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Automatic Regen too often

11 mpg at 60 miles simple simple math is 6 gallons where did the other 15ish gallons go?
 
My regen issues straightened out after I quit taking my truck to the dealer for recalls. The truck went into regen pulling out of the driveway of the dealership at full operating temperature. So that tells me they had it idling the entire time that they had it in the bay. No problems since not returning to that particular dealership. If their “Diesel Tech” doesn’t know not to idle these trucks for hours at a time, I don’t want them working on my truck.
 
Update on my on going regen issue. When not towing my trailer I’m seeing 60ish mile regens. Within 20 miles I’ll see the regen register 1/4 in some cases. Called the dealer and ask them to set a time this week to drop it back off. The hits keep rolling because my screen on the infotainment started to delaminate and while doing the alignment my buddy noticed my rear diff pinion seal is slinging oil on the tank. I have 1800 miles before my basic warranty ends. The dealers gonna hate me

I did notice while rowing my travel trailer the regen registered 1/4 def at some point and then went down to 0 so that appears to be working as it should.
 
Nifty07 said:
I had the DPF totally block (40k miles) and was towed to the dealer. They used their software and did a DPF regen/calibrate. This is usually done when a new DPF is fitted. It ran the truck at reves for probably 30 minutes. When finished it showed zero. They said the issue was contaminated DEF so this was drained and refilled. No problems since then and it now has over 100k on the ODO.

Dont know if this is available with alphaobd. Would be good to know.
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That makes no sense. DEF has nothing to do with the DPF. It is injected into the SCR to reduce nitrous oxide levels in the exhaust. After the DPF. With no feedback to the DPF.
 
D Oakes said:
That makes no sense. DEF has nothing to do with the DPF. It is injected into the SCR to reduce nitrous oxide levels in the exhaust. After the DPF. With no feedback to the DPF.
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While a DPF primarily captures soot and ash from the engine exhaust, a malfunctioning DEF system due to contamination can affect the entire aftertreatment process, potentially leading to increased soot production or a compromised DPF regeneration, ultimately causing it to clog.

Agreed with your point it cannot directly cause the issue... It can indirectly cause issues.

I'm NOT saying I agree with the dealer, because it seems as they jumped to a conclusion. There are many other issues that can directly cause a malfunctioning emissions system.
 
Quick update. My star case was never closed, so when I dropped the truck off this AM they were able to start where they left off. The tech ran a bunch of tests and sent that data to Ram to see what they want to throw at it next. He states that the soot levels in the DPF is 5 grams, which is higher then he would like to see on a brand new DPF filter. I have about 1,000 miles left on my basic, and I am using every inch of that. Stupid trucks screen started to delaminate over this weekend and the rear pinion seal has started to leak so they will be fixing that. Still need to get the hood repainted due to corrosion.. This truck might be cursed
 
Molonlabemike said:
Quick update. My star case was never closed, so when I dropped the truck off this AM they were able to start where they left off. The tech ran a bunch of tests and sent that data to Ram to see what they want to throw at it next. He states that the soot levels in the DPF is 5 grams, which is higher then he would like to see on a brand new DPF filter. I have about 1,000 miles left on my basic, and I am using every inch of that. Stupid trucks screen started to delaminate over this weekend and the rear pinion seal has started to leak so they will be fixing that. Still need to get the hood repainted due to corrosion.. This truck might be cursed
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Sounds like a great candidate for a trade in.
 
Another update. Dealer called and states that Ram has instructed them to add another ground the battery in hopes of fixing my DPF issue. From there they have to run more test. Anyone heard of that being a real fix? Tech buddy of mine is saying it’s most likely a stuck injector which depending how bad could wash down the walls.
 
Molonlabemike said:
Another update. Dealer called and states that Ram has instructed them to add another ground the battery in hopes of fixing my DPF issue. From there they have to run more test. Anyone heard of that being a real fix? Tech buddy of mine is saying it’s most likely a stuck injector which depending how bad could wash down the walls.
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Let us know if it works and where they are hooking the other end to.
 
Ostracize said:
While a DPF primarily captures soot and ash from the engine exhaust, a malfunctioning DEF system due to contamination can affect the entire aftertreatment process, potentially leading to increased soot production or a compromised DPF regeneration, ultimately causing it to clog.

Agreed with your point it cannot directly cause the issue... It can indirectly cause issues.

I'm NOT saying I agree with the dealer, because it seems as they jumped to a conclusion. There are many other issues that can directly cause a malfunctioning emissions system.
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How would it indirectly increase soot production?

The DEF is injected post DPF and has no possible way to increase soot production, which occurs during combustion.
 
Ostracize said:
While a DPF primarily captures soot and ash from the engine exhaust, a malfunctioning DEF system due to contamination can affect the entire aftertreatment process, potentially leading to increased soot production or a compromised DPF regeneration, ultimately causing it to clog.

Agreed with your point it cannot directly cause the issue... It can indirectly cause issues.

I'm NOT saying I agree with the dealer, because it seems as they jumped to a conclusion. There are many other issues that can directly cause a malfunctioning emissions system.
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That's not how it works on the Ram/Cummins system.

1753809786442.png
 
22PearlRamMegaHD said:
Take a look at your MAF. If it's made in Germany, swap for the made in China one. I went thru what your going thru. Took them 4 months to resolve. However, I think my resolution was temporary as the issue is likely in programming. I'm also of the belief it is the lack of cetane in fuels. Most stations sell basic stuff with 40-42 cetane. Needs to be closer to 48. The slower ignition is likely leading to incomplete burns which creates both more soot and reduced EGTs which make passive regen nearly impossible.

With that said I got a new maf. Solved nothing even tho it was the german one. Tried CCV, Air filter, DPF and much more from May to August last year before returning to me saying it was fixed. Since then, all but 1 regen was a 24 hour regen until April this year. I've had a couple 5 hour, 200 mile regens. After those two I dumped Archoil 6400D in the tank - went 450 miles and about 9 hours with no regens. Lately I've run Archoil 6500 at 3 oz per 10 gallons. I've had nothing register on the gauge since I had the two 5 hour 200 mile regens cycles with a return to the 24 hour timed regens.

With the above info I really do think it's a combination of programming and poor USA diesel cetane ratings cause the shooting issues. The 6400d and 6500 seemingly increase cetane (performance is much better, especially when you need to scoot in a hurry) while reducing the EGTs necessary for passive regen.

Hope this helps
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Does anyone know what the voltage readings with a multimeter should be on the signal wire of the MAF? I have the German version of the MAF Sensor on my 2019, and I get a reading of 3.67 V when in KeyOn/Engine Off, and 4.07V at idle to 4.31V at 2,000 RPM. It seems like it should be starting at something closer to 0V on the Signal wire. Also, the ECM power wire shows 5V consistently. Should this be 12V?

Lastly, where can I find the steps for the "MAF Relearn" if I end up having to replace the German MAF Sensor with the Chinese version. I've haven't read all 89 pages of this thread, but have gone through a good chunk of it and haven't seen answers to this. TIA.

EDIT : I eventually found the relearn procedure on another thread https://hdrams.com/forum/index.php?threads/regens-at-alarming-rate.11413/post-290525.

Still interested in any data folks might have for correct voltage readings on the MAF sensor signal wire and hot wire.
 
Last edited:
AH64ID said:
How would it indirectly increase soot production?

The DEF is injected post DPF and has no possible way to increase soot production, which occurs during combustion.
Click to expand...
If the DEF system malfunctions (e.g., clogged DEF injector, low-quality DEF, contaminated DEF, or a faulty DEF pump), insufficient or improper DEF will be delivered to the SCR catalyst. This means the SCR system won't effectively convert NOx.
* Indirect Soot Impact: To compensate for high NOx emissions (as sensed by NOx sensors), the engine's Engine Control Unit (ECU) can and will alter combustion parameters to reduce NOx at the source. This often involves strategies like enriching the fuel-air mixture or modifying injection timing, which can lead to incomplete combustion and, consequently, increased soot production. Additionally, some systems might try to regenerate the DPF more frequently to compensate for overall emissions, which can also be less efficient if other systems are compromised.
 
Ostracize said:
If the DEF system malfunctions (e.g., clogged DEF injector, low-quality DEF, contaminated DEF, or a faulty DEF pump), insufficient or improper DEF will be delivered to the SCR catalyst. This means the SCR system won't effectively convert NOx.
* Indirect Soot Impact: To compensate for high NOx emissions (as sensed by NOx sensors), the engine's Engine Control Unit (ECU) can and will alter combustion parameters to reduce NOx at the source. This often involves strategies like enriching the fuel-air mixture or modifying injection timing, which can lead to incomplete combustion and, consequently, increased soot production. Additionally, some systems might try to regenerate the DPF more frequently to compensate for overall emissions, which can also be less efficient if other systems are compromised.
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Not quite how these engines work. Fuel:air ratio isn’t measured or compensated for.

Looks like you’re applying very very generic concepts.

EGR is the other method this engine uses to reduce NOx. The EGR tables are set and I don’t believe they increase if DEF isn’t effective, but instead you get DEF related codes. So EGR flow appears to be somewhat independent, at least what I’ve seen, from actual NOx readings. EGR is even shutoff at the highest NOx producing stage, WOT, and DEF is the sole way that NOx In reduced.

I just haven’t seen anything in the tunes that suggests altered operation based on DEF issues, only where DEF codes are generated. It may be there, but sure doesn’t look like it.

The 25 maybe totally different with the SCR ahead of the DPF.
 
Cummingeddon said:
Does anyone know what the voltage readings with a multimeter should be on the signal wire of the MAF? I have the German version of the MAF Sensor on my 2019, and I get a reading of 3.67 V when in KeyOn/Engine Off, and 4.07V at idle to 4.31V at 2,000 RPM. It seems like it should be starting at something closer to 0V on the Signal wire. Also, the ECM power wire shows 5V consistently. Should this be 12V?

Lastly, where can I find the steps for the "MAF Relearn" if I end up having to replace the German MAF Sensor with the Chinese version. I've haven't read all 89 pages of this thread, but have gone through a good chunk of it and haven't seen answers to this. TIA.

EDIT : I eventually found the relearn procedure on another thread https://hdrams.com/forum/index.php?threads/regens-at-alarming-rate.11413/post-290525.

Still interested in any data folks might have for correct voltage readings on the MAF sensor signal wire and hot wire.
Click to expand...
It's been a year since I went thru it, but I believe you key on and drive at a constant RPM (highway cruise set at like 70mph) for 20 minutes. Then shut down for 20 minutes. Repeat this 2 more times for a total of 3 cycles. This should complete the MAF relearn
 
22PearlRamMegaHD said:
It's been a year since I went thru it, but I believe you key on and drive at a constant RPM (highway cruise set at like 70mph) for 20 minutes. Then shut down for 20 minutes. Repeat this 2 more times for a total of 3 cycles. This should complete the MAF relearn
Click to expand...
It’s 10 minutes @ 2600 rpm, then off for 10 minutes. Repeat twice more for a total of 3-10 minute drive cycles and 3-10 minute off cycles.
 
Cummingeddon said:
Does anyone know what the voltage readings with a multimeter should be on the signal wire of the MAF? I have the German version of the MAF Sensor on my 2019, and I get a reading of 3.67 V when in KeyOn/Engine Off, and 4.07V at idle to 4.31V at 2,000 RPM. It seems like it should be starting at something closer to 0V on the Signal wire. Also, the ECM power wire shows 5V consistently. Should this be 12V?

Lastly, where can I find the steps for the "MAF Relearn" if I end up having to replace the German MAF Sensor with the Chinese version. I've haven't read all 89 pages of this thread, but have gone through a good chunk of it and haven't seen answers to this. TIA.

EDIT : I eventually found the relearn procedure on another thread https://hdrams.com/forum/index.php?threads/regens-at-alarming-rate.11413/post-290525.

Still interested in any data folks might have for correct voltage readings on the MAF sensor signal wire and hot wire.
Click to expand...
I think the ECM operates with a 5V signal for most of the sensors. I know for a fact that making any changes to the entire intake system, from the grill to the turbo, will cause an almost immediate regen atleast on my truck. So if you make any changes, you’ll have to drive it for a little bit to see if the changes made were beneficial or not. All of this is a recommendation based on the experience I have had with my truck.

The first time I changed my air filter from the 53034051ab filter to the FleetGuard AF27684, I got a regen in 64 miles @ 10 hrs since the previous one. I had previously taken out some of the AGS vanes, slats or shutters, whatever they are called, and when I put them back in it did a regen in 27 miles with zero on the DPF gauge at the start of the 27 miles. I immediately removed them and it did another regen in 12 hours and has only done time based (24 hr) regens since. This was a year ago. I need to change the air filter since I have a long towing trip coming up and it has been in the truck for coming up on 2 years but I’m kinda hesitant knowing how fidgety my truck is.
 
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