2019-2024 Ram 6.7L Cummins Parts & Upgrades

The 6.7L Cummins on the 2019-2024 Ram 2500 and 3500

2019 was a clean-sheet engine inside the same displacement. The block went to compacted graphite iron, the head got larger head bolts, the rods are forged alloy steel, the camshaft is hollow billet steel running hydraulic roller lifters, and the oil and water pumps moved to aluminum housings. The Holset HE300VG turbo was revised with taller turbine vanes, heavier-duty bearings and a forged-milled compressor wheel, good for about 33 psi, and it still does double duty as the exhaust brake. Bosch common-rail pressure is 29,000 psi. Standard-output trucks — every 2500 and the base 3500 — make 370 hp and 850 lb-ft behind the Chrysler 68RFE six-speed. High-output 3500 pickups make 400 hp and 1,000 lb-ft through the Aisin AS69RC, raised to 420 hp and 1,075 lb-ft for 2021. That same 2021 model year swapped the high-pressure fuel pump back to a Bosch CP3 and took the gooseneck rating to 37,100 lb. If you are cross-shopping engine families, the rest of our Cummins catalog covers the older trucks.

What fails and why

The hydraulic roller lifters are the signature problem of this generation, on both outputs and all of these model years. They run tight tolerances without needle bearings, the oil passages feeding them are small, and the pressed alignment dowel can back out; when a roller seizes it gouges the camshaft and seeds the oil with metal. The tell is a typewriter-like tick at cold start that does not fade as the engine warms. Some have let go inside the first 10,000 miles, and a truck past 100,000 miles with no noise is considered high mileage for this design. Second is the Bosch CP4.2 pump on 2019-2020 trucks, which can shed metal through the rail, injectors, lines and tank — ticking, sputter, a sudden stall and no restart, with metal in the fuel filter. Recall 21V-880, which Ram calls Y78, replaces that pump with a CP3, reflashes the PCM and inspects the fuel system.

After those two, the list is familiar 6.7L territory. Soot and oil coke the VGT vane ring and pivots, so the exhaust brake weakens first and then boost goes low or erratic with P003A, P2262, P226C, P00AF or P0299 — commonly between 50,000 and 150,000 miles, and sooner on a truck that idles, runs short trips or goes long on oil changes. The electronic actuator also fails on its own. A restrictive air filter throws P0299 by itself, and Ram's TSB 09-003-26 has the dealer update the PCM and fit Mopar filter 68645327AA before anything gets condemned. EGR coolers crack internally and lose coolant with no puddle under the truck, white sweet-smelling steam on a cold start and P2457. DEF injectors crystallize and NOx sensors fail, throwing SCR codes such as P204F, P2048 and P20EE, and off-spec or stale fluid speeds that up. The 68RFE pushes ATF out the dipstick tube (recalls 20V-043 and 22V-835) and warps the valve-body accumulator plate into P0871, harsh shifts and limp mode, while the Aisin can dislodge the K1 snap ring and lose first through fourth with P0731 under TSB 21-002-23. Front track-bar bushing wear is behind most of the wander, the clunk over bumps and the shimmy above about 45 mph. And the intake grid-heater relay was recalled for fire risk on 2021-2023 trucks: 21V-163, expanded as 21V-798 and superseded by 23V-060.

Stock replacement vs. upgrade

Most of what this truck needs is maintenance done correctly. Oil is 10W-30 CK-4 or 5W-40 full synthetic, and a Ram TSB excludes 15W-40 on 2019-newer engines. Shorten the interval for tow and idle duty, and pull an oil analysis 500 to 1,000 miles before each change — that is the cheapest early warning for lifter and turbo metal you will find. Fuel-side protection is the same idea: a lubricity additive at every fill, fresh filters including the 2019-up frame-mounted water separator, and a frame-mounted lift pump and filtration system when you want stable supply pressure and real water separation ahead of the injection pump. Grid-heater bolt drop is mostly a 2007.5-2018 story and rare on these trucks, but the inspection is cheap and upgrade kits are on the shelf. The upgrades that keep every piece of emissions equipment in place are the airflow chain and the filter-back exhaust: a Banks Power Ram-Air intake (42279, CARB EO D-161-174) replacing the S-shaped factory snorkel, the Monster-Ram elbow (42799, EO D-161-170) that swaps the factory grid-heater elbow for a cast high-flow plate and keeps a 750-watt heater coil, larger constant-diameter boost tubes, and a 5-inch DPF-back exhaust that cuts backpressure with the DOC, DPF and SCR untouched. When a turbo is genuinely finished, a direct-replacement HE300VG keeps the exhaust brake and runs on factory calibration. Behind it, an upgraded 68RFE valve body and a billet converter are the usual fixes before a built unit; the Aisin wants a higher-capacity converter, more cooler flow and shorter fluid changes. For the lifter design itself, flat-tappet conversion kits are the hard answer, and in-frame work is realistic with the right cam-removal tooling.

What we carry

Lift kits, shocks and air helper springs from BDS Suspension, Bilstein and Air Lift. Fuel, turbo and drivetrain hardware from BD Diesel, PPE, Fleece Performance Engineering and Wehrli Custom Fabrication — sending units, turbo oil feed and drain lines, transmission pans and gaskets, grid-heater upgrade kits, high-flow intake bundles. Cooling and charge-air parts from Mishimoto and CSF, exhaust and resonators from MBRP, gasket and head-gasket sets from MAHLE, genuine Cummins thermostats and crankcase-ventilation parts, S&B intakes and intake elbows, FASS fuel systems and water-separator elements, Hamilton Cams flat-tappet conversions, S&S Diesel Motorsport high-pressure pumps, Edge Products monitors, EGT kits and A-pillar mounts, and engine oil, fuel additives and shop chemicals from Hot Shot's Secret and Lucas Oil. XDP MFG covers fastener and hardware kits. Trailer hitch hardware, turbo accessories and the specialty tools for cam and lifter work are here as well.

Fitment notes

Output is the first fork in the road. Ram identifies it by sales code — ETL is standard output, ETM is high output, DF2 is the Aisin — so read the build sheet rather than guessing from a VIN digit, and confirm output before ordering a turbo or an actuator. Compression differs too: 19.0:1 standard output against 16.2:1 high output. The rear suspension splits the way the truck does. A 2500 has a coil-sprung five-link rear with a track bar, a 3500 has two-stage leaf springs, and trucks with factory Active-Level air suspension take air-ride-compatible parts instead of coil-replacement helpers. Single- and dual-rear-wheel 3500s are different trucks underneath, an 11.5-inch axle on an 8x165.1 lug pattern against the 12.0-inch Max Tow axle on 8x200, so wheels, covers and gear sets do not cross over — and DPF-back exhaust kits are cab- and bed-length specific, with dually trucks needing their own. On a 2019 or 2020, find out whether the CP4 recall was performed, because fuel-system parts and calibrations have to match the pump actually installed. The 2019-up frame-mounted water separator is not the 2013-2018 part. The 2025 refresh changed the engine, the intake manifold, the lamps and the body panels, so treat 2019-2024 as its own fitment group. Chassis-cab trucks use different DEF and driveline pieces than pickups, so verify pickup versus cab chassis by VIN. Anything that needs to write through the OBD-II port runs into the Security Gateway Module on these trucks, though monitors read normally. Use the fitment checker on any product page, or call us and we will look it up by VIN.

Frequently asked questions

How do I know if my 2019 or 2020 Ram still has the CP4 pump?

Run the VIN through a recall lookup or ask a Ram dealer whether campaign 21V-880 — Ram's code Y78 — has been closed out on your truck. The remedy installs a Bosch CP3 in place of the CP4.2, reflashes the PCM and inspects or replaces fuel-system parts as needed, and it is a dealer repair at no charge to you. Get that done before buying fuel-system parts, because the pump on the truck decides what fits. Trucks built for 2021 through 2024 left the factory with the CP3.

What does a tick at cold start mean on this engine?

A typewriter-like tick that does not fade with warm-up is the hydraulic lifter symptom on 2019-2024 engines, and it is worth taking seriously, because a seized roller gouges the camshaft and sends metal through the oil. Cut the oil open before you cut the engine open: an analysis 500 to 1,000 miles before a change will show lifter or turbo metal while the repair is still a lifter and cam job. In-frame lifter replacement is doable, but it takes magnets to hold the lifters up and a trough in the cam tunnel, and if one drops the oil pan has to come off.

My exhaust brake feels weak. Is the turbo finished?

Weak exhaust brake is usually the first sign of sticking VGT vanes, with low or erratic boost and codes like P003A, P2262, P226C or P0299 behind it. Before condemning the turbo, fit the Mopar air filter the TSB specifies and look for boost leaks, since a restrictive filter sets P0299 on its own. The electronic actuator fails independently of the vanes, so it is worth testing separately. If the cartridge really is scrap, a direct-replacement HE300VG keeps the exhaust brake and the factory calibration.

Will 2019-2024 parts fit a 2025 Ram 2500 or 3500?

Assume not. The 2025 refresh brought a different engine specification — grey-iron block, a new high-pressure pump, glow plugs in place of the grid heater, a new intake manifold — plus front and rear body panels, tailgate and lamps that do not interchange with 2019-2024. Intake and engine parts listed for these years should not go on a 2025. DPF-back exhaust sections are one of the few places where listings do carry across, and we still confirm by VIN.

Is a lift kit for a 2500 the same as one for a 3500?

No. The 2500 has a coil-sprung rear with a track bar and the 3500 rides on two-stage leaf springs, so rear lift, leveling and helper-spring parts are different parts. Factory air-suspension trucks need air-ride-compatible kits. Past roughly 2.5 inches of lift you also want an adjustable or relocated front track bar to re-center the axle, and a drop hitch afterward so the trailer still tows level.

Why will a handheld device read my truck but not write to it?

Every 2019-2024 Ram has a Security Gateway Module that blocks write and flash commands through the OBD-II port unless the tool has authorized access, while normal OBD-II reads keep working. That is why gauge monitors such as the Edge Insight CTS3 with a pillar mount work fine, and why anything needing bidirectional control wants an authorized or dealer-level tool. The Edge 38603 pillar mount fits 2019-2026 Ram 2500 and 3500 dashes, but not trucks with the head-up display.

Not sure what fits? Call the shop at the number in the header, or use the fitment checker on any product page. We install everything we sell, in our own bays in Wildwood, FL.