Resolved Broken down in Breckenridge....

[Rich W.]

On my last trip, 7700 miles, I added a jug whenever my dash indicator read one dot low. There was always room in the tank for 2.5 gal and I was constantly adding fresh DEF.

Since mine is an earlier model with a mechanical float in the tank (2015 chassis and before) I run the risk of gunking up the slide mechanism for the float, getting false readings, and encountering DEF header codes/issues/derate.

So I keep mine full and fresh. Its another benefit of using box DEF - I always have some in stock, it only takes a couple minites to add one, and I can do it at me leisure, usually in a CG. But I also get 300 mpg on DEF. If it was 100mpg, as with an ISX for instance, I‘d probably approach it differently. Also if I had a solid state DEF header.

 

[redbaron]

No...but I will tomorrow. Amazon has flexible return so if you guys want to wait until I have tested I will report back.
Update:
I spoke with the MFG and they did assure me it was compatible with 2022 cummins ISX-15, so that is the best info I have for now.

New thread for these tools:

DPF Forced Regen Tools - What works and What does not

I have just received my Nexas NL102P tool that claims to do a forced regen on the Cummins ISX-15. It does not work. I am in the process of working with support to get this resolved, but for now this tool DOES NOT WORK on the ISX-15. I also tested on my 2021 Dodge Ram..and it too fails. I will...

rvforums.com

Short answer---it does *NOT* work.

 

[Headhunter]

Hi Neal: Glad you got this sorted out and are back on the road.
HH

 

[FLSteve]

Thanks @redbaron ... I will put my order on hold until you do some testing and report back.

FLSteve

@redbaron @Rich W. @Neal @J&JD .... I have been trying to follow all the different threads on this subject. Has anybody ever determined the best tester to order that can do a forced regen?

FLSteve

 

[Neal]

@redbaron @Rich W. @Neal @J&JD .... I have been trying to follow all the different threads on this subject. Has anybody ever determined the best tester to order that can do a forced regen?

FLSteve

That is what the thread below is about and it's still in progress, nothing standing out as what to get yet.

DPF Forced Regen Tools - What works and What does not

I have just received my Nexas NL102P tool that claims to do a forced regen on the Cummins ISX-15. It does not work. I am in the process of working with support to get this resolved, but for now this tool DOES NOT WORK on the ISX-15. I also tested on my 2021 Dodge Ram..and it too fails. I will...

rvforums.com

 

[flarider]

I have a 2014 Spartan. When you say yours does it all the time does it do it automatically? I am really confused on this issue. Thinking of getting a Nexlink scanner that the Red Baron suggested but don't know if that will work.

Yes, my coach does regens automatically, how often I can not say I never kept notes on it but if I'm on a 3 month trip moving around every week I bet I see 3 or 4 regens. It might be less if I run in 5 gear. Spartan recommends that to get the temp up when running down the highway at 65MPH. In 6 gear I'm at about 1,700 RPM and 5 gear about 1,900+. I did get the Nexlink tool so I will try that and see if the code goes away.

 

[Buly]

Got me thinking: in all these years I have never noticed my coach do a regeneration?
Just got the NexLink Plus, and will try to force it to regenerate one day.
BTW there are few videos on YouTube people successfully use the NexLink to force regeneration. There are some “tricks” to do it right.

 

[MemoriesByTheMile]

Got me thinking: in all these years I have never noticed my coach do a regeneration?

We’ve only had our coach for 2 years (full timers) but have never noticed a regen.

As an analyst I like to learn and understand differences, despite having a button on our dash for “Regen” I find this topic interesting to follow. Wondering why the manufacturer of the coach didn’t add a button for this common function as it seems easy and cheap to do. If you have the white/red jumper under the dash, is anyone aware of anyone doing a mod to add a button for it on the dash?

 

[NWIP]

Freightliner chassis’s do a passive regen without any indication where as Spartan gives a message for DPF regen regularly. I think mine occurs every 1500 miles depending on driving conditions.

 

[Neemer]

To pile on NWIP’s post, I have seen evidence of a regen only once in 18K miles. I had a High Exhaust Temp light on my dash when I was in slow traffic. Other than that, nada.

 

[Richpatty]

Same here....Have only seen the High Exhaust Temp light once...but I only have 23K miles on ours...

 

[stang37]

I only seen 1 regen light in 42,000 miles. It happened after a lengthy stretch of road averaging about 40 mph. I was pulling into a parking area and just happened to see the light. I normally run around 1700 to 1800 rpms and I use 5th gear a lot.

 

[Neal]

One item to add to this discussion that has been discussed in the past is traveling and what tank levels for fresh, black, gray. This situation I got in I was in a case where I may have to be living in my coach for a period of time if towed to a Cummins service location and having a dog complicates living conditions, i.e. finding a dog friendly hotel, boarding the dog, vaccinations up to date, etc. I was lucky that I emptied black and gray prior to departing, while I usually do, I don't "always" do this. That would buy me time. Fresh (water) was stopped by autofill at around 67% if I recall, autofill can vary from 65-90% full, not sure why the variance, but it does. As I was traveling in the Rockies I didn't want a fresh tank full at 100% and taking on water via garden hose about anywhere is an option so it's not as critical. I also carry a 30 gallon water storage bladder, although I've yet to use or need it but it's a nice addition for boondocking and can be placed in the back of my toad (chevy colorado) bed. I have a water transfer drill pump as well to transfer water from bladder to coach. These store compact under my bed storage.

So keep in mind with your black/gray tank management that things may not go as planned and you could be living in your coach without the ability to dump tanks, etc. for a period of time.

 

[Buly]

I always try to have empty waste tanks and 100% full water tank before departing.
As it happened to Neal, you never know if you are going to get stuck for a day or two. Also trying to keep the fuel tank above 50% full for the same reason.
I Attended the Freightliner camp, and the lecturer recommended to travel with full fresh water tank for a better ride?

 

[Neal]

On the topic of fuel tank, the TOAD fuel tank level is something I pay attention to prior to departing to the next destination. I'm not sure if I mentioned that above in this thread. As we read @NWIP had an incident in the middle of nowhere on his Alaska journey. While it wasn't discussed I learned a lesson from that in making sure my TOAD has enough gas to get me to a populated area. From that incident I now pay attention to fuel levels in my TOAD prior to departure. In the case of this story I filled up prior to departure as I was heading deeper in the Rockies. So pay attention to your fuel levels not only in the coach but also in your escape vehicle - the TOAD.

 

[sheridany]

One thing I would caution about is how much the water tanks adds weight your coach. You do not want to be over the weight limit, particularly on your steer axle. Just be aware of it if you have not done a four-corner weigh.

 

[Buly]

I did weigh the coach ( 4 corners). 22.5 tons. Full water tank 1/2 a ton. A Flee on elephant’s butt

 

[Fish]

One thing I would caution about is how much the water tanks adds weight your coach. You do not want to be over the weight limit, particularly on your steer axle. Just be aware of it if you have not done a four-corner weigh.

I've never even thought of that before and both my water tank and fuel tank are up front. 100 gallons water full and 130 gallons of diesel full when I leave. I just took for granted it was engineered to handle it.

 

[jagpot]

Yes, my coach does regens automatically, how often I can not say I never kept notes on it but if I'm on a 3 month trip moving around every week I bet I see 3 or 4 regens. It might be less if I run in 5 gear. Spartan recommends that to get the temp up when running down the highway at 65MPH. In 6 gear I'm at about 1,700 RPM and 5 gear about 1,900+. I did get the Nexlink tool so I will try that and see if the code goes away.

Did the nexlink work for you? Code gone? How do you know when your coach is doing a regen? Newmar did one last year as part of maintenance for us.

 

[Neal]

I was talking to @turbopilot yesterday and mentioned this incident and he had the same thing in a prior RV and the same topic came up, he mentioned high altitude. As I mentioned @ARD had hers after Angel Fire (8000+ altitude) and it happened traveling in high altitude ops from Angel Fire to Santa Fe to ABQ. The issue happened to me at high altitude. @turbopilot mentioned the Cummins may not be optimized for high altitude ops and more for sea level and that they may be running very rich and gunking up the DPF filter at high altitude which is the same thing I asked my tech that serviced mine when broken down.

If the trend is occurrences at high altitude it may make me lean towards more forced regenning when traveling at higher elevation and less worry about it at sea level. Hopefully @Rich W. can continue to work with Diesel Laptops and get us better info on soot level so at least we can plug in and monitor the soot level and know when it's time to do a regen if the system is not managing itself.