Modifying diesel trucks can get expensive

[Gilligan]

Interesting case. A few years back, Harley Davidson got hit pretty hard for selling and installing performance modification packages that were not emission compliant.

Those guys that like "rolling coal" so much, might want to take heed...

Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment bought one of the trucks modified by the “Diesel Brothers” and shipped it to Denver for testing. Shelby cited the results in his ruling. The truck emitted 36 times more pollution — and 21 times the amount of particulate matter — than if it had its pollution controls.

https://www.sltrib.com/news/politic...xAoeFVNyKHAWhDfzyO8IV9xIHMOo-WzYuHCL3S9uRigpk

 

[kom526]

I was looking a diesel truck up in Westminster, Chevy 3500 (not a dually) and it had a great price, so I was intrigued. I read the fine print and found out that it had been so modified that it could not be registered in MD.

 

[TPD]

I was looking a diesel truck up in Westminster, Chevy 3500 (not a dually) and it had a great price, so I was intrigued. I read the fine print and found out that it had been so modified that it could not be registered in MD.

I had a '06 Ram 2500 with the Cummins - perfect truck for modifying. It was pre-new-diesel-emissions. I traded it last year. Since I had done no mods to the engine, I got a decent price for it. Salesman told me they could actually resell the truck, vs those with engine mods that go right auction because they cannot legally resell them. My truck sold quickly - I'm sure to a young whippersnapper that was gonna make it roll coal.

 

[kom526]

I had a '06 Ram 2500 with the Cummins - perfect truck for modifying. It was pre-new-diesel-emissions. I traded it last year. Since I had done no mods to the engine, I got a decent price for it. Salesman told me they could actually resell the truck, vs those with engine mods that go right auction because they cannot legally resell them. My truck sold quickly - I'm sure to a young whippersnapper that was gonna make it roll coal.

I just wanted something to tow a 28' catering trailer, no coal rolling, no twin stacks cut into the bed just practicality. That was a nice truck I had to pass up.

 

[Gilligan]

I'm getting the parts and pieces together to build a new 7.3 for my '89 F-250. I'm upgrading a few things including adding a turbo. The stock engine is an anemic 185 HP and I'll be bumping it up to about 225. No emissions on that old thing.

Our 2002 7.3 F-450 is all stock and we're perfectly happy with how it pulls our big trailers so no interest in modifying it at all.

 

[itsbob]

I had a '06 Ram 2500 with the Cummins - perfect truck for modifying. It was pre-new-diesel-emissions. I traded it last year. Since I had done no mods to the engine, I got a decent price for it. Salesman told me they could actually resell the truck, vs those with engine mods that go right auction because they cannot legally resell them. My truck sold quickly - I'm sure to a young whippersnapper that was gonna make it roll coal.

I just traded my modified F250 last August.. no haggling over it, no argument, they gave me an offer, THEN asked if I had all the parts (I did).. IF you have the parts it's an easy mod to undo.. and redo.

The numbers stated above seem kind of whack.. 31 times?? Seriously??

That being said, I could see these mods being mandatory on Commercial Trucks and Busses, but not on Privately owned trucks..

Even with those seemingly astronomical numbers above, the diesel still puts out less harmful emmissions than most cars.

 

[itsbob]

I just wanted something to tow a 28' catering trailer, no coal rolling, no twin stacks cut into the bed just practicality. That was a nice truck I had to pass up.

Problem (mostly) is the EGR.. You're running your exhaust gasses back through the combustion process.. needless to say build up happens fast, and it does become a reliability and longevity issue.

DEF is an entirely different thing.. huge fuel waster, when about every 1- 3,000 miles your truck dumps fuel and DEF into you Diesel Particulate Filter, and burns all the particulate in your exhaust. Temps exceed 1000 degrees, the smell is horrendous.. and you're just burning up diesel and Urea.

Both systems are basically use to fail, and cost THOUSANDS of dollars to replace (I believe it's about 5k to replace the DPF system) or $1000 to delete it.

 

[stgislander]

DEF is an entirely different thing.. huge fuel waster, when about every 1- 3,000 miles your truck dumps fuel and DEF into you Diesel Particulate Filter, and burns all the particulate in your exhaust. Temps exceed 1000 degrees, the smell is horrendous.. and you're just burning up diesel and Urea.

Both systems are basically use to fail, and cost THOUSANDS of dollars to replace (I believe it's about 5k to replace the DPF system) or $1000 to delete it.

The other option with the DEF is to drop it down and boil it out. The DEF on my Ram was so clogged it wouldn't regen. Gilligan found online where a couple guys were boiling theirs to clean. It took about four boils with alternating solution of Simple Green/Purple Power and water. It came out so clean, the computer didn't perform a regen after the truck was started and driven up to temp. Haven't had an issue since.

 

[itsbob]

The other option with the DEF is to drop it down and boil it out. The DEF on my Ram was so clogged it wouldn't regen. Gilligan found online where a couple guys were boiling theirs to clean. It took about four boils with alternating solution of Simple Green/Purple Power and water. It came out so clean, the computer didn't perform a regen after the truck was started and driven up to temp. Haven't had an issue since.

I've seen online where people are offering services to remove and blast them with heat.. it looks sort of like the way they burn Whiskey barrels. Set it upright, and basically a very high temp flame under pressure shoots up and out.

BIL has a RAM diesel and is either getting rid of and trading for a gas, or going with another brand. He's leaning heavy towards the Gas. Apparently his dealer keeps requiring a "diesel system cleaning" every time he takes it in for services, and it's costing him between $500- 1000 every service.

 

[stgislander]

I've seen online where people are offering services to remove and blast them with heat.. it looks sort of like the way they burn Whiskey barrels. Set it upright, and basically a very high temp flame under pressure shoots up and out.

BIL has a RAM diesel and is either getting rid of and trading for a gas, or going with another brand. He's leaning heavy towards the Gas. Apparently his dealer keeps requiring a "diesel system cleaning" every time he takes it in for services, and it's costing him between $500- 1000 every service.

I've never had the techs at Fitz tell me I needed a diesel cleaning. My problem was I was using my Ram for the 6 mile RT (twice a day) to work. The engine never got hot enough to burn the soot out. I discovered the DEF (or DPF) problem after fixing the turbocharger. The movable vane siezed up with soot buildup. (That was a chore unto itself, but that's what you do when forced to do it yourself.)