Dodge doesnt use Glow plugs, their electrical system isnt up to the challenge, just turn on the heater turn on the lights and start the engine, go watch the headlights blink for you (they dim every 20-30 secs for 3-5 secs)
scared the S$%^ out of me at 1am towning my tt in sig between FL and TX. Immediatly went to Dodge dealer when I got home, and they said "they are all like that" and proceeded to show me 10 other Dodge trucks and they all did the same thing. I went to the Chebby dealer and bought another new truck, took the hit on my trade, but family are safe and I can see when I am driving in the dark with the heater on....
mrfishaholic wrote: Dodge doesnt use Glow plugs, their electrical system isnt up to the challenge, just turn on the heater turn on the lights and start the engine, go watch the headlights blink for you (they dim every 20-30 secs for 3-5 secs)
scared the S$%^ out of me at 1am towning my tt in sig between FL and TX. Immediatly went to Dodge dealer when I got home, and they said "they are all like that" and proceeded to show me 10 other Dodge trucks and they all did the same thing. I went to the Chebby dealer and bought another new truck, took the hit on my trade, but family are safe and I can see when I am driving in the dark with the heater on....
Dumb reason to trade a truck. Cummins has always used a grid heater system instead of glow plugs. Not foolproof, but not trouble prone either. You have eight glow plugs that can fail. A Cummins only has one heater to fail. Also, ever noticed how they don't crank as long when starting cold?
"Never trust a man who has not a single redeeming vice" WSC
mrfishaholic wrote: Dodge doesnt use Glow plugs, their electrical system isnt up to the challenge, just turn on the heater turn on the lights and start the engine, go watch the headlights blink for you (they dim every 20-30 secs for 3-5 secs)
scared the S$%^ out of me at 1am towning my tt in sig between FL and TX. Immediatly went to Dodge dealer when I got home, and they said "they are all like that" and proceeded to show me 10 other Dodge trucks and they all did the same thing. I went to the Chebby dealer and bought another new truck, took the hit on my trade, but family are safe and I can see when I am driving in the dark with the heater on....
Fords do it too! The glow plugs RECYCLE on and off until the engine warms up enough to support compression ignition. Stupid reason to get rid of the only pickup with a true Medium Duty engine..It is a work of art. I hope you did not get rid of your refrigerator because the door gasket got hot.!
mrfishaholic wrote: Dodge doesnt use Glow plugs, their electrical system isnt up to the challenge, just turn on the heater turn on the lights and start the engine, go watch the headlights blink for you (they dim every 20-30 secs for 3-5 secs)
scared the S$%^ out of me at 1am towning my tt in sig between FL and TX. Immediatly went to Dodge dealer when I got home, and they said "they are all like that" and proceeded to show me 10 other Dodge trucks and they all did the same thing. I went to the Chebby dealer and bought another new truck, took the hit on my trade, but family are safe and I can see when I am driving in the dark with the heater on....
That's the strangest reason I've ever read to trade a truck. It also is NOT a legitimate issue.
mrfishaholic wrote: Dodge doesnt use Glow plugs, their electrical system isnt up to the challenge, just turn on the heater turn on the lights and start the engine, go watch the headlights blink for you (they dim every 20-30 secs for 3-5 secs)
scared the S$%^ out of me at 1am towning my tt in sig between FL and TX. Immediatly went to Dodge dealer when I got home, and they said "they are all like that" and proceeded to show me 10 other Dodge trucks and they all did the same thing. I went to the Chebby dealer and bought another new truck, took the hit on my trade, but family are safe and I can see when I am driving in the dark with the heater on....
Dumb reason to trade a truck. Cummins has always used a grid heater system instead of glow plugs. Not foolproof, but not trouble prone either. You have eight glow plugs that can fail. A Cummins only has one heater to fail. Also, ever noticed how they don't crank as long when starting cold?
I can vouch that aCummins 6.7 will fire without the heat grid im sub-zero temps! It starts without it better than some i've driven start with it!
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And the grid heater only cycles until you hit 25 mph, and only until the truck warms up a bit, usually a couple of blocks, or until you hit 25 mph. What a complete over-reaction and a waste of thousands of dollars.
On the MPG comment posted earlier, though it is true the Cummins generally uses more fuel (less mpg) than the GM and Ford, it is pretty close, despite what some would lead you to believe. In a recent test towing 19,000# trailers, the RAM was 8.5 mpg, the Ford was 9.1 mpg, and the Duramax was 9.5 mpg. LINK. It also doesn't require the use of urea (DEF) like the Ford and GM do.
In another test where the RAM was compared to the Superduty, the result was:
"For fuel economy, both trucks did well on our loop, averaging within 0.2 mpg of one another, with the Super Duty (16.6 mpg) edging just ahead of the Ram HD (16.4)."LINK
Anyway, in the real world, they're all pretty close in performance and mpg, and there really isn't a stinker in the bunch.
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I'm puzzled. Why would you let the grid heater cycle more than once? Once the dash light goes off, my truck fires up, even in the occasional "frigid" winter temps we get down here.I have never experienced the grid heater coming on again once the engine is running. Headlights? Don't think I'd turn 'em on until the engine was running and the alternator was powering the electrical system.
Drove ambulances with 7.3 PSD. Never recall glow plugs operating once the engine was running either..................Either pre-heat method has a pretty stout draw on the batteries. Probably one reason why diesels come with 2 of 'em!
Not much difference between 8.5 MPG and 9.5 MPG???
How about that it is actually about 11% difference. This 11% more fuel used for 20,000 miles or approximately one year of driving really adds up to big bucks. 20,000 miles at 8.5 MPG = 2353 gallons of fuel consumed. 20,000 miles at 9.5 MPG = 2105 gallons consumed. The difference is 248 gallons for each 20,000 miles the owned lower MPG truck is driven. Which at $4.00/ gal U.S. = $992/year or $4,960 for 100,000 miles driven. Since when doesn't close to $5,000 for each 100,000 miles a truck is driven make much difference? I'll take that nearly $5,000 any day! Of course, you could just add that nearly $5,000 for "each" 100,000 miles driven to what you had actually paid for the truck and your not getting one dime of it back when you sell/trade it either!!! It's money gone bye bye forever!
Now, to be accurate, I must subtract from the MPG fuel savings of approx $4,960, the cost of the DEF used.
DEF costs approx $3.00/gal here at truck stops and 5 gallons lasts approx 7,000 miles which means that less than 15 gallons would be consumed over 20,000 miles. 15 gallons times $3.00/gal equals $45.00. So one must subtract the $45.00 from the $992 and it makes for a mere $947 total savings for each 20,000 miles driven or $4735 for the first 100,000 miles driven.
Hey, what's an extra $4,735 of after tax etc money for the first 100,000 miles of driving and for each 100,000 after anyway at today's fuel prices and likely much more as fuel prices increase in the future? It's only money! Easy come, easy go!
* This post was
edited 09/08/11 08:06pm by travelnutz *
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No, I was just referencing your obviously inflammitory langauge, which is typical of your posts. You are clearly not a fan of the RAM/Cummins/Dodge truck, and that's fine. I was just adding some reality and balance. "Distant third" and "Thirsty" don't fit the real world experiences IMO.
Yes, it was 11% different in ONE test, done by ONE source towing 19,000# trailers in high elevations, and yes, generally speaking, the 6.7L Cummins will get the lowest mpg of the three. However, I think the one test is far from enough data to make any conclusions to support the langauge you used IMO. Of note is that you fail to reference the other test I mentioned in which the "thirsty" RAM was a whopping 1.2% "thirstier".
In fact, in another test (by Popular Mechanics), the Duramax got the worst mpg of the three when pulling a 10,000# load (Cummins 7.08 mpg, Ford 7.49 mpg and Duramax 6.78 mpg).
My point is, they vary. Besides, mpg is only a small part of vehicle ownership.
Not much difference between 8.5 MPG and 9.5 MPG???
How about that it is actually about 11% difference. This 11% more fuel used for 20,000 miles or approximately one year of driving really adds up to big bucks. 20,000 miles at 8.5 MPG = 2353 gallons of fuel consumed. 20,000 miles at 9.5 MPG = 2105 gallons consumed. The difference is 248 gallons for each 20,000 miles the owned lower MPG truck is driven. Which at $4.00/ gal U.S. = $992/year or $4,960 for 100,000 miles driven. Since when doesn't close to $5,000 for each 100,000 miles a truck is driven make much difference? I'll take that nearly $5,000 any day! Of course, you could just add that nearly $5,000 for "each" 100,000 miles driven to what you had actually paid for the truck and your not getting one dime of it back when you sell/trade it either!!! It's money gone bye bye forever!
Now, to be accurate, I must subtract from the MPG fuel savings of approx $4,960, the cost of the DEF used.
DEF costs approx $3.00/gal here at truck stops and 5 gallons lasts approx 7,000 miles which means that less than 15 gallons would be consumed over 20,000 miles. 15 gallons times $3.00/gal equals $45.00. So one must subtract the $45.00 from the $4,960 and it makes for a mere $4,915 total savings for each 20,000 miles driven.
Hey, what's an extra $4,915 of after tax etc money for the first 100,000 miles of driving and for each 100,000 after anyway? It's only money! Easy come, easy go!
I will concede you are correct if the entire 100,000 miles is spent towing 19,000# trailers at high elevation. However, if you plan on towing 10,000# at lower elevations (PM test) for 100,000 miles, the CLEAR choice is the Cummins, notwithstanding the DEF cost....
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