062500

I have an 06 quad cab 4x4 that is completely stock except for a drop in K&N air filter. My truck has gotten poor mileage since new. I average between 11 and 13 around town and have never gotten better than 15 on the highway. I have talked to numerous other owners and it seems the mileage their trucks get is all over the board. Some get poor mileage as I do and others claim they consistently get as much as 20. The dealer has been useless. Has anyone had a similar problem and how did you correct it. I am thinking about changing exhaust systems or adding a mileage programer. I would like to hear from other 06 owners and find out what worked for them. Thanks

CoastalDav

Welcome to the forum !

Please fill out signature include rear ratio and other info.

Your mileage, in my opinion is not normal. Don't know if you are the original owner. If not the previous owner could have had a programer and did not remove the program from the ECU before he got rid of the truck. ???

My truck at 7520lbs got 20mpg at 68mph with 3.73's. I now have 4.10's and I've lost maybe a mile per gallon. Around town 16 or 17.

You may consider having the computer reflashed and see if it makes any difference.

062500

I purchased the truck new. It has 3.73 gears is and automatic and I have have the ecm reflashed at least 6 times.

CoastalDav

All of the Cummins powered trucks I've had did 18.5 mpg hwy or better. 3 Trucks 96, 2000 and the 2006. You might try contacting a Cummins Service Center and ask a couple questions and see if anyone has any ideas. Dealers just don't care or understand.

If all else is working good in the fuel delivery system and turbo, it sure sounds like a ECM problem. Retarded timing will cause poor mileage and
or smoke.

Someone else should get in on this shortly. Sorry I can't be more help to you.

062500

Thanks, I never thought of contacting Cummins directly, I will do so in the AM.

Spooler

Alot of the mileage you get has to do with driving style, where it is at (intown or highway), where you get your fuel, and how fast you go. Too many variables to answer to why you get the mileage you do. How many miles on the truck and has it ever towed heavy?

062500

I realize ther are a lot of variables. I have tried different brands of fuel etc. I have 42,00 on the truck and have only towed once or twice and not heavy at all. I have religiously hand calculated my mileage since new. I in fact bought this truck because I put miles on a friends 03 or 04 that except for the year is identical to mine. His truck is stock and gets 4 miles per gallon better than mine across the board.

Spooler

You want the freshes fuel. No matter of the brand. Fuel up where at a truck stop with a high rollover rate in there tanks. That makes a one mpg difference with my truck. With 42K on the clock and no towing heavy your engine is still not broken in yet. The 03-04 trucks are going to get better mileage due to no third injection event. Nothing you can do about that. My biggest mileage gains have been after a heavy pull from 6-8 hours. It's unbelievable the difference in the truck after those pulls. These engines love to work and work hard.

larrybartlett

I'm watching this thread too, please let me know what cummins tells you

I just bought a 06' with 5,675 miles on it, owned by an elderly gentleman that couldn't pull his camper anymore so he finally sold it, towed my flatbed tandem dual to Kansas empty and back with 14,000 lbs of hay on it

I'm at 10,000 miles now and I sure hope the mileage gets better as I get more miles on it and it broken in

k4jjm

My 3500 megacab with 2WD, DRW with about 80k on the odometer averaged over 3 months last winter (Dec, Jan, Feb)...

Hand calculated - Average 13.81 MPG (Min 11.35 MPG, Max 15.99 MPG)

Overhead computer (I reset it after each fill up) - Average 18.14 MPG (Min 17.10 MPG, Max 20.20 MPG)

My driving was mixed interstate & around town... mostly unloaded... pulled our 7,000 pound camper very little. It seems highway milage is better than city by ~2-3 mpg.

When pulling the camper I use the Haul/Tow mode. Pulling to Pensacola this summer I tried a portion of the trip in normal mode (on the interstate at ~70 mph through southern Alabama - i.e. level road). According to the overhead, milage was worse by ~2 MPG.

Not very scientific, but I have the numbers available.

Overall, while towing I get 11 MPG or so (hand calculated). If driving interstate and empty I get 16+ MPG. The overhead milage is overstated compared to what I calculate by 4-5 MPG.

The truck still performs MUCH better and gets comperable milage to the 1999 extended cab F-150 I used to drive... with the 4.6L engine. Besides the Dodge is WAY cooler! The 16 year old got the hand-me-down Ford... I got the big red Dodge! ;o)

Good luck!
John.

062500

It seems others have the same complaint as myself. I called Cummins and they stated they can't even access a dodge cummins as dodge uses their own computers?? At the suggestion of the Cummins rep I called Chrysler at a number he gave me. I spoke to a customer service rep who was some what helpful. He took my info and stated I would be contacted within 24 hours by trouble shooter/ technition of some sort. If anything useful comes out of it I will post it.

CD in NM

I just towed 21,000lbs this past Saturday at altitudes of 3K ft to 7K ft with some really steep grades for a total of 600 miles and got 13.8mpg. I have 55K miles on my 2006. I average 19-20mpgs running empty in the same altitudes and same grades. I have had 1 flash from Dodge about 2 years ago, it was the only flash since my truck was new and that was to clear up a white smoke issue. My normal towing is right around 12K and I see 15-16mpg.

CD

LucasOffroad

watch ur RPMs while driving. If your new to owning diesels you might be driving it like a gas truck. As your engine breaks in, you'll get better mileage and you'll drive the diesel better. If I'm watching how I drive by lugging gears and changing my fuel filters regularly and filling up at truck stops (no sediment) I'm getting 20mpg average with 3.73 gears.

tryNto

Lugging your Engine is 1 of the worst things you can do to it...Definitly not worth trying to get better MPG...
Keeping your RPMs around 1600-1800 will produce the best results...

To the OP
Driving style is the #1 key to MPG... Ease into the throttle and try to coast up to a stop, are 2 that really help...
Auto Trans are a little tougher to squeeze MPG from...

As said you should pick up 1-2 mpg after you have 50-60k miles on there...
Run it hard once in awhile, to keep it cleaned out...

SnowRider1

I have an 06, and I am getting that kind of mileage (11-13) while towing the toyhauler (almost 7,000 lbs). Empty, I get anywhere from 17.5-20. I did the PSM mods to the intake, and changed the stock muffler for the Aeroturbine 4040XL. I don't recall the mileage before those changes, but it was never that low.