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Nice honest review on EcoDiesel

WXman

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These guys are pretty honest with their reviews.

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RH 67

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That was a very good video, completely honest and not trying to brown nose the manufacture. The 3.6 is such a sweet motor to pay an extra 6k for the diesel i don`t get it and the unknown factor regarding the diesel motor, i personally if i wanted a diesel Jeep would wait a couple of years to see how the new motor pans out.
 

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That was a very good video, completely honest and not trying to brown nose the manufacture. The 3.6 is such a sweet motor to pay an extra 6k for the diesel i don`t get it and the unknown factor regarding the diesel motor, i personally if i wanted a diesel Jeep would wait a couple of years to see how the new motor pans out.
I was originally in the waiting for a diesel club but sprung for a 3.6 with a manual transmisison. BTW the Mopar ecodiesel is tried and true - since about 2014 in the Ram and Grand Cherokee and based on the European built VM Motori version that's at least a few years older.
 

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Thank you for linking this, I was thinking of holding off on ordering for the diesel; but... not now. Plus who the heck for a 6K premium?! It also costs more in maintenance too b/c it's a diesel....guh.... plug in hybrid :)
 

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Thank you for linking this, I was thinking of holding off on ordering for the diesel; but... not now. Plus who the heck for a 6K premium?! It also costs more in maintenance too b/c it's a diesel....guh.... plug in hybrid :)
Only 4000 unless you plan on stick shift. Not judging... just getting the correct information out.
 

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Thank you for linking this, I was thinking of holding off on ordering for the diesel; but... not now. Plus who the heck for a 6K premium?! It also costs more in maintenance too b/c it's a diesel....guh.... plug in hybrid :)
Yeah we've already hashed out the costs on this forum in detail. $4,000 for the engine, which forces you into $2,000 automatic trans, and then far more expensive maintenance visits. Heck, the oil filter alone is SEVENTY DOLLARS for this engine. You gotta' have deeep pockets to own an EcoDiesel.

But I thought I'd just post that video because it gives a good idea of what driveability may be like with the engine. You know, living day to day with it...that's what a lot of guys wonder about.
 

kclendaniel

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Yeah we've already hashed out the costs on this forum in detail. $4,000 for the engine, which forces you into $2,000 automatic trans, and then far more expensive maintenance visits. Heck, the oil filter alone is SEVENTY DOLLARS for this engine. You gotta' have deeep pockets to own an EcoDiesel.

But I thought I'd just post that video because it gives a good idea of what drive-ability may be like with the engine. You know, living day to day with it...that's what a lot of guys wonder about.
A little perspective from my personal experience and a reminder (as was stated above) this is NOT a "new" motor just a generational upgrade to an engine that was originally made by VM in 2011 and has been in the Ram 1500 and Grand Cherokee since 2014. If you want to monitor the reliability/performance of the new generation of the engine keep a watch on the Ram forums where the Gen 3 engine is currently in higher production than with the Jeeps.

I have a daily driver 3.0 EcoDiesel in the form of a 2015 Grand Cherokee and I have zero complaints about the engine. My Gladiator order will be one of the first diesel orders when the order books open up. With a lifetime average of around 28 MPG with highway runs at 31-32 mpg you can't come close with the Hemi which is the most comparable for torque (reminder, the Hemi is a $3895 option on the Grand Cherokee with negative MPG impact over the 3.6). The 3.0 engine efficiency has actually got better with more miles. You never see that with a gas engine. I do take a bit of a hit while towing but never dropped below 20-22 mpg towing a 4500 lb boat. My biggest complaint with the Gladiator is the proposed smaller fuel tank. The 26 gallon tank in the Grand Cherokee gets me a highway range north of 700 miles which is really nice on longer trips. The towing figures will more likely be a bit lower than expected due to cooling but unless you are a regular on Eisenhower Pass performance will more than likely exceed current specs for the Max Tow package. The Wrangler engine compartment is just too tight to get good cooling flow (see David Tracy on Jalopnik for more detail).

EcoDiesel maintenance is not that bad if you do it yourself but it is more expensive than a NA gas engine. I am nearing the 100k mile oil change on my 15 Grand Cherokee and just went to order parts. Amazon 2 pack of the Mopar oil filter is $28. Aftermarket options can be had for $9. I have been running the EcoGuard branded filters for 80k with no issues. Fuel filters are a little more expensive at around $30 x 2 and I have been changing them every 20k miles. The Penzoil Euro-L oil is where it gets pricey at around $9/qt and you need 8 quarts (2020 Ram is 8.5, down from 10.5, so that might change with the 3rd gen of the engine).
 
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EcoDiesel maintenance is not that bad if you do it yourself but it is more expensive than a NA gas engine. I am nearing the 100k mile oil change on my 15 Grand Cherokee and just went to order parts. Amazon 2 pack of the Mopar oil filter is $28. Aftermarket options can be had for $9. I have been running the EcoGuard branded filters for 80k with no issues. Fuel filters are a little more expensive at around $30 x 2 and I have been changing them every 20k miles. The Penzoil Euro-L oil is where it gets pricey at around $9/qt and you need 8 quarts (2020 Ram is 8.5, down from 10.5, so that might change with the 3rd gen of the engine).
The Gen 3 engine runs different filters though, right? The guys on the Ram forum haven't found any oil filters for less than $70 each per a thread I was reading through two days ago. They say the fuel filter is now the one used on the Cummins 6.7L so in theory those should have aftermarket options but I don't know what those cost. And yeah, the fact that it takes two jugs of oil instead of one adds 75% more cost to the oil alone. So, routine maintenance on this new EcoDiesel is expensive. Very expensive. I spend $18 dollars per oil change on my Pentastar and that's full sythetic with a Mopar filter.

In the old days, you could run a diesel longer on each oil change and make up some of the cost, but that's not the case anymore these days. With all the finicky emissions controls and high pressure injection systems, it's critical to change oil and filters often.

Having said that, the aftermarket will eventually catch up. So the costs will come down a little. Question is, how much?
 

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My biggest complaint with the Gladiator is the proposed smaller fuel tank
Are they doing this to make up for the added weight of the diesel? Every pound might count in trying to hit the 7k pound number for towing capacity.
 

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The Gen 3 engine runs different filters though, right? The guys on the Ram forum haven't found any oil filters for less than $70 each per a thread I was reading through two days ago. They say the fuel filter is now the one used on the Cummins 6.7L so in theory those should have aftermarket options but I don't know what those cost. And yeah, the fact that it takes two jugs of oil instead of one adds 75% more cost to the oil alone. So, routine maintenance on this new EcoDiesel is expensive. Very expensive. I spend $18 dollars per oil change on my Pentastar and that's full sythetic with a Mopar filter.

In the old days, you could run a diesel longer on each oil change and make up some of the cost, but that's not the case anymore these days. With all the finicky emissions controls and high pressure injection systems, it's critical to change oil and filters often.

Having said that, the aftermarket will eventually catch up. So the costs will come down a little. Question is, how much?
History portends a price drop due to availability and competition as more vehicles are produced. Never said it was cheap but it could be worse. With an average of just over 13k miles driven per year for US drivers, many people they only see around 1 oil change a year on their vehicles with these longer intervals so I don't think oil change cost is as much a consideration with vehicle purchases for most people (who most likely don't even know until they have to pay for it after the free changes).

I have not looked into the gen3 filter situation but if it is a new part it was the same situation back in 2015. Dealers charging $70+ for the Mopar filter but could be had for half online. Mahle had a nice one widely available for a while but that supply dried up. By the looks of the listed part (68507598AA) it looks like the same or very similar element but appears that it comes with the plastic cap/housing which you don't need to change (just the o ring which comes with the filter). I would love to get my hands on one to do a side by side comparison. The plastic housing looks identical. Just for comparison the Mopar "list price" at some online dealers for the older filters like mine is still $76+. If the filter is the same and can be snapped into the existing housing then there is already aftermarket parts out there.

Watch out for that filter housing/cooler on the Pentastar. Crappy location on top when it cracks and leaks. Took my brother half a day to dismantle and clean the top side of his engine when his failed and leaked oil everywhere.

For oil I have never strayed from the OEM spec Pennzoil but there may be cheaper options than their Euro L spec oil. Apparently Rotella T6 has had some good testing by ecodiesel owners and might be a much cheaper option at $22/gallon (this thread pushed me to do some research). That will bring the cost quite a bit ($54.34 in my amazon cart).
 

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Are they doing this to make up for the added weight of the diesel? Every pound might count in trying to hit the 7k pound number for towing capacity.
Apparently it is due to constrained space under there and they need to add the DEF tank and had to give up fuel tank capacity. BUT... that is based on speculation and the tank sizes on the diesel Wrangler. The Gladiator has a longer wheelbase so hard facts on the tank size are hard to come by.
 

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coming from diesel land (where I work) I would be very hesitant to buy a dual loop EGR engine.
Any "modern" diesel with EGR is going to have some level of issues with soot from pre-DPF exhaust gasses. I would love to know the true cost/benefit analysis of these EGR systems vs just SCR. I would rather spend more on DEF fluid to reduce NOx than risk destroying the engine with soot.

Like anything else on a Jeep does anyone ever keep it stock? ;)

The EGR delete/tune investigation and testing is well under way on the Ram side. I would settle for just a tune but Green Diesel Engineering had the best tunes and has all been shut down by the EPA since September in an obvious attempt to prevent re-flashes after the settlement forced dealer AEM reflashes (there may have been a few that slipped through *cough*).
 

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Diesel emissions is a messy cloak and dagger mess. More EPA fines than solutions it seems. Now even DEF is having negative effects on plant life.... According to Kalifornia
True. If up to the lawmakers here in Cali. diesel would be outlawed only allowing for true commercial use, Cali is trying it`s best to make diesel ownership difficult with now yearly inspections and 15k fines if deletes are found. I own a 2017 MB Sprinter 4x4 van and a 2019 F250 last year i spent $180 for the inspections. Last year the UN made a proposal to limit diesel sales to only commercial use so it`s just not Cali. It`s been proven that if not kept in as new condition a diesel will pollute more than a gas engine, a diesel has three times the emission parts as compared to a gas engine.

Long term a diesel is going to be more expensive to own and maintain, there is more to go wrong and does go wrong and the days of diesels lasting 500k or more miles are long gone.
 

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Apparently Rotella T6 has had some good testing by ecodiesel owners and might be a much cheaper option at $22/gallon (this thread pushed me to do some research). That will bring the cost quite a bit ($54.34 in my amazon cart).
Just for the record, FCA/Ram recommends Rotella T6 for the Ecodiesel. That's what I've used since buying the truck new.
 

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Just for the record, FCA/Ram recommends Rotella T6 for the Ecodiesel. That's what I've used since buying the truck new.
Yes, I noticed in my research that they had changed the recommendation at some point in 2015/2016 after I purchased mine. Since I don't go to the dealer unless absolutely necessary (AEM flash at 85k miles was the first since purchase) I was unaware of the change. I have a feeling the change was more to to with cost and availability than a difference in lubrication properties.
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