EGR valve and cooler service...

[roadrunnerjon69]

Hello all, I am new to this site, so pardon me if this issue has already been hashed over. I have a '07 6. 7L that is at the dealer as I type this, the EGR valve and cooler are being serviced again (this makes the 3rd time) and the dealer is going to replace the EGR valve and the particulate filter under warranty.



My question is how often is this supposed to be done, as far as I can tell there is no specific service schedule... even the dealer doesn't seem to know. Whenever the truck goes in for the turbo stumble problems (I have had since day one), the technicians allways tell me the EGR is dirty and "just needs to be cleaned". I have 53,000 miles on my truck and the turbo was replaced at 42,000, which was supposed to eliminate the stumble, and has not.

 

[KLauber]

The more the grocery gettin' the more the EGR and turbo issues you'll likely have. CHange your driving habits and use the truck for pulling things around, carrying heavy objects, etc. If used to go check the mail or get a quart of milk, it'll start throwing CELs as if offended by the light duty. At least thats what happened to me. Maybe. IMHO and also HBarlow will agree.

Good thing to have that warranty, eh? I've had the new turbo, etc, etc.

Ken

 

[roadrunnerjon69]

I have to admit that the truck is not pulling down a house every day, but 95% of my driving is on the freeway, in excess of 65mph. There is no *****footing with this truck whatsoever. I run full synthetic (Royal Purple) with religious oil changes at 6000 and 12000 for the fuel filter. Even with the new turbo I still have the same issues, which I am not convinced was the be all end all fix... that the dealer tried to sell me on.

 

[Cosmo]

Can you get away with removing the EGR and DPF?

Today I set the cruise at 70 and averaged (according to the overhead, which is pretty accurate, +/- 5% or so) 25. 2 mpg over a 50+ mile stretch of freeway with one interchange in the middle. Throwing in a couple of toll booths and hopping off the freeway for a stop at the mall and another stop at a Love's, it said 24. 6 mpg when I fueled up back home. Adding in the 3 days of in-town stoplight drag racing (not really, but I'm pretty heavy on the foot) and hand calculation came up with about 17. 4 mpg.

 

[KLauber]

Can you get away with removing the EGR and DPF?



Today I set the cruise at 70 and averaged (according to the overhead, which is pretty accurate, +/- 5% or so) 25. 2 mpg over a 50+ mile stretch of freeway with one interchange in the middle. Throwing in a couple of toll booths and hopping off the freeway for a stop at the mall and another stop at a Love's, it said 24. 6 mpg when I fueled up back home. Adding in the 3 days of in-town stoplight drag racing (not really, but I'm pretty heavy on the foot) and hand calculation came up with about 17. 4 mpg.

Hey Cosmo, which delete package did you do? Am considering same...



Ken

 

[HBarlow]

I do agree with KLauber about "grocery getting" with the new trucks.

It saddens me to admit it because since my first Dodge and first Cummins in '01 I have become a loyal cheerleader for both, but the new ISB6. 7s in the pickup configuration, at least the '07. 5 models, seem to be prone to soot issues unless they are used to pull heavy trailers where heavy throttle use and high exhaust gas temps are more common. Your truck probably has 3. 73 or even 3. 42 gears and without a load, high speed driving on the interstate highways probably doesn't work the truck very much.

Some of the '07. 5 pickups had lots of soot issues during their first year of operation but I assumed that replacement of parts such as the egr, turbo, and dpf with upgraded components and updated computer software obtained by dealer reflashes made them identical to the '08s and later models. Perhaps that is not accurate. Among TDR membership we have not seen as many complaints about soot issues from owners of '08s, '09s, or '10s.

It would be very disappointing and frustrating to own one with soot issues but the small number of owners who report problems should probably tell us something. Perhaps there are subtle differences in the duty cycles or dealer service department knowledge and skills that made at least part of the difference.

My '08 C&C with 93k miles has had no soot issues.

 

[KLauber]

Yes, Harvey, less 'light duty' seems to have cured the CELs unless its just a coincidence, since the dealer also reflashed and changed to latest turbo, etc. Fingers crossed... .

Ken

 

[Bob4x4]

The interval for the egr service is 67500mi,but it will most likely benefit at half that mileage

 

[roadrunnerjon69]

The interval for the egr service is 67500mi,but it will most likely benefit at half that mileage

When I picked up my truck about 2 hours ago I asked about the EGR service, they said the technician recommends every 25,000 to 35,000 miles. I asked for proof, and they said he "recommends"...



This is also what the factory recommends for the crancase vent filter (67,000 miles) which my truck has not even passed yet, although the dealer would not replace the EGR and particulate filter under warranty before I changed the crankcase filter; they wanted $300. 00, I did it myself with the filter purchased from Geno's... #@$%!

 

[roadrunnerjon69]

I do agree with KLauber about "grocery getting" with the new trucks.



It saddens me to admit it because since my first Dodge and first Cummins in '01 I have become a loyal cheerleader for both, but the new ISB6. 7s in the pickup configuration, at least the '07. 5 models, seem to be prone to soot issues unless they are used to pull heavy trailers where heavy throttle use and high exhaust gas temps are more common. Your truck probably has 3. 73 or even 3. 42 gears and without a load, high speed driving on the interstate highways probably doesn't work the truck very much.



Some of the '07. 5 pickups had lots of soot issues during their first year of operation but I assumed that replacement of parts such as the egr, turbo, and dpf with upgraded components and updated computer software obtained by dealer reflashes made them identical to the '08s and later models. Perhaps that is not accurate. Among TDR membership we have not seen as many complaints about soot issues from owners of '08s, '09s, or '10s.



It would be very disappointing and frustrating to own one with soot issues but the small number of owners who report problems should probably tell us something. Perhaps there are subtle differences in the duty cycles or dealer service department knowledge and skills that made at least part of the difference.



My '08 C&C with 93k miles has had no soot issues.

So it sounds like what you are saying is that I may be a minority here, as far as the issues with the soot/EGR... if this is true then I am grateful that the majority of owners are not experiencing the level of frustration that I am. Despite it I still love my truck, and stand behind Dodge and Cummins as superior products... I just wish I knew what the problem was/is and can get it resolved.



As far as my configuration, 6. 7L 6spd manual, 4x4 3. 73 gear... I do drive the truck hard, but it is not hitched every day to a load. For the most part 95% of my driving is all highway, and if you have ever been to Houston you know you have to drive everywhere on the freeway. I agree that I may not be working the truck as hard as I think I am, especially with the 3. 73, without a pyrometer I can only speculate... but I have never had the regeneration problems that alot of others I have heard about have, i. e. constant regeneration with the particulate filter full or the truck going into limp mode. In fact the dealer seems to think that they replaced the particulate filter when it really did not need to be changed... certainly does not build confidence in there abilities

 

[KLauber]

Make sure you have a standard fuel supply. I get my fuel from one place and one place only unless I'm on the road. Fuel filter changed every 10K no questions.

Ken

 

[HBarlow]

I'm really only speculating based on what I read here in TDR because my truck has been troublefree. The numbers of complaints seem relatively small when compared to total ownership and the complaints seem to have died off over the past two years.

TDR member Mike Mullenax is a knowledgeable Cummins tech at Elder Chrysler or Elder Dodge in Athens not too far from Houston. Mike is very knowledgeable on the new ISB6. 7 engines and works on them daily. He is older, experienced, and is a real mechanic, not a parts changer like some of the young guys that came along after computers took over the trade.

If I were you I would pm Mike, describe your experiences, and ask him for his advice. I took my '08 C&C and pulled my fifth wheel clear across the state a year and a half ago for Mike to perform a reflash on mine because I trusted him to do it right and tell me the truth.

Sadly, some of the dealer techs mean well and try real hard but simply don't have adequate knowledge or training to understand the bigger picture. Sometimes they have nothing but a computer diagnostic and one sentence instructions to follow in order to repair problems.

 

[roadrunnerjon69]

Make sure you have a standard fuel supply. I get my fuel from one place and one place only unless I'm on the road. Fuel filter changed every 10K no questions.



Ken

I'm with you on that one, my wife thinks I'm crazy to only fill up at one gas station, and if at all possible at the same pump. She thinks its funny when I have a coniption fit because someone else is in my spot at the pump. Since it was new I have done oil changes at 6,000 and fuel at 12,000 miles, religiously. I mentioned this in another post, sounds like some of you guys are doing them more frequently...



The service writer at the dealer told me yesterday that I should be changing the oil at 5,000 mile intervals. This seems a little premature to me, and since the factory recommends 7,500 on the oil; and thats with conventional oil. When I asked about the contradiction with the service literature, she says its based on the area we live in... I did the same schedule with my '04 5. 9L every 6 & 12, respectively, with great results. I would assume that the same schedule would work with the 6. 7L, running 15W40 Royal Purple, which conforms to the Cummins 20078 engine oil requirements.



But without doing an oil analysis, I may be ******* in the wind.

 

[roadrunnerjon69]

I'm really only speculating based on what I read here in TDR because my truck has been troublefree. The numbers of complaints seem relatively small when compared to total ownership and the complaints seem to have died off over the past two years.



TDR member Mike Mullenax is a knowledgeable Cummins tech at Elder Chrysler or Elder Dodge in Athens not too far from Houston. Mike is very knowledgeable on the new ISB6. 7 engines and works on them daily. He is older, experienced, and is a real mechanic, not a parts changer like some of the young guys that came along after computers took over the trade.



If I were you I would pm Mike, describe your experiences, and ask him for his advice. I took my '08 C&C and pulled my fifth wheel clear across the state a year and a half ago for Mike to perform a reflash on mine because I trusted him to do it right and tell me the truth.



Sadly, some of the dealer techs mean well and try real hard but simply don't have adequate knowledge or training to understand the bigger picture. Sometimes they have nothing but a computer diagnostic and one sentence instructions to follow in order to repair problems.

Thank you Harvey, I will try contacting Mike. I am of the opinion that at this point it might be a case of throwing parts at it trying to fix the problem...

 

[FParisi]

Roadrunner

Mentioned elsewhere but not here (that I saw) keep exhaust brake on at all times. It helps keep the turbo slide clean.

 

[HBarlow]

I'm with you on that one, my wife thinks I'm crazy to only fill up at one gas station, and if at all possible at the same pump. She thinks its funny when I have a coniption fit because someone else is in my spot at the pump. Since it was new I have done oil changes at 6,000 and fuel at 12,000 miles, religiously. I mentioned this in another post, sounds like some of you guys are doing them more frequently...

The service writer at the dealer told me yesterday that I should be changing the oil at 5,000 mile intervals. This seems a little premature to me, and since the factory recommends 7,500 on the oil; and thats with conventional oil. When I asked about the contradiction with the service literature, she says its based on the area we live in... I did the same schedule with my '04 5. 9L every 6 & 12, respectively, with great results. I would assume that the same schedule would work with the 6. 7L, running 15W40 Royal Purple, which conforms to the Cummins 20078 engine oil requirements.

But without doing an oil analysis, I may be ******* in the wind.

I have never had an oil sample done on the any of the three Dodge Rams I have owned. Oil sampling is probably a good thing, perhaps, just never saw the need.

I have followed a 10k mile oil service interval on three Rams also. I'm not saying anyone else should, just that it is what I do.

Auto dealership service writers are not high on my list of people to take advice from. If you find one that has actually read your owner's manual I'd be surprised. They are commissioned sales people, nothing more. Some of them were working at Wal-Mart the year before you talk to them.

 

[roadrunnerjon69]

Roadrunner

Mentioned elsewhere but not here (that I saw) keep exhaust brake on at all times. It helps keep the turbo slide clean.

Yeah I have been told that as well, in fact I received a DVD explaining the use of the Jake brake and particulate filter regeneration from Dodge about 2 months after I bought my truck. I always use the Jake brake, which saves wear on the transmission and brakes too...



As an after thought, on my truck I have to manually push the button after every time I turn the truck off. My neighbor has an '09 cab and chassis; he never has to push the button, it stays on. I wonder if there is a way to change mine so I don't have to push the button...

 

[Bob4x4]

If I owned a 6. 7 I would probably clean the egr valve @ 20-30 k intervals. It is very easy to remove,disaasemble. clean,and reassemble and install. When the EGR valve reacts slow or doesn,t open or close as far as it should the system gets short changed. It all works together,when any part doesn't function as designed you will be shortening the life of the aftertreatment system... ... ... .

 

[tempforce]

my 08 6. 7 has had oil changes at 5k intervals since new. until the present oil change. i'm at 8k on this change as i used synthetic this time, plan on changing at 10k.

fuel filters at 15-20k intervals. frame mounted 2 mic filter. i use the exhaust brake and fast idle feature when ever i'm waiting for passengers. and use the exhaust brake at least the first and last 10 miles and when ever i'm going down grades. i'll engage it whenever i'm slowing for a off ramp.

i've never had a egr/particulate filter issue.

over 48k on the truck.

keeping my fingers crossed.

 

[Simplysmn]

Well I have over 90,000 miles on my 08 and it is used around town and some freeway and I have NEVER had any troubles with it . Do 1 thing drive the thing like a truck and you should be fine that's how I have had good luck . Welcome Aboard