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It happened, my 2018 ecodiesel engine blown up

biodiesel

Active Member
Nov 24, 2020
201
95
Truck Year
2015
I have seen you on these forums a lot. In your educated opinion, what is up with the failures on these things, and how can we prevent it?

It seems to boil down to assembly issues. You either get a good engine or a bad engine. VM Motori has several bearing sizes. It appears that the wrong bearing size was used in many of the failures. The engine builders are now using a better bearing, but they are also measuring and making sure the correct sized bearing is used.
 

biodiesel

Active Member
Nov 24, 2020
201
95
Truck Year
2015
I bought mine at 129k. Removed the oil pan and to my surprise the pick up was spotless.

The clogged oil pickup screen is due to carbon buildup from a leaking injector seal. As long as the injectors haven't been touched, then you shouldn't have any problems. The issue is when the injectors get pulled and the tech either tries reusing the same copper seal, or the injectors aren't torqued to spec.
 

tduenas4520

New Member
Sep 26, 2024
5
2
Truck Year
2018
It seems to boil down to assembly issues. You either get a good engine or a bad engine. VM Motori has several bearing sizes. It appears that the wrong bearing size was used in many of the failures. The engine builders are now using a better bearing, but they are also measuring and making sure the correct sized bearing is used.
You're a wealth of knowledge. But I have read a few guys getting to 100-130k and still have a blown motor. Makes me nervous. I was under the impression if it got to 100k, I was good
 

biodiesel

Active Member
Nov 24, 2020
201
95
Truck Year
2015
You're a wealth of knowledge. But I have read a few guys getting to 100-130k and still have a blown motor. Makes me nervous. I was under the impression if it got to 100k, I was good
The vast majority of bottom end failures happen before 70,000 miles. The higher mileage failures that you speak of can be due to oil starvation from carbon buildup on the pickup tube, or the bearings eventually fail due to a combination of wear and tear and weak bearing material. This is why I recommend that owners/operators take UOA samples. If you begin to see silver at 3 - 4 ppm in the UOA report, then you know your bearings are on their way out. An improper fitting bearing may not fail right away, but the tighter clearances will lead to gradual degradation of the bearing surfaces. This is why some bearings last 12,000 miles and others last 124,000 miles. It just depends on how tight those tolerances are.
 

tduenas4520

New Member
Sep 26, 2024
5
2
Truck Year
2018
What's your guide on proper maintenance/checks for the ecodiesel? I've read so much and read so many of your comments I feel you could write A book on what to do, what not to do.. other than the owners manual recs
 

biodiesel

Active Member
Nov 24, 2020
201
95
Truck Year
2015
What's your guide on proper maintenance/checks for the ecodiesel? I've read so much and read so many of your comments I feel you could write A book on what to do, what not to do.. other than the owners manual recs
There's nothing magical that you can do to prolong engine life. Some engines will live a healthy 500,000 miles and others won't make it past 100,000 miles. The intake and head ports will get gunked up due to emissions, which is why some people delete. Deleting is illegal, so that becomes a moral and ethical decision. I personally own three EcoDiesel trucks (2015 Ram, 2020 Ram, and 2023 Jeep Gladiator) and all three of mine are bone stock.

I'll have to spend money on EGR coolers, DPFs, SCRs, DEF Pumps, DEF injectors, NOx Sensors, etc. that others who fully delete won't have to worry about. With that said, most of these parts will last 100,000 - 150,000 miles before they need to be replaced. If one truck goes down, then I have a backup truck. As a matter of fact, I'm looking for a regular cab EcoDiesel to buy as a work truck, too.

I love the EcoDiesel and feel like it's a pretty good engine, but like all modern diesel engines, they will have issues. I'm planning to keep our vehicles for the long haul (30+ years), so I'm committed to the platform. I hope to save a significant amount of money by not having a vehicle payment. The 2015 EcoDiesel, for example, is my daily driver. I actually make money on that truck. I use it in my side business, and it's been super cheap to keep and maintain (so far).

Below is my repair log for the 2015 EcoDiesel. The truck is paid off and has been super cost effective to maintain thus far. I'm also saving a significant amount of money annually by not having a truck payment.

DateMileagePart DescriptionPart #Cost
02/11/2192,313Water Pump68211202ABPowertrain Warranty
08/10/2196,304Front Shocks

Rear Shocks

Bilstein 24-187343
4600 series
Bilstein 24-187350
4600 series
Labor
$204.00 per pair

$152.00 per pair

$280.00
09/01/2197,036Lower Ball Joints
N/A
Labor
Wheel Alignment
$199.90
$211.46
$119.95
07/20/22105,715Driver side CV Axle
Mopar 68028398AC
Labor
$381.89
$211.80
08/27/22106,964Rear Cab ExhaustersMopar 68323649AB$12.44 per pair
10/28/22109,119BatteryOdyssey AGM49H8L5$312.46
09/15/23113,732NOx Sensor - upstream
NOx Sensor - downstream
Mopar 68250217AB
Mopar 68250214AB
AEM Warranty
AEM Warranty
09/27/23114,118DEF Injector
DEF Pump
Mopar 68438682AA
Mopar 68232842AD
AEM Warranty
AEM Warranty
11/21/23115,542EGR Valve Cooler
Bushing x 2
EGR Tube Gasket x 2
O-ring x 2
Mopar 68483334AA
Mopar 68490221AA
Mopar 68211320AA
Mopar 68150060AA
AEM Warranty
AEM Warranty
AEM Warranty
AEM Warranty
02/05/24118,626Taillight Blinker BulbSylvania 3157$16.26 per pair
 
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