If you've been hanging around the Cummins forums or diesel groups lately, you know that doing a 2015 ram 3500 grid heater delete is a pretty hot button issue. It's one of those modifications that people usually don't do for the sake of adding massive horsepower or looking cool at a truck meet; they do it because they're terrified of their engine swallowing a piece of hardware. Honestly, when you're talking about a truck that's built to work as hard as a Ram 3500, the last thing you want to worry about is a tiny nut vibrating loose and totaling your entire power plant.
Let's dive into why this specific modification is such a big deal for the 2015 models and whether or not it's something you actually need to spend your Saturday morning tackling.
The "Killer Bolt" Problem
The main reason anyone even considers a 2015 ram 3500 grid heater delete isn't really about airflow—though that's a nice side benefit. It's all about the "killer bolt." On the 6.7 Cummins engines from this era, there's a power stud that feeds the grid heater. Over time, due to the constant heating and cooling cycles and the natural vibration of a heavy-duty diesel engine, the nut on that stud can start to wiggle loose.
When it finally lets go, it doesn't just fall into the bottom of the air box. It gets sucked right into the intake manifold and usually finds its way straight into cylinder number six. If that happens while you're cruising down the highway, it's game over. You're looking at a destroyed piston, a scarred cylinder wall, and a repair bill that'll make your eyes water. It's basically engine-failure Russian Roulette, and that's why so many owners are proactive about getting that heater out of there.
What Does a Delete Actually Do?
When you decide to go through with a 2015 ram 3500 grid heater delete, you're essentially removing the heating element that sits right between the intake horn and the cylinder head. The grid heater's job is to warm up the incoming air during cold starts to help the truck fire up more easily and reduce that annoying white smoke you sometimes see on chilly mornings.
There are a couple of ways to handle the delete. Some guys just buy a "delete plate" or a "spacer." This is a simple piece of billet aluminum that replaces the heater assembly. It keeps the factory height so your intake horn still lines up, but it has a wide-open hole in the middle where the restrictive heater used to be. Other people go the whole nine yards and replace the entire intake plate with something like a Banks Monster Ram or a similar aftermarket setup that relocates the heater or removes it entirely while smoothing out the air path.
The Airflow Factor
While reliability is the number one driver here, we can't ignore the performance side of things. The factory grid heater is basically a big, blocky heating element sitting right in the middle of your intake stream. If you look at one, it looks like a toaster element on steroids. It's a huge restriction.
By performing a 2015 ram 3500 grid heater delete, you're opening up that bottleneck. Does it give you 50 extra horsepower? No, probably not. But what it does do is improve throttle response and lower your exhaust gas temperatures (EGTs) slightly because the engine isn't working as hard to pull air in. It's one of those "while I'm in there" benefits that makes the project feel even more worthwhile.
What About Cold Starts?
This is the part where people get nervous. If you live in a place like North Dakota, Alaska, or even the mountains of Colorado, you might be thinking, "Don't I need that heater so my truck starts when it's -20 degrees?"
It's a valid concern. However, modern common-rail diesel engines like the one in your 2015 Ram are significantly better at cold starting than the old 12-valves or early 24-valves. If your batteries are strong and your glow plugs (well, Cummins doesn't use glow plugs, but you get the point) or block heater are working, the truck will usually start just fine without the grid heater in most "normal" winter conditions.
If you're really worried about it, you can always plug the truck in for an hour before you leave. Most guys who do the 2015 ram 3500 grid heater delete in colder climates say they notice a little more white smoke for the first thirty seconds of idling, but the truck still fires right up. If you live in the south, you'll literally never notice a difference in how the truck starts.
The DIY Experience
Is this a job you can do in your driveway? Absolutely. If you have a decent set of sockets and a torque wrench, you can handle a 2015 ram 3500 grid heater delete in a few hours.
The biggest pain is usually just getting the EGR plumbing and the intake horn out of the way. You have to be careful not to drop any debris into the open intake plenum while the heater is off. I always tell people to have a shop vac handy to clean around the area before you open it up. You'll also want to make sure you have new gaskets on hand because the old ones are almost certainly going to tear when you pull the intake horn off.
One thing to keep in mind is the electronics. When you disconnect the power lead to the grid heater, your truck's computer is going to notice it's gone. If you don't have a tuner to turn off the grid heater codes, you might get a check engine light or a "Wait to Start" light that stays on longer than it should. It won't hurt anything mechanically, but it can be annoying to see that light on the dash every time you hop in.
Is There a Middle Ground?
If the idea of a total 2015 ram 3500 grid heater delete makes you uneasy because of the cold weather, there are aftermarket solutions that try to give you the best of both worlds. Some companies make relocated grid heaters that move the element away from the "drop zone" above the cylinders. You still get the pre-heat for those freezing mornings, but the risk of a bolt falling into the engine is eliminated because the heater is positioned differently in the intake tract.
That said, most people I talk to just go for the full delete. It's simpler, cheaper, and it removes any possibility of a failure in the future.
Final Thoughts
At the end of the day, deciding to do a 2015 ram 3500 grid heater delete comes down to your personal tolerance for risk. If your truck is a high-mileage workhorse and you plan on keeping it forever, it's a very cheap "insurance policy" against a catastrophic engine failure.
It's one of those rare mods where you're actually simplifying the machine rather than making it more complex. You get a little better airflow, a slightly cleaner engine bay, and—most importantly—you can sleep better knowing that a $0.50 nut isn't about to turn your Cummins into a very expensive boat anchor.
If you're already planning on doing some intake work or an EGR service, that's the perfect time to just pull the trigger on the delete. It's one of the few modifications for these trucks that truly pays for itself in peace of mind. Just make sure you've got your gaskets ready, a cold drink in the cup holder, and a few hours of free time on a Saturday. Your Ram (and your wallet) will probably thank you for it down the road.