T210DRVR

Well, not exactly me but I'm running a tuner. The tuner is always set on level 1 which is claimed to be plus 50-60 HP. I thought I was good because I don't do stupid things. I just use my 2011 Dodge to pull a fifth wheel that weighs +/- 15,500 lbs. To make a long story short I was making a 200 mile run when I think maybe I hear a noise. My hearing isn't spectacular, and the new trucks are so quiet. I was watching for any abnormal condition. Oil pressure was good and I briefly took my eyes off the gauges to take a call (hands free). Suddenly I'm blowing smoke like crazy and temps and oil pressure went to sh.. Anyway I get her towed home. The preliminary report is the flex plate wasn't up to the load. It ended up petaling out, wiping out the adapter plate, torque converter, and the block is cracked. We still don't know what internal engine part went but something apparently gave out. More details when the engine comes apart but cracked block is not a good thing. Maybe a rod but we'll see. The filter is loaded with crap and probably went into full bypass because there was too much stuff.

Lessons learned. Get a hearing aid. Stop and check if anything sounds slightly odd. The stock flex plate is not up to even small power increases if you are pulling heavy.

I'm not giving up on the tuner but I am upgrading with ARP studs, ATS billet flex plate and torque converter. The EGR is coming all the way off, not just turned off by the tuner. Naturally, I'm my own warrantee station as the failure appears to be caused by excess power.

I destroyed my engine.

mrugg

That sucks to hear. I am very curious to see and hear how this turns out for ya. Good luck

staarma

Sorry to hear about this. Hope it all turns out ok for you.

I'm nervous as heck to even suggest doing anything to this new truck. On my other trucks I was fine with being my own warranty station but this new truck makes me dry heave to even think about it. Way too many other factors they had to throw in the equation to satisfy the greenies in my opinion.

SOhappy

Thanks for posting. Not a common occurrence, really sucks it had to happen to you though.

rich

Sorry but something sounds fishy about6 this. I know several guys who pull heavier loads along with tuners on their 10's on up and have had no issues at all. In all my years of hot shotting i have never had a 50 hp increase cause damage to a drivetrain and i was grossing at 30 to 36k. Who told you that it was the extra hp that caused it? 15k is below what a 3500 is rated for. Sounds to me it was a bad part and now your having to pay for their mistake.

T210DRVR

I've seen the flex plate, torque converter, severely damaged adapter plate, cracked block, and oil filter. I'm out of town but will post pictures when I return on Friday. Once you see the photo's I'd like your thoughts. I'd love to blame Dodge and ask them to participate in the repair. Nothing would make me happier. I've had great service from my past CTD's but at the moment it looked like my 6.7 has let me down. I suppose the flex plate could have been defective but what I see suggests too much torque.

I will keep you all posted as the engine tear down continues.

John_P

Sorry to hear of your engine failure Sir! But, your 6.7 is not the first one I have seen or heard that has done what yours did. A friend of mine had a similar incident with his beginning in the transmission and like you he had a tuner on it. His Dodge Dealer refused to cover ANY of the repairs due to the tuner. I don't know where you live or who your Dodge Dealer is, but good luck with the repairs. My friend's 4th Gen Dodge ended up costing him over
$10,000.00 to repair the engine and transmission!

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John_P

rich

If it was a mild tuner issue combined with weight then i would think ever hot shotter would be breaking them. It also has to be proven that the tuner caused the damage before a claim can be denied.

T210DRVR

What should be covered and what is covered are two different issues. Dodge has drawn a line in the sand about tuners. I understand their position, but I think the dealers should have more latitude in dealing with these issues. To a degree they can go to bat for you but they use up valuable favors they may need for a customer that has an issue that is more "grey" than tuner equipped trucks.

Dodge knows that pursuing litigation is more expensive for me than them. If they lay over for me then everyone that comes behind will expect similar treatment. I don't have to like it, but that's the way the world works.

In the end consumers will vote with their pocket books. I've never had a Ford or GM truck. Next time I consider a purchase I may have to think about it.

rich

i went thru a law suit with chrysler before on a truck. I won but it was a bitter battle. I would do some research and see how many people have had this happen. To me it sounds like a part failure and the little bit of extra hp and load had nothing to do with causing it other then makin it happen sooner. I wouldn't just roll over and take the hit.

brophyn70

ok, so I don't know how good of a relationship you have with your dealer, but I work at a dodge dealer and have a truck fully deleted, and was told by my service maniger that as long as I didn't hook up to the pull sled he would warrenty it as usual.

John_P

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Would you mind telling us what Dodge Dealer it is you work for?? Just curious.......

Beast2B

Thanks for stepping up and NOT trying to sneak this past the dealer. I know we all hear the statement "I am my own warranty station" after modifying our trucks, but it seems like there are a lot of questions about hiding it. Hope it all works out for you without having to sell your firstborn!

Numidian

It's not like his rig was built to the hilt... He made one minor modification that most likely had nothing to do with his catastrophic failure... Why should he be stuck holding the **** end of the stick?

rich

I understand the pay to play theory, but if an extra 50 hp caused something to break then that part was weak to begin with and that little bit of hp wont had enough extra tq to cause a major failure. I have tore up enough stuff to have a pretty good idea about it.