Will a 10 mile commute kill a diesel?

45Ricochet wrote:
Name one thing and brand of diesel engine please :B

I'll bite:

"06 Ram 3500 CC LB Laramie 4x4 Dually 5.9 Cummins Smarty Jr 48RE Jacobs brake"

It's in there somewhere, right? :B

cyberiankhatru wrote:
Looking at a 2014 Ram 2500 diesel but will my 10 mile round trip daily commute damage the engine? Should I just get the Hemi?

Just make it work more often, great reason to take the trailer out more often.

%miles one way is on the edge, but you have somewhat mild temps most of the time. I have about the same, no emissions stuff, but use the Exhaust Brake all the way to work, several lights, and idling with the brake on helps build heat.

Hmmmmmm....

My old lawn mower was a gasser...replaced it with a diesel.

I think the ten mile ride is far enough to warm up-its 13 here tonight and my truck was at full temp an loosening up in about 5 miles...

I honestly feel like a big question may be whether you'll drive the truck enough otherwise to justify the diesel...

cyberiankhatru wrote:
I am just lucky I guess. My wife drives 60 mile a day to work.
It seems I really need to educate myself more about modern diesels...have no idea what regen is or what any of those other letters mean! Or maybe I'll just go with the HEMI.
NOW...how can I raise$ 50,000????

Deciphering the diesel alphabet soup:

DPF: Diesel Particulate Filter. A filter installed in the exhaust system that trap carbon particles from fuel combustion. When the filter becomes obstructed, this is detected by the engine's computer and a cleaning cycle called a "regeneration" is initiated. Extra fuel is introduced into the exhaust stream by an additional injector or extra fuel is provided by the engine's injectors creating a hotter than Haides internal temp. in the filter to burn off the soot. How a truck equipped with DPF is driven may affect the frequency of regeneration.

SCR: Selective Catalyst Reduction: This is another exhaust 'scrubber' in which Diesel Exhaust Fluid (urea) is introduced into 'vessel' that looks something like a catalytic converter in the exhaust system. The DEF reacts with the hot exhaust and catalyst contained within the vessel, to reduce oxides of nitrogen in the treated exhaust. An SCR equipped vehicle has a reservoir that has to be filled with DEF, and generally holds enough DEF to typically lasts 5000 miles or more. Run out of DEF, and the computer will place the engine in a 'limp' mode. DEF can be purchased at auto parts store, Wally World, or in bulk from a pump at many truck stops.

modern family wrote:
I can't comment about the question at hand, but How do so many of you have these short trips to work? It takes me 2 miles just to get out of my community, unless I worked at the walgreens, McDonald's or a gas station, I look at about 75 - 100 miles a day! I wish I has to worry about warming up the truck

The trick is to get them to build close to your house. The axle plant I work in, is just at the edge of the city limit. Less than 2 miles from my drive way.
I can go to work 3 weeks on 1/4 tank of gas. So even though the truck only gets 13 / 14 mpg. I don't use much gas in it. It is 10 years old, and has 65000 miles on it. And it goes on every vacation we take, cause it pulls the TT.

45Ricochet wrote:

Diesels are more expensive to maintain compared to gas

Ahhhh the myth begins again. Name one thing and brand of diesel engine please :B
And Merry Christmas to you :B

I don't know about a myth. If he mentioned one certain brand with the last 3 diesels they put in their trucks he would be correct.

Have you check your coolant PH this year Rick. Oops, forgot, you don't have to do that do you? :B

gmcsmoke wrote:

Old-Biscuit wrote:
That diesel will not warm up in 5 miles one way.......therefore the oil will not get warm enough, the tranny oil will not get warm enough, the rear differential oil will just barely get warm enough.

The turbo will soot up
The truck will probably have to be 'forced regen' due to lack of drive time/speeds for normal regens
And it will add $$$$ in initial cost over Hemi Gas Engine

Not the best choice for a short commuter/grocery getter

clueless post is clueless

Old Biscuit is close... Said another way a 5 mile trip to work and back on a DPF equipped diesel will not allow the truck to get to operating temp and complete a regen which after several incomplete regens is usually not good.

I would tend to lean towards a Hemi equipped truck for this type of daily commute and pending your trailer weight and towing environment.

We run 7 2013/2014 ram 2500's diesels as construction trucks. Many short trips from construction site to construction site in the winter as low as -40C. Never had a problem. We first started using diesels back in the 80's starting with the 5.7 Chevy. and have run diesels ever since winter and summer, +40C to -40C, short trips, long trips loaded with bobcats on trailers, no loads. Trade them off every three years, often high mileage and have never had a major engine or drive train problem, apart from the occasional stupidity. Incidently the Chev 5.7 still runs... use it to smog for flies LOL.

Diesels are more expensive to maintain compared to gas

Ahhhh the myth begins again. Name one thing and brand of diesel engine please :B
And Merry Christmas to you :B

Lowsuv wrote:
I live in a town that you can cross one extreme to the other within 15 minutes .
My 2002 duramax bought new gets all of the short trip work through the 6 months of the year when it is coldest and there is gravel ( for snow traction ) on all of our roads .
I have had zero issues with this diesel .
The injectors have not needed to be replaced nor have there been any issues at all with the engine or the allison transmission .
I have kept this pickup six years longer than any other pickup i have owned .
I just pull all of the regular maintenance by the book and i would say that cost has really only been 5 - 10% higher than my previous big block gas pickups.
Bend is 130 miles minimum from the population that is centered along i-5 in Oregon .
My truck drives over Cascade Mountain passes frequently to get to i-5 .
My short trips are not ideal for my diesel but i love living in Bend because there is no Portland traffic jam in a rainstorm which is common there .
Having owned this diesel i do not ever want a gasser again .

I think I like gas better.