Hello to all, bought my first Dodge CTD about 6 weeks ago. I traded my 00 F350 Powerstroke. So far I love the truck, power, and mileage.

A few weeks ago I took the truck to the dealer because there was/still a knock at idle that I do not think is normal. It sounds like it is coming from the exhaust manifold or transmission... The dealer says that it is normal.... ya right. Anyway, with the warranty I am not to concerned yet. What really has me concerned was what the tech told me. He gave me a print out that said the truck has been idled for 40 hours out of the 160 hours that were on the truck!! I have owned 3 diesel trucks and two diesel boats, I know about wet stacking and the general negative results from idling long periods of time. I bought the truck new off the lot. At most, if you add up all the cool down times I have let it idle, probably not more then 40 minutes. So this occurred before I bought the truck.

Help guys, I am trying to document or do something. I know this is not good. Not sure how it accumulated this time, did somebody just forget to turn it off, who knows.... But I spent 35k on a truck and I am not sure of the long term effects. Before I do anything, how do you all think I should approach this? Thanks in advance.

 

I'd go back to that dealer with print out in hand and ask them what they are going to do about it.

 

If you bought it new and there were 160 hours on it, I think I'd be raisin some stink. 160 hours could easily translate into as many as 5000 or 6000 miles of road time.

I have 10,000 miles on mine and it shows 266 hours on the motor, that works out to 37.6 miles per running hour. Mine does idle a good bit on construction sites.

I think I might be having a meeting with the owner. That truck may have easily sat at the rail yard idling for several days or even a week.

It's a good lesson though. Check the hour meter before signing on the dotted line.

 

Getting back to the original knock question have you compared it to any others on the lot? Is it the same or different? Fuel quality can make a huge difference in idle noise.
I really don't think it idled at a rail yard for several days. 40 hours is alot but in my world a day is 24 hours. Sure would suck to live somewhere that 40 hours is a week..
The truck may have gone through extensive quality control at DC or the plant. Before you get an ulcer from a problem that probably won't even surface get the facts from the service manager. These trucks take care of wet stacking on their own with the bumped idle. If a problem arises in the future the warranty will take care of it. Stop worrying and drive it man

 

how do check how many hours the truck has been on for?

 

Key on, engine off; hold down the odo/trip meter button on the dash.

 

I must be suffering from deja vu, because I swear I answered this same question last week. There is no way you've only idled your truck for 40 minutes in 6 weeks. No way. Mine will idle for 30 minutes just driving thru Washington DC and hitting the lights. Thats one trip of the day. Drive a few times per day thats an hour - easy. 6 weeks is 42 days. Do the math. Thats not counting the 1-2 minutes in the am just starting it up. I can account for 40 minutes right there.

Has absolutely nothing to do with owning diesel boats or trucks, you need to drive it and quit staring at the hour meter.

About the knock, like said above, keep driving it. I take it your previous trucks weren't 7.3 PS's? Those puppies liked to knock.

 

Personally, I wish they never put that hour meter in there. Too many questions!!!!

 

i believe he said 40 hrs.

 

I gave that a shot (3 times) every time it cycles, the numbers it spits out increases by two....... For example....

C-Code
2174
6777
A492

Run it again and get this........

C-Code
2176
6779
A494

Then they both end with 00 00

What does this mean?

Thanks,

 

Don't hold the button down before you cycle the key, then you'll initiate the BIT (built in test). Its a nice dashboard light show and you can watch the speedo and tach do their thing. I do the same thing on occasion.

I don't know what the codes mean (didn't recognize any of them), but if everything is working ok, I wouldn't worry to much about it. I'm thinking the 0000 at the end is a good thing.

 

I think DC only puts 7 gallons of fuel in for the trip to the dealer, so how long will our trucks idle on 7 gallons?

 

I've got about 1500 miles on my 600, with 52 hours showing on the hourmeter.

 

Does the hour meter run with the key on and the engine off? I believe mine does.

 

If the "ignition" is energized, it probably does. Do you sit long with the key on, engine off? I do know the overhead computer timer runs with the key on and engine off, only because it displays the minutes and I've seen it increment up, whereas the engine timer only displays engine hours in whole numbers and I'm not gonna watch that.

I'm wondering about that other guy who posted somewhere else that his truck has all this "idling" time; I'm wondering if he or someone left the key on over night.