Automatic Regen too often

[dsatexas651]

“Drive it harder” is never the fix for this issue, and in many ways can actually increase the problem. “Flooring it from every stop light” is definitely not helping, but might actually be contributing to increased soot-loading. These trucks need to see moderate to heavy loading for long durations in order for passive regeneration to take place. When active regeneration is occurring, the fuel being pumped into the exhaust system is used to increase the temp in the DPF to clean the soot out. In either case, constant sustained reasonable RPMs is what is best. Regeneration, wether active or passive, is all about temperature, time, and engine efficiency. Wildly varying engine rpm, demanding excessive fuel for “flooring it” and other attempts to “drive it hard” really don’t contribute to helping your situation. That’s lousy advice from a dealership and a classic example of how misinformed / uninformed some of these dealerships are.

There’s a method for diagnosing this problem and they’re clearly not following it. I’m sure they scanned the truck for DTCs. What codes were present? Only P2459? Is the truck currently updated with the latest software flashes / program payloads / TSB’s etc?

Air filter is step one. If you’re running a stock intake, you need the correct air filter in the box. Mopar 53034051AB or Fleetguard AF27684. If you have that, move on. If not, change that first.

Charge air leaks and exhaust leaks. Any sign of a boost leak on the engine? Clamps, hoses, tubes, gasketed surfaces, and the intercooler itself need to be checked. Exhaust system leaks can also cause this issue.

Fuel system issues can cause this problem also. Are you running good quality fuel filters and changing them regularly as needed / recommended? Any codes in the pcm about fuel delivery issues? Any sign of fuel in the engine oil? Leaky injectors can cause issues with the emissions system.

Turbocharger issues. Any sign of a low boost scenerio? Any codes about turbocharger not functioning as intended?

Did they scan the truck to see what the estimated soot load is in the DPF when you brought it in? Did they perform a stationary regeneration to see if it would clean itself out? What was the estimated soot load after a successful parked regeneration? Are you getting errant readings from the DPF differential pressure sensor? Are the sensors clean? Any sign of a visible obstruction in the DOC / DPF?

Seems like some dealers see P2459 and either like to blame it on the customer, or make up excuses and run away from the work. It is not an easy one to diagnose due to the complexity of the entire system and all the different variables that can cause or be contributing factors to the regeneration frequency issue. In any event, the dealer you’re currently using doesn’t seem to either want to handle the problem for you, or they have a serious lack of understanding of how these systems function and must be diagnosed.

“Drive it harder” is almost never the answer.

The emissions intervention strategies on these trucks are designed in such a way as to make sure the DPF gets cleaned out, no matter how the truck is used….provided everything is functioning as intended. That’s not to say it’s perfect, as there are many things a user can do to aggravate emissions issues (excessive idling, short-tripping, etc.) but generally speaking if you’re even moderately “using” the truck, you shouldn’t have any issues. I’ve owned several stock emissions Cummins trucks as daily drivers and have logged well over 100k in mileage with zero emissions related issues. (One faulty def injector on my current 2022 that failed within the first few thousand miles).

This problem is extremely common on 2022’s and now 2023’s it seems.

sorry to butt in..where the heck is the DPF status in my EVIC? I swear ive seen it pop up before, but have been going thru my menus and i cannot find it anywhere. Got my first 2459 code yesterday and i understand why i got it but would like to keep eye on the DPF screen more often. 2022 HO 3500 DRW 44K miles. Thx

 

[OLEJOE]

sorry to butt in..where the heck is the DPF status in my EVIC? I swear ive seen it pop up before, but have been going thru my menus and i cannot find it anywhere. Got my first 2459 code yesterday and i understand why i got it but would like to keep eye on the DPF screen more often. 2022 HO 3500 DRW 44K miles. Thx

It’s one of the pages where the oil life monitor and fuel filter life monitor are located. Mine is in between the OLM and the Boost gauge.

 

[22PearlRamMegaHD]

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.

I have more time on my filter, but as it approaches I am as hesitant as you given what I went thru last year.

 

[dsatexas651]

It’s one of the pages where the oil life monitor and fuel filter life monitor are located. Mine is in between the OLM and the Boost gauge.

Found it. Thx!

 

[OLEJOE]

I have more time on my filter, but as it approaches I am as hesitant as you given what I went thru last year.

I changed the AF today and drove 35 miles afterwards and noticed no changes on the SG III.

 

[56ram2500]

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.

When I changed my factory Mopar air filter to a Fleetguard AF27684 filter my truck never had a regen shortly afterwards, changing it never caused any problems so I'm kind of surprised to read that you had it happen to you....

 

[OLEJOE]

When I changed my factory Mopar air filter to a Fleetguard AF27684 filter my truck never had a regen shortly afterwards, changing it never caused any problems so I'm kind of surprised to read that you had it happen to you....

I changed the factory Mopar filter @ 6278 miles. I had numerous short regens until I changed to the FleetGuard filter. I have had 4 short or soot based regens since September of 23 after I changed the filter and the rest (15) have all been timed regens. 19 regens total in 18,058 miles since the first filter change.
2 of the short regens were when I reinstalled the AGS vanes. 1 was when I changed the TBAP sensor and the other was when I changed the filter the first time.

 

[56ram2500]

I changed the factory Mopar filter @ 6278 miles. I had numerous short regens until I changed to the FleetGuard filter. I have had 4 short or soot based regens since September of 23 after I changed the filter and the rest (15) have all been timed regens. 19 regens total in 18,058 miles since the first filter change.
2 of the short regens were when I reinstalled the AGS vanes. 1 was when I changed the TBAP sensor and the other was when I changed the filter the first time.

I changed my factory air filter at 24 months or approx.. 10,000 miles, changing out the air filter had no effect on my regens, I still had regens about 275-300 miles until I started using Archoil products, since then have not had any soot load regens, just 24 hr regens...

 

[Greg10yes]

Wanted to give an update on my 2020 HO doing a regen every 150 miles. Been pulling my 15k 5th wheel through the west/mountains for the last 6k miles, the truck is very happy. Have had a couple of 24 hour regens, had one start after 500 miles but had to buy some fuel at a questionable place. Running hard it is very happy. Guess I need to buy a winter beater instead of using the truck as a daily driver.

 

[2024FLA3500]

18,000 miles and started Regen frequency of approximately 120 miles. Going to start archoil treatments and change air filter. I did do a few tanks treated with hotshots edt and that may have coincided with around the same time they started dropping from ~350 miles between to the current. Probably just a coincidence. I am really starting to contemplate a weight loss as there appears to be a no swap available from a reputable tuner. I don't want to with so much warranty left but I am sure these frequent regens are not good.

 

[22PearlRamMegaHD]

Wanted to give an update on my 2020 HO doing a regen every 150 miles. Been pulling my 15k 5th wheel through the west/mountains for the last 6k miles, the truck is very happy. Have had a couple of 24 hour regens, had one start after 500 miles but had to buy some fuel at a questionable place. Running hard it is very happy. Guess I need to buy a winter beater instead of using the truck as a daily driver.

My guess is EGTs are hot enough loaded it keeps the dpf clean. The real tell tale will be does it act up again with regular driving and no trailer. When I had issues, my truck was fine loaded doing just 24 hour regens. Unloaded was another story with regens every 30 ish miles

 

[22PearlRamMegaHD]

18,000 miles and started Regen frequency of approximately 120 miles. Going to start archoil treatments and change air filter. I did do a few tanks treated with hotshots edt and that may have coincided with around the same time they started dropping from ~350 miles between to the current. Probably just a coincidence. I am really starting to contemplate a weight loss as there appears to be a no swap available from a reputable tuner. I don't want to with so much warranty left but I am sure these frequent regens are not good.

Is it a 2024? Asking because of your name. 2022 is largely the problem year. Archoil 6400d to clean the dpf well. I run the 6500 a bit hot at 2.5 oz per 10 gallons, but keeps things clean. Also, check your oil for dilution (oil will be "added"), verify an air filter with no glue strips...and probably a few things I'm forgetting.

What are your driving habits? Short 10-15 mile trips or less are going to generate a lot of soot but never get the dpf hot enough to passively regen. 30+ minutes at highway speeds each direction is ideal if it's a commuter. Otherwise a diet or get a gasser.

As far as tunes go, an ECM swap to pre 2022 is about the only way to join Jenny Craig with almost an guarantee of no problems. A local guy here does tunes on 2022+ ECMs and has about a 95% success rate. He said the remaining 5% require more work, but hasn't had anyone he couldn't get fixed up.

 

[2024FLA3500]

Is it a 2024? Asking because of your name. 2022 is largely the problem year. Archoil 6400d to clean the dpf well. I run the 6500 a bit hot at 2.5 oz per 10 gallons, but keeps things clean. Also, check your oil for dilution (oil will be "added"), verify an air filter with no glue strips...and probably a few things I'm forgetting.

What are your driving habits? Short 10-15 mile trips or less are going to generate a lot of soot but never get the dpf hot enough to passively regen. 30+ minutes at highway speeds each direction is ideal if it's a commuter. Otherwise a diet or get a gasser.

As far as tunes go, an ECM swap to pre 2022 is about the only way to join Jenny Craig with almost an guarantee of no problems. A local guy here does tunes on 2022+ ECMs and has about a 95% success rate. He said the remaining 5% require more work, but hasn't had anyone he couldn't get fixed up.

2024 CC LB SRW HO. Commute is about 60 miles round trip 70% highway. 6 trips towing 5er per year and usually one to two trips a month 500 miles round trip to visit other offices in state. I don't want to buy another vehicle and pay insurance, registration, etc. I just want a 70k truck to actually work. My concern with the diet is warranty period but I figure if I look at the costs of another vehicle I can self warranty up to around $20k and be at break even.

 

[AH64ID]

18,000 miles and started Regen frequency of approximately 120 miles. Going to start archoil treatments and change air filter. I did do a few tanks treated with hotshots edt and that may have coincided with around the same time they started dropping from ~350 miles between to the current. Probably just a coincidence. I am really starting to contemplate a weight loss as there appears to be a no swap available from a reputable tuner. I don't want to with so much warranty left but I am sure these frequent regens are not good.

Even 350 miles between regens is very frequent and also sounds like soot based regens. Your daily use likely isn’t what the truck needs to keep the DPF clean.

 

[Dave5316]

Well I just had a regen after 800 kms, did a few short journeys so was expecting it to be honest. Left yesterday with family to visit family. 7 hrs of highway driving between 90-115 kms 70 % over mountain/hilly terrain. DPF was 0% when left in morning, now at 1/4 full‍. As soon as we stop the truck goes off. I give up trying to figure out this Ram system. If it can’t passively regen on that drive with towing then god knows.

 

[56ram2500]

Well I just had a regen after 800 kms, did a few short journeys so was expecting it to be honest. Left yesterday with family to visit family. 7 hrs of highway driving between 90-115 kms 70 % over mountain/hilly terrain. DPF was 0% when left in morning, now at 1/4 full‍. As soon as we stop the truck goes off. I give up trying to figure out this Ram system. If it can’t passively regen on that drive with towing then god knows.

If your showing about 1/4 on DPF screen are you sure your not getting close to a 24 hr regen? Also my DPF screen will start to go up if I'm doing a lot of city driving just before a 24 hr regen or if I'm doing mostly local combo city & hwy driving, if it goes up before 20 hours time that tells me I need to take my truck to the hwy for a good 25-30 mile drive to get passive regening... Below is a photo from my truck week ago that shows the miles in between my 24 hr regens, btw most of those miles were hwy driving, the truck was empty not towing, less then 60 of those miles in city traffic... I use trip B to track my miles and time between each regens.

 

[Dave5316]

If your showing about 1/4 on DPF screen are you sure your not getting close to a 24 hr regen? Also my DPF screen will start to go up if I'm doing a lot of city driving just before a 24 hr regen or if I'm doing mostly local combo city & hwy driving, if it goes up before 20 hours time that tells me I need to take my truck to the hwy for a good 25-30 mile drive to get passive regening... Below is a photo from my truck week ago that shows the miles in between my 24 hr regens, btw most of those miles were hwy driving, the truck was empty not towing, less then 60 of those miles in city traffic... I use trip B to track my miles and time between each regens.

View attachment 88345

I track the kms and time with the trip counter as well. I’m about 800 kms and 10.5 hrs. The drive up North yesterday on highway was 558 kms. Very little slow driving as not a lot off towns. But surprised me that it couldn’t clear on that drive passively. Especially since it was empty the DPF on departure lol.

 

[Kodiak8]

Hi all - long time reader, first time contributor to these forums. First, I want to thank everyone that has contributed in this thread, as I am too suffering from this frequent regen issue. I’ve also read the entire 50+ page thread started by “NHYCHF” about this issue as well. Long reads but worth it.
My truck has been on a regen schedule of roughly every 80 miles, like clockwork for the past 9 months. I have suffered from oil dilution, DPF regen frequency CEL, dealers not being able to isolate the issue, replacing filters, cleaning sensors, using all kinds of fuel additives. I am at the point of trading it in or diet. I’m leaning towards diet as I love this truck so much.
Something interesting happened to me over the weekend, a message popped up saying “service air suspension immediately”. I couldn’t hear any leaks and it would still raise and lower like normal. I researched about it and someone with this similar issue checked their fuses for the air suspension component (3 different fuses) and they realized their fuses were not seated all the way down. They could be pushed down a 1/16 of an inch more to be fully seated. So I checked my fuses and sure enough, the same 3 weren’t fully seated. My service message went away. So obviously I thought, “what other fuses aren’t seated?” I was surprised that roughly 70-80% of the fuses weren’t fully seated. A lot of them you could hear an audible click when pushed down. This happened on Saturday. Today, I’m at 160 miles since my last regen. My DPF gauge is still on 0 (I know it’s low miles but as of right now, it’s a remarkable improvement). I’m driving my normal routes and regular type of driving (city and country roads of 55mph). I haven’t pulled anything this weekend.
I’ll keep reading this thread and I can update if anyone is interested. Just wanted to let everyone know my experience so far, stepping out from the shadows and joining others that are actively contributing. Again, I thank everyone.

My truck: 2021 Ram 2500 CC Laramie, build date 3/21, 60,000 miles, no mods.

 

[Molonlabemike]

Hi all - long time reader, first time contributor to these forums. First, I want to thank everyone that has contributed in this thread, as I am too suffering from this frequent regen issue. I’ve also read the entire 50+ page thread started by “NHYCHF” about this issue as well. Long reads but worth it.
My truck has been on a regen schedule of roughly every 80 miles, like clockwork for the past 9 months. I have suffered from oil dilution, DPF regen frequency CEL, dealers not being able to isolate the issue, replacing filters, cleaning sensors, using all kinds of fuel additives. I am at the point of trading it in or diet. I’m leaning towards diet as I love this truck so much.
Something interesting happened to me over the weekend, a message popped up saying “service air suspension immediately”. I couldn’t hear any leaks and it would still raise and lower like normal. I researched about it and someone with this similar issue checked their fuses for the air suspension component (3 different fuses) and they realized their fuses were not seated all the way down. They could be pushed down a 1/16 of an inch more to be fully seated. So I checked my fuses and sure enough, the same 3 weren’t fully seated. My service message went away. So obviously I thought, “what other fuses aren’t seated?” I was surprised that roughly 70-80% of the fuses weren’t fully seated. A lot of them you could hear an audible click when pushed down. This happened on Saturday. Today, I’m at 160 miles since my last regen. My DPF gauge is still on 0 (I know it’s low miles but as of right now, it’s a remarkable improvement). I’m driving my normal routes and regular type of driving (city and country roads of 55mph). I haven’t pulled anything this weekend.
I’ll keep reading this thread and I can update if anyone is interested. Just wanted to let everyone know my experience so far, stepping out from the shadows and joining others that are actively contributing. Again, I thank everyone.

My truck: 2021 Ram 2500 CC Laramie, build date 3/21, 60,000 miles, no mods.

Thanks for the insight. If I might ask, what fuse panel did you find that had fuses not fully installed? My truck is still at the dealer and im hoping to get it back in the coming week and would like to double-check mine.

 

[Kodiak8]

Thanks for the insight. If I might ask, what fuse panel did you find that had fuses not fully installed? My truck is still at the dealer and im hoping to get it back in the coming week and would like to double-check mine.

It’s right in the front, under hood fuse panel, drivers side. Very easy to get to and open up. Under lid has all the fuse numbers. I used the manual to verify what fuses applied to the air suspension, and pushed them in. Then I pushed them all in one at a time.