Cummins DPF diagnostic and cure

[spendingit]

The "check engine" light was displayed and the diagnostic codes were:
SPN 3058 FMI 16, which FL said mean that the DPF is "almost full". They led me through a "manual regen" which is hot and dangerous. HOWEVER you cannot do a manual regen unless the "DPF PLUGGED" light is lit.

The fix was to drive faster than 65 (we did 67) for about 4 hours and the DPF automatic regen (while you drive) did it's thing and the light went out, and the code disappeared from diagnostics.

Moral: burn it out occasionally - we had been running 60mph getting 9mpg and the powertrain couldn't get hot enough to purge the DPF.

[jacwjames]

Good advice, hope others read and take note.

I currently have a 2001 8.3L 350 HP ISC so it doesn't help me and I usually drive 70 mph when that's the speed limit.

I worked in the mining industry and had to comply with the MSHA rules that were in place in the mid 2000's, dealing with exhaust emissions on diesel engines. As a cure we installed DPF's on whatever engines we could (+$1,000,000 worth over a 2 year period). Prior to installation the supplier would install monitoring equipment on the engine that noted the duty cycle. The harder an engine was worked the more likely you could use a DPF on it. Some engines (usually utility type equipment) you could not use the DPF's because they never were worked hard enough to burn the diesel particulate off the filter. Loaders, trucks and similar equipment were ideal for DPF's since they were worked hard. As part of our PM's we would download the engine data and when we found the DPF was getting clogged we would have to remove and clean by putting in a high temp oven to bake it out.

Thanks for the post

[poppopc]

We have a 13 Winnie 380 hp. Four Codes pop up from time to time.
Had in Freight liner Spokane , Wa. Last year for five hrs. They could not find the problem. Forest city ,Ia. At the factory , they could not find out why. Thought it was a high limit switch. So kept it a fourth low. Has been popping up intermittently lately. I just go in and reset. Shut off engine. Restart and the ck engine light usually goes off. Guess will get back with more details!MMMM

[Agaveguy]

A manual regen is hot but not dangerous if parked on the street or concrete.

I do them routinely at the GM dealer I work at, on the Duramax diesels of course.

Once the coolant temp reaches 160, you can initiate a regen with a scan tool. The ecm ramps up the rpm to about 2000 to preheat the catalyst using either late post injection pulses or on newer models a dedicated injector in the turbo downpipe. Once the catalyst reaches approx. 800f the rpm climbs to 2500 for anywhere from 20 minutes to the cutoff of 45 minutes. During this time the 4 egt temps are monitored for aftertreatment efficiency. The #2 and #3 egt temps maintain 1250f during the regen, the ecm also commands the cooling fan near 100%. A Duramax sounds like a jet engine during a manual regen, enough so that I have to wear hearing protection.

Once the soot mass goes to zero, a 5 -10 minute cool down occurs while the rpm is reduced slowly. If the soot mass is ridiculously high, like 90grams, it takes 4 -7 gallons of diesel to do a regen. A def fluid quality test is about the same.

FWIW, a manual regen could be dangerous if anything nearby could be ignited from the exhaust. A shop rag will ignite if placed into the exhaust stream near the tailpipe during a regen.

I now own a DP with the 360 ISB, I need to get myself up to speed with the Cummins system. They are all about the same from what I understand though. I enjoy these threads about the technical aspects of our engines.

[Mr_D]

On ours the regen has to be manually turned off or it does it automatically. Same switch also controls a manual regen.

[CampingCajun]

In 12,000 miles mine has only gone into regen twice. If you do a lot of slow/in town or stop & go driving it will cause soot to build up in the DPF. The best thing is to drive at highway speeds for a half hour or so to get exhaust temps up to burn off the soot without going into regen.

[Lloyd in S.C.]

Interesting stuff guys. We got our 2008 about 3 months ago. I've been careful and rarely let it idle for more than a few mins,,,, except when I am hooking up my trailer, that takes awhile getting the ball aligned etc..

I was going to ask about this stuff. We have run about 3,000 miles so far, and I am not aware of a regen taking place on our coach. Wondered if that all is working? I guess the cycles are far between.

We run 1,750 rpms on the interstates, which gets us 65 mph. We are headed west in a few weeks, may run 70 sometimes out there with the speed limits being higher. I think is okay to be 5 mph below the traffic, but much slower you start becoming a traffic hazard.

L.

[PDR John]

Cummins says that the ISL should be at 200 degrees of operating temperature, under normal use. Anything less then that and it's only a matter of time before you have a problem.

Under normal conditions (what that is nobody knows) the engine should regenerate after every 40 hours of run time. You should never even notice this regen.

This is only for the ISL, I don't know if it applies to other engines.


Which I find confusing, considering our coach has 32,000 miles and the only problem I've had was when a boost hose came off. It dropped my boost pressure down to low for the DPF to work. My engine never gets warmer then 187. Time will tell, I guess. I'm going to keep driving and we'll see what happens.

RSullivan (on this board) has been through 3 weeks of hell with Freightliner, Cummins and Hortin (fan clutch maker) with his ISL. Long story short, engine running to cold (thought this was a RVers dream) so the computer dumps in more fuel to try and increase temps, plugging the exhaust. His thermostat, fan clutch and Guard Dog computer all got replaced. His DPF had to be removed and cleaned by hand at their site. With the bill, under warranty, getting up around $7000.

They are back to their vacation now, but maybe he will pop in here and share what he learned.

This goes back to what was already stated in this thread, work it hard and build up heat. Your DPF will thank you.