There's not enough H. in the O. of my Cummins H.O.

[MoparToYou]

I just returned from the first weekends towing with my '02 3500 QC 4x4 ETH, and well, ... let's just say I'm a bit underwhelmed. I'm towing a 26' Weekend Warrior toy hauler trailer with a GVW of 11,100 lbs. And I traded in a '98 3500 QC 4x4 V-10 to get this new diesel. I went with the diesel this time specifically because of all I have heard about how much better they tow heavy loads than gas engines do.



The one and only time I towed this trailer with the V-10 truck I also had an 8. 5' Lance cabover camper on the truck. In other words, my total load was at least 2500 lbs more with the V-10 truck than it was on this trip with the ETH diesel. The steepest climb on our trip made our totally stock V-10 truck slow to 35 mph while pulling the grade with the combined load of the cabover camper and the toy hauler trailer. On this trip with the ETH diesel truck, and no cabover camper, my maximum speed up this grade was only 44 mph! That ain't a whole lot to brag about folks, especially with 2500 lbs less weight on board. My fuel mileage is horendous as well. On the way to our campground we got 9. 1 mpg (calculated), and on the way home we got only 8. 7 mpg, while bucking a headwind most of the trip (V-10 got 6 mpg pulling this load). This ETH diesel truck is floorboarded the whole time, and seems to run way too hot. The fan clutch is engaged on pretty much any hill, and the deafening roar of the fan makes you think you're in one of those old propeller driven B-52s, in the midst of a full power dive. The V-10 powered truck's temp gauge would never budge, no matter how hard I worked it, and it NEVER got hot enough for the fan clutch to engage.



So what the hell is wrong with my truck? Am I expecting to much? After all, I did catch and pass a mid 90s Ford diesel pickup with Banks emblems all over it, on this grade; and he had less than half the load in tow that I did.



My gearing choice was wrong as well. I should have went with the 4. 10 gears, because this truck doesn't have the power to pull 6th gear with the 3. 54 gears, unless it's downhill.



Do I need to give it time to break-in? I only had 14 miles on the odometer when we left for this trip. I'm going outside right now to check the clamp bolts on the intercooler tubing, anything else I should check? Or should I just plan on a trip to the dealership this week for a diagnostic check to be sure it didn't come with the wrong engine program? Thanks for your help.



signed,



Underwhelmed

 

[Fuzz]

Me Too

I have a y2k 3500 4x4. Been real disappointed. Dealer has busted his rear to try to help. Had a 454 chev 4spd,4:10 rear end and it would pull with my new truck.



I have put an EZ and 275 injectors,it is now OK for power. Mileage isn't so great but need to pull a few more times to really check.



Mine is not the HO but in my case the EZ and 275 really helped.

If the Duramax had of been out,I probably would of bought it.

Too much in this thing now to trade.

Try the EZ then the injectors.

BTW I have put in a new 6spd and 9000 miles later a new clutch.

It was all stock then. . all under warranty.

Sure hope yours does better(mine too for that matter).

 

[EricBu12]

Mop(ower) to you

Guys,

You need to let it break in. I have 15K on mine and it is starting to do some power. I have the blue chip box only. Also the mileage will go up when the engine breaks in. I'd say that wait til 20K miles to start to look at power and mileage. these engines are designed to go 400K so 20K is nothing.

When towing, pushing kinda hard will help break it in faster and might make it pull better sooner.

When my 2001 was new, it was loud even at idle, after 8K or so, it quieted down. now I have 15K and I almodt got to 20 MPG on a trip to Reno. My truck is kinda heavy at 7430lbs. I have a shell and tools and such so I am happy as can be.

Give it time and ejoy the purr of the diesel. It sure beats 8-10 MPG of the big gassers.

 

[Gunny]

I also have a new 3500, 4X4 HO 6speed. Mine is a 2001. 5 and now has 6200 miles on it. I have added a B&D VA plug and power, guages and a Pac-Brake. My towing experiance is quite a bit different than yours. I tow a 34 ft 5er that weighs 12,000 empty, gross on this lastest trip was 15,200 weighed on scales,thats trailer weight only. Truck weighs 7,700, I also have the 3. 54's. Just got back home from a 1600 mile trip. Raton NM to San Jose CA. There are some pretty good grades on this trip, truck pulled 95% of these grades in 6th gear somewhere around 60. I towed 65 and 70 on most of this trip. Never saw an increase in the temps that lasted longer than the grade, temps would return to normal quickly. Milage is getting better everyday. On this trip towards the end of the trip I was getting 11 1/2 mpg at the start mpg where 9 1/2 the more miles I put on this truck the better it seems to be. Give this new truck a little time to get a few miles on it. IT will get better. Gunny

 

[WOWZY]

I noticed that my 0-60 times decreased about a half a second every 3 or 4 thousand miles. Keep your chin up as your fuel mileage will get significantly better also the more miles you put on it. Mine started out getting 16mpg empty and now I'm 22. 5 with a best of 23. 6 empty with just 20,000 miles on mine.

 

[RAMalama]

I'm just a 2WD ETH/DEE but I COMPLETELY agree with the break in. I know it's hard, but don't judge your motor until 20k is on the clock. Mine only has 10k but the difference in power and efficency from 14miles to 10k has to be experienced to be believed. I have the 4:10 rear end so I am a shifting fool but man, this truck pulls so hard I worry (needlessly) about what keeps the hitch in the truck. I just fueled up two days ago and set a personal best in mileage: 19. 1. That was commuting to work mostly on these back-road two-lane never over 60mph "highways" that we have here in north east North Carolina. While driving I was trying to set a record. My truck weighs 7300lbs empty.



There was a post on here about mileage and a plumber chimed in comparing his V10 work truck to his new diesel work truck and couldn't be more happier.



Keep on towing!!! Even your Owner's Manual recomends speeding up the break in process by towing and loading up your truck. Give it time and mileage, it won't let you down.

 

[SmokinJoe]

Originally posted by MoparToYou

This ETH diesel truck is floorboarded the whole time, and seems to run way too hot.

Your RPM's should never drop below 2000 when towing. If you are going up a grade let the engine breathe, do not lug the engine. You need to add gauges to your truck, you would have seen your EGT go thru the roof!



BTW DC is a bunch of lamers for putting a turbo diesel in a truck and no gauges.

 

[MoparToYou]

I always keep the RPMs between 2,000 and 3,000 while towing. That mountain grade that slowed me to 44 mph was climbed in 4th gear.



So how come Gunny's truck tows 15K uphill in 6th gear, and mine can't tow 11K on level gound in 6th gear? Does engine break-in make that much difference, or is there something wrong with my truck? How can I get mine to tow like his? That's what I expected when I bought this truck.



I'm just not impressed at this point. I had thought just a mild little power upgrade, such as 275 injectors would be all I would need, but with the way it tows now I'll be needing DD3s, a PE Comp, an HX40, a 5" exhaust, and propane.

 

[ANCIENT WOOD]

Your idea about the intercooler clamps is a good one. If you are leaking boost it will sound like a big fan blowing and you temps will go sky high. Make sure the hoses are on the pipes real solid. Your truck should blow the doors off a V10.

 

[Vaughn MacKenzie]

Keep it running over 2000 RPM

Originally posted by Gunny

There are some pretty good grades on this trip, truck pulled 95% of these grades in 6th gear somewhere around 60.

Gunny, if you are only running at 60mph in 6th gear pulling a load like that, you need to drop it down to 5th! The heavier the load the higher the RPM needs to be to avoid lugging. I agree with SmokinJoe, if you are hauling that kind of weight I'd definitely keep your RPM above 2000. When I towed 6000lbs in 6th gear with my 2wd I noticed EGTs were higher in 6th gear compared to 5th at 65mph.



Vaughn

 

[CUMINNTSTRKN]

mopar



i have a couple of ideas. in my eth when it was stock i could pull 13000lbs up an 8%grade at 45 mph i could also pull 18k up the same hill at the same speed. stock once the rpm's hit 2200-2400 in 4th i couldn't slow the truck down!!! you say your not impressed but you picked up 9mph and 1/3 better mileage. imo you can't tow anything over 5-6klbs in 6th gear below 70mph. the sweet spot for my truck is 2200rpm. as far as going with 4. 10's you do have 4. 10's down shift one gear and it's the same as 4. 10's with an overdrive. with your gears either speed up to 70-75mph or downshift and slow down. if you want to be really happy by an ez from www.smokindiesel.com and you won't believe the difference!!! you can take it off in about 30sec if you goto the dealer.



jim

 

[MidwestMotorman]

recommendations

Tow at 2200-2400, more if you need it as these 24v will really sing from 2600 and up. Shift at 2600-2800 or so to let you be at 2000 after shifting. You can choose gears, so use them to your advantage.



Go to the dealership and ask them to check your fuel pressure. If your lift pump goes south, you will be a lame dog above 1900. I just had to replace mine, and the difference is night and day after the replacement.



Let the truck break in. The 20k mile mark is about right for the motor to be completely broke in. Towing will help, but make sure it is safe towing for the engine.



Good luck and happy towing. Remember that the V-10 can rev much faster and stay at a high rpm, but that V-10 won't last 300k plus miles.



Enjoy

 

[FDziurda]

I can pull 6% grades with no effort, all day long, and hold 55-60 mph while towing my 26" Travel Trailer (14,000 lbs total for truck & trailer). I watch EGTs and try to keep rpms 2,200-2,400 when pulling hills in 5th gear. Roundtrip to B. C. Canada from Reno, Nevada, I averaged 13. 5 mpg, running at speed limits. Give your new truck some time to break in a bit and absolutely get some gauges.



Good Luck!



FDz

 

[xbubblehead]

I can't comment on the break-in because I haven't towed with my 2001 ETH/DEE, but I can tell you that an Edge EZ will really help the low end torque (below 2200 RPM which is where mine used to start pulling hard). Also, as other's have said, an EGT gauge is highly recommended (it should be standard factory equipment!). With the upgrades I've made (see signature) the truck can easily slip the stock clutch. Empty milage is just as good as before the changes. The injector change out is really not that hard; I did it by myself in 3 hours as a first timer. Whatever you do, good luck with your truck.

 

[Skibby]

I pull a 15,000# fifth wheel(that's loaded) never had aproblem pulling it with my Cummin's 3500 dually 4:10's,been to Branson,Mo. ,Melbourne,Fl. Gillette. Wy. an in between.

 

[WestTN]

fuel mileage

Going from 6 to 9. 1 mpg is a 52% improvement. That sounds pretty fantastic to me.

 

[Mark_Kendrick]

Towing

I have'nt found any thing I could hook up and not walk off with at 70+mph. had the truck since 65 mi and have never gotten under 13 mpg. I towed a 12 ft uhaul packed to the gills and the bed stacked over the cab (total of 7klb) with 3k on the truck from tulsa to houston. I set the cruise on 85 on the turnpike and never fell below 83. Southern OK is pretty hilly, the locals call it mountainous. I recently hauled 16k about 90 miles through houston and the truck didn't even know it was there. the HO and 6sp is awesome. I don't know what's wrong with your truck but it's not like mine. I can't complain. As a matter of fact I love the thing and it's all stock except the bumpers.



I put a Custom Front end replacement bumper and a 12in drop wrap-around ranch hand rear bumper. They added about 500lb to the truck. They look cool and it rides better. Pullin, you can't tell a difference.



best of luck... .

 

[Barry]

Always ask yourself the question... ... ... Why am I buying this truck??? Then SPEC. the truck to do that job.

 

[Partyat33]

Trucks can be funny things. I one trip to Florida from Illiniois it seemed like my truck was a total dog. I made no changes and it was fine after that. Why, I still don't know.



I would highly recommend a set of gauges to see where you are. If your hoses are loose you won't see much boost etc.



After that the sky is the limit.





With the setup I have now, see signature, I have been able to top any hill at 17k gross at 70 or more. So, spend a little cash, or a lot, wake up the engine, and you will grin ear to ear.





Dennis

 

[MoparToYou]

update

Just as an update, I called the dealer today and scheduled an appointment for an official computer diagnostic test, and general checking over of any other systems related to this issue. It will go on my warranty record as an official complaint of "low power", from when the truck was just three days old.



Kind of strange really, the truck drives fine when empty, but when I load her down there just isn't anything there in the power department.