RAM Cummins Grid Heater: 2025 Glow Plug Change
In a new article from The Drive, Truck Editor Caleb Jacobs breaks down why RAM and Cummins finally said goodbye to factory grid heaters in their 2025 heavy-duty diesel trucks—a change that has been a long time coming. Used for cold-weather starts, factory grid heaters have plagued owners for years due to a catastrophic flaw where the terminal bolt breaks loose and gets ingested into the engine. Failure happens unpredictably across any mileage—striking some trucks past 100,000 miles and others while nearly new. To prevent engine destruction, proactive owners replace the factory heater with the Banks Monster-Ram intake, which permanently eliminates the bolt risk while boosting throttle response and airflow.
Notably, switching to glow plugs involved more than just addressing grid heater failures. RAM and Cummins overhauled major engine hardware—including the diesel oxidation catalyst and top-load intake manifold—allowing rapid-heating glow plugs to take over. The result is near-instant cold-weather starting in roughly three seconds compared to 30 seconds or more with the old grid heater. According to RAM’s Doug Killian, the timing was right for proven glow plug technology to debut on these engines. While 2025+ buyers can rest easy, owners of earlier trucks still face the constant threat of terminal stud failure—a worry that Banks puts to rest permanently with the Monster-Ram.
How to Protect 2007.5–2024 RAM 6.7L Cummins Engines Today
While 2025 RAM pickups transition to glow plugs, millions of 2007.5–2024 6.7L Cummins trucks still run factory grid heaters. Inside those engines, high-amperage heat cycles and constant diesel vibration degrade the internal power stud over time. When that fastener breaks loose, gravity pulls the metal nut directly into cylinder number six. This failure frequently occurs outside the factory powertrain warranty, leaving owners with catastrophic engine replacement bills.
The 50-state emissions-compliant Banks Monster-Ram permanently eliminates this failure point for 2019–2024 and 2013–2018 RAM trucks. It replaces the restrictive factory heater plate with a high-flow billet intake plate and vertical coil heater. Consequently, mass airflow jumps 88.3 percent from 38.6 lbs/min to a massive 72.7 lbs/min. Owners can also add the custom Banks Engine Cover to conceal exposed EGR hardware with an OEM-plus finish.
Related RAM 6.7L Cummins Grid Heater & Intake Articles
- Explore how the 2025 RAM 6.7L Cummins intake design draws directly from Banks land-speed racing engineering.
- Compare grid heater solutions in this Banks Monster-Ram vs BD upgrade test evaluating mass airflow gains.
- Review flow bench data in our Monster-Ram vs Black Market comparison for 6.7L Cummins engines.
- Discover how a Banks Monster-Ram Cummins upgrade prevents catastrophic bolt failure and boosts throttle response.