2019-2024 Ram 6.7L Cummins Filter Kit Guide (68436631AA / 68157291AA)

The Fuel Filter Job That Becomes a $9,000 Repair

There is a version of this story I have heard more than once, and it always starts the same way. A Ram owner does his own fuel filters to save a few hundred dollars. He gets them in, cycles the key a couple of times, and the truck fires. He feels good about it. Three weeks later the truck dies on the highway, and the shop calls with a number that starts with a nine.

The part nobody tells you is that the shop is often right about the cause. When a Bosch CP4.2 lets go, the pump’s pistons float in their bores and the roller tappet starts riding the cam wrong — and according to the people who rebuild these pumps for a living, aerated fuel is the leading cause. Air gets into the fuel system in exactly two ways: a filter that didn’t seal, or a prime that wasn’t finished. Both of those are things the person doing the filter change controls.

So on this truck, the fuel filter is not a maintenance item. It is the load-bearing wall of a $6,000-to-$10,000 fuel system, and the install procedure is part of the filter’s job description.

Why the 2019-2024 Ram Is Really Two Different Trucks

This is the single most important thing about a fifth-generation Ram HD, and it affects how hard you should be pushing on fuel filtration.

2019 and 2020 trucks use the Bosch CP4.2. When the fifth-generation Ram HD launched in January 2019, Cummins swapped the long-serving CP3 for the CP4.2 to reach 29,000 psi and a 1,000 lb-ft rating. The CP4.2 had already built a reputation in the LML Duramax and the 6.7L Power Stroke, and it behaved exactly the same way in the Cummins. Ram issued recall Y78 (NHTSA 21V-880) in November 2021, covering roughly 222,000 trucks, to retrofit the 2019-2020 trucks back to a CP3.

2021 through 2024 trucks went back to the CP3, and carried it until the 2025 trucks moved to a new Bosch CP8.

That means the same filter kit serves two very different risk profiles. On a 2021-2024 truck, the fuel filters are routine maintenance on a pump with a reputation for shrugging off minor contamination. On a 2019 or 2020 truck — recall done or not — the fuel filters are the primary defense on a pump that does not forgive water, air, or grit. The filters are identical; what they are protecting is not.

What About the Recall?

If you own a 2019 or 2020, check your VIN against recall Y78 before you decide how worried to be. A truck that has had the CP3 retrofit is arguably in better shape than one that never had a CP4.2 at all, because it has a fresh pump. A truck that hasn’t had it done is a to-do item you inherited.

Either way, the fuel filters still matter. The retrofit does not change the fact that the high-pressure pump has no filter downstream of it.

What You Actually Get: Four Filters, Four Jobs

The set covers the complete 30,000-mile service — a milestone where the air filter comes due at the same time as the second fuel-filter interval, which is why it makes sense to buy them together rather than in three separate orders.

Chassis fuel/water separator — 68436631AA (3 micron). This is the one that catches the water. On a 2019-and-newer truck it’s a cartridge element living inside a permanent housing on the frame, under the truck, and it loads in from the bottom under a 28mm cap. It is the filter that does the heavy lifting on water separation, and on a CP4.2 truck it is the difference between a pump that lasts and a pump that doesn’t.

Engine-bay fuel filter — 68157291AA (3 micron). The star-topped secondary cartridge, mounted in the engine bay, doing final fine filtration immediately before the fuel reaches the rail. Two fuel filters, not one. This is the detail that catches people out most often.

Engine oil filter — 5083285AA (25 micron @ 99%). A spin-on with a rigid steel shell and an anti-drainback valve. One quirk worth knowing: this element has been in continuous use on the Cummins since 1989, which makes it the most counterfeited filter in this kit. Buy it from someone who can tell you what’s inside it.

Engine air filter — 53034051AB (99.25% / 344.2G per ISO 5011). A deep-pleat panel element with a metal mesh backing and stabilizer bars to keep the pleats from deflecting under full boost. It runs the longest of the four at 30,000 miles, and it’s the one with no dash warning.

The service rhythm: both fuel filters at 15,000 miles, the oil filter at every 7,500-mile oil change, the air filter at 30,000. Every fourth oil change, all four come due at once.

What You Actually Pay

Prices checked September 2026. This is a kit where the honest framing matters, because the cheapest option on the page is not the worst option and the most expensive one is not automatically the safest.

Channel	What you get	Price	The catch
TruckTok 4-filter kit	Both fuel filters + oil + air	$125.10	—
Doc’s Diesel, Filter Combo Kit 2019-2024	Same four part numbers	$167-171	Roughly $42-46 more for equivalent scope
Doc’s Diesel, Filter Maintenance Kit 2019-2024	The four, plus cabin filter	$190-197	Different scope — you’re buying five filters, not four
Mopar OEM, bought separately	Fuel pair $119.95 + oil + air	~$175	Three separate orders
Mopar OEM, chassis filter alone	One filter	$57.89	That’s the price of one of the four
Amazon, ATRACYPART white-label 4-piece	Same four applications	$68.99	2,773 ratings; 4-micron and 99%-water claims are the seller’s own, with no third-party test published
Amazon, white-label fuel pair only	Both fuel filters	$27-41	No independent micron or water-separation data

Two honest observations, because the table cuts both ways.

First: the Amazon 4-piece at $68.99 is about $56 cheaper than this kit, and it has thousands of reviews. If you are price-shopping on a 2021-2024 truck with a CP3 pump, that is a defensible purchase — a CP3 tolerates far more contamination than a CP4.2 does. What you are not getting is a published, independently verified specification, and on modern diesel filters that matters more than it sounds, because the part that separates water is an internal layer you cannot see from the outside.

Second: this is not the cheapest kit and shouldn’t be sold as one. At $125.10 it sits above the white-label price and below the Doc’s and OEM prices. What the middle buys you is a documented spec, a matched set, and one box instead of three orders — which on a 2019-2020 truck with a CP4.2 is a much easier argument to make than on a 2021-2024.

What to Look For When Buying

2019–2024 vs 2013–2018 Chassis Filter Cutoff

The 2019–2024 6.7L Cummins uses the bottom-loading cartridge 68436631AA chassis filter, whereas 2013–2018 trucks require the spin-on 68197867AA canister. They are completely non-interchangeable.

Verification of Dual Fuel Filters

A complete fuel service for 5th Gen Ram trucks requires BOTH the rear chassis separator and the engine-bay cartridge. Beware of partial kits shipping only one element.

Verified 3-Micron Rating & Hydrophobic Water Separation

Ensure the chassis filter specifies a 3-micron rating with published water separation efficiency to protect sensitive high-pressure pumps (Bosch CP4.2 or CP3 retrofit).

Air Filter Structural Backing & Pleat Stabilizers

Check for a rigid structural backing (metal mesh or heavy polymer) and stabilizer bars to prevent pleat deflection and unmetered dust bypass under high turbo boost.

Genuine Heavy-Gauge Steel Oil Canister

The 5083285AA oil filter must feature a heavy-gauge steel housing with a pre-seated gasket and calibrated bypass valve to handle heavy 6.7L Cummins EGR soot loading.

Installation: Four Filters, Two Locations Under the Truck and Two on Top

Budget 60 to 90 minutes the first time. Nothing here needs a lift, but the chassis fuel filter is under the truck and the engine-bay filter is genuinely awkward to reach.

Step 1: Drain the oil and change the oil filter

Warm the engine, shut it off, let it sit ten minutes, then pull the drain plug — a 3/8-inch square drive that a ratchet with an extension goes straight into. Take the oil filler cap off while it drains; it speeds things up. The sump holds three gallons, so bring a pan sized for it.

The oil filter is on the passenger side of the block, reachable through a small opening in the fender well. Check the mounting face for the old gasket before the new filter goes on — two stacked gaskets leak and can back the filter off. Lubricate the new gasket with fresh oil, pre-fill the filter, spin it on by hand until it contacts, then three-quarters of a turn more. Hand-tight is the spec.

Step 2: Chassis Fuel/Water Separator Replacement (68436631AA)

Release Frame Clip & Drain — Pop the plastic clip holding the housing to the frame. Slide a 3/8-inch fuel line over the drain nipple, open the drain valve 1/4 turn, and bleed fuel into a catch bucket.

Unplug WIF Sensor — Unplug the Water-In-Fuel (WIF) sensor connector before unscrewing the housing cap.

Unscrew Cap — Use a 28mm 6-point shallow socket to unscrew the bottom composite cap.

Replace O-Rings & Seat Cartridge — Check the housing bore to ensure the old bottom packing ring didn't stay stuck. Install fresh O-rings on the new cartridge and WIF sensor, lube with clean diesel fuel, press down until it snaps into place, and torque cap to 30.5 N·m (22 ft-lbs).

Key-ON Priming Sequence — Cycle key to RUN (or press Start twice without touching brake) for 20 seconds. Repeat 6 to 10 times to purge all trapped air before cranking.

Step 3: Engine-bay fuel filter (top of the engine)

Reset the drain hose — the stock outlet dumps right above the front axle. Push a length of hose over the drain nipple and run it into a bucket. Then open the pressure release valve on the housing (about a quarter turn with a Phillips) and crack the cap a few turns so the chamber finishes bleeding before it comes off.

Same 28mm six-point cap, same awkward reach: it sits behind a connector and alongside the oil dipstick tube, and a wobble extension is what makes the angle work. The cartridge is slightly oval and only goes in one way — push it down until it seats, twist it, and tug to confirm.

Watch the packing O-ring. The old one often stays glued in the housing instead of coming out with the cap, and if you fit the new element on top of it you’ve guaranteed a leak. Lubricate the new ring, fit it properly, and refit the cap. The cap carries a printed 30.5 N·m / 22 ft-lb — that’s the number, and on a plastic cap, snug-and-stop beats wrenching on it.

Step 4: Air filter

The airbox is on the passenger side and it’s the easy one. Three screws, an 8mm socket, and the screws stay captive in the lid — loosen them and lift the whole lid away. Vacuum the housing out while you’re in there; there will be bugs in it. Seat the new element with the airflow arrow the same way as the original, engage the rear tabs first, then the screws.

Step 5: Prime — this is the step that matters

Do not skip this and do not shorten it. Air in the fuel system is the documented leading cause of CP4.2 failure, and after replacing two fuel filters the system is full of it.

On a key-start truck, turn the key to RUN without cranking, let the lift pump run about 20 seconds, key off, and repeat. On a push-button truck, keep your foot off the brake and press START twice to reach RUN — with your foot on the brake, that same button starts the engine, which is the last thing you want with air in the lines. Six or seven cycles is the usual recommendation for a fully drained system, and there’s no harm in going to ten.

Step 6: Reset the monitors, then drive it

Two monitors need clearing and neither clears itself. Oil life: RUN without starting, scroll to the Oil Life menu with the left-hand steering-wheel buttons, hold the right button, confirm. Fuel filter life: scroll to the truck icon (Vehicle Info), arrow to Fuel Life, hold right, confirm — it settles at 99%, not 100%, and that’s normal.

Then drive it. Idle-time leak checks miss seating problems that only show up under load.

Optional: the fifth filter, the cabin air filter (68406048AA)

This kit covers four filters, and none of them filter the air you breathe. The cabin element is a separate part, and it is the one most likely to have never been changed on a used truck — so it’s worth knowing how it comes out.

Drop the glove box. There’s usually a small assist cord on the side with a keyhole slot — slide it free and the box pops down. Then squeeze the two side tabs inward; they’re made to flex, and as they pinch the outer edges lift so the box comes clear. Behind it, the cabin filter sits behind a small cover held by two tabs you pinch together. The element fills the same slot in every 2013-2024 truck, and it slides in with the airflow arrow pointing down — check the arrow on the cover too, because it points the same way.

One thing that confuses people: the element sits proud of the opening when it’s in correctly. Don’t try to cram it flat. The cover has thickness for exactly that reason, and forcing it seats the filter wrong.

If your truck wasn’t built with one: many of these trucks left the factory without the cover, but the housing was already molded for it. The blanking plate is roughly an eighth of an inch thick, and you can score around the inside of it with a razor, work it out, and fit an aftermarket cover kit. Twenty minutes and a few dollars turns a truck that has no cabin filter into one that does.

Five Expensive Mistakes

Mistake #1: Ordering the 2013-2018 chassis filter

68436631AA (2019-2024) and 68197867AA (2013-2018) are not interchangeable. One is a cartridge that loads from the bottom, one is a spin-on canister. The listings overlap, the numbers look similar, and the two do not fit each other.

Mistake #2: Buying a “fuel filter” when the truck takes two

The single most common half-job on this engine. Somebody buys one element, changes the engine-bay cartridge, and calls the fuel service done — leaving the chassis water separator in place for another 15,000 miles. The one they skipped is the one that removes water.

Mistake #3: Cutting the prime short

Two or three key cycles and then cranking feels productive. It isn’t. Air that’s still in the system gets pushed into a high-pressure pump that depends on fuel for lubrication, and on a 2019-2020 CP4.2 that’s how a $125 filter job turns into a five-figure repair. Cycle until the pump sounds settled, and go past the minimum rather than stopping at it.

Mistake #4: Never draining the water separator

The chassis filter’s drain valve exists so you can take water out between filter changes — roughly monthly, and definitely if the water-in-fuel light comes on. The sensor works by water shorting two pins, which means it tells you when there’s already water in the housing. Drain it before then.

Mistake #5: Treating the air filter as optional

It’s the cheapest filter in the set and the only one with no warning light, which is exactly why it gets skipped for years. A clogged air filter restricts the turbo, spikes exhaust temperatures, and disturbs MAF readings. On a truck that already runs hot under load, that’s not a neutral choice.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does this kit fit my truck?

It fits 2019-2024 Ram 2500, 3500, 4500, and 5500 trucks with the 6.7L Cummins, including chassis cab models. It does not fit 2013-2018 trucks (different chassis filter) or 2025-and-newer (different engine updates, including a cartridge oil filter).

What exactly is in the kit?

Four filters: the chassis fuel/water separator cartridge (68436631AA), the engine-bay fuel filter cartridge (68157291AA), the spin-on engine oil filter (5083285AA), and the panel engine air filter (53034051AB). If you also want the cabin filter, that’s a separate part (68406048AA) and a separate kit — the installation notes are above.

What are the correct part numbers?

Chassis fuel 68436631AA, also referenced as PF46152. Engine-bay fuel 68157291AA (cross-references 68065608AA, FS53000, FS43255, PF9870, L6806F, FF1199). Oil 5083285AA (cross-references PF1070, LF16035, LF3972, PH3976A, 57620). Air 53034051AB (cross-references CA10261, 46930, AF27684, PA4318, LAF8837).

Which model years have the CP4.2 pump?

2019 and 2020. Ram moved back to the CP3 for 2021-2024, and to a CP8 for 2025. The CP4.2 is less tolerant of air and water in the fuel than the CP3 it replaced, which is why fuel filter condition matters more on those two model years.

Is my 2019 or 2020 covered by the recall?

Recall Y78 (NHTSA 21V-880) covers roughly 222,000 trucks and retrofits the 2019-2020 CP4.2 to a CP3 at no cost. Check your VIN against the recall rather than assuming either way — and note that a completed retrofit doesn’t remove the need to keep the fuel filters current.

Can I use this kit on a 2025?

No. The 2025 Ram HD moved to a Bosch CP8 pump and a cartridge-style engine oil filter, so the oil filter in this kit is the wrong type. This kit covers 2019-2024 only.

How often should I change each filter?

Both fuel filters every 15,000 miles, the oil filter at every 7,500-mile oil change, and the air filter every 30,000. That puts all four in the same service every fourth oil change. Severe duty — heavy towing, short trips, dusty or high-moisture fuel — pulls all three numbers down.

How long does the four-filter service take?

Budget 60 to 90 minutes the first time. The chassis fuel filter is the slow part because of the drain, the awkward angle, and the two O-rings.

Do I need a lift or specialty tools?

No lift. You need a 3/8-inch square drive for the oil drain, a 28mm six-point shallow socket for both fuel caps, an 8mm socket for the airbox, a wobble extension for the engine-bay cap, and something to catch about three gallons of oil plus the fuel you drain.

Can I change just the engine-bay filter and skip the chassis one?

You can, and people do, but you’re skipping the water separator — the one under the truck that removes moisture before it can reach a high-pressure pump. On a 2019-2020 CP4.2 truck that’s the wrong filter to skip.

Why is the white-label kit on Amazon so much cheaper?

Because it doesn’t publish an independently verified specification, and because the part that separates water is an internal layer you can’t inspect from the outside. On a 2021-2024 truck with a CP3, that trade is defensible. On a 2019-2020 with a CP4.2, you’re accepting risk you can’t measure.

What oil should I run?

Mopar’s spec for this generation is 15W-40, with 5W-40 as the common choice in cold climates. Confirm against your owner’s manual for your model year and configuration. The kit includes the filter, not the oil.

Does this kit include the CCV filter?

No. The crankcase ventilation filter is a separate part (CV52001 / 68002433AA) on its own schedule — around the 65,000-mile mark, with no dash warning to remind you. It’s the filter that gets skipped the longest on these trucks, and a clogged one raises crankcase pressure until seals and gaskets start weeping oil.

A word of caution if you’ve read about deleting it instead of replacing it: don’t. The crankcase cover carries a pressure-difference sensor, and the tube that runs just ahead of the turbo is part of what it reads. Owners who have pulled the filter out and rerouted the vent report a check-engine light roughly twice a day from that sensor, plus oil seepage at the back of the cover even when the delete is assembled correctly. A fresh filter — Mopar’s is around $120 at a dealer, and aftermarket elements run $30 — soaks the oil vapor before it reaches the turbo. Replacing it is the cheap, clean answer, and the one that keeps the dash quiet.

Is a bypass oil filtration system worth it on a 6.7 Cummins?

Worth understanding, but worth putting second.

A bypass (or side-stream) system taps a small bleed of oil off the filter housing — on a 6.7 that’s the 7/16-inch plug on the oil filter housing — pushes it through a very dense element, and returns it to the engine through a fitting on a replacement fill cap. The installers who run these describe the result the same way: filtration goes from about 20 microns down to about 2. The reason it can filter that fine is that it only handles a trickle of oil, while your full-flow oil filter has to pass the entire oil volume at pressure — which is why it stops somewhere around the 20-micron mark instead. Cleaner oil over a long interval is a real benefit, and people who run these on high-mileage tow rigs do report stretching their drain intervals.

A few honest caveats before you spend the money:

• It’s a supplement, not a replacement. The sump filter still has to come out on schedule. A bypass system added while the stock filter gets ignored is just an extra leak path. The bypass element isn’t a lifetime part either, despite what you’ll read in the comments.
• It adds failure points, and fitment varies. Every added hose and fitting is somewhere oil can escape. The hardware isn’t complicated — fittings torque to around 110 to 122 inch-pounds (call it 9 to 10 ft-pounds), a mounting bracket takes about 35 ft-pounds — but the routing is where installs go sideways. One install we watched had to trim the radiator hose because a new line ran against it and would eventually have worn through. Another needed washers to space the bracket level around a grid-heater-delete plate. A third mounted the bracket upside down to clear a Pusher-style intake.
• It doesn’t fix a dirty engine. If you’re chasing a sludged-up crankcase, clean oil changed on schedule does more than finer filtration on dirty oil.

If you tow heavy and plan to keep the truck past 300,000 miles, it’s a reasonable upgrade. If you’re still getting the basics right — filters on schedule, clean fluid, the water separator drained — that’s where the money goes first.

Get All Four Filters, in One Box

If your 2019-2024 Ram is coming up on the 30,000-mile mark — or you’ve been meaning to get to the air filter for two years — this kit puts both fuel filters, the oil filter, and the air filter in one box, matched to the truck and ready for an afternoon in the driveway.

Get the 2019-2024 Ram 6.7L Cummins 4-Filter Kit

Want to see what other owners are running on these trucks? A few threads worth reading:

• 2019-2024 6.7L Ram Chassis Fuel/Water Separator — Replaces 68436631AA
• 2010-2024 6.7L Ram Engine Upper Fuel Filter — Replaces 68157291AA
• 2007.5-2024 6.7L Ram Diesel Oil Filter — Replaces 5083285AA
• 2007.5-2024 6.7L Ram Diesel Air Filter — Replaces 53034051AB

Legal Disclaimer

This guide is for general informational purposes only and is not a substitute for your vehicle’s factory service manual or the advice of a qualified diesel technician. Always verify the correct part numbers for your specific model year, VIN, and configuration before purchasing or installing filters. Recall information is provided for reference only — confirm the status of any recall for your vehicle through the manufacturer or NHTSA. Installation of any aftermarket or replacement part is performed at your own risk; the author and retailer assume no liability for damage, injury, or loss arising from the use of this information or the products referenced. Filter change intervals are manufacturer recommendations and should be adjusted for your driving conditions, towing load, and fuel quality.