The fun resumes…or not

[Rich W.]

The switch on our rig is a spring loaded momentary switch - and it has to be held for 5 or 10 seconds. Regen will not start instantly.

Perfect - that makes sense and is what I expected to hear. Thanks.

 

[DennisT]

Perfect - that makes sense and is what I expected to hear. Thanks.

Yes, momentary switch to either cancel or start the regen.

 

[redbaron]

I thought in 2024 Cummins / engine manufacturers were required to offer the ability to regen, etc. @redbaron I think you mentioned something about this some time ago?

Enforcement is another topic all together. NHTSA is responsible for enforcement and we all know how slow they are on some topics. Just depends how much feedback they get.

 

[Chuggs]

Well...my Ancel HD100 came yesterday.

I paired it with my phone via Ancel Trucker app. It communicates with the coach. It has a DPF Regen feature for the Cummins Engines...but I just can't bring myself into forcing an unnecessary regen. So, when the day comes...that I need to gorce a Regen, I guess I'll find out if it works or not. I had a technician force a regen back when the coach needed a new fuel injector...other than that...knock on wood...it has been doing a good job with passive regens.

The HD100 dis show me my soot load in the dpf is 0% right now... so, I guess the coach has been doing a good job on it's own.

I hope this tool is like insurance...there if you needed...but happy that you don't!

If you look i to these...careful that they have a HD 100, HD 110, HD 120... all do trouble codes, etc...but each model only does dpf regens for two engine mfg. It won't do you any good if you have one for International and Paccar...when your coach has a Cummins.

 

[Richpatty]

Well...my Ancel HD100 came yesterday.

I paired it with my phone via Ancel Trucker app. It communicates with the coach. It has a DPF Regen feature for the Cummins Engines...but I just can't bring myself into forcing an unnecessary regen. So, when the day comes...that I need to gorce a Regen, I guess I'll find out if it works or not. I had a technician force a regen back when the coach needed a new fuel injector...other than that...knock on wood...it has been doing a good job with passive regens.

The HD100 dis show me my soot load in the dpf is 0% right now... so, I guess the coach has been doing a good job on it's own.

I hope this tool is like insurance...there if you needed...but happy that you don't!

If you look i to these...careful that they have a HD 100, HD 110, HD 120... all do trouble codes, etc...but each model only does dpf regens for two engine mfg. It won't do you any good if you have one for International and Paccar...when your coach has a Cummins.

Awesome! Glad it seems to work. Very tempting…but I am in a holding pattern on whether to spend any major dollars on the coach…. Need to see what the next year brings. Will be curious if you ever need it.

And thanks for pointing out the model differences.

Rich

 

[Neal]

The HD100 dis show me my soot load in the dpf is 0% right now... so, I guess the coach has been doing a good job on it's own.

Or is it not reading the soot level? I need to first update my device, which I do from time to time, then see what it shows me. Glad you have something...and I think you can start a regen and then stop it soon after just to make sure you can perform one as @Rich W. just did in a comparison of information with me.

The odd things about soot level and it's a mystery is what is the level when a regen is needed? If you're reading it you may see values such as 200%. No clue on how these numbers are measured and what's really "in dire need" of regen status.

 

[Chuggs]

True…I have no track record with one of these things. I thought about starting and stopping…but don’t know how smart it would be to have it start dumping fuel into the ATS, and then stop the procedure with it un-burnt. Wish I knew more bout these things. My ‘98 Dodge didn’t have an after treatment system. And the Coach has been doing it’s thing without help from me…so far.

 

[Richpatty]

Hi @Chuggs ,

The Ancel HD100 (For Cummins)has a $50 coupon this morning (Amazon) bringing it back down to the $200 mark like on prime day. Is it worth getting? Sounds like you were pretty happy with it for the price.

Rich

 

[Chuggs]

I was just happy it paired and read data. I wish I could let you borrow mine to try out. I am happy to at least think I have a tool to let me start a forced regen, if I ever find myself needing to. I'm sure the ability for it to lookup codes will help out too...not having to call FTL-HELP.

 

[Richpatty]

Ok! Thanks Charlie!

 

[Rich W.]

True…I have no track record with one of these things. I thought about starting and stopping…but don’t know how smart it would be to have it start dumping fuel into the ATS, and then stop the procedure with it un-burnt. Wish I knew more bout these things. My ‘98 Dodge didn’t have an after treatment system. And the Coach has been doing it’s thing without help from me…so far.

You can’t hurt anything by doing forced regens. There is no excess fuel being dumped into the DPF - just a specifically measured amount injected by the doser based on all requirements being met. So any diesel injected is immediately burned and if you interrupt a regen, injection stops.

All that said, if you are showing low or no soot levels, there is also nothing to be gained by doing a forced regen. But it is a good idea to monitor your soot level periodically and run a regen when it gets to about 1/2 to avoid the rig requiring a parked regen while traveling. The problem with that is “what is 1/2?” as Neal pointed out. I also don’t get the 200% thing and I’ve never looked into that. I just do occasional forced regens.i

One explanation I’ve read is that when the DPF soot load reaches 100%, it’s at 100% of the regen threshold which is 50% of the DPF soot capacity. This would make sense but doesn’t explain why they don’t just use 50% and 100% so I’m not entirely convinced. Either way though, I would do a forced regen if I saw the soot load approaching 50%. Ideally the system will do its own active regens preventing soot loads this high, but due to driving conditions, it may not be able to do so.

 

[Chuggs]

Along that line, I did come across comments that basically recommended having a set schedule. Particularly if you do a lot of short trips, low speed, start...stop.

 

[team bradfield]

are the forced regens something I need to be doing? Didn't read anything in my DS package. Mine does a DPF Regen every week while traveling, maybe programed into the newer Spartans?

 

[Chuggs]

Normally, while you are doing highway travel...like you say, it goes all on it's own.

You may never need to do a forced regen. They can be used to help clear derates, potentially, when the system gets behind... but if you never need to do it...all the better.

It just seems between the bad digital DEF head saga...and Neals recent fun...always something to be on the lookout for.

 

[Rich W.]

are the forced regens something I need to be doing? Didn't read anything in my DS package. Mine does a DPF Regen every week while traveling, maybe programed into the newer Spartans?

There are a couple schools of thought here and unfortunately most of what you will read on the internet is directed at truck or bus drivers (high milage operators) so it’s hard to draw a conclusion for a motorhome.

If your system is performing active regens weekly, then you are in good shape as far as your DPF goes, but that seems excessive to me so maybe you are producing more soot and ash than normal.

Because Freightliner active regens happen in the background (unless interrupted) it’s hard to say how frequently they occur. What indication does the Spartan system give you that an active regen is in progress?