I've wanted a diesel for a long time and finally picked up a 05 Dodge 4x4 QC that I absolutely love, the power is awesome, fuel mileage good, but I'm kind of wondering about maintainance and reliability????

The more I read about them, and after reading my manual, it seems like the diesel will be a lot more maintenence and the potential for something to go wrong is much higher than a gas engine.

For instance, warming it up in the winter time and cooling it down after a ride, ( to prevent turbo from having problems)my wife is going to be driving it to work during the week and it's only a few blocks away, she is used to just jumping in a vehicle, starting up and a way she goes. How critical is it for a proper warm up then the temp is say 10-40 degrees???? What kind of issues will I have if she does just jump in at 20 and drives a few blocks???

On the diesel forums it also appears that people have all sorts of problems, form the engine just not starting, poor fuel mileage, loss of power, fuel rails going out, pumps failing, injector problems, and a host of other things that just has me a bit concerned???

Is it really this bad, am I going to have to be constantly throwing money at this thing to keep it in tip top shape or what???

Any input would be great, thanks.

 

Say on top of the mainenance (oil changes, fuel filter changes, etc). And it should provide many thousands of miles of trouble free service. Afterall, you've got probably the most mass-produced diesel engine in recent times!

Make sure you are buying clean fuel...by that I mean from a station that has a lot of turn over...High turn over stations inclue: truck stops and better than average fuel prices.

1) Plug it in...
2) Cool down should be VERY fast in those temps. It's the incoming air temp that cools the air in the intercooler and susequently cools the exhaust...and idling w/out a load.
3) How far is she driving it, one way? Getting the engine up to temp is the most critical...helps to burn off the condesation in the crank case. If short (<8-10miles) trips, you may be changing oil MUCH more frequently.
4) If <10 miles, I'd look at a cheap car, just to save teh wear & tear off the truck.

on boards like these you will hear a GREAT NUMBER OF PROBLEMS. What you have to determine is: are these chronic problems? more problems than the competition? You hardly ever hear of the no problem vehicle; they have nothing to complain about!

HTH

Tony

 

No matter what vehicle forum you choose to browse, Most of the posts are in reference to problems.


The great thing about forums on the internet is that if you do incounter a problem, there are more knowledgeable/experienced people out there. Its like having you're own little technical service crew.

. They are a valuable resource, but shouldn't scare you away thinking that the brand of vehicle has many problems.

Think of how many Dodge cummins trucks there are on the road right now and compare that to the number of problem posts on this board. I'd say they are very reliable.

As far as short trips, thats not the greatest for these trucks, but they do it all the time and last a very long time.

 

Thanks for the response, my wife's trip is less than a mile!!! Easily walkable but she won't.

About warm up and how critical it is, it was 40 degrees out this morning and after 5 minutes the temp guage really didn't move, I start driving it and only after another 3-5 minutes does it start to climb. the heater was putting out warm air though. How do you KNOW that your warm up is sufficient, just idling it doesn't seem like the temp guage moves much off of 140 degrees.

Sorry about the simple questions, I just want to make sure I'm taking good care of this baby.

Thanks again.

 

I would start by saying that it depends on what you are using it for. if you bought a diesel just to have one and the want factor, IMO, WHY? I bought one for several reasons, re sale value, durabilty, towing, hauling camper (added power and solid mpg for such a big truck), hunting, and the CTD is the BEST, IMO. If you use it for simply driving around town, that doesn't make any sense to me. Buy a car or gasser truck if you need the bed space. I drive a commuter car to work just cause it is a waste for that fact just to drive a CTD. I use mine what it was built for.

Reliability-- 38 k not a single problem, knock on wood (except bad weather striping on the DS door, which is common on the 3rd gen. Go on any forum and you will see any of these problems with any car/truck. Nothing mechanical is trouble free.

If you bought it to be like the Hummer people, status, you bought it for the wrong reasons, IMO. (no offense, not my money, you can spend it how you want) Will never understand why people have these enormous payments just to say they have such and such vehicle, who cares. the only reason to buy one for any reasons I listed would be for dragging or pulling, which I think is an awesome hobby, but I am so mechanically stupid and don't have the deep pockets to have someone else fix it or do mods, too many other expensive hobbies. Don't get me wrong eventually I will do a few mods to enhance my towing experience, but it does right now what I need it to do.

Ok, off my soap box now. I just think you have to be rational when buying such a beast of truck other than the fact of just owning a CTD for a daily driver. I don't know what you use it for, but just my 2 cents. Maybe I am way off base and you use it for reasons I bought mine.

One other thing, LOOK at how many people have 200k +++ miles on this forum with no major engine problems

 

If you plug it in about 5 min should do the trick, and you can usually tell by the way the engine feels and sounds.

 

Have you been plugging the truck in? That will help greatly in coming up to tempature sooner. Maybe you're wife could leave a little early and get some breakfast at sonic or something?

 

Short trips on any vehicle is hard on them whether they are gas or diesel. If you don't get an engine warm enough to dry up the condensation you'll rust out an exhaust system quicker.
I drive a 2wd tacoma p/u to work 1.2 miles & use it for all my running around. Grocery getter because it has a canopy, garbage hauler, etc. My dodge is used only to pull my 5vr & for long trips.

 

I would not use any diesel for under a mile trip on a daily basis. In fact, that short of a trip is hard on any vehicle, since it can't hit full operating temperature to keep condensation out of the oil. A small gasoline engine will get more heat in it and be less of a problem. My truck doesn't get to operating temperature for several miles when it's 60 degrees driving 40 mph.
I'd put her in a little FWD car with a 1.5 liter motor.

 

I have used my 12-valve CTD for both commuting and long trips, the truck has over 320 k on it and no engine problems at all. What I will say - if short trips are common with the rig, you will need to find a trailer occasionally with about 6-8k of weight and literally run it down the interstate, preferably with some good hills on it, for a while - go on a long trip. This really helps a diesel engine out. Just running any vechile about a mile and shutting it off isn't good for it.

 

Maybe he just wanted a diesel pickup. Who cares if he uses it for pulling and hauling like you. It's his money that he earned. Maybe he bought it for good MPG's or in case he had to pull something he would have it. I am tired of always hearing guys criticizing other guys for buying a diesel and don't even work with it. Who cares. I bought mine for fuel mileage and to soup it up. The biggest load I used to pull with it was a boat or a load of fourwheelers. I just recently started pulling heavy, all the time with it. While Im pulling heavy I still get 10-11 mpg. I don't know I was gonna start using it like this, but I sure am glad I bought it. It's made me alot of money. I've got a vehicle that gets good fuel mileage, is reliable, will last for a looong time, will outrun mustangs, and will pull heavy loads. What more could a guy ask for?

Anyway back on topic, a diesel engine will not warm up very quick when it's idling. You have to drive it get it up to temps. I would plug the engine block heater in on a cold morning if at all possible. If not, start it and watch for the oil pressure to come up. When it peaks, take off, but take it VERY easy on it. This will prevent that diesel fuel building up when it hits that cold engine. Plus cold engines burn more fuel than a warm one. Keep that in mind.

Just follow your owners manual for maintenance. Keep the oil changed, fuel filter changed, transmission fluid changed, air filter changed, front end greased, differentials checked and changed. Just like any other truck but with a diesel engine.

If she only drives a mile to work, you might think about letting her drive the car. Just keep in touch on here if you have a question just ask, we will be happy to help you out. Just follow along on here with all of us and you will learn alot about your truck. If you start having some trouble with your truck and are not sure what it is or what to do about it just chime in and ask us, cuz chances are our trucks have done the same thing and somebody will know how to fix it.

 

Get one of those electrical plug in timers and have it turn on about 2 hours before you leave and the engine will almost be at operating temperature, then once started let it idle for a couple minutes then go. But like already stated its not good on any vehicle to only run for a mile then shut off every day.

Ever heard of one of those things with 2 wheels, handlebars, a seat, and peddles? lol

 

Same here. I leave the truck parked for short trips. For short trips I take the Jeep.

Bob

 

1st Get yourself an exhaust brake with a warm up cycle. It will kick on in cold temps to help warm your rig up faster. It is a good investment anyhow as these big heavy trucks tend to go through brakes pretty quick and this will help depay that. I'll never own a diesel without one.
2nd Get yourself a remote sart kit. They can be had for under $200 at most car stereo stores. The only issue with this is it may not allow for you grid heater to work as it should.
3rd Plug it in whenever the temps are going to get below 50* at night.

4th get a turbo timer if your concerned with waiting to shut it down. They are reasonable and worth the money. I only wish I had one of these.

With this set up all you'll need to do is point at your truck from inside and let it do the rest. 5-10 minutes later you'll come out to a rig that is ready to drive and won't have to sit around waiting for it to cool when your done.

 

[QUOTE=01smoker;1119170]Maybe he just wanted a diesel pickup. Who cares if he uses it for pulling and hauling like you. It's his money that he earned. Maybe he bought it for good MPG's or in case he had to pull something he would have it. I am tired of always hearing guys criticizing other guys for buying a diesel and don't even work with it.

I said in my post it is your money and you can spend it how you want. My main point was before making such a large purchase is to do a little research so you don't have buyers remorse and then lose $$ getting rid of it. I think all people should own some type of diesel for 3 reasons: Reliabilty, resale value, MPG. Not bashing just pointing out some factors to consider before spending the money that way you feel you made a informed decision. that is all, nothing more. Sorry if it appeared to be bashing and you feel like I am one of those GUYS. I researched the crap out of all the diesels available before my purchase and considered everything, including maintence, xtra 5k for diesel engine and if it was worth it. Maybe my logic is insane, but like I said my opinion. And like I also said everything mechanical will have problems, if you base your thought process that you made a mistake buying a diesel because you read about some people having problems with their vehicle on a forum you should reavaluate your statement. that is all nothing more.