Regen every 200 to 250 miles

[Leon T]

I don't know if Tucson uses any winter blend fuels. I buy almost all my fuel at a Frys station that sells a lot of fuel. I'm about fed up to the point that my emissions garbage is going to start falling off soon. I've just been waiting for the engine/drivetrain warranty to expire. The trip that preceded this last regen at 200 miles was a highway speed trip to Phoenix to deliver Christmas gifts to grandkids, so I can't blame stop and go driving. No towing either during this period.

I'll stop the additives and see what happens, but I miss my 2005 Cummins 5.9 every time I have to listen to a high idle regen cycle. I was going to take the truck in to the dealer, but I'll wait. The local dealer in Tucson has actually been really helpful with the few problems I've had, including the time I stripped the threads on the fuel filter housing and they covered it under warranty. I'm pretty sure it was my fault but I didn't argue with them. They admonished me to stick with OEM filters, which I do religiously now. No more Fram. I was a little red faced over that FUBAR.

[Cate&Rob]

Understanding the DPF (Diesel Particulate Filter) and its operational limits might help this discussion. This is a good article. https://www.dieselnet.com/tech/dpf_ash.php

The DPF burns soot and leaves some amount of inert ash on every cycle. The ash never goes away . . . except by eventually replacing the DPF. Many things affect the ash accumulation rate, including (interestingly enough) lubrication oil additives. As ash accumulates in the DPF, regen cycle time will get shorter.

Rob

[MidwestCamper]

I don't know if Tucson uses any winter blend fuels. I buy almost all my fuel at a Frys station that sells a lot of fuel. I'm about fed up to the point that my emissions garbage is going to start falling off soon. I've just been waiting for the engine/drivetrain warranty to expire. The trip that preceded this last regen at 200 miles was a highway speed trip to Phoenix to deliver Christmas gifts to grandkids, so I can't blame stop and go driving. No towing either during this period.

I'll stop the additives and see what happens, but I miss my 2005 Cummins 5.9 every time I have to listen to a high idle regen cycle. I was going to take the truck in to the dealer, but I'll wait. The local dealer in Tucson has actually been really helpful with the few problems I've had, including the time I stripped the threads on the fuel filter housing and they covered it under warranty. I'm pretty sure it was my fault but I didn't argue with them. They admonished me to stick with OEM filters, which I do religiously now. No more Fram. I was a little red faced over that FUBAR.

Leon T,
I'm not a salesman for GM but I would always us GM filters on your truck and would follow the owners manual on fuels and additives. If I had a diesel I might even consider Def provided by GM. These products would have been used in the development of your engine where there is no record in how well (or bad) the aftermarket products work.
Same with other OEMs. I would always use OEM filters and follow the manual on additives.

[Springerdad]

Understanding the DPF (Diesel Particulate Filter) and its operational limits might help this discussion. This is a good article. https://www.dieselnet.com/tech/dpf_ash.php

The DPF burns soot and leaves some amount of inert ash on every cycle. The ash never goes away . . . except by eventually replacing the DPF. Many things affect the ash accumulation rate, including (interestingly enough) lubrication oil additives. As ash accumulates in the DPF, regen cycle time will get shorter.

Rob

With a first regen at 130 miles (literally, on the odo) I would certainly hope there wasn't a buildup of ash. Still sitting at the dealer waiting for answers.

Jim - thanks for clarifying on your winter fuel blend comment.

[Leon T]

With a first regen at 130 miles (literally, on the odo) I would certainly hope there wasn't a buildup of ash. Still sitting at the dealer waiting for answers.

Jim - thanks for clarifying on your winter fuel blend comment.

I'd be curious to know what the dealer tells you. Hope they acknowledge that your situation is unusual. Mine didn't start doing the frequent regens until recently. Currently has 45,000 miles on it.

[Paul & Deb]

Understanding the DPF (Diesel Particulate Filter) and its operational limits might help this discussion. This is a good article. https://www.dieselnet.com/tech/dpf_ash.php

The DPF burns soot and leaves some amount of inert ash on every cycle. The ash never goes away . . . except by eventually replacing the DPF. Many things affect the ash accumulation rate, including (interestingly enough) lubrication oil additives. As ash accumulates in the DPF, regen cycle time will get shorter.

Rob

With a first regen at 130 miles (literally, on the odo) I would certainly hope there wasn't a buildup of ash. Still sitting at the dealer waiting for answers.

When my 2016 was new I was having very similar issues. I would get the regen message frequently and started throwing SELs which led me to the dealer for the first time at less than 1,000 miles. I explained about all the regen messages etc. and the claimed they could find no issues, turned off the light and ran a forced regen. Coincidentally (or not?) this was when we were in the Phoenix area in March 2017. Anyway, we were not even back to our campground in Peoria when the light came back on. I won't bore you with the details but to summarize this continued with multiple trips to 4 different dealers area where no one had an answer but it finally stopped.

Fast forward to September 2017 while we towing through the small French Canadian town of St. Georges on a Sunday heading to the US border and the SEL came on again but this time the truck went into limp mode while driving up a grade. We literally thought the whole rig was going to start rolling down hill backwards. We made it to a spot I could pull over so I disconnected my battery to "reboot" the PCM and clear the code but after pulling out it came back on in less than a mile and back into limp mode. I made it to a gas station and pulled in and parked.

I managed to explain in broken English that my truck was broken and the staff told me I could park there overnight. Man were they nice.

Damn, no one is going to read this stupid story. Why am I so long winded today?

The next day we actually found a GM dealership in town, they took us in, ran diagnostics ALL DAY while we sat in the lobby and finally told me the DPF was clogged and they would need to order one from the US and it would be a week!

Lot's of fun stuff ensued but suffice it to say it only took 4 days and we were back on our way and I've never had a problem since and I've never even seen the regen message again for whatever reason.

Oh, the motor only had 17,500 miles when the DPF was replaced.

[Steve7]

Speaking of regens, I now have over 6,000 miles on my 2017 F350 6.7 (bought last June as new), and I have not seen a regent yet. The first 4,500 miles were mostly towing. On my 2016 it would regenerate every 300-700 miles. I asked the dealer and they said that happens sometimes. Maybe I’m missing them, but find that hard to believe, and also hard to believe I haven’t had one yet.

[Superduty]

Speaking of regens, I now have over 6,000 miles on my 2017 F350 6.7 (bought last June as new), and I have not seen a regent yet. The first 4,500 miles were mostly towing. On my 2016 it would regenerate every 300-700 miles. I asked the dealer and they said that happens sometimes. Maybe I’m missing them, but find that hard to believe, and also hard to believe I haven’t had one yet.

You have had Regens. There is a set mileage by Ford (500-600 miles I think) that it will go to Regen, regardless of mileage, etc. I see more Regens running solo, vs pulling. Pulling wise, it goes on mileage as the heat on the motor pulling, it takes more time to get the DPF Full.
(The OEMs want the Regens to be hidden, so people don’t worry about them).
I had my Ghost Screen Enable (Regen DPF Screen) showing my ash level so I know when my truck hit a Regen status.
Or, I have a Edge CTS Monitor also, which shows the ash level.

[howson]

Speaking of regens, I now have over 6,000 miles on my 2017 F350 6.7 (bought last June as new), and I have not seen a regent yet. The first 4,500 miles were mostly towing. On my 2016 it would regenerate every 300-700 miles. I asked the dealer and they said that happens sometimes. Maybe I’m missing them, but find that hard to believe, and also hard to believe I haven’t had one yet.

As SuperDuty said, you've had regens you just don't know it. I'm at work so don't have my notes with me, but the ForScan software has a way to turn on the DPS screen so you can monitor what's going on. Here's a related thread: https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...h-forscan.html

[warsw1]

I had a 2012 Duramax and it seemed like it was always regenerating. It drove me crazy. I absolutely hated that it would go into a high idle every time it would regenerate. I would drive around the woods during elk season/camping with my foot on the brake just to hold the truck back. It would never complete a regen until you got above 30 mph for about 30 min. It’s hard to get above 30 mph for 30 min in the woods. I was glad to see that truck go.