Thanks for the well wishes. I have maintanined my truck as required by the manual, bought fuel from a high volume fuel dealer, and use no bio diesel.
Part of the frustration of owning this truck has been the contradicting advise from the 4 shops I have had it in - all with "reputable qualifications". [/QUOTE]
If you have maintained your truck as you stated above and haven't already traded it off for an inferior vehicle, your problems can be solved right here. Don't despair, there is hope!
I understand what you are experiencing very well. It is a common problem that many of us have faced.
The Cummins-powered Ram is a fine product, very reliable, durable, capable of towing huge loads for several hundred thousand miles with few problems and modest maintenance expense. But they are man-made machines and will have some issues that develop.
One of the problems is that our trucks are an expensive vehicle that not everyone can afford and not everyone who can afford one is willing to spend for. Real knowledge and skill with the engines, even at Dodge dealerships, is limited. Few dealership techs who work on one actually own one so they have very limited experience with them. When one of us goes into a dealership and reports symptoms, few of the techs are familiar with the trucks so they often don't understand. They have nothing to compare our reports to.
Few dealerships actually have trained Cummins techs. Many have parts changers who can't interpret symptoms and diagnose problems. They rely on computers to offer suggestions which include a long list of expensive parts as possible causes.
Sag2, a TDR member who is a trained and skilled Cummins tech once posted here that an owner can identify the trained dealer techs by asking if they have completed the Cummins testing and certification. A "Level IV" trained and certified tech is the highest formal skill level.
There are others who are self-trained and knowledgeable but haven't completed the Cummins training and certification because some dealers don't want to pay for it. I know of two of our TDR members who are knowledgeable Dodge dealer techs. One of them in TX I have met and taken my truck to for a software reflash. He is a genuine diesel mechanic who knows the engines, can identify problems, and correctly diagnose the cause.
The HPCR engines built since '03 are far more complex and the parts more expensive than the older 12 valve engines with mechanical fuel injection. Privately owned repair shops may think they know the engines and may be willing to work on them but may not know as much as they think they do. Some are good, but many are not. The challenge is knowing the difference.
There is a tremendous amount of knowledge and experience here in the TDR forum. There are very few problems that can occur with a Dodge-Cummins truck that someone here has not experienced. Normally, someone here can provide good and reliable interpretation and advice for any issue an owner may have. Generally speaking, many TDR members know more about our trucks than the typical Dodge dealership tech.
What I'm leading up to is the consumer has to know who to trust. Not everyone can work on our trucks when repair is needed.
I encourage you to take a deep breath and carefully describe the symptoms you are experiencing here in the TDR forum. Don't hastily get rid of your truck. Someone here can and will offer good advice.
Attention: TDR Forum Junkies 
