Resolved Broken down in Breckenridge....

[Neal]

@redbaron - I'm not going to test it but I thought we could drive X miles when DEF is empty before derate, FL said 1000 miles I believe. But if you stop (engine off?) you go into derate. Again - I'm not validating this info.

@Texas Clodhopper - Yeah, very sad to not see Ouray, it was the highlight of this route. I looked at driving up from Pagosa Springs per recommendation of @ARD as an option but it's nearly 3 hours so not gonna be doing that. As to force regen with no light, we'll find out near the end of the month when I'm in a big city, or maybe near Gaffney as I'm headed and see what happens. Our coaches have the shorting plug so not sure how that plays in.

 

[Neal]

Obviously you cannot always keep going like what happened to me when I had to stop at a one lane closure in the mountains, but Big Mike is making the point - better to let an active regen do its job without interrupting it, if possible.

I’m always happy to see an active regen. The only time I ever had a problem was when an active regen was interrupted. I’m not sure forced regents are necessary as part of a maintenance program, but I’ll be asking Spartan when I get there next month.

My concern is my "auto regen" is not doing its job. We have no way to know if it did one, when was the last one, etc. at least without diagnostics. What if our auto regen "sensor/system" isn't working? That's what I don't know and need to ask. If we had an indication of DPF clogging (zones/phases) then we'd know we're good or not. I made the suggestion below, upvote (arrows on right) if you want this too:

Work with Freightliner and Spartan to show DPF filter clog level

To allow owners to avoid DPF filter stop engine situations and know when to initiate regens if needed, please work with your chassis vendors and Cummins to have the DPF filter level (phase or percent) shown on the menu. And/or show an amber warning with a number if it reaches a level where the...

rvforums.com

 

[Rich W.]

I never got a flashing light, only steady DPF lamp. And as you know soon thereafter red. I will be actively maintaining my DPF system going forward. I wonder if AGE of coach plays in. New coaches may take years to get to a DPF full / maintenance situation, it's now going on 5+ years for me. New coach owners may not need to worry. Put a few years and miles on (I have 53K) then things may change.

http://www.ourmotorhome.net/2017/docs/DPF_Regen_instructions.pdf

Given the discussion in the above link, it looks like you went straight from DPF lamp on (page 100), to all stop - yer screwed (page 103) with out the benefit of the published 2-6 hours grace period. I guess sometimes the coach don’t read the book.

 

[Neal]

That light should look like this:

 

[J&JD]

I never got a flashing light, only steady DPF lamp. And as you know soon thereafter red. I will be actively maintaining my DPF system going forward. I wonder if AGE of coach plays in. New coaches may take years to get to a DPF full / maintenance situation, it's now going on 5+ years for me. New coach owners may not need to worry. Put a few years and miles on (I have 53K) then things may change.

I have almost exactly the same mileage on our 2017 and have never ever had a regen light come on. Is this normal? Would there ever be a reason for me to do a forced regen if I never get a dash light warning?

 

[Neal]

I have almost exactly the same mileage on our 2017 and have never ever had a regen light come on. Is this normal? Would there ever be a reason for me to do a forced regen if I never get a dash light warning?

Neither have I. I did in the first 10K miles or so then never saw it again.

 

[Rich W.]

I'm thankful you resolved your problem, but sorry you will miss Ouray. We've been here since Sunday and leave Sunday, so much to see and do here.
I believe you're planning on doing forced regenerations on a scheduled basis, but I also read you can't do a forced regen unless the DPF light is on. How do you plan on doing the forced regen?

You need some type of device to perform a parked regen without the DPF light on. This was a surprise to me re-reading the “shorting plug” instructions, but its good to have a code reader capable of doing regens and clearing codes anyway.

I’ve never used the plug, but I’ve done numerous parked regens with OTR as a maintenance practice (it shows DPF % full in the live data) and will report back when I get my new Diesel Laptops Handheld unit in a few days. I bought this: Used Diesel Laptops Handheld Heavy-Duty Scan Tool with Regen as they have some used for $299.

They have a 30 day return policy so if I dont like it I’ll send it back, but I want something that will work indpendent of the OTR app and internet access. OTR says that with the release of the new version, it will function without the internet, but I haven't tried that yet. I’ll test that when I test the Diesel Laptops handheld unit.

 

[Texas Clodhopper]

You need some type of device to perform a parked regen without the DPF light on. This was a surprise to me re-reading the “shorting plug” instructions, but its good to have a code reader capable of doing regens and clearing codes anyway.

I’ve never used the plug, but I’ve done numerous parked regens with OTR as a maintenance practice (it shows DPF % full in the live data) and will report back when I get my new Diesel Laptops Handheld unit in a few days. I bought this: Used Diesel Laptops Handheld Heavy-Duty Scan Tool with Regen as they have some used for $299.

They have a 30 day return policy so if I dont like it I’ll send it back, but I want something that will work indpendent of the OTR app and internet access. OTR says that with the release of the new version, it will function without the internet, but I haven't tried that yet. I’ll test that when I test the Diesel Laptops handheld unit.

I bought the one Red Baron recommended earlier.

 

[Rich W.]

I have almost exactly the same mileage on our 2017 and have never ever had a regen light come on. Is this normal? Would there ever be a reason for me to do a forced regen if I never get a dash light warning?

This is one of many blogs on the subject from the OTR website:
“If the soot level is low, can I still perform a forced DPF regen with OTR Diagnostics or the OTR Reset Tool?

Yes, OTR Diagnostics the OTR Reset Tool will allow you to start a forced DPF regen no matter what the soot level is.
In order for any diagnostic tool to start a forced DPF regen it must first start a diagnostic session to be able to communicate to the engine and aftertreatment controllers. Once the connection is established it then sends the commands to start a forced DPF regen.
Is your parked regen light flashing? Click here to go to our blog post addressing this issue.
Why would I run a forced DPF regen if my truck is not asking for one?

Running a forced regen decreases soot level and provides for a less restricted and more free-flowing exhaust system. With less restricted exhaust flow you can expect to see better efficiency when it comes to fuel economy and DEF consumption, saving you money.

Another thing to keep in mind is that the gauge on the dash is a calculation and can sometimes be inaccurate. By doing the forced DPF regen you are lowering the soot level and keeping your system running at peak performance.
To run or to not run a forced DPF regen:
You need to monitor a few parameters to assess whether or not it is necessary to run a forced DPF regen.
You need to monitor your

• Fuel mileage
• DEF consumption
• Exhaust gas temperature
• Boost pressure
• Fault Codes
  • You may also have an aftertreatment fault code that is triggered when it’s necessary to run a forced DPF regen.

Our recommendations on how often you should run a forced DPF regen:

1. Perform a forced DPF regen every 2-3 weeks if you are
   • OTR Driving - carrying light loads
   • City Driving
   • Not reaching highway speeds with your vehicle
2. Perform a forced DPF regen once a month if you are
   • OTR Driving – carrying heavy loads
   • Operate Off-Highway equipment”

For more reading on the subject go here:

Search: 10 results found for "parked regen"

OTR Performance® | Advanced diagnostic tools for various industries including these engines: Cummins, Detroit Diesel, Paccar, Volvo, Mack and more. We help your business operations grow with reliable product, exceptional service and guaranteed support. Join the OTR Community today.

otrperformance.com

Yes this includes OTR advertising their product but its good info. Keep in mind that their target market is truck drivers who naturally operate their vehicles differently.

You don’t necessarily need live data and all the libraries and other functions of more expensive monitoring devices but you should have some means of performing forced regens and do so periodically based on your driving.

 

[J&JD]

This tool will do a forced regen on either chassis as well as read and reset most codes. It's not a replacement for OTR, but cheap enough that every coach owner should have it and know how to use it. Ebay sells it for under $140.00.

Amazon has it for under $200

You must get the plus version for forced regen and other emissions reset.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0739WS69C/?tag=rvf01-20

This tool sure has a lot of people saying it doesn’t work. @redbaron, have you had personal success using it?