Thanks to MultiEcuScan I have now monitored a routine regeneration from start to finish while driving (in contrast to the usual forced regen at a standstill after the light goes on).
I live in West Cornwall - no motorways, few major roads. Commute is country roads, 30 to 60mph in little traffic, about 11 miles each way. I have a heavy right foot. Not surprisingly the DPF has proved to be nothing but hassle for rural driving with regular warnings and limp-modes.
I know the usual advice about 'a quick burn up the dual carriageway', but I wanted to know just what it takes to trigger (and complete) a regen.
This is what I found:
-At motorway speed the temperature of the DPF seems to settle at around 400 degrees centrigrade no matter how far I drive (and I suspect this means that the whole 'passive' regeneration process is a bit of a myth)
-The active regen process was triggered after a few minutes of motorway-speed cruising in 5th gear. There was no need to rev the nuts off it in 3rd or 4th
-Clogging at start was about 82%
-There is a noticeable change in tone and vibration during the regen.Once you know it's happening it is easy to feel
-When active regen starts, the EGR snaps shut and there is a rapid rise in the DPF temp to over 600 degrees. (The crap that the EGR puts in the engine lowers the temperatures so if your EGR sticks open I wonder if regens fail or don't even start)
-The EGR stays shut throughout the cycle (shown as 3.998% on the scanner)
-The regen cycle kept going when I slowed for one roundabout.It did not restart from scratch
-The distance travelled during the regen was around 20 miles
-At the end of the cycle the EGR goes back to normal and the DPF temperature rapidly falls back to around 400 degrees
So, for anyone else in Cornwall, you need to drive in 5th gear at motorway speed from Hayle to the Truro roundabouth then back again to Camborne! A regular commute from say Penzance to Truro will NOT be enough to look after your DPF.
and make sure your EGR is 100% functional or it probably won't work at all.
My next car will not have a DPF!!!!
I live in West Cornwall - no motorways, few major roads. Commute is country roads, 30 to 60mph in little traffic, about 11 miles each way. I have a heavy right foot. Not surprisingly the DPF has proved to be nothing but hassle for rural driving with regular warnings and limp-modes.
I know the usual advice about 'a quick burn up the dual carriageway', but I wanted to know just what it takes to trigger (and complete) a regen.
This is what I found:
-At motorway speed the temperature of the DPF seems to settle at around 400 degrees centrigrade no matter how far I drive (and I suspect this means that the whole 'passive' regeneration process is a bit of a myth)
-The active regen process was triggered after a few minutes of motorway-speed cruising in 5th gear. There was no need to rev the nuts off it in 3rd or 4th
-Clogging at start was about 82%
-There is a noticeable change in tone and vibration during the regen.Once you know it's happening it is easy to feel
-When active regen starts, the EGR snaps shut and there is a rapid rise in the DPF temp to over 600 degrees. (The crap that the EGR puts in the engine lowers the temperatures so if your EGR sticks open I wonder if regens fail or don't even start)
-The EGR stays shut throughout the cycle (shown as 3.998% on the scanner)
-The regen cycle kept going when I slowed for one roundabout.It did not restart from scratch
-The distance travelled during the regen was around 20 miles
-At the end of the cycle the EGR goes back to normal and the DPF temperature rapidly falls back to around 400 degrees
So, for anyone else in Cornwall, you need to drive in 5th gear at motorway speed from Hayle to the Truro roundabouth then back again to Camborne! A regular commute from say Penzance to Truro will NOT be enough to look after your DPF.
and make sure your EGR is 100% functional or it probably won't work at all.
My next car will not have a DPF!!!!
