DPF Regeneration Required error

[philnail]

Today is the second time of 3 months we have been stuck at the side of the road with the DPF Regeneration Required error

It has nothing to do with driving hard to burn off the soot. We had a mobile repair come out and ran a Force Regeneration which got us back on the road. He said regeneration runs about every 20 hours. I called Cummings and 2’different techs had no clue. I spoke to Spartan and they had no clue.

We do know when regeneration occurs when driving there should be a light on the dash notifying the driver. In 6 years and 76,000 miles I never had such a light.

I need to figure out how to activate the light so it notifies me when it is doing a regeneration so that I don’t turn off the coach during this process.

Does anyone have any idea about this and have any of you had this happen?

[brobox]

I have never seen a regenerating light on my classic either. If you are having regen light problems, I would have Cummins run a computer check for DEF sensors. There are 16 of them, one can go bad at anytime.

[Almost There]

I have seen the light when doing a DPF regen.
Light only comes on below 7 mph if I remember correctly.
I think that is to make you aware not to park/idle where exhaust is directed at combustibles.
Have only seen it twice in 30 k.

[philnail]

Chuck I agree with you and I will have them run a scan. When talking with spartan they said a light should come on but I think they are thinking about the newer coaches

[buck58]

There was a thread on this about two weeks ago, the light came on my dash as I was driving I just kept driving and it went away, but, there are some people on this form that know about it because they instructed me to keep driving

[brobox]

Originally Posted by buck58

There was a thread on this about two weeks ago, the light came on my dash as I was driving I just kept driving and it went away, but, there are some people on this form that know about it because they instructed me to keep driving

Phil said this was the second time in 3 months when it has not happened before in 73,000 miles. With the mileage and now just starting to happen it's a good idea to have the sensors checked before being stuck in the middle of nowhere. Having a Cummins computer scan is good insurance.

[Butte64]

I get a regen check engine message about every 2000 miles. Somehow I got the impression that the single canister in the 2018 models is not as efficient as dual canisters in previous years so regeneration occurs more often. I do not idle much and use high idle so that is not a cause.

[TXBart]

I never saw DPD REGEN ACTIVE in 33,000 miles in my ‘14 Anthem but have seen it twice in ~11,000 miles in my ‘18. First time was 30 miles after I picked it up, most recently was about 700 miles into this trip. It stayed on over 20 minutes. I called CS who connected with Spartan. Spartan asked if I idled a lot, I said only to air up and retract slides but I had idled that day a long time to keep the AC running while we had lunch. He said unlike 18-wheelers our engine isn’t set up to idle for long periods and should not be idled for more than 10 minutes at a time. He said to just keep driving at highway speeds and it should clear, if it didn’t clear in 20-30 minutes to call them back and they would set up diagnostics on our route. Our warning finally went out and haven’t had it again. Mileage fell to about 6mpg while the warning was active.

[brobox]

Thanks for the post Vance, if the coach had been idling for a long time, you are correct, that is a no-no. Stuck in stop and go traffic could set it off. When stopped and need to keep the coach cool, we do the "time to exercise" the generator and not let the engine idle. Thanks for letting others know what the experts said.

[Guernsey]

After reading the above posts, I am now concerned about proper protocol when
driving in heavy urban traffic. We have been stuck in several traffic jams that last 30 minutes up to an hour where we are not stopped, but merely creep along with several stops and starts. Getting off of the road if/when a DPF regeneration begins could be a major challenge. And did the long period of idling cause the regen? Should I put the transmission in N and hold the throttle open to prevent a regen?

[brobox]

Jim, I have had one regen in that situation and it was when there were working on my dash AC and idled for a long period of time. I had no light come on, just the coach went into a fast idle and would not come out of it. Tech said it went into the regen cycle and would be fine when it finished, go ahead and drive it. That is the only time I had a problem and it took care of itself. It's in the Cummins owners manual about regen and the temps it reaches and where not to park if it happens. There is nothing you can really do about stop and go traffic. I guess some get a light that it is regenerating, other do not. There in no harm in regenerating, it is doing what it is designed to do. Cummins says not to be in tall grass or parked on asphalt as the temp can melt asphalt.

If like Phil, 2 times for no reason, just me, but I would suspect a sensor going bad.

[Mr_D]

When mine started doing lots of regens I was stuck in a several hours long traffic jam. Turned out that the DPF was cracked. Replacement was $3,500 for the part alone. Since I had other work done I have no idea about the labor.

[brobox]

Originally Posted by Mr_D

When mine started doing lots of regens I was stuck in a several hours long traffic jam. Turned out that the DPF was cracked. Replacement was $3,500 for the part alone. Since I had other work done I have no idea about the labor.

Good point, and worth having Cummins check if it happens too often. Most of the coach on this forum are still under the 5 year Cummins warranty.
If still under warranty Cummins does not charge for suspected problems that shows a computer code. Just a check with no problem, it's a $125 diagnostic fee, same if out of warranty.

[buck58]

Good question... Anybody have the answer?