from Genos (fuel and DEF)

I run my exhaust brake all the time per many recommendations. Only downside is I think it hurts fuel mileage.

I add Power Service fuel treatment every time I fuel the truck.

Thanks guys. Yes it is a 2020. Good advice so far. I didn’t know they blended in anti-gel in the pumps. Good to know. I guess i have it in case it really drops low temps. I do have the power service suppliment and booster with anti gel. I can use it with every tankful as a suppliment i guess. So far, I am really loving this truck and i’m very impressed with the ride quality, as well as everything else. I hope i never have problems with my fuel pump.

You are sucking off the bottom all the time so low level has nothing to do with sucking crap. Regardless it is best to avoid running it low.

You are correct about sucking off the bottom. Low fuel levels just mean that all the sediment and condensation in the tank is concentrated in lower fuel levels and can cause problems.

Me thinks that all the heavier crap like water and junk sucked out of the in ground fuel tanks will sink to the bottom all the fuel tanks out there including mine
The stock in tank fuel pick up sucks the fuel in the tank from the bottom, not the top or in the middle the tank My message is to change the fuel filters on a regular basis to help make sure they don't plug up or let any junk flow out of them towards the motor causing major issues with the injectors and high pressure pump
I had a 1998 1/2 24 valve 5.9 EFI Ram 2500 2 wheel drive that I put a little over 115,000 miles on it before selling it so we could buy a 2006 Ram 3500 4x4 to use here in Oregon year around without getting stuck in the snow and mud, it has right at 155,000 miles on it now and has been trouble free except for one injector getting mess up several years back.
I have the stock electric winter block heater that I plug in once the outside air temps start to get below freezing at night which was about 3 weeks ago, 34 F for the high today according to my outside thermometer on the hot tub, it is about 15 F outside now.
I have had two episodes of fuel gelling here in Bend since 2000, once when visiting in 2005 with the old truck and once since then with the current truck. I had not been warned about diesel fuel gelling in cold weather and didn't have any anti gel additive in the fuel both times, I use it regularly now

I’ve replaced 4 complete fuel systems on 19-20 Rams due to Cp4 failures. The original pump is asymmetrical pump rotor and they’ve changed to a symmetrical design. You’d have thought perhaps someone in design would have questioned Cummins or Bosch on this change especially after the Duramax debacle....

There’s also cracking appearing with the new CGI engine blocks.... haven’t seen it personally, but there are several in the Phoenix area that have.

Run the jake or exhaust brake all the time. Turn it on and leave it on! Your brakes will last forever.
Let the engine warm up before driving. It takes longer than a gas engine to warm up.
Let the engine cool down after pulling hard. Don't just shut it off! Let it idle for a bit.
If you have a 4x4, make sure you find the hidden Double Cardon joint grease zerk! Lots of transfer cases and floors taken out because people ignore this or can't find it. The joint wears, locks up and ka-boom! Keep an eye on the fluid level in the transfer case as well. It doesn't use much so if it starts leaking it doesn't take long to burn up the case. Chains are a wear item and should be replaced before they wear into the case. If you put it in 4wd and it "bangs" or slips, it needs replaced.

I have 406,000 miles on my 2009 truck. It has needed normal wear items. Water pump at 350,000, Alternator at 375,000. Both were very easy to do. At 400,000 I did the transfer case chain, seals and bearings but it looks like it had a new case put in it before I bought it (I've put 200,000 miles on it). Keep an eye on the rear slider pins on the disc brakes as well. Mine had one on the passenger rear get corroded and give problems when I first got it.

Use good oil and fuel filters. I highly recommend Baldwin.

These trucks last forever with proper maintenance.

I don't get the need to let them warm up before driving, driving them will warm them up faster. Let them get some temp in them before hammering down maybe I don't see why you shouldn't start and drive.

I have owned, or have had diesel work vehicles from the big three. I would say none of them get the mileage you see on the internet, and none of them are perfect. But they all have enough power to drag 40' 5th wheel travel trailers without wheels under them lol.

I do it mainly for the transmission more than anything. They have a built in feature that doesn't let them shift into 5/6 until they are above 140*.

This is just the way I have done it for years and this one has had zero powertrain or turbo issues.

Mine regularly gets 20mpg on the highway and has gotten as good as 22mpg hand calculated. It is EGR and DPF delete.

I have had an 04 Dodge CTD quad cab since late Fall of 03. I have always let it warm up enough to get the oil moving, and some combustion heat in the block and head. I've rarely ever let it warm up enough to get the heater warm. I always plugged it in to let the block heater keep the coolant warm if I wanted the heater to somewhat work as soon as I took off. I have ALWAYS let it idle a few minutes after running the hell out of it, to let the turbo cool down. It has rewarded me with no problems, and I have only had to replace the water pump. The factory batteries lasted until 2018 even! Mine is a 4WD 6 speed with 3.73 gears. it gets an honest 23 mpg on the highway at 70ish mph if I keep it around 2K rpm. Granted, that is not towing and just hauling passengers. I have verified the trucks computer isn't lying more than once!

This has been my experience as well. I've owned dodge and chevy diesels and at work we have a couple ford diesels. None of them get the MPG claimed by people on the internet including members of this board. They all will start and run a bit cold blooded but can be started and driven. Lots of diesel pickup owners think they're driving a big rig that won't move until it's been warmed up and that's just not the case. A lot of diesel pickup owners seem to think their truck won't restart if they shut it off and apparently they need to be idled indefinitely. By the time you pull into your driveway the turbo has cooled as much as it's going to. I wouldn't be blowing boost pulling a 10,000lb trailer uphill, hit the brakes and shut the key off but they don't need to be idled 15 minutes after a trip to the grocery store either. The only time anyone needs to run fuel additive around here is when they go south and buy cheap #2 fuel and come back up here in winter and find they have trouble. Normal pump fuel bought locally will be fine for your climate. Repair costs are significantly higher than a comparable gasoline engine. For the weekend warrior who only tows a couple times a month they really aren't worth the extra expense. Best thing you can do for it is plug in your block heater when the temps dip below freezing.

The EGR and Delete for sure help that mileage, my 16 Duramax truck can knock 2-3 MPG off a tank during a regen its crazy.

Its hard to argue with your method given the mileage you have. I talked to a guy that had a hot shot rig Dodge that had 450K on it. He said at 250K he just started changing major components because he knew they all had to be close to failure.

Change the fuel filter(s) ASAP......and get a winter grill cover kit, and typically keep a 1/2 tank or better in cold weather and you shouldn't have any issues.

I wouldn't be overly concerned about idling. Most people who have issues, especially with exhaust regen, are simply babying these things. I used to use the high idle often during cold months, and never hesitated to get into the turbo when pulling. Never had to do the exhaust regen. I used to work with a guy who his truck did it quite often, because he drove it to and from work and that was it. These things are pullers and designed to work.

I've read this numerous times from different people and each time I wonder where they have developed this belief. ALL vehicles use a pickup that draws fuel from the bottom of the tank. Otherwise, you'd run out of fuel wherever the fuel pickup stops. 1/2 tank, 1/8 tank, why would either matter?

My understanding is they will regen at a set mileage interval regardless of what the DPF fill is. They will also regen when the DPF is "full". Its when they can't complete regens that they have to be manually initiated by the dealer/shop to complete a cleaning or removed and cleaned.

I believe this is incorrect. Regen should never occur under proper use, and is the truck performing a self-initiated preventative maintenance measure. I had my diesel for five years, through multiple tanks of DEF, and it never regened once or threw a code. It always ran very well. The ride on the other hand...