Owning a Cummins Diesel?

[BurbMan]

Seriously considering pulling the trigger on a 2015 Ram 3500 SRW diesel, only because finding the 6.4 in a 3500 (that I can afford) is dang near impossible.

Any known issues with the 2015's? In my limited reading it seems like folks have fewest issues with the Cummins. Is DEF easy to find now or do y'all still carry extra? I've never owned a diesel and know very little about them... any comments or advice you want to offer would be appreciated.

[Vanished]

I must have been the one with the bad luck... Water pump recalls and low coolant on my '15... after 3 trips to the dealer they finally realized it's been drinking coolant thru a cracked EGR cooler and that scared me enough to dump the truck 'as is' to the dealer...

[riflegunbuilder]

I'm on my 2nd Cummins. First was an 11 2500 drove it 112,000 only brakes and a fan bearing. On a 15 3500 dually now 68RE transmission. Really like it.

[BurbMan]

Thanks guys, the 3500 SRW crew cab long beds are like hen's teeth, seems like most of the 3500's are duallies. One with the 6.4 Hemi is ever harder to find even with a nationwide search. So, a clean 2015 with the diesel (68RFE) and 81k miles popped up closeby and I'm seriously considering it. Caught me somewhat flat-footed because I hadn't done any research on a diesel, I've never owned one, and now I have a zillion questions LOL. I found a great truck in NC that had the Aisin, but at $45k for a 2015 was a budget buster for me.

[spoon059]

I've got a 2015 2500 with the CTD. Great engine. Its quiet and very efficient. Empty I can get 20 on the highway. Towing 9500 lbs trailer I can get 11-13 depending upon speed and wind. I usually tow at 65-68 mph.

DEF is super easy and relatively inexpensive. DEF is DEF is DEF. Brand name at $10 a gallon or truck stop at $2 a gallon is the same exact stuff. I drive about 10,000 miles a year with my truck, most of it towing. I go through about 10 gallons of DEF a year. Its a non-issue for me. Whenever my gauge shows half or below, I'll grab a 2.5 gallon jug and fill it up. You start getting a warning when you have about 200 miles from empty as well. Truck stops, Walmarts, decent gas stations, auto supply stores, Amazon, etc have DEF. Its a very simple system, at least as far as your input is concerned.

No problems with the engine or base 68RFE transmission either. Plenty of power. Exhaust brake is awesome. Put tow/haul on and exhaust brake to on and it will really slow you down in a hurry. No T/H and exhaust brake on auto isn't nearly as aggressive.

I love my Cummins. The Ram truck around it isn't bad either.

[Grit_dog]

You can get DEF at basically any place you can get motor oil. Parts stores, C stores, Wally world, heck saw some at Home Depot.
Not surprised there aren't many 3500 gassers. Just not a popular combo unless you're a city maintenance department or ma Bell!

As far as reliability, I had a fleet of 2014 Cummins pickups, new.
Same as '15s except the '15s have a few upgrades.
These trucks were operated all winter on the N Slope of AK in what is probably the worst torture test for a Tier IV diesel emissions system.
WAY Below zero for months, never over 35mph, never put under load, some idled all day, some all day and all night.
After 7 months of work, Sept thru April, the trucks had anywhere from 1000 to 4000 hours on each of them. I think mine was the least with just over 1000 hours and about 1500 miles! lol

Aside from frozen DEF injectors needing replaced, freezing the def filler tube solid when trying to refill outdoors, many manual forced regens, I don't recall any hard parts needing replaced except def injectors. One Ram 5500 got so plugged up that after multiple regen attempts, the ECM locked out the regens and we forced it to think the dpf had been replaced and it cleared up after a few more regens.

Bottom line, it requires a little more diligence, but I believe the systems to be largely reliable.

[otrfun]

BurbMan wrote:
Seriously considering pulling the trigger on a 2015 Ram 3500 SRW diesel, only because finding the 6.4 in a 3500 (that I can afford) is dang near impossible.

Any known issues with the 2015's? In my limited reading it seems like folks have fewest issues with the Cummins. Is DEF easy to find now or do y'all still carry extra? I've never owned a diesel and know very little about them... any comments or advice you want to offer would be appreciated.

In 2013, the Ram 3500 got a revised frame and went DEF. The Ram 2500 got the same changes in 2014. DEF is extremely easy to find. However, you want to make sure any DEF you purchase is fresh (check the date code) and factory sealed. Flush/removal of contaminated DEF from your truck is not cheap. DEF can go bad in 2-3 months in very high heat.

FWIW, I'd suggest running the VIN at a Ram dealership to see if the truck has had any warranty issues that may be of concern.

We have 54k on a 2016 Ram 3500 SRW Cummins we purchased new. We've towed 12k 5th wheels, 10k TT's, and currently haul a 4k in-bed camper. Been coast-to-coast a half of dozen times with no issues. Tows/hauls like a freight train. BTW, we have the 68RFE tranny. Zero complaints.

[Me_Again]

Love mine. Which tranny? Aisin tranny dip stick is on drivers side, 68RFE is on passengers side.

[ppine]

great idea.

[Two_Hands]

I’m very pleased with the Cummins diesel in my coach. But DEF at the pump is nearly impossible to find in my area.

[gbopp]

Even Harbor Freight sells Blue DEF.

[wanderingbob]

I have had 4 Cummins in last 18 years . DEF is no problem at all . Wal-mart in the jug is less than 8 bucks for 2 1/2 gallon .I buy a jug maybe every 2 or 3 months unless on a long trip then about every 3,500 miles .
Now in a 2017 CTD with 110 K.

[PhilipB]

I have a 2015 2500 with 65,000 miles. The after treatment system has been replaced under warranty (approx. 20,000 miles). No other issues. DEF available at all auto stores/farm and home/truck stops in box format. If you fill up at a truck island it's cheaper than in the box.