[Coloradorob]

Got a chance to drive a older 2016 I believe Ram Eco Diesel 3.0 today.
Was always wondering about this motor. I have heard and read plenty of issues like spun rod end bearings.
Then Dodge decided to stop using low saps euro oil and switched to Rotella 5-40 synthetic....
The Rotella being the only oil sanctioned for this motor by dodge.

Now I will admit up front that I am not a Dodge Chrysler fan.
I have never seen so many people complain about spending so much time at a dealership service department as Dodge Chrysler owners.
I like to talk cars and trucks so I have herd some serious night mares.

This Ram truck had 55,000 miles on it. It was a 4 door 4x4.
It been siting for a while but started no problem. The temp outside was around 30 deg f

First thing I noticed was how quiet the motor was. No clatter of any kind.
As I drove away I noticed quite a bit of turbo lag. Much more than my Colorado.

Now considering this was a full sized 4 door 4x4 it pulled extremely well. And it sounded great doing it to.
This truck pulled away from a stop much stronger than my Colorado.

I left the city stop and go traffic for a short hyway run. And one thing that I didn’t like was the way the transmission hunted for gears. The slighted push on the go pedal had the transmission downshifting. That was aggravating compared to the way the Colorado will hold top gear unless I really press down on go pedal. Even though the RPMs were very close between the 2 trucks the Rams transmission was more like it was still programmed for a gasser.

This was the original 3.0 litre. The new 3.0 Eco diesel has a lot more HP and Torque......

Overall I was very impressed with the truck and especially the 3.0 litre
I was blown away by the sound of the motor. You could hear each cyl firing but there was no clattering sound.
It sounded very much like a newer Duramax. Very tight very refined...

To bad Dodge has such a bad rep when it comes to quality........

The company bought 2 Ram Longhorns a few years back. They both spent more time at the dealer than they did at the shop. And we don’t have a Lemon Law here .
Weeks at the dealer was commonplace....
They were both dumped after the first year....

Rob

 

[oak1971]

Now you can get French fries with your Eco Diesel. Courtesy of Peugeot.

 

[Duken4evr]

The stock 3.0 has a lot of lag, a friend has a Jeep with the 2nd generation version. It is an entirely different and awesome animal with a GDE tune in it. The "lag" is not from the turbo, it is smoke limiting emissions driven tuning in the ECM. Get rid of that and the stupid "torque filtering" and letting it run properly made the 3.0 into a ripper in my friend's Jeep. Same with my 2.8, but his GDE tuned 3.0 is significantly revvier and more powerful than my GDE tuned 2.8. Pity we can't tune in the US anymore.

GM is specifying 0-20 oil for their new 3.0 I-6. I think they are out of their minds, and hope that the new engine does not have issues like the RAM 3.0 did from inadequate weight oil. Seems to me most of the issues with the RAM 3.0 were because they chased fuel economy too hard and specified too thin of an oil for it.

Like RAM's 3.0, our engines are also VM designed - I believe pretty strongly in using 5/40 of whatever brand for our 2.8s, not the 5/30 that is specified by GM. I run T6 (5/40) in my Canyon and have sent 2 samples to Blackstone Labs, the T6 is working great in the 2.8.

 

[Coloradorob]

Stock 2.8 to stock eco 3.0 the 3.0 was very impressive. And the new 3.0 is much more powerful.
And the 3.0 sounds much more refined. Compared to my very rattle prone 2.8
I do agree that this thin oil is nothing more than chasing milage.
killer is it’s working. All though at the cost of a shorter life expectancy of the motor....

I don’t believe it was the 5-30 that caused so many issues with the 3.0. But the poor lubrication that comes with this new low saps oil.
Dodge changing to Rotella 5-40 wasn’t for a heavier oil but a higher saps oil with much better wear protection...
Problem is............ will these owners have issues with there DPF down the road?

I been noticing a bunch of YouTube videos on how to clean a clogged DPF... Most from Europe where diesels are very common....
Is it possible these people are using a high saps oil?
If that is true, I think I would rather run a full 5-40 heavy duty diesel oil to protect the motor with the realization I will have to cut the DPF off and clean it manually.......
wouldn’t be an issue for me to do that.
Also I noticed one guy using a DPF cleaning agent. I was wondering when something like this would be developed.

I hope the Duramax 3.0 is a winner. Time will tell if 20wt oil can protect a diesel for a long life.....

My wife’s Subaru Outback calls for 0-20..... it gets 5-30
Fk the gas milage I want long engine life...

 

[Duken4evr]

DPF cleaning services are here in America, they do light truck units now. Not sure what the cost is, but as expensive as a new DPF is, I am sure it is well worth it. I found this guy near me, the ultrasonic cleaning process sounds legit.

https://dpfalternatives.com/clean-diesel-technologies/

My strategy with my truck is T6 is in tandem with the GDE tune, which turns off EGR. As a result of no EGR and the hotter, cleaner and less sooty running it allows, I only get a DPF regeneration every 725 miles or so as there is a lot less soot. Also have a Provent 200 to catch PCV oil mist. I wager the DPF in my tuned truck will last a lot longer than stock. Time will tell!

T6 protects great, have 2 Blackstone labs reports, both show extremely low wear metals, about 1/3 of the general 2.8 sample average they receive, the last after a 7.5K mile drain interval too, which is longer than the average. They even suggested I extend the drain interval well past 7.5K miles, but I am gonna stick with 7.5K.

 

[Coloradorob]

DPF cleaning services are here in America, they do light truck units now. Not sure what the cost is, but as expensive as a new DPF is, I am sure it is well worth it. I found this guy near me, the ultrasonic cleaning process sounds legit.

https://dpfalternatives.com/clean-diesel-technologies/

My strategy with my truck is T6 is in tandem with the GDE tune, which turns off EGR. As a result of no EGR and the hotter, cleaner and less sooty running it allows, I only get a DPF regeneration every 725 miles or so as there is a lot less soot. Also have a Provent 200 to catch PCV oil mist. I wager the DPF in my tuned truck will last a lot longer than stock. Time will tell!

T6 protects great, have 2 Blackstone labs reports, both show extremely low wear metals, about 1/3 of the general 2.8 sample average they receive, the last after a 7.5K mile drain interval too, which is longer than the average. They even suggested I extend the drain interval well past 7.5K miles, but I am gonna stick with 7.5K.

Interesting information on the ultrasonic cleaning.
I went a different direction on the CCV. I am vented to atmosphere.
I was amazed at the amount of oil in the inter cooler. All from the constant mist of oil from the crank case ventilation..... That much constant oil mist mixed with the soot the EGR is hammered with is not good.
And to constantly blow that mist into the DPF is crazy.
That has to be why the want low saps oil.

I was thinking if we could stop the mist of oil reaching the DPF we could probably run heavy duty diesel oil with much better engine protection and no ill effects on the DPF ....
That would be a win win for longevity of the motor...

Be cool to get a bunch of gear heads together on a forum like this to come up with ways around this ECM from throwing codes for mods to DPF and EGR..
As in ....... what causes a code if you block off the EGR..
I notice there are sensors that detect heat at the EGR.
If you block it there will be no heat for the sensor to detect. Is that what throws the code?
If true I can think of a way around that issue....

What is the output on the DPF sensor that is installed pre and aft of the DPF. These are monitoring pressure pre and aft the DPF so the ecm knows when the DPF is plugged and to do a regen.
We should be able to simulate that and remove the DPF.
Same goes for the def. nox sensor.

I have 2 apps that I am using to watch regens and temperatures.
Also watch EGR operation and temp.
I have read on here multiple times that EGR is closed during regen. According to the EGR temps that’s opposite of what I see. During a regen the EGR gets extremely hot. I have seen over 1100 deg when under heavy load.
But is the app giving me the right sensor temp. How can an EGR with a cooler get that hot....

Does anyone know what codes only a GM dealer can clear. Would make it less nerve racking doing experiments if I knew, if I cause a code I can just clear it...

 

[oak1971]

This could get interesting.

 

[Duken4evr]

Interesting line of thinking Rob. The ability to disable EGR and not have codes would be incredible to figure out, as that would not require re calibrating the ECM and voiding the warranty. I did not tune my truck for power, although the extra response is really nice, I did it to turn off the EGR.

I think GM went nuts with the EGR settings to keep our trucks "clean" in the wake of the VW scandal. And yes, the 2.8's PCV system passes a lot of oil. The new V6 features a redesigned PCV baffle, as the older models can have issues with valve deposits. I probably get about 6 oz of oil in my Provent between changes. It has a toilet tank valve on it's drain tube, which kinda seems appropriate.

 

[Coloradorob]

Interesting line of thinking Rob. The ability to disable EGR and not have codes would be incredible to figure out, as that would not require re calibrating the ECM and voiding the warranty. I did not tune my truck for power, although the extra response is really nice, I did it to turn off the EGR.

I think GM went nuts with the EGR settings to keep our trucks "clean" in the wake of the VW scandal. And yes, the 2.8's PCV system passes a lot of oil. The new V6 features a redesigned PCV baffle, as the older models can have issues with valve deposits. I probably get about 6 oz of oil in my Provent between changes. It has a toilet tank valve on it's drain tube, which kinda seems appropriate.

Speaking of the VW scandle......
I can’t believe how stupid these people are thinking the VW issue would have any effect on diesel sales.....
If I owned a VW I wouldn’t have brought it in for the update. I would have left it as is.....

If it wasn’t for this 2.8 fantastic milage and tow capability I would have had to give up on truck ownership.
My last four trucks were Rangers. Had good luck with the Rangers but 20mpg on the highway was costing me 100.00 a week in fuel just to get to work...

Hard to believe the amount of people out there that say diesels don’t get much better milage than a gas motor.

The only reason diesels are so popular in Europe is because of the cost of fuel.
Our fuel prices in Canada are crazy. Right now a US gallon of gas here will cost you approximately $4.35
And diesels will get more and more popular as that price rises...

Thinking of your EGR. I know the soot mixed with the oil mist causes a real mess.
But just how much cylinder damage is caused by dumping that much soot into the motor. As in piston scuffing.
Just thinking......if I can’t fool the ECM, I wonder if there is a way to add a mesh filter to catch the soot before it gets to the EGR. I wouldn’t have any issue cleaning it once a week. I love messing with the truck anyway....
And that would be a cool mod that solves a big problem....

I bet there is a lot of people out there that wouldn’t mind adding a EGR filter and cleaning it once a week.
Pop the stainless steel filter out drop it in a container of gas, slosh it around dry it off and put it back in....
I have to try and do this..... in a way that can be removed so not to have warranty issues...

 

[Duken4evr]

Rob,

Funny with the VW thing, my neighbor, who is a woman and a realtor, has one of those cars. She never turned it in, never had it "fixed". I mentioned to her that it is an awesome car, and I am glad she kept it as delivered. She loves the car, it gets 55 MPG and is nice to drive. I filled in a few blanks for her, but she was well up on the issues and understood what I was telling her, which was pretty amazing considering she is a fluffy haired realtor chick, not a gearhead.

Before I bought my truck and was considering the diesel, I do recall reading in the Aussie forums (where they have had Holden 2.8s for a long time) about EGR blockoff plates and in line resistor thingies that fooled the ECM into thinking the EGR valve was connected. I doubt that is possible with our trucks though, they have a different ECM and more integrated pollution crap on them. Those Aussie trucks did not have a DPF or DEF injection - if we did successfully fool the ECM into thinking it is operating a phantom disconnected or removed EGR valve and somehow avoid codes and limp modes, the NOx sensor would see the higher levels and likely go insane with injecting DEF to compensate. I do believe EGR is shut off during regen to help get the EGTs up to BBQ the DPF (owning an emissions diesel means a lot of acronyms eh?) It would be like the truck is in regen mode all the time, spraying more DEF to stay emissions compliant. Not sure how many DEF MPG it would get like that. Guessing 100-150 MPG or so, that level of use would be a problem. That is why they use EGR. Meeting emissions regs can be done with DEF alone, but it would take a lot of DEF.

The EGR filter idea is interesting. GM apparently recognizes that sooty EGR is the work of the Devil as it's new 3.0 features a low pressure EGR loop that takes the soot free EGR post DPF. That setup is made possible by the I-6 engine's physical shape, which allows the DPF integrated into the SCR to be physically close to the exhaust ports. This is beneficial as the DPF stays hotter and passively cleans more, requiring fewer regenerations.

The downside is the considerable heat from the SCR and DPF is now right there next to the engine. GM has put enough insulating material around those components to allow them to re-enter from space orbit, and still was forced to substantially reduce the tow rating of the 3.0 due to emissions system heat issues. I do suspect that GM went with the I-6 design at least in part to facilitate their DPF/SCR setup and filtered EGR system. That and lots of diesel guys are fond of inline 6s.

My truck has the final GDE tune on it before the EPA closed in on us. They turned DEF back on as we customers actually asked for it, as the earlier versions had it off and we had to drain the DEF tank every 2 years or so to avoid a bad DEF code. I was also concerned about the injector freezing up, as mechanical devices that are never used tend to fail, and DEF is sticky crystallizing stuff.

With the no EGR but DEF on final settings, I am averaging around 700 MPG on DEF (vs. around 900 stock I think) so GDE reasonably figured out how to moderate the DEF usage while keeping it on. I really would be curious to see what emissions levels my truck puts out set up like this. CO and soot go way down due to no EGR, NOx goes up, but how much with more than stock but not a crazy amount of DEF still spraying? All I know is it remains soot and odor free, you would never know the truck is tuned until driving it, and all the extra response and power become obvious. So, to bring it full circle, it would seem I have spent quite a bit of money and brain damage to get my truck to where my neighbor's VW was, as delivered from the factory.

So when my truck gets low on DEF, I get this message. Figured you would get a kick out of it

 

[oak1971]

All the computer is looking for is a value. That value can be simulated in any number of ways depending on sensor type, expected value, etc....

 

[oak1971]

I wonder...Would a deleted 2.8 pass emissions? Not an equipment check, but the sniff test.

 

[Duken4evr]

I wonder...Would a deleted 2.8 pass emissions? Not an equipment check, but the sniff test.

Depends on the state as they vary. Colorado where I am even varies depending on where one is in the state. If away from the Denver Metro area, as long as it passes the "opacity test" and does not roll coal during inspection, it passes. In Denver where I am, they are supposed to plug into the OBD porrt and do the simple opacity test, no "sniffing" is done on diesels.

I may have to flash mine back to stock before my emissions test, as the tune does not have any check engine light but shows "not ready" under emission monitors if the OBD2 port is read. There are so many fully deleted fish to fry, I will probably leave my tune in place and give it a go. Diesel shops do the diesel testing, not DMV stations, and some shops are more "lenient" than others.

I would not want to deal with owning a fully deleted diesel here in CO. The state is veering left and the writing is on the wall for deleted diesels, and what a PITA to put all that back on. For me with the emissions intact tune, worst case scenario, all I gotta do is flash it back to stock, and that takes 5 minutes.

As for the computer looking for a value, it seems that if all the sensors were plugged into another computer that did the computing" perhaps the ECM could be fooled into thinking everything was just fine and perhaps could even be manipulated into doing our bidding. Such a system would be great as it would leave no footprint from flashing the ECM like a tune does. There are add on thingies like the AFE Scorcher, but those are primitive devices.

 

[oak1971]

I just had mine tested in Wisconsin. Our DMV shut down all the state run testing sites and now farms it out to select shops. Mine passed fine with a DuramaxTuner tune on sport economy and all the EGR, DPF, DEF crap.

 

[Burgess159]

I wonder...Would a deleted 2.8 pass emissions? Not an equipment check, but the sniff test.

I don't think it would pass a sniff/ smell test. You can definitely tell that it is a diesel if you stand by the exhaust pipe. Plus, there is black soot all over the exhaust pipe/ tip of a deleted truck. Compare that to your exhaust pipe and see if its black and soot-covered or clean and can still see the metal.

 

[oak1971]

Mine is squeaky clean, for an exhaust pipe anyway.

 

[Coloradorob]

Rob,

Funny with the VW thing, my neighbor, who is a woman and a realtor, has one of those cars. She never turned it in, never had it "fixed". I mentioned to her that it is an awesome car, and I am glad she kept it as delivered. She loves the car, it gets 55 MPG and is nice to drive. I filled in a few blanks for her, but she was well up on the issues and understood what I was telling her, which was pretty amazing considering she is a fluffy haired realtor chick, not a gearhead.

Before I bought my truck and was considering the diesel, I do recall reading in the Aussie forums (where they have had Holden 2.8s for a long time) about EGR blockoff plates and in line resistor thingies that fooled the ECM into thinking the EGR valve was connected. I doubt that is possible with our trucks though, they have a different ECM and more integrated pollution crap on them. Those Aussie trucks did not have a DPF or DEF injection - if we did successfully fool the ECM into thinking it is operating a phantom disconnected or removed EGR valve and somehow avoid codes and limp modes, the NOx sensor would see the higher levels and likely go insane with injecting DEF to compensate. I do believe EGR is shut off during regen to help get the EGTs up to BBQ the DPF (owning an emissions diesel means a lot of acronyms eh?) It would be like the truck is in regen mode all the time, spraying more DEF to stay emissions compliant. Not sure how many DEF MPG it would get like that. Guessing 100-150 MPG or so, that level of use would be a problem. That is why they use EGR. Meeting emissions regs can be done with DEF alone, but it would take a lot of DEF.

The EGR filter idea is interesting. GM apparently recognizes that sooty EGR is the work of the Devil as it's new 3.0 features a low pressure EGR loop that takes the soot free EGR post DPF. That setup is made possible by the I-6 engine's physical shape, which allows the DPF integrated into the SCR to be physically close to the exhaust ports. This is beneficial as the DPF stays hotter and passively cleans more, requiring fewer regenerations.

The downside is the considerable heat from the SCR and DPF is now right there next to the engine. GM has put enough insulating material around those components to allow them to re-enter from space orbit, and still was forced to substantially reduce the tow rating of the 3.0 due to emissions system heat issues. I do suspect that GM went with the I-6 design at least in part to facilitate their DPF/SCR setup and filtered EGR system. That and lots of diesel guys are fond of inline 6s.

My truck has the final GDE tune on it before the EPA closed in on us. They turned DEF back on as we customers actually asked for it, as the earlier versions had it off and we had to drain the DEF tank every 2 years or so to avoid a bad DEF code. I was also concerned about the injector freezing up, as mechanical devices that are never used tend to fail, and DEF is sticky crystallizing stuff.

With the no EGR but DEF on final settings, I am averaging around 700 MPG on DEF (vs. around 900 stock I think) so GDE reasonably figured out how to moderate the DEF usage while keeping it on. I really would be curious to see what emissions levels my truck puts out set up like this. CO and soot go way down due to no EGR, NOx goes up, but how much with more than stock but not a crazy amount of DEF still spraying? All I know is it remains soot and odor free, you would never know the truck is tuned until driving it, and all the extra response and power become obvious. So, to bring it full circle, it would seem I have spent quite a bit of money and brain damage to get my truck to where my neighbor's VW was, as delivered from the factory.

So when my truck gets low on DEF, I get this message. Figured you would get a kick out of it

You have a cool neighbour.
Not sure what VW did but from what I hear a reduction in power has drastically reduced unwanted dirty diesel exhaust.......

I totally forgot about NOx being reduced buy reburing some of the soot... shiit...
This is why having a place to discuss this is important..... thanks

The other day I was driving down a long hill. I was watching the EGR and DPF temp.
While driving normally my EGR is is always higher than the DPF temp. And during a regen it gets very very hot.
So I was thinking the app was sending me miss information. That maybe the the readings i was getting were from one of the other DPF sensors.
But while driving down this hill I noticed the EGR temp dropping fast. It dropped well below the DPF temp.

I need more info on all the sensors and there makeup....

Yes the inline 6 seems to be what people want. Personally I really like the sound of the 6.6 Duramax. That V8 has a really nice sound. Not much different than a gas V8....

The company I work for had 2 Dodge Ram Longhorn crew cab trucks for a year......... with the Cumins inline 6.
I personally wasn’t impressed with the Cumins. They seemed very underpowered and extremely noisy.
We never had any issues with the Cumins motor but the rest of the truck was a complete nightmare and spent as much time at the dealer as they did at the shop...... one year latter they were up for auction and gone......
Replaced by GM Duramax.......
One of the Duramax motors dropped a valve into the cylinder...... not good .... to get the head off they had to remove the complete cab..... Big job.
The other has gone through multiple NOx sensors.......
We also have a one ton dump truck... no issues with that one.... These are going on 3 years old now...

I noticed my soot level drops like crazy when on the hywy. It climbs fast on back roads but burns off on the highway.... I wish I had these apps when I pulled my RV last summer. The exhaust temp should have been high enough to keep its self clean without regens.

It seems GM was learning from past diesels builds. The new 3.0 inline 6 gave them the room they needed to keep the DPF in BBQ mode..... But if you watch YouTube channel (Chad Ivan) his new Silverado 3.0 seems to go through a lot of regens........ and it’s using a qt of oil every 4000 miles. That’s got to be hard on the DPF ASH collection.......

Very interesting information on your trucks GDE tune.
Yes I like that pic..... very cool.
I have 25,000 miles on my truck and I have no idea how much def was in it when I bought it.
I have put 2 jugs of def in since new... a jug is 2 us gal ??
It seems to last a very long time considering a jug of def gives me less than 50% full on the app.
And the app agrees with the dic when the warning for low def goes off.
And I put a few thousand miles on pulling a 6000 lbs trailer...
And I have a very heavy right foot.

 

[Duken4evr]

Given the emissions regs for NOx being so stringent, manufacturers either have to use a lot of DEF to lower NOx after the fact in the exhaust system, or use a lot of EGR to lower the oxygen level in the cylinder and cool the combustion to reduce NOx formation. Of course lots of EGR hurts power production and efficiency, and nobody wants all that soot in the engine. Less EGR means having to have a large DEF tank and constantly having to fill it, usually with 2.5 gallon plastic jugs, leaving a mountain of plastic waste. Plastic pollution is a huge issue - while commercial trucks use DEF pumps, there is some irony that the "environmentally friendly" DEF is usually dispensed into private diesel vehicles from large plastic containers eh?

In our trucks, I think GM went with the "lots of EGR" route, as it does not take long for the oil to turn black from EGR, and the truck goes quite far (nearly 1K miles per gallon) on DEF. It was remarkable, post no EGR tune, the oil in my truck looks like it was run in a gas engine, darker brown for sure, but never turning black, even after a 7,500 mile drain interval. People say diesel oil turns black, that black oil is a "diesel thing". Not necessarily - black oil is an "EGR thing". Oh, and while meeting emissions regs and choking our engines with lots of soot, we also want 1,000 pound feet of torque too

Manufacturers have quite a tightrope to walk with modern diesels. It is amazing they do as well as they do, but there is so much more in these engines if we bend the rules via tuning. The ironic thing is, at least per GDE, while the NOx emissions from a truck set up like mine are higher, the overall emissions are lower. It produces far less CO and soot than stock, as it is burning hot and clean, like a diesel should, and running more efficiently without EGR.

Diesels are compression/ignition engines that thrive on heat. Look how much more fuel efficient a diesel is on a 100 degree day than a cold winter day. EGR really compromises a diesel. None of that matters though, the government is focused on NOx, less so on CO. I think it would be better if a more balanced approach was used. The current strict environment incentivizes the use of "glider" big rigs, which have no pollution control at all. Owner/operators who drive for a living lose lots of money when they get an emissions "code" or have a DPF problem.

We probably have more overall diesel pollution as a result, as owners either actively avoid, or defeat modern emissions systems. The EPA has recognized this and cracked down. Meanwhile, the rest of the world merrily does it's thing. It would be so much better to have everyone reasonably on board worldwide with emissions control systems that do not so heavily compromise diesel engines. Diesels are here to stay for awhile, if one needs to move really heavy stuff they are currently the only viable way to do it.

As for Chad with the new 3.0 (brave soul buying a 1st year diesel) he tows a lot and is only averaging around 19 MPG. If he did not tow at all and drove lots of highway, no doubt his truck would be high 20s MPG. He is running it pretty hard. My truck's lifetime MPG since tuning is 27.5, I drive highway a lot. Running stock size but knobbier/heavier Cooper AT3 tires on it, still getting 2.5 MPG better with the tune than it did when it was stock, and my foot has gotten a bit heavier with the tune too, cuz it is fun!

 

[Coloradorob]

Given the emissions regs for NOx being so stringent, manufacturers either have to use a lot of DEF to lower NOx after the fact in the exhaust system, or use a lot of EGR to lower the oxygen level in the cylinder and cool the combustion to reduce NOx formation. Of course lots of EGR hurts power production and efficiency, and nobody wants all that soot in the engine. Less EGR means having to have a large DEF tank and constantly having to fill it, usually with 2.5 gallon plastic jugs, leaving a mountain of plastic waste. Plastic pollution is a huge issue - while commercial trucks use DEF pumps, there is some irony that the "environmentally friendly" DEF is usually dispensed into private diesel vehicles from large plastic containers eh?

In our trucks, I think GM went with the "lots of EGR" route, as it does not take long for the oil to turn black from EGR, and the truck goes quite far (nearly 1K miles per gallon) on DEF. It was remarkable, post no EGR tune, the oil in my truck looks like it was run in a gas engine, darker brown for sure, but never turning black, even after a 7,500 mile drain interval. People say diesel oil turns black, that black oil is a "diesel thing". Not necessarily - black oil is an "EGR thing". Oh, and while meeting emissions regs and choking our engines with lots of soot, we also want 1,000 pound feet of torque too

Manufacturers have quite a tightrope to walk with modern diesels. It is amazing they do as well as they do, but there is so much more in these engines if we bend the rules via tuning. The ironic thing is, at least per GDE, while the NOx emissions from a truck set up like mine are higher, the overall emissions are lower. It produces far less CO and soot than stock, as it is burning hot and clean, like a diesel should, and running more efficiently without EGR.

Diesels are compression/ignition engines that thrive on heat. Look how much more fuel efficient a diesel is on a 100 degree day than a cold winter day. EGR really compromises a diesel. None of that matters though, the government is focused on NOx, less so on CO. I think it would be better if a more balanced approach was used. The current strict environment incentivizes the use of "glider" big rigs, which have no pollution control at all. Owner/operators who drive for a living lose lots of money when they get an emissions "code" or have a DPF problem.

We probably have more overall diesel pollution as a result, as owners either actively avoid, or defeat modern emissions systems. The EPA has recognized this and cracked down. Meanwhile, the rest of the world merrily does it's thing. It would be so much better to have everyone reasonably on board worldwide with emissions control systems that do not so heavily compromise diesel engines. Diesels are here to stay for awhile, if one needs to move really heavy stuff they are currently the only viable way to do it.

As for Chad with the new 3.0 (brave soul buying a 1st year diesel) he tows a lot and is only averaging around 19 MPG. If he did not tow at all and drove lots of highway, no doubt his truck would be high 20s MPG. He is running it pretty hard. My truck's lifetime MPG since tuning is 27.5, I drive highway a lot. Running stock size but knobbier/heavier Cooper AT3 tires on it, still getting 2.5 MPG better with the tune than it did when it was stock, and my foot has gotten a bit heavier with the tune too, cuz it is fun!

When I picked up my last jug of DEF I asked the guy at GM how long it should last. He said approx every oil change. Now I’m not sure if he meant a hole tank or just a jug.

I noticed a recall for DPF regen. Sounds like the regen time has been to short to actually clean the DPF ..
I wonder if this will cause other issues down the road. I haven’t had any issues with this truck and I don’t want a recall to be the beginning of something bad......

My truck will not fit in my garage so I bought a portable tent type garage. Some times I will remote start the truck and when I go out to leave the truck is surrounded by a black smoke cloud.. Wonder if that has anything to due with the recall......

Seen some videos on those Glider Trucks. If I was in the trucking industry I would be after one too.
I notice on the Amsoil web site that if you have a Duramax 6.6 they say to use there Signature Series heavy duty diesel oil.. I wonder if the use of full saps oil like that is what is causing so may DPF issues on heavy duty trucks.

Yes it’s hard to believe how my milage changes with outside temperature...

I sure don’t get 19 pulling my trailer. I was getting between 11 -16 depending on wind...

 

[Duken4evr]

I think Chad, the 3.0 Silverado guy, is averaging 19 and change overall MPG. No doubt he gets less than 19 towing his travel trailer, probably getting high 20s MPG unladen, and it all averages out to 19, which is quite good for a full size truck. I am averaging 27.5, but I rarely tow and when I do it is only dirt bikes on a trailer, and I do a lot of highway.