After lurking around here for a few weeks prior to ordering my 325/600 3500 QC SRW SB, there seems to be some consensus on at least 3 (what I consider) major issues:

1) Cab smell (both exhaust and oil)

2) Rear end howl

3) 48RE thrust washer failure imminent and TC issues

Wow! A $40k truck with these problems. Pretty disturbing. I'm not saying it's much rosier over in Fordland or GMburg either. With the injector problems in the Duramax and just about everything wrong with the 6.0, the Dodge still comes out OK on balance. Still, it hurts to go into this knowing I'm gonna have these problems. Or will I? Are these "for-sures" or are the majority of trucks not having these issues?

I just hope we don't start seeing the massive number of buybacks happening that I read about over on the Ford board.

Were it not for the cab and bed change that I need, I would likely stick with my 2000 PSD 7.3l.

Neil

 

Where is this thread? I'm interested.

I'm gving up my 01 7.3. Truck and engine have been, shall we say, less than reliable, and NOT satisfactory.

My 97 Ram with a Paxton supercharged V10 had the 47RE, and it was fine. Now the Paxton, that's a whole 'nuther story.

Anyway, to sum up, I think there are going to be VERY few reliability issues with these trucks. CERTAINLY better than "Fordland" and "GMBurg".

 

1) Don't overfill your oil. I don't and don't have a diesel smell, exhaust smell or oil smell. Cold or hot climates.

2) Some do some don't, Mine did at 500 miles and they replaced it with a new unit. Actually a bearing seized on mine. Been good for the last 36k and I expect for the next 200k

3) Buy a 6 spd. Automatic diesel trucks are like city garbage trucks. (JMO) And Dodge autos are anything but reliable in the past. You think that will change for the future??confused:

You gotta relax some. Do you even have your new truck?? You realize you are talking about a big chunk of steel with a bunch of moving parts? Really dude if you are this unsure and you don't even have the truck then cancel the order and buy a Honda car. Their quality is top notch. I wish my life was so boring I could sit around thinking about what will go wrong with my vehicles Later

 

I agree with the above.

As for the oil smell, it usually only lasts a few hundred miles after a fresh oil change. I haven't tried adjusting the level, because the smell really isn't that bad IMO. It reminds me that I have a Diesel under the hood!

The rear end in my rig has been rock solid so far. Just make sure it is filled to the correct specs after picking it up.

Definitely get the 6 speed. If the 6 speed wasn't available, I probably wouldn't have bought the truck. The truck has zero throttle input starts, so it's a breeze to drive in traffic. When I go back to a regular car with a manual tranny, it feels like a real workout again.

 

NJMurvin,
I must say I somewhat agree with you. This is Dodge's time to shine, what with all the problems plaguing the other brands, especially Ford. Personally, I'll take my chances with the rear end howl/whine, and if it does smell a little bit, as said best by RamDan03, it will remind me that it's a diesel, especially now that they're so quiet. Of course, like spots and others have said, just don't overfill and it should be okay. As far as the 48RE, I ordered a 6-speed. My Ford auto tranny died at 30,000 miles, thereby curing me of ever buying another auto unless that's all there is, which I suspect will happen sooner than later.

wexman,
Here's a link over to the TDR that talks about the 48RE thrust washer.

http://www.turbodieselregister.com/f...threadid=92833

or you can go to this link and get straight to the issue at hand

http://www.dieseltrans.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=473

On a final note, even with the few issues that there are, none are too serious and I am NOT concerned about quality, durability, or reliability from my future Dodge Ram Cummins 600.

 

Cab Smell, Don't have it.

Rear end howl, had it taken care of.

48RE, only time will tell. I sure hope mine goes out under warranty.

Have buddies and customers with both of the others, glad I purchased what I did!!!!

 

Cab smell...got it bad and its not overfilled nor is it oil smell, its burnt...as in exhaust. I was supposed to have it at the dealer today but some other issues got in the way of being there that were much more important. Moved the crank case breather even though its not the same smell 8ft back. Sealed the cowl, still there.

Howl...none

Got a 6 spd.

 

I'm on my second 3rd gen. No issues with either (knock on wood).

 

spots,

I'm going to be using this as a daily driver in So. Calif. There's no way I would tackle the traffic here with a 6spd.
I posted this here to find that out. I had been reading how improved the 48RE was over the 47RE. Then, I saw the thread about the thrust washer and predictions of certain failure. I wanted to get a gauge about how serious others thought this might be. The 4R100 tranny in my PSD is not thought highly of, but I have gotten 45000mi of trouble-free service from it with proper maintenance. I was hoping to hear that the same could be true with the 48RE.
I'm sorry, but I was under the impression that the purpose of this forum was to discuss and enlighten each other about relative merits and problems with Dodge Diesel trucks. I realize any motor vehicle is a complex animal, but when I lay down 40 large and see thread after thread and poster after poster with the same complaints, I begin to wonder about the integrity of the underlying design. FWIW, I do own a Honda car (Acura MDX, to be exact) and you're right about one thing. The quality is top notch. It's just a tad underpowered to haul around my 10,000lb fifth wheel.

As I mentioned in my original message, it appears that all 3 mfrs have their problems. Tfeore said it best, "I sure hope mine goes out under warranty." I guess that means the one with the best warranty (and that would be DC's 7/70k) wins.

Neil

 

The rear end whine and smell are issues. And I've just got my fingers crossed they won't affect me.

One thing I've learned from internet forums relating to vehicles is they seem to amplify problems. I'm not sure why, maybe it's people seeking info for their problems end up here, or people who do seek info tend to be more particular? But any time I've read a vehicle specific forum I've come away with "what stinkey pile these are".

As far as the 48RE...well, I know I'd rather have a 6-spd. But my lower back is sorta FUBAR. So the automatic is a smarter choice. And if it fails I suppose you just pull it, send it to one of the good tranny shops, and have it fixed right. I'd like to see the exhaust brake certification come through before I buy, just in case any of those issues are related.

 

I have to agree with all of the above on my truck as well.

Rich

 

don't order a truck, buy off of lot, drive ten like you want, pick the one with no vibs, smell, moaning,....maybe I got lucky but, this is what I did and do not have the above issues. Get the biggest trans cooler you can find...save $2,000 while you drive it then have ats/dtt/??? who ever do the tranny right....no big deal...JKE

 

Diesel warranty is 100k miles!!!!!

 

stevenknapp:
You're right about forums amplifying problems.
It appears that those having problems with something are more likely to post than those where everything works fine. Like anything else, you always hear more complaints than compliments. Now, for those of you that are about to take this personally, don't. If there's a problem, we all want to know so we can be better informed, and know what to look for. We all just have to remember to take these problems in the proper context.

 

I certainly agree with what you posted.
My issue with the exhaust is after owning 24 of these trucks for business since 90'; This one is the worst for fumes in the cab. I hope that the dealer and myself get a solution and that is why I am posting. Hopefully I will have a solution for this complaint.

Overall this is the best truck I have owned...no comparison to any of the previous trucks. I just don't like the idea of having over 50K canadian into a truck that I have had to use duct tape on to try and cure what the warranty should and has not. At least they aren't denying there is an issue.

Scotty