So disappointed in this Diesel platform; wish there was a return policy.

[DBT]

I'm gentle going up mountain passes (35-45mph), pulling 4500lbs, not overheating, and highest transmission temperature I've seen is only 212F. But twice now if doing 2-3 mountain passes in a day I get a telematics Jeep warning email about the charging system needing to be checked immediately. No battery icon on the dash, no codes stored, no super low voltages, and a Jeep dealership has given the charging system an all clear (and done some TSB software update on the charging system). I can't claim causation or correlation with only two data points, but just be advised if lots of folks are towing in the mountains, some of you may be emailed that warning.

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[smlobx]

I know this is not an apples to apples comparison but the guys at TFL had a similar situation happen to them in a F-150.
In short, the response they got back from Ford says that their tow (the Vail Gauntlet) actually exceeded the SAE parameters that is used to determine the tow rating going up Davis Pass.

The OP had the same thing happen to him because he also exceeded the SAE parameters. I did not know about how the effect of elevation reduces the tow ratings and that the SAE certification involves driving at 45 MPH…

Something to think about…

 

[CreepyJeepy]

I know this is not an apples to apples comparison but the guys at TFL had a similar situation happen to them in a F-150.
In short, the response they got back from Ford says that their tow (the Vail Gauntlet) actually exceeded the SAE parameters that is used to determine the tow rating going up Davis Pass.

The OP had the same thing happen to him because he also exceeded the SAE parameters. I did not know about how the effect of elevation reduces the tow ratings and that the SAE certification involves driving at 45 MPH…

Something to think about…

I would love to hear jeeps response here as well, I reached out to the TFL guys, I would love to see how the diesel gladiator does climbing the IKE. I am betting it will be one of the worst performing midsize trucks on the IKE (in the summer) and a strong contender in the winter.

FYI my climb involved 2500ft elevation gain over 7-8ish miles and was done in 83* temp.
The SAE parameters are tougher than this, but are done at lower elevation... Granted I was going 48-53mph (slightly above).

 

[MPMB]

So, I just did a another 10k lb tow on the more difficult grades coming from Carson City, NV to Benton, CA. Outside temperature was 80-85. Oil temp never maxed above 260. Engine coolant, again, is the needle mover. I maxed at 244 I think. After cresting long grades she immediately cools off in 30 seconds. I have a long sustained grade with an increased pitch climb on this route. She runs out of steam/power and I am down to about 35mph. I saw the same kind of power loss in my Tacoma on this grade, and an F-350 diesel dually. So, I do not believe it is a derate. A couple things I investigated concerning oil. I’ve used shell rotella 15-45 synthetic or something equivalent for almost 15 years. Online I found that it’s breakdown is plus 300 degrees. Nowhere near the oil temps I am seeing. As far as cooling, I don’t know yet. I am just curious as to a few of the posts and the concern for temps? On my 13k lb pull. I had one more bar to redline, I think 246 or 248 degrees. I am just of the opinion, presently, that if it is not in the red, then that’s normal operating temperatures. That’s why it’s a redline, not in the black. I definitely want to try and figure out the engine cooling issue and their is some good potential solutions being investigated in other threads. My first oil change will be tomorrow, I am going to send off the oil and see what’s going on in the engine. I just wanted to say thanks to everyone for all of the writing. This vehicle is amazing and forums like this help improve upon that.

Am I reading this correctly?

I'm trying to be nice here and not call a spade a spade.

No wonder temps are pegged.

 

[smlobx]

I would love to hear jeeps response here as well, I reached out to the TFL guys, I would love to see how the diesel gladiator does climbing the IKE. I am betting it will be one of the worst performing midsize trucks on the IKE (in the summer) and a strong contender in the winter.

FYI my climb involved 2500ft elevation gain over 7-8ish miles and was done in 83* temp.
The SAE parameters are tougher than this, but are done at lower elevation... Granted I was going 48-53mph (slightly above).

Intersting that the engineers reccomended decreasing your weight by 2% for every 1000 feet in elevation. So if you’re towing at 8000 feet you should decrease your towing by 16% or down to 5040 to 5460 pounds depending on trim…all this at 45 MPH. ..

 

[jsalbre]

Intersting that the engineers reccomended decreasing your weight by 2% for every 1000 feet in elevation. So if you’re towing at 8000 feet you should decrease your towing by 16% or down to 5040 to 5460 pounds depending on trim…all this at 45 MPH. ..

Physics always wins!

 

[biodiesel]

I get a telematics Jeep warning email about the charging system needing to be checked immediately. No battery icon on the dash, no codes stored, no super low voltages, and a Jeep dealership has given the charging system an all clear (and done some TSB software update on the charging system).

I have a 2020 Ram EcoDIesel that had a similar problem. My dealer said there was a TSB for my problem. Here's what the ticket said:

Electrical System - low charging system caused by P065A (Generator System). Performance - P20FB Reductant Pump 2 Control
Performance - Found flash update available for PCM with these DTCS listed.

 

[FutureOdin]

I'm gentle going up mountain passes (35-45mph), pulling 4500lbs, not overheating, and highest transmission temperature I've seen is only 212F. But twice now if doing 2-3 mountain passes in a day I get a telematics Jeep warning email about the charging system needing to be checked immediately. No battery icon on the dash, no codes stored, no super low voltages, and a Jeep dealership has given the charging system an all clear (and done some TSB software update on the charging system). I can't claim causation or correlation with only two data points, but just be advised if lots of folks are towing in the mountains, some of you may be emailed that warning.

This is interesting... I'm seeing that in the Uconnect app as well, but never noticed a charging light on the dash. I've monitored the voltage and it does still charge, I can see it go from 14.2 to 12.8 or so.

 

[FutureOdin]

I have a 2020 Ram EcoDIesel that had a similar problem. My dealer said there was a TSB for my problem. Here's what the ticket said:

Electrical System - low charging system caused by P065A (Generator System). Performance - P20FB Reductant Pump 2 Control
Performance - Found flash update available for PCM with these DTCS listed.

Might have to schedule a service and mention this to them. Thanks!

 

[biodiesel]

Might have to schedule a service and mention this to them. Thanks!

In short, my service advisor said the factory charging parameters were too tight, so the new flash widens that parameter so you won't get the warning.

 

[DBT]

In short, my service advisor said the factory charging parameters were too tight, so the new flash widens that parameter so you won't get the warning.

Except for the time I just got the warning after getting the PCM flashed with the charging system TSB in Longmont CO, and subsequently towing from Taos NM to Cortez CO. Maybe they should widen the parameters a bit more. But I'm just going to ignore those emails as long as everything else seems normal.

 

[biodiesel]

Except for the time I just got the warning after getting the PCM flashed with the charging system TSB in Longmont CO, and subsequently towing from Taos NM to Cortez CO. Maybe they should widen the parameters a bit more. But I'm just going to ignore those emails as long as everything else seems normal.

That is strange. I didn't have any warnings when towing from Gallup, NM to Flagstaff, to Visalia, CA, to Monterey Bay, CA to Reno, NV, to Moab, UT, and back to Gallup, NM.

We just towed from Gallup, NM through Dalhart, TX; Guymon, OK; and all the way to northeastern Kansas.

 

[Cobblecrazy]

Thought I'd add my experiences in the roughly 4000 miles I've put on the diesel Gladiator Rubicon (w/tow package) in the last 3 months, and a few comments from a previous Jeep I owned.

We have a 15ft travel trailer that is about 2000lbs with all the gear. We live in Northern Nevada and spend much of our time traveling in the Sierras so a variety of hills are usually encountered no matter which direction we go.

Originally I had an loss of power issue pulling the trailer up a fairly "easy" grade in moderate temps, but I believe that particular problem was finally diagnosed/solved when we found a crack in the fuel filter housing. During that trip, and subsequent trips, I noticed the Gladiator liked to stay in the 1500-1700 rpms in flat to rolling terrain, and even after an initial drop in a gear or two it seemed as though it wanted to shift to a higher gear and get back around that lower rpm range while going up the hills. To combat this I found that going into Manual shift control when anticipating a hill climb made everything perform better. I try to keep the rpms in the 2000-2500 range while pulling most hills, and I wouldn't seen any big spikes in any of the temps. I grew up with manual transmissions so it's nothing new for me to drive in this fashion.

I know there is a whole science behind the gearing and emissions that I can't hope to fully understand, but I think Jeep may have missed the tow mark in some respects, but I'm going to just take a guess and say it probably has to do a lot with all the strict emission regulations. I read somewhere that mother Jeep did not include a "Tow" setting as they believed they had geared the Gladiator correctly for most circumstances. My Tundra had a "tow/haul" button that I could turn off/on when towing, and I would see a 500-700 jump in the rpms as it corrected to a lower gear (at a cost of fuel mileage). If I turned it off, like the Gladiator, I would see the truck try to shift and drop rpms - even when still on the same hill. It seems as though that button on the Tundra was doing the same thing I now do with the manual shifting in the Jeep.

When I saw the coolant temp image at the beginning of this thread I was taken back to issues we had with a JK (it was a gas engine so did not suffer from some of the idiosyncrasies of the diesel). After months of trouble free driving we began to experience a huge loss of power on the slightest of hills. Ultimately we discovered the radiator was bad, and it was replaced under a recall we had not known about. After it was replaced we didn't experience that loss of power again.

It may not be that the whole radiator is bad, but maybe a fan, or something else that helps it regulate temps. Unlike the gas engine, there's not very much room in the engine compartment with the diesel engine so keeping it cool is paramount to performance. I know this should be something Jeep has to address if they want to keep going down this diesel road, but sometimes the aftermarket scene will come up with a "fix" long before mother Jeep... I thought I came across an aftermarket hood that had some type of higher cooling aspect, but I can't remember the company.

 

[CrazyCooter]

I would love to hear jeeps response here as well, I reached out to the TFL guys, I would love to see how the diesel gladiator does climbing the IKE. I am betting it will be one of the worst performing midsize trucks on the IKE (in the summer) and a strong contender in the winter.

FYI my climb involved 2500ft elevation gain over 7-8ish miles and was done in 83* temp.
The SAE parameters are tougher than this, but are done at lower elevation... Granted I was going 48-53mph (slightly above).

I doubt you are going to get a strait answer from TFL. My guess is that they tested the JT Eco on the Ike, but it failed so miserably so they didn't publish a video. When I contacted them directly about when we would see the JT Eco Ike test, the person who replied referred me to the comparison with the F150/JT mpg towing test, but ignored the Ike part of my question........No mention of an Ike test.

All of these guys are being compensated in one way or another by a manufacturer, so its not likely we will see a 100% unbiased opinion/report. Had someone published a bad towing test like the Ike, it would have kept me and countless other from making the purchase. The Ram killed it, so I was expecting similar results accounting for the slightly lower published torque output.

 

[Abnmarine]

DV8 and TOTL Inovations makes a hood that they claim reduces under hood heat. I haven’t read anything yet from a customer to support that claim.

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