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Comparing '18 to newer.

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Blake

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I'm new to the Power Wagons. I found a used '18 with very low miles. What are the big differences between the '18 and newer other than what I can see cosmetically and interior changes.
 
2019+ have synthetic rope winch line, better transmission, better interior, better mpg(11 mpg for 2018 and 14 mpg for 2023), etc. I had an 18 and now have a 23, I like my 23 alot better.
 
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Trans is the biggest thing. I had a 66rfe in my 2016 and hated every minute of driving it. Traded for a 19 with a ZF as soon as they came out.

If you have your heart set on buying it, use the trans as a bargaining chip.
 
I don't have my heart set on this one, I just don't see them that often for sale near me. Sounds like the 19 and newer are much better. Anything to be aware of for those years?
 
As far as I can tell 2018 was a major lemon year, sway bar, front locker, transmission, headers and so on. 2019 and newer should be more reliable. I am going to order a 2026 when paint hits the assembly lines again.
 
I would recommend you get a 2019+. I've has both and I'm glad I got the 23 over my old 18.
 
2powerwagons said:
Trans is the biggest thing. I had a 66rfe in my 2016 and hated every minute of driving it. Traded for a 19 with a ZF as soon as they came out.

If you have your heart set on buying it, use the trans as a bargaining chip.
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Our 2016 PW has one of the last Mopar Remanufactured 66RFE installed last October. Our transmission mechanic found one by calling throughout the US Ram dealerships. So that's all folks for Mopar 66RFE's replacements including for the 2018's. Can't say that for 2019+ Mopar replacement transmissions. I wonder how long our 2024 Ram's Aisin will be available via Mopar?
 
Should be parts forever for the 66RFE as so many were made and very unreliable. A good shop rebuilds them and upgrades the junk parts. I doubt a MOPAR remanufactured upgraded the design flaws, I would stay away from that.
 
SolidAxleorBust said:
Should be parts forever for the 66RFE as so many were made and very unreliable. A good shop rebuilds them and upgrades the junk parts. I doubt a MOPAR remanufactured upgraded the design flaws, I would stay away from that.
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Tried 4 66RFE transmission rebuilds at an excellent rated transmission shop in the Rockies. I would blow through them on our steepest local grades while in 1st and 2nd at no faster than 30 MPH. Overdrives burnt and valve body hydraulic pressure failure. Sonnax aftermarket upgrades never failed. Started fresh once again with the MoPar transmission. Maybe this one will be more successful if it ever needs to be rebuilt.
 
Mine was pretty trashed at 60K, but limped to just over 100K. My shop would not touch it with out MAJOR upgrades as they knew it would fail fast. At 205K now and its alright, not perfect. But you are right those things HATE abuse like off roading or steep hard grade pulls. ( probably why the PW got the ZF first fast failures) Its downright scary towing big loads up major grades. it feels bad, shifts bad, gets stuck in the wrong gear....Curious, have any of you high altitude mountain men also encountered exploding radiator side tanks?
 
No radiator explosion, not our 2016 PW.

Two bags of potatoes chips exploded in the PW that we had just purchased in Cedaredge, CO at Food Town at 6K feet on our way home up and over our flat top mountain at 11K. Currently we're at 8,000 feet elevation visiting family in Wyoming. Not exactly mountainous either.

Both our 2024 and 2016 truck windshields got rock chipped on this trip. Love the Aisin transmission on our newer Tradesman, but really need all those PW 4x4 features for our remote living.

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Oh god, the food goods that explode.... :D And I never remember to slowly open condiments as well and BLAM! Bathed in mustard. Side tank exploded a year apart, they are paper thin and explode right below the top connection. I believe its a poor design, but also comes from the insane high revving of the 6.4 and 68RFE on top of altitude gain. Both times was 10K plus, towing 12K -14K. And NO one makes a good aftermarket radiator like they do for the Diesels.
 
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Our 2016 6.4L revs super high at 4,500 RPM once it tows above 10,000 feet. It doesn't matter what speed I go on the grades trying to keep it below that. Even down in 1st gear it wants to rev high before shifting to 2nd. The 66RFE probably doesn't like doing it for the 21.4 miles where we live off of the 4th (up) and then 5th (down) longest grades in Colorado starting out at 10.1 percent gaining nearly 6K feet of elevation. 1st to 2nd automatic shifts is where my 66RFE's blew.

My son-in-law's 2018 Chevrolet 1500 5.3L was revving very high at the 10,500 to 11,000 feet elevation last month. A spark plug wire had disconnected on our rough local dirt roads. Got a single text message from them telling me about their engine overreving while towing with a trouble engine light with their nearest location. So we tried to find them with my engine trouble code scanner. 500 square miles of no cellphone service. I got within 1/4 mile of where they said they were. They showed up 2 days later and I quickly fixed it.

I think that the modern gas engines at high altitude the ECM tries to increase the revs in the gears to make up for the loss of power.

We have two Ram diesel trucks now in our family. G56 in our son's 2014 2500 and Aisin in the 2024. The turbo Cummins don't have the high altitude issues.
 
I looked up Google AI the 6.4L at high altitude. It revs higher than if it was towing at lower altitude. Recommend 2019+ Power Wagon. I never had this issue while towing through the mountains of the Eastern USA

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Bull Creek said:
Our 2016 6.4L revs super high at 4,500 RPM once it tows above 10,000 feet. It doesn't matter what speed I go on the grades trying to keep it below that. Even down in 1st gear it wants to rev high before shifting to 2nd. The 66RFE probably doesn't like doing it for the 21.4 miles where we live off of the 4th (up) and then 5th (down) longest grades in Colorado starting out at 10.1 percent gaining nearly 6K feet of elevation. 1st to 2nd automatic shifts is where my 66RFE's blew.
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4500 isn’t super high, it makes peak hp at 5600.

You’re describing the operation like a CVT and it’s not. It has fixed gear ratios that maintain a specific rpm for a specific speed, aside from small variances with the TQ converter unlocked, which at 4500 rpms only applies to 1st gear and then its less than 30 mph.

The 1 to 2 shift is always higher in the rpm band in TH, even at 3K feet. It’s just how it’s programmed.

Bull Creek said:
I think that the modern gas engines at high altitude the ECM tries to increase the revs in the gears to make up for the loss of power.
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There is no way for the ECM to increase the rpms at altitude in the same gear to increase power. The only thing it can do is downshift, same as at sea level, if the throttle position demands more than it can hold and there are sufficient rpms available for the next lower gear.
 
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