Newbie Considering EcoDiesel order any advise?

[Racer X]

Hello all. I've been poking around the web for a while looking at new Wranglers. This will be an extra vehicle. What we know we want... Unlimited High Altitude with SOT. Jeep will not go off road and will be used around town and on the occasional highway trip. Ive been going round and round with possibly getting the V6, 4t, diesel and 4xe. I used to own an Excursion diesel back 20 years ago and really liked it. I am considering the diesel for its seemingly better mileage and of course the added torque. Are there any short comings for this EcoDiesel? I would have to order the Jeep to my spec as no local dealer ever seem to stock the Diesel. There are 4xe's around though.
Any input is welcome!!

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[displayname]

Hello all. I've been poking around the web for a while looking at new Wranglers. This will be an extra vehicle. What we know we want... Unlimited High Altitude with SOT. Jeep will not go off road and will be used around town and on the occasional highway trip. Ive been going round and round with possibly getting the V6, 4t, diesel and 4xe. I used to own an Excursion diesel back 20 years ago and really liked it. I am considering the diesel for its seemingly better mileage and of course the added torque. Are there any short comings for this EcoDiesel? I would have to order the Jeep to my spec as no local dealer ever seem to stock the Diesel. There are 4xe's around though.
Any input is welcome!!

Have you read the threads on the ecodiesel? A lot of people have given their input. At the very least you should know that the cost of the engine upgrade and the cost of ownership completely offsets any MPG cost savings currently.
But many still love it. The best advice is try drive all the engines you are considering.

https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/forums/3-0l-6-cyl-turbo-ecodiesel-engine-exhaust.26/

This youtube channel may be helpful as well.
https://youtube.com/c/dieseJL

 

[Aonar]

Agreed-go the the diesel motor thread area and read all that even semi-interest you. One thing I will mention here to save you time reading is that the DEF usage stats that JP put out seem COMPLETELY overblown. Do I remember reading in their promotional material that it would be 10,000 miles before refill? I will link my real world test threads. With that said LOVE MINE!
https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/just-back-from-colorado-trip-some-stats.76782/
https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/fo...it-500-miles-def-usage-ordinary-or-not.69673/

 

[Racer X]

The whole DEF thing is new to me as my Excursion had none of that 20 years ago. Seems like you just need to keep some around to add just in case.

 

[Seraphim]

im only at 2,500 miles on my JLUD adn im at 75% DEF, from what i read its not recommended to jut keep DEF around because it does go bad. It will depend on how you drive as to how much you use but i plan on waiting till i get to about 25% left and hitting up a truck stop to fill up from one of the pumps. (if large trucks go there often enough the supply should be fresh)
MY commute is 25 min with alot of straight aways and avg 55 MPH half the trip. can get to 27MPG easy and 30MPG on the road trips.
The added torque is nice, the ability to pass someone and crossing the dotted lines is great.
For me it was the only one on the lot that wasnt an islander... so far i am glad i picked it up.

 

[displayname]

Seems like you just need to keep some around to add just in case.

It doesn't have a long shelf life like oil or other common fluids. You need to make sure it's in date and has been properly stored. If you just have some on your shelf in the garage you might cause more harm than good.

 

[Aonar]

The whole DEF thing is new to me as my Excursion had none of that 20 years ago. Seems like you just need to keep some around to add just in case.

You have a gouge available to monitor so just another fluid to be cognizant of. Also can get it ina store like some refer to or at a truck stop. We have an active stop along my commute so I buy mine there.

 

[JeepVT]

Seems to me like your a good 4xe candidate for around town use mainly.

I'm not sure you'll really get the benefit of the diesel if you are not off-roading or using for long trips.

 

[C5er]

We had the eco diesel in a grand Cherokee. Really liked it for power acceleration, towing… While I didnt keep track of mileage for def, it seemed I had to add it an awefull lot It. Additionally, when we lived outside of town with highway driving, everything worked great, but when we moved into town with short work commutes we started having a lot of emission related issues. The ecodiesel likes to be driven.

 

[nU7OuxIx]

I just posted to a thread going on about the 3.6 eTorque. The OP is between that and the diesel. It may give you some ideas of how I came up with my decision. The short of it is I chose the 3.6L because of availabilities.

https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/3-6-e-torque-impressions.52698/post-1612367

 

[WXman]

I've put about 22,000 miles on two of these Gen 3 EcoDiesel engines. They are pretty fantastic. A lot of the issues with the Gen 2 engine have been addressed. There are still a handful of problems, like the dreaded timing cover leak. But overall they're doing great.

If you do the math, cost per mile to drive a 4xe and EcoDiesel are identical. Question becomes, would you rather look for a diesel pump once per week and fill the DEF tank every 4 months, or would you rather keep your Jeep plugged up to an outlet all the time?

Really the only thing that I find to be a pain with the EcoDiesel is maintenance. It's easy as pie to perform the oil, filter, and fuel filter changes. But finding the parts can be slightly tough and expensive. The oil filter is $43 bucks. The fuel filter is $38 bucks. The oil spec is MS-12991 which is impossible to find at local stores. I have found one at Walmart....the Quaker State Euro 5W40.

 

[Racer X]

Thanks everyone for your advise and input. It seems everyone is quick to point me to the 4xe, but one thing that’s never brought up with it is the $60+ a month it adds to your electric bill. Imo as far as money spent... its efficiency is not really any better than a base V6 or 4t....
With the diesel you know where you stand with all that.
I suppose the tax credit is the big bonus for the 4xe

 

[displayname]

is the $60+ a month it adds to your electric bill.

Yup, that's a big variable that everyone needs to factor in. I know in Texas it's pretty easy to get on electricity plans that include free nights and weekends, meaning plugging the 4xe in for an overnight charge wouldn't impact the cost at all. We also average 10 cents / kWh in Texas. Some states double that for average cost / kWh.
California apparently averages 18.31/kWh. So if you're charging up the 4xe from empty to full every night, you're looking at $51/month in Texas vs $93/month in California. Then factor in a free nights and weekend electric plan... now we're basically talking about an $85-90/month difference state to state to charge a single vehicle.
https://storage.googleapis.com/titl...ted-states-worst-electricty-costs-3_75per.png

If you do the math, cost per mile to drive a 4xe and EcoDiesel are identical.

Noting the difference in the electricity costs I've listed above, and factoring in driving habits, this is a massively over simplified blanket statement in my opinion. Towing, tires, weight, driving style/condition, etc etc.
Once we return to the office, my daily commute will be 34 miles each way. My wife on the other hand commutes 10 miles. Even with the charging stations at my office, I would still require about 14 miles of gas driving each way with the 4xe. My wife on the other hand, might require 0-5 miles of gas driving per day. The formula will be highly dependent on where you live, and how you drive. For example:

*This is using my actual current electric prices and today's gas prices at my local gas station. Also assuming stock vehicles and not towing.

ED at 25mpg (mixed). Diesel cost today at $2.86/gal
4xe at 20 miles electric = $1.70/day to charge + I4 at 19mpg using suggested premium fuel at $3.70. We'll do this will regular fuel just for fun too, at $2.90.

My work commute = 68 miles round trip
ED daily cost for my commute
68 miles = 2.72 gal = $7.78/day

4xe daily cost for my commute (premium)
40 miles electric (charging at the office) = $3.40
28 miles = 1.47 gal = $5.45
= total $8.85/day

4xe daily cost for my commute (regular)
40 miles electric (charging at the office) = $3.40
28 miles = 1.47 gal = $4.26
= total $7.66/day

If I can't charge at the office
20 miles electric = $1.70
48 miles = 2.52 gal = $7.32 (reg) $9.32 (premium)
= total $9.02/day (reg) or $11.02 (premium)

*V6 eTourqe just for fun (regular at 21mpg)
68 miles = 3.24 gal = $9.40/day

For my daily uses, the 4xe only comes close to the diesel assuming I can charge at the office garage for the same rate I pay at home. If all the plugs are full or out of service, then the 4xe gets significantly more expensive to drive.

My wife's work commute = 20 miles round trip
ED daily cost for her commute
20 miles = 0.80 gal = $2.29/day

4xe daily cost for her commute (premium)
20 miles electric = $1.70
1 mile = 0.05 gal = $0.18
= total $1.88/day

4xe daily cost for her commute (regular)
20 miles electric = $1.70
28 miles = 0.05 gal = $0.14
= total $1.84/day

*V6 eTourqe just for fun (regular at 21mpg)
20 miles = 1.05 gal = $3.05/day

For her uses, we'd only be looking at a $12.30/month difference between the ED and the 4xe on premium, in favor of the 4xe.
For my uses, we're looking at a constantly variable formula. If the charging stations at the office were down for a month, we'd be looking at a potential difference of $37.20/month in favor of the ED.

But you still need to factor in potential tax rebates, normal service, etc etc etc. It's messy, complicated, and changes based on use and location. Everyone should be doing this math for themselves and their own situation. But the OP, the 4xe sounds like the right fit.

 

[NCJL]

I thought I was a smart till I read that last post!

Well said. 4xe

 

[Come2elmo]

I thought I was a smart till I read that last post!

Well said. 4xe

It is more of a sickness many of us have...only made worse by excel.

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