Common faults below

RAM Engine Carbon Cleaning

What we see most on RAM engines, what causes it, and which clean fixes it. Every job starts with a scan and a quote at our Kings Park workshop.

Free scanbefore any work
Kings ParkSydney workshop
20+ yrsMTA certified
4.9on Google

Which RAM do you have?

A RAM is a working truck with a very large diesel in it, and the two engines behave differently enough to be worth separating.

The 2500 and 3500 run the 6.7-litre Cummins — a big, long-stroke six built for load. It tolerates hard work well and short trips badly. Towing keeps it hot and clean; a truck used as a daily runabout around Sydney never gets the exhaust temperature its emissions system needs, and that is when the filter and the EGR circuit start to fill.

The 1500 runs the 5.7-litre Hemi petrol, which is a different proposition altogether — no particulate filter, and carbon collects in the combustion chambers and on the valves instead.

Whatever you tow with it, we scan first and give you the price before we start.

Common RAM carbon problems

What we see

If you drive a petrol RAM

Petrol

Combustion Deposits on the Hemi Petrol

The 5.7 Hemi has no particulate filter, so carbon collects in the combustion chambers and on the valves rather than the exhaust.
Short trips and heavy idling keep chamber temperatures low, so soft carbon accumulates.
A big petrol V8 hides it well until fuel consumption starts to tell the story.

An idle that is rougher than it used to be.
Throttle response that has gone lazy.
Fuel consumption up with no change in how you drive.
Occasional misfire codes with no ignition fault found.

A hydrogen carbon clean suits this — nothing comes apart, and it targets the soft carbon before it hardens.
On a Hemi this is straightforward maintenance and worth doing on a schedule rather than waiting for symptoms.

Fixed by

Hydrogen Carbon Clean

$275

See the service →

If you drive a diesel RAM

Diesel

Particulate Filter on a Truck That Does Not Tow

The Cummins emissions system is designed around a truck that works. Towing keeps exhaust temperatures high enough for the filter to clear itself.
Used as a daily driver on short suburban trips, it never gets there, and soot accumulates faster than regenerations can remove it.
Each interrupted regeneration leaves the filter fuller than it started.

DPF warning, then reduced power on a truck that should have plenty.
Regenerations happening far more often than they used to.
Fuel consumption up and a hot smell after parking.
Codes in the P2002 and P2452–P2463 range.

Where we can, we clean the filter on the vehicle — nothing removed, cut open or replaced. If it has to come off, it gets a three-stage clean and new gaskets, quoted first.
We look at why it filled, because the honest answer is sometimes about how the truck is used rather than what is wrong with it.
Nothing is deleted. A truck without its emissions equipment is not roadworthy in New South Wales.

Fixed by

DPF Cleaning

From $715

See the service →

Diesel

EGR and Intake Coking on the Cummins

The EGR circuit feeds sooty exhaust gas into the intake, where it meets oil mist from the breather.
On a large diesel the volumes involved are correspondingly large, so the deposit builds up thick.
Idling — and these trucks idle a lot — is the worst condition for it.

Flat response from low revs, most obvious with a load or a van behind you.
Black smoke under acceleration.
Rough idle with EGR flow codes (P0401, P0402, P0403).

We clean the EGR circuit and the intake manifold so the airway is clear again.
On a truck that tows, restoring intake airflow is usually felt straight away.

Fixed by

EGR & Intake Manifold Cleaning

Quoted after the free scan

See the service →

Diesel

Injector Fouling on the Cummins

Deposits on the injector tips spoil the spray pattern, so diesel arrives as droplets rather than a fine mist.
Worse combustion means more soot into a filter that is already struggling.
Trucks that sit between tows let deposits set on the tips.

Hard starting after the truck has been parked up.
A heavier knock at idle than you are used to.
Smoke on start-up and worse economy towing.
Fuel rail pressure codes (P0087, P0088, P008A).

We clean the whole fuel system on the vehicle with the engine running — injectors, pump and rail — nothing removed or sent for bench testing.
Injectors on this engine are not cheap. Cleaning first is worth doing before anyone quotes you a set.

Fixed by

Diesel Injector Cleaning

Quoted after the free scan

See the service →

If you drive a hybrid RAM

Applies to any RAM

Keeping your RAM clean

Prevention

To keep a RAM 2500 or 3500 clean, give its 6.7-litre Cummins real work, not short trips. Towing keeps its exhaust hot enough to clear the filter. Between tows, Nas suggests a steady run of about half an hour every week, or an hour every fortnight. Used as a daily runabout, it fills the filter and EGR circuit instead. The 1500’s 5.7 Hemi has no filter, so carbon collects in its combustion chambers and on its valves. A scheduled hydrogen carbon clean is its maintenance step.

If the DPF warning comes on, or the truck feels flat with a van behind it, book a time at our Kings Park workshop. We scan it free first, tell you what it needs, and quote before any work starts. On the Cummins that may be an on-car DPF clean and an EGR and intake clean.

Genuine and honest man, Nas is a great mechanic and stuck to his word fixing my diesel EGR valve, removed the dirt and fixed the engine light. Reliable and honest service.

Belmir Hrnjadovic, Diesel · Google review

Great service, had many issues with my DPF system. All other places quoted me over $5000 and needing a full replacement. Naz was extremely helpful and got my car back on the road in a few hours for a fraction of the cost. Highly recommend to anyone having issues with Land Rover Models.

Michael Matheson, Land Rover · Google review

Before any engine work on your RAM, search your VIN on the government vehicle recalls site. Recall repairs are free, so check there first.

Notice more frequent DPF burns. On the Cummins, self-cleans (DPF burns) coming far more often than they used to mean soot is outpacing them. Book in before the power drops.
Switch off instead of idling. Idling is the worst condition for EGR soot on the Cummins, and a big diesel builds the deposit thick. Shut it down on site when you can.
Clean the injectors before you price a set. Trucks that sit between tows let deposits set on the tips. Injectors for this engine are not cheap, so a fuel system clean on the vehicle is worth trying first.
Don’t read a smooth Hemi as a clean one. A big petrol V8 hides carbon well. The first clue can be fuel use climbing with no change in how you drive.

Book your RAM in

Get a free quote

Tell us the model, the kilometres and what it is doing. We will scan it and tell you which clean it needs, and what it costs, before any work starts.

Get a Free Quote Call Nas — 0455 455 644