P2002: DIESEL PARTICULATE FILTER EFFICIENCY BELOW THRESHOLD BANK 1

[phatboy64]

I have a new 2023 3500 HO. I just hit around 3200 miles and this code just came up. I am traveling through VA on my way to New England. I pulled into a dealer and they didn’t know much about the code other then it has something to do with the DEF and asked if I can wait until Monday when their Tech is back. I can’t hang around for 3 days.

Anyone have this issue? I need to drive back home which is about 500 miles. From the little I could find online it sounds like it will clear it self. Should I be concerned that this will damage something?

 

[Will_T]

I have a new 2023 3500 HO. I just hit around 3200 miles and this code just came up. I am traveling through VA on my way to New England. I pulled into a dealer and they didn’t know much about the code other then it has something to do with the DEF and asked if I can wait until Monday when their Tech is back. I can’t hang around for 3 days.

Anyone have this issue? I need to drive back home which is about 500 miles. From the little I could find online it sounds like it will clear it self. Should I be concerned that this will damage something?

I wondered a few things reading your post. Someone will post with more specifics to this one than I can provide, but wondering if you got a message about a countdown? It does not sound like you did so that is fortunate. What I have read is that often these emissions codes come up because of a bad sensor and there is sometimes nothing actually wrong that will impact performance or emissions output. Can you get a scanner to clear it yourself and see if it comes back? These emissions codes seem to often trigger a countdown to limp mode regardless of whether there is an actual performance problem. That is the greatest fear when you own one of these trucks here in the west. It is very common to be towing several hundred miles from the nearest dealer. So, if you get a countdown to limp mode you are really screwed.

Plus, these days getting to a dealer does not mean you will get help. Lots of posts here and elsewhere about Ram taking a really long time to fix anything. I remember reading a thread on some camping site I think a year or more ago about someone this happened to, Because the dealer did not have, and could not get parts to fix in a timely manner, he actually sold his truck with the emissions problem to the dealer he managed to limp into and then bought another brand truck to continue on. Never heard anything more from him in that thread about it though. Hopefully supply chain issues are better now.

 

[superjoe83]

Somehow my earlier post got deleted but from looking at the pictures you sent me you likely have a defective DPF.

 

[phatboy64]

So assuming it is a bad DPF. Is it safe to drive 500 miles home?

 

[Will_T]

So assuming it is a bad DPF. Is it safe to drive 500 miles home?

Hopefully somebody can answer your simple question as to whether it is safe or not. From what I've read here and other places people seem to be less concerned about any safety issues with these emissions errors than they are about it throwing you into limp mode. Limp mode is the real safety issue unless you are always close enough to somewhere where you can safely park the truck. It seems like usually these emissions codes will start the countdown but in your case I guess it did not. If you're willing to take the chance of being out on the road and getting notified that in x number of miles you're only going to be able to go 5 mph and think you will be in a location that you can safely park the truck until you can get towed, then you are braver than me.

Who ever came up with the countdown idea and put such a short number of miles on it must have lived on the east coast of the US where you're never any great distance from anything. I took a trip just a couple of weeks ago where I was on a desolate stretch of road in the Great Basin. No towns of any size at all for probably a couple hundred miles. Probably encountered a half a dozen cars come in the other direction in that whole time. I remember a sign that said next gas 169 miles. It was probably much longer than that to the next safe diesel and even futher to any RAM dealer. That kind of towing is not unusual out here and the countdown is a real danger and liability for those of us that frequent those parts.

 

[superjoe83]

It shouldn't derate with that code, just keep an eye on the DPF screen

 

[phatboy64]

Hopefully somebody can answer your simple question as to whether it is safe or not. From what I've read here and other places people seem to be less concerned about any safety issues with these emissions errors than they are about it throwing you into limp mode. Limp mode is the real safety issue unless you are always close enough to somewhere where you can safely park the truck. It seems like usually these emissions codes will start the countdown but in your case I guess it did not. If you're willing to take the chance of being out on the road and getting notified that in x number of miles you're only going to be able to go 5 mph and think you will be in a location that you can safely park the truck until you can get towed, then you are braver than me.

Who ever came up with the countdown idea and put such a short number of miles on it must have lived on the east coast of the US where you're never any great distance from anything. I took a trip just a couple of weeks ago where I was on a desolate stretch of road in the Great Basin. No towns of any size at all for probably a couple hundred miles. Probably encountered a half a dozen cars come in the other direction in that whole time. I remember a sign that said next gas 169 miles. It was probably much longer than that to the next safe diesel and even futher to any RAM dealer. That kind of towing is not unusual out here and the countdown is a real danger and liability for those of us that frequent those parts.

So yeah, on my 2014 I was traveling through PA towing and I hit the limp mode warning on a Friday at 5:00pm. Long story.

I hope this isn’t the case

 

[mbarber84]

@phatboy64 p2002 has nothing to do with DEF. If that’s what the dealer told you, they’re already starting off on the wrong foot. As @superjoe83 mentioned that code indicates low back pressure in the DPF itself. The only time you’ll get low back pressure in the system is when the DPF has failed in some manner. Either the media is cracked internally or the chamber is leaking and allowing exhaust to flow outside the inner wall and through the tailpipe. Your system is in effect “leaking” soot past the particulate filter. I don’t believe you’ll get a limp mode count down, but the truck may start to pop additional codes. Definitely want to get it into a dealer and have it addressed. Preferably one that understands these trucks.

 

[phatboy64]

It shouldn't derate with that code, just keep an eye on the DPF

@phatboy64 p2002 has nothing to do with DEF. If that’s what the dealer told you, they’re already starting off on the wrong foot. As @superjoe83 mentioned that code indicates low back pressure in the DPF itself. The only time you’ll get low back pressure in the system is when the DPF has failed in some manner. Either the media is cracked internally or the chamber is leaking and allowing exhaust to flow outside the inner wall and through the tailpipe. Your system is in effect “leaking” soot past the particulate filter. I don’t believe you’ll get a limp mode count down, but the truck may start to pop additional codes. Definitely want to get it into a dealer and have it addressed. Preferably one that understands these trucks.

Thanks. I am getting back on the road now. Keeping my fingers crossed, I have surgery scheduled next week and can’t be stuck on the road. I am going to have my dealer take at it.

 

[phatboy64]

I made it back home, no limp mode but CEL is still on. I will take it to my dealer this week. Thanks for all the help!

 

[mbarber84]

I made it back home, no limp mode but CEL is still on. I will take it to my dealer this week. Thanks for all the help!

Glad to hear you made it. Let us know what the dealership diagnoses. Certainly sounds like a failed DPF.

 

[flan]

Can it be just the sensor went bad?

 

[mbarber84]

Yes possible.

 

[phatboy64]

So it is at the dealer now. They think it is the charge cooler and it looks like it is physically damaged. See pic. You can see the bent fins. What is strange to me is that it something hit it, like a rock or something it would have hit the painted bumper at some point. They are still looking at it

 

[phatboy64]

So it is at the dealer now. They think it is the charge cooler and it looks like it is physically damaged. See pic. You can see the bent fins. What is strange to me is that it something hit it, like a rock or something it would have hit the painted bumper at some point. They are still looking at it
View attachment 57337

Update: Dealer said that they are replacing the DPF. Question, do they replace the whole unit or are they able to break it down and just replace the filter?

 

[superjoe83]

Update: Dealer said that they are replacing the DPF. Question, do they replace the whole unit or are they able to break it down and just replace the filter?

They will replace the DOC/DPF which is one unit, the SCR is separate and will not be replaced