Buying a truck, have questions

[Matt Hannink]

Hello all, it's been a long time since I've been here but I'm glad to be back.

Here's the deal, I'm looking at buying a 2014 Ram 3500. The truck has 130k on it and has a check engine light. The owner says that their mechanic says the turbo actuator is stuck due to carbon build up, and that it will be $800-$1000 to fix. I'm not up to speed yet on these new engines, I was heavily involved in the 90's trucks. My first question is, what does it take to fix this? Do I need the whole turbo or can I remove the turbo, clean out the carbon build up, install a new actuator, and reinstall? Also, the truck is 500 miles away, and over a couple steep mountains. Is this something that can be driven home and then fixed or will it cause more damage?

Thank you in advance for the help and hopefully I'll be back in a Cummins really soon.

 

[TMyers]

The turbo actuator is a common problem. At the dealerships, this is a $3000 +/- fix. I DIY'ed mine with a rebuilt one but they are not available now. You might get out for $1000.00 doing it yourself.

The actuator will have to be removed before you can tell if the turbo has carbon issues. You have to move the vane gear on the turbo to check for full motion. Back in 2017 or so, a new program was written to sweep the actuator/VGT vanes on startup. This upgrade seems to fix the build up issues. They will upload the file at the dealership for free if they haven't already. There's been a couple of recalls like a water pump and tailgate lock and most did them then.

Ram Cummins City Diesel Electronic Turbo Actuator (genosgarage.com)
6.7L Dodge Cummins Turbocharger Actuator Kit 5498269H (mddistributorsstore.com)

 

[Matt Hannink]

Thanks, I have been seeing that the actuator is a common issue. It sounds like though I could likely just replace the actuator and maybe have to clean the turbo. That makes me feel better about this. As to my other question though, could I drive this 500 miles home before addressing it?

 

[TMyers]

Thanks, I have been seeing that the actuator is a common issue. It sounds like though I could likely just replace the actuator and maybe have to clean the turbo. That makes me feel better about this. As to my other question though, could I drive this 500 miles home before addressing it?

Yes, you can drive the truck but you won't have an exhaust brake or boost. Also, most all of the actuators have to be calibrated during installation, except for the Geno's unit. It looks like Geno's is back ordered until Feb. or so.

 

[Wiredawg]

Just curious why the current owner doesn't fix it and add the cost to the truck. What if there are more issues?

 

[Matt Hannink]

I'm ok with that. Empty truck even on mountain passes should be fine.

As to why they don't fix it, I haven't asked and don't really want to. They do mention that they don't want a truck this big anymore, it's a crew cab long bed. The way I see it I will do the work myself and can use it as a negotiating point to work the price down. Yes, there could be other issues too but that's what a good walk around is for. It wouldn't be a dead end run either since I will be in the area for Christmas with family anyways.

 

[AH64ID]

Look into the City Diesel actuator. It doesn’t need calibration and has a great track record.

 

[Matt Hannink]

I was reading up on that earlier, thank you.

 

[JR]

You might want to ask them how drivable it is. Some do ok, others not so much. While likely it is an actuator there is no way of knowing for sure if you need a turbo or a turbo actuator until you get them separated and sweep the turbo by hand from stop to stop. 500 miles is a long haul with a problem like that. If fixing it at the families is an option I'd be strongly considering it.

 

[Topzide]

@Matt Hannink , Do you have a scan tool to pull codes to verify? That would be my first thing to a walk around. Never want to just take the '"word" of their mechanic! That way there could be other codes pending or stored. JM2C. I've got a cousin to the one you're looking at. Acquired mine with 130K in 2018 and have enjoyed it ever since the first time behind the wheel!

 

[TRAMPLINEMAN]

@Matt Hannink I've got a cousin to the one you're looking at.

I’ve got the red headed step kid to yours.

 

[Matt Hannink]

Will a regular code reader pull the codes I need? I've got a cheap generic one but not a fancy one like snap on. I was thinking about how to get my hands on a good one for the same reason, I want to see what else is going on. As a mechanic myself, I never trust the word of another mech. Also, am considering leaving it with family till I get it fixed.

 

[Ozymandias]

Back in 2017 or so, a new program was written to sweep the actuator/VGT vanes on startup. This upgrade seems to fix the build up issues. They will upload the file at the dealership for free if they haven't already. There's been a couple of recalls like a water pump and tailgate lock and most did them then.

Ram Cummins City Diesel Electronic Turbo Actuator (genosgarage.com)
6.7L Dodge Cummins Turbocharger Actuator Kit 5498269H (mddistributorsstore.com)

That's one of the most important thing - have a dealer check all modules, not only the ECM, for pending updates that have not been done in the past.
It is vital to keep these Trucks electronics up to date because they are fixing software bugs all the time.
There are still to many workshops, and owners, around that do not care about that.

 

[Ozymandias]

Will a regular code reader pull the codes I need? I've got a cheap generic one but not a fancy one like snap on. I was thinking about how to get my hands on a good one for the same reason, I want to see what else is going on. As a mechanic myself, I never trust the word of another mech. Also, am considering leaving it with family till I get it fixed.

Aside from Snap-on i think AlfaOBD is the only one that has access to all modules.

Also said, Codes are only a snapshot, you want to see more, see WHY a code pops up and what has lead to it. That's something a simple code reader can't provide but Alfa does. It is very similar to to the wiTech the dealer is using, it also can do lots of programming and stuff.

 

[Ozymandias]

For example the new Actuator can be programmed with AlfaOBD.

 

[Matt Hannink]

All good information guys, thank you very much. I'm going to keep this in mind as I move forward. I'm still not set on doing this, still building the picture of what it will take to get this truck back on the road.