"Regen In Process Continue Driving" message

[Dark Sky]

I've suspected RAM has pushed another software update to my truck. After about 70k miles, I got this message "Exhaust System Regeneration in Process Continue Driving".
This happened about a month ago. I was in a position to get on a freeway and after about 25 miles the message finally cleared. Ever since new, the DPF has shown a 'level' periodically but it has always burned away to nothing without ever having seen this message.
Today it happened again. It was a bit less convenient but I kept the engine running until the alert cleared. Does anybody know what the implications are if and when I have to shut it down during a regen?
Thanks for your time!

 

[AH64ID]

That message only appears when standard regens are unsuccessful.

Has your driving style changes?

More idling than normal? Or more short trips?

 

[Will_T]

When I get the 24 hr regens which are almost all of my regens, I do not get this message. Once or twice I have and one time for sure and the other possibly, it was because of a fill up with diesel that caused it. The one time for sure, within several miles of filling the tank I got dings and chimes along with the message to continue driving. It took many, many miles and a long time, (at least an hour of highway driving), before the regen completed. It did not get back to normal until the next day when I put in about 40 gallons of new fuel and that settled it down. All my 24 hour regens are quick and easy with about 800 to 1,000 miles between. Maybe 10 or 15 minutes on highway tops to complete with corresponding few miles. When I got the bad fuel it had been only about 350 towing miles and 12 hours max since last regen so that is what caused the truck to panic. I think the message you are seeing is when a regen happens for reasons other than 24 hours. Maybe if you never tow heavy or get bad fuel like I did. Usually because I tow the TT 90% of my miles, I only get simple, easy 24 hour regens.

 

[AH64ID]

I think the message you are seeing is when a regen happens for reasons other than 24 hours.

Not true. A soot based regen that occurs completely and properly will not give this indication.

The message appears when any triggered regen, hour or soot based, is unsuccessful at reducing soot for a predetermined amount of time.

 

[Dark Sky]

Interesting. I've been towing heavy quite a lot lately, so I don't suspect that. Also, the first time was up in Canada and the second time was down here in Texas. Bad fuel would be quite a coincidence but who's to say? I did fill up in Canada at a station that was probably 'low volume'. I generally try to hit the truck stops.
I think this bears attention since it could lead to a pretty heavy maintenance bill. Fwiw, the DP filter is showing 'clean' again.

Maybe my injectors are getting clogged? I have noticed that it seems to crank longer before starting up than it used to, but that could just be my subjective head. I am going to start adding some injector cleaner, which I have never done since new. Any product recommendations are most welcome!
Thanks again for your time and input.

 

[Jackrabbit]

I’d try some Archoil 6400d. It definitely makes a difference with the dpf in my truck.

 

[56ram2500]

It was suggested to me, dont use B20 unless I will be driving all Hwy until its time to refill, B20 and mixed city stop & go are not good for the DPF.....

 

[HarryN]

Interesting. I've been towing heavy quite a lot lately, so I don't suspect that. Also, the first time was up in Canada and the second time was down here in Texas. Bad fuel would be quite a coincidence but who's to say? I did fill up in Canada at a station that was probably 'low volume'. I generally try to hit the truck stops.
I think this bears attention since it could lead to a pretty heavy maintenance bill. Fwiw, the DP filter is showing 'clean' again.

Maybe my injectors are getting clogged? I have noticed that it seems to crank longer before starting up than it used to, but that could just be my subjective head. I am going to start adding some injector cleaner, which I have never done since new. Any product recommendations are most welcome!
Thanks again for your time and input.

Unfortunately, diesel quality is not nearly as assured as gasoline. For some reason, the concept of having circulating, filtered fuel is not as common at fuel stations as for instance military applications.

 

[Dark Sky]

I just ordered the Archoil 6400 d. Expensive, but looks a whole lot cheaper than a DP filter. It might take a month or two to decide if it's helping, but I'll stick with it for at least a few months and hopefully things will improve.

Thanks Everyone!

 

[AH64ID]

Interesting. I've been towing heavy quite a lot lately, so I don't suspect that. Also, the first time was up in Canada and the second time was down here in Texas. Bad fuel would be quite a coincidence but who's to say? I did fill up in Canada at a station that was probably 'low volume'. I generally try to hit the truck stops.
I think this bears attention since it could lead to a pretty heavy maintenance bill. Fwiw, the DP filter is showing 'clean' again.

Maybe my injectors are getting clogged? I have noticed that it seems to crank longer before starting up than it used to, but that could just be my subjective head. I am going to start adding some injector cleaner, which I have never done since new. Any product recommendations are most welcome!
Thanks again for your time and input.

It doesn’t take much time at all after you stop towing to build soot, so if you were towing heavy and stopped that could be a culprit.

Archoil 6400 is great for DPF cleaning. For injector cleaning I’ll occasionally use Amsoil additives.

 

[Brutal_HO]

I've suspected RAM has pushed another software update to my truck. After about 70k miles, I got this message "Exhaust System Regeneration in Process Continue Driving".
This happened about a month ago. I was in a position to get on a freeway and after about 25 miles the message finally cleared. Ever since new, the DPF has shown a 'level' periodically but it has always burned away to nothing without ever having seen this message.
Today it happened again. It was a bit less convenient but I kept the engine running until the alert cleared. Does anybody know what the implications are if and when I have to shut it down during a regen?
Thanks for your time!

What?

There is no OTA update for the ECM, this is only a radio thing.

Regen was interrupted. Your comment "less convenient but I kept the engine running" implies you have done just that - interrupted the regen. The truck is telling you not to do that.

 

[Will_T]

Not true. A soot based regen that occurs completely and properly will not give this indication.

The message appears when any triggered regen, hour or soot based, is unsuccessful at reducing soot for a predetermined amount of time.

Well you are much more the expert than me. But when it happened to me, it was in between 24 hour regens. There was no unsuccessful regen occurring before it happened. It was not a situation where I interrupted a regen. It simply went into regen with the chimes/bells right from the start. I saw the Regen switch from "Off" to "On" on my iDash and then it started with the chime and message immediately. It did not go into regen and then 20 minutes or something later start with the warnings. The warnings started at the same time the regen started. It had also happened once a couple of years ago where it went into regen in between 24 hour regens. The warning and chime alert persisted with that one also until it finished. That time however, it was a much more reasonable time to completion, not 50+ miles and an hour of highway driving like the latest time.

 

[mbarber84]

Today it happened again. It was a bit less convenient but I kept the engine running until the alert cleared.

When you say “kept the engine running” do you mean you continued to drive?

Or

you sat in your driveway with the engine running until the message went away?

 

[jebruns]

What year truck and which model Cummins are we talking about here?

 

[AH64ID]

Well you are much more the expert than me. But when it happened to me, it was in between 24 hour regens. There was no unsuccessful regen occurring before it happened. It was not a situation where I interrupted a regen. It simply went into regen with the chimes/bells right from the start. I saw the Regen switch from "Off" to "On" on my iDash and then it started with the chime and message immediately. It did not go into regen and then 20 minutes or something later start with the warnings. The warnings started at the same time the regen started. It had also happened once a couple of years ago where it went into regen in between 24 hour regens. The warning and chime alert persisted with that one also until it finished. That time however, it was a much more reasonable time to completion, not 50+ miles and an hour of highway driving like the latest time.

Interrupting a regen won’t get the message either. I’ve interrupted countless regens and never gotten the message. I even had a 24 hour based regen take 3 hours to complete without a warning because for most of those hours the EGTs were too low to regen and the ECM is programmed for that.

If you went from nothing to warnings that tells me you have a sensor out of whack.

 

[Will_T]

If you went from nothing to warnings that tells me you have a sensor out of whack.

Hmm. Odd then that it started acting properly once I got new fuel in the tank. And it has been a couple thousand miles and three 24hr regens since with no issues. Hopefully it will not happen again.

 

[AH64ID]

Hmm. Odd then that it started acting properly once I got new fuel in the tank. And it has been a couple thousand miles and three 24hr regens since with no issues. Hopefully it will not happen again.

If it wasn’t related to a sensor out of whack I’m not surprised you haven’t had an issue since you’re making 24 hours between regens since that’s not a regular message you should see.

Time will tell I suppose.

Do you monitor regen % or just DPF status?

 

[Will_T]

Do you monitor regen % or just DPF status?

On the iDash I have these set. And when in regen the EGT3 can get up over 1,000 degrees. FWIW, that PID in the bottom left is there just because I can never really find and 8th one to include so I rotate various ones through that spot just looking for a final helpful or interesting one. "DPFDP1 PSIG" does not seem to be it but I have not changed it again yet.

 

[mbarber84]

On the iDash I have these set. And when in regen the EGT3 can get up over 1,000 degrees. FWIW, that PID in the bottom left is there just because I can never really find and 8th one to include so I rotate various ones through that spot just looking for a final helpful or interesting one. "DPFDP1 PSIG" does not seem to be it but I have not changed it again yet.

View attachment 87765

DPFDP1 is diesel particulate filter delta pressure.
That’s the calculated difference in pressure between the inlet and outlet sides of the DPF. That can sometimes be a good sign of how close you are to needing a regen. The DPF % REG is also a good indicator. It’ll climb as you get closer to a regen. But keep in mind that both soot and time are driving factors to when the regen will occur. I noticed on mine that you get the best DPF % REG right when you first start the truck up and get moving. After that it’ll sometimes climb very rapidly until you get to around 45% or so.

 

[Dark Sky]

When you say “kept the engine running” do you mean you continued to drive?

Or

you sat in your driveway with the engine running until the message went away?

The first time it happened I was able to stay on a freeway. The second time, I had to stop at a business and drop something off. I left the truck running for the 3 or 4 minutes that it took.