Believe it or not we already have diesel emissions testing here in Va. Hard to believe we beat you guys to it. I have two years to find a new address in a county that doesn't require emissions or just reinstall all the emissions junk just for the test. Our emissions testing is every two years....
Nothing wrong with a 5.9 but I don't like the 4 speed autos. I never had one or rode in one, stock or modified, that shifted like I thought it should... Now the 6 speed manual is nice but my legs got tired of shifting after about a year. That's why I drive what I have now.....

 

I have no prob with the 6.7 so far so good (knock on wood) but i dont have very many miles on mine. As far as mileage when i went and looked at diesels I was determined to get a diesel 4x4 I drove the ford, dodge, and chevy. I liked the ford but the milage meter was reading 12 when i took it home for the test drive so I ended up with the dodge cause they offered me a good deal on my old truck. My mileage is about 16.0 with 4.10 gears but bout the dpf, I always drive mine like I just stole it. (sorry to hear bout your truck gettin stolen btw)

 

Yeah, I have a 2008 2500 6.7 with Orion Trannie and I use the shift on the fly (ERS) feature to control shifting. I do this because the auto by itself seems to shift into the overdrive gears very early which keeps the core temp down. By shifting myself and keeping the RPMs higher, I think this keeps the block nice an hot and allows for better combustion (thus keeping deposits from building up as much). I do this for the first 15 minutes of driving and when i get close to home. I stay below 2600 RPMs and the coolant temp never goes above a small slice above 200 degrees. Also, jake brake during idle times and no idling over a few minutes.

Thanks.
MegaTorqued!!

 

I'm pretty positive that your truck has the Aisin 6 speed auto tranny.

 

I haven't had a single problem with my truck. It has been my daily driver since day 1. I bough her new, it will be a year on the 15th. 6.7 cummins, 6 speed manual. I will be turning 19,000 miles tomorrow. About 3,000 of those miles are with a dpf delete, and I have just installed the Edge Juice W/ Attitude yesterday.
It is a WORK HORSE. Will not let you down. I was pulling a 9,000 lb trailer no problem, on 35's and passing people without hesitation. This engine loves pulling. I didn't see a mileage gain with the delete and egr unplugged. But then I got a K&N drop in filter and got a 3 MPG gain. I went from 14 highway to 17 highway at 65-70 MPH.

 

Negative. My trannie is "stamped" with RFE on the serial number badge. The Aisin is in use on the cab chasis models from what I understand. Hey, at least my trannie and engine were assembled in the USA...which is more than I can say for the truck itslef...G in my 11th position in VIN = Saltillo, Mexico!

We pass the Kokomo Plant that assembles the 68RFE on the way to Michigan.

Thanks.
MegaTorque

 

You're right about the Cab/Chassis trucks getting the Aisin. Ours get the Orion. If I remember right the main difference is a PTO output on the Aisin. I think the gear ratios are a little bit different too, but I'm not positive. Either way, the gear spacing on the Orion is as perfect as I've ever driven. It does tend to shift into overdrive a bit prematurely in my opinion. I like having the manual control to keep it where I want it.

Overall, I've been very happy with mine. It's had a few quirks here and there, but the local dealership has bent over backwards to keep my downtime to a bare minimum. So far all it's been in the shop for other than update flashes, is a leaking front crank seal, which they replaced not smear it full of RTV and hope for the best. That same day, they did a forced regen, reflashed the ECM, and had me back in the truck before the end of the business day.
There was an early recall on the 02 sensor module, and a flash at that time.. Total down time...about two hours and they were done.
This past week, I put it in the shop because it was running a bit sluggish, and found out the EGR bypass valve was bad. They replaced that, did a regen, cleaned the EGR cooler for me, reflashed the ECM to the AR flash(I'm guessing that's the most current) and I had them replace the fuel filter since I was at a hair under 19,000 miles. All that still made for less than a day worth of downtime. I paid for the fuel filter replacement which totaled about 90 bucks parts and labor. It was more for a half hour of labor than the filter cost. That just means I need to learn how to replace the next one myself, as I've heard from several they can be a pain. On a good note though, my service manager doesn't seem completely opposed to me installing an Airdog.
Most of the problems have been emissions related, and from what I've heard through the grapevine, there is supposed to be a "permanent" fix out sometime next month. I'll post up as soon as I find out what it is. The service manager told me that's what he had heard, but didn't have any more details. (maybe a factory issued DPF, EGR delete...that would sure be nice)
Coming from an '03 that had the factory no flexing dump truck springs on the rear, my '08 rides like a Cadillac.. It's firm, but nowhere near as harsh as my '03 was. The power seats are way more comfortable too. I've spent upwards of 4-5 hours in mine without stopping, and they dont' wear me out like my old ones did. If you order one, check the box for the block heater. It's a 10 dollar option, but will cost you a lot more if you buy it after the fact. I really don't see extreme cold here, but it's nice not having to wait for it to warm up when it's cold out. Another nice thing about the YES treated material on the seats, is it cleans up like they say. I had a gel ink pen in my pocket I forgot to put the top back on, and made a spot about the size of a dime on the upholstery. I wiped it with a warm wet rag and it came off with a minimum of effort. That gel ink stains anything it touches.
Running empty, the stock Michelins don't stick worth a damn on damp or wet pavement. I've played sprint car/drift master more than once at 70mph easing on the throttle to pass another car. They also don't hook up well on dry pavement until they have about 5k miles on them. On a good note, they ride good loaded or unloaded. Mileage wise, I get about 13-14 in town, and on the highway, I get about 17-18 running 70mph empty. I towed a trailer about 300 miles to the ranch over Thanksgiving with about 2000lbs on it(approx 4000lbs total weight) and got about 14-15 with a pretty good headwind and an expanded metal ramp that acted like a parachute. There are some pretty decent hills out that way, and I never even felt it back there. Having the exhaust brake is nice too. Not to mention it's fun to make noise with and spook people next to you when you come up to a light. For being all stock, it has more than enough power to get most people in trouble.
There's my long winded two cents worth. Would I buy another new one? In a heartbeat if it had an option box that allowed me to buy it minus the DPF and EGR systems. The emissions system is my only real complaint about it at all.
JB

 

If you go for an 08, make sure it has the bigger intercooler if you plan on doing some mods. Or plan for an aftermarket intercooler. With the mods I have the egts get way to high very quickly at WOT cause I have the smaller intercooler. If your not going to mod then the intercooler does not matter.

 

I have an '07 with the 6.7 and 68 RFE. It is the best tow vehicle that I've ever owned. I debated long and hard about the 5.9 vs 6.7. I definitely made the right choice. The 6 speed auto and engine brake are fantastic. These trucks like to work as said above. My truck pulled our 8,000 lb travel trailer over 18,000 kms last summer, with 1,000 lbs in the box. There were no issues. The truck now has 40,000 kms on it and it has not been to the dealer. It is my DD. I do not run it in OD in town and run the engine brake at all times. I let it shift as high as 4th and gear it down on the engine brake. This works great in the snow too. I do not let it sit and idle for more than a few seconds without being on fast idle. The guys I've talked to who are having problems are trying to putt around town and letting their trucks idle while making sales calls etc.

 

I totally agree with this. These trucks were built with heavy use in mind. However, I am on of those putt around town guys that likes torque and 4WD every now and again. So, I must simulate a load by getting the RPMs up like I described in my earlier post and no extended idles. I would ALMOST recommend a manual trannie. I had a manual 6.7 CTD and just driving normally kept the filter clean cause it ran hotter. 2 things wrong with that: 1). The throws are just a pain in the a$$ after a couple months..novelty wears off; 2). Not that it matters to a putt around guy like me, but the manual loses 40 ft/lbs of torque in this model of RAM. Weird but true.

The only downside to having this awesome truck is now I have no excuse for not being at work when it snows...Upstate SC at the foothills. Nothing like a snow in the south...no more bread and milk in the stores. I will always be there with hot coffee...the only thing I like stronger than my truck!!

Thanks.
MegaTorque!!