Your Ram Cummins Has Two Fuel Filters — Are You Only Changing One?

by: Ak Automation
July 2026
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You pull into the driveway after a long tow, and something feels off. The engine hesitates when you step on it. The turbo spools a half-second late. You think about scheduling a dealer visit, but then you remember you just changed the fuel filter three months ago. So it cannot be that, right?

It can. Because your Ram has two fuel filters, and there is a very good chance you only changed one of them.

The Dual-Filter System Most Ram Owners Miss

Every 6.7 Cummins Ram from 2013 forward uses a two-stage fuel filtration system. One filter sits under the hood bolted to the engine. The other is mounted to the frame rail underneath the truck, usually behind the driver door near the fuel tank. They serve completely different purposes, and changing one while ignoring the other leaves half your fuel system exposed.

The engine-mounted filter — Mopar 68157291AA — is the secondary filter. It handles fine-particle filtration down to 5 microns and catches contaminants that made it past the first stage. This is the filter most owners know about because it is visible when you open the hood.

The frame-mounted filter is the primary fuel water separator. Its job is to remove bulk water and large debris before fuel ever reaches the engine. This is the filter most owners forget about — or never knew existed — because it requires you to crawl under the truck to access it.

When that lower filter clogs, your engine-mounted filter has to do double duty. It overloads faster, restricts fuel flow sooner, and lets more water through to your injectors. The result is the exact hesitation and power loss you noticed coming home from that tow.

Which Part Numbers Fit Your Ram?

Here is where the confusion multiplies. The lower frame-mounted filter changed between model years, so the kit you need depends entirely on when your truck was built.

2010–2012 Ram 2500/3500 6.7L Cummins: These early trucks used only the engine-mounted 68157291AA fuel filter. There was no frame-mounted secondary. If you own a 2010–2012 Ram, you need a single filter and an O-ring — nothing else.

2013–2018 Ram 2500/3500/4500/5500 6.7L Cummins: Starting in 2013, Ram added the frame-rail primary filter. Your cummins fuel filter kit for these years needs two filters — the engine-mounted 68157291AA and the frame-mounted 68197867AA (also listed as 68197867AB, which is the same filter with an updated part revision). This is the 2013–2018 Ram filter kit that covers your Ram 2500, 3500, 4500, and 5500.

Buying one filter without the other is the single most common maintenance mistake on these trucks. Both filters are designed to work as a system. Replacing them together is the only way to restore full fuel flow and water separation.

2019–2024 Ram 2500/3500/4500/5500 6.7L Cummins: In 2019, Ram redesigned the frame-mounted filter. The engine-mounted filter stays the same — still 68157291AA — but the lower filter changed to 68436631AA. These two part numbers are not interchangeable with the 2013–2018 lower filter. If you own a 2020 Ram 2500, 2022 Ram 3500, 2024 Ram 2500, or any 2019-and-newer Cummins-powered Ram, you need the 68157291AA plus the 68436631AA as a set.

Do Not Forget the Oil Filter

While you are under the truck, the oil filter deserves the same attention. The 6.7 Cummins oil filter across all Ram 2500 and Ram 3500 model years from 1989 through current is the Mopar MO-285, which carries the Chrysler part number 5083285AA. This same filter is also sold under the Fleetguard LF16035 label — identical fitment, identical or better filtration media, often at a lower price.

If you want the complete 6.7 Cummins maintenance kit, pair the MO-285 oil filter with your year-correct fuel filter set. That three-filter combination — one oil, two fuel — is what every fleet maintenance shop runs on their Ram trucks, and it is the most cost-effective way to protect your engine between full services.

For owners who also want to cover the Mopar oil filter for Cummins alongside their fuel service, our complete Ram diesel filter sets bundle everything in one box with the correct O-rings and gaskets included.

How Often Should You Replace Both Filters?

Ram recommends fuel filter replacement every 15,000 miles under normal driving conditions. For trucks that tow frequently, run biodiesel, or fuel up at rural stations with older storage tanks, shortening that interval to 10,000 miles is cheap insurance against water contamination.

Watch for these warning signs regardless of mileage — reduced power when towing, rough idle after cold starts, a water-in-fuel dashboard warning, or increased exhaust smoke. Any of these combined with a filter service that only covered the upper filter points straight at the forgotten lower filter as the cause.

Stop Guessing, Start Servicing Both

The complete fuel filter service on a Ram Cummins takes under an hour with basic hand tools. The parts cost a fraction of the injector damage they prevent. And now that you know your truck has two fuel filters, there is no reason to leave one of them behind.

Shop year-matched Mopar fuel filters, cummins oil filters, and complete dodge OEM parts at Truck OEM Filters — every filter verified for your Ram, every order shipped fast.

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Your Ram Cummins Has Two Fuel Filters — Are You Only Changing One?