CTDs Can Suffer If Not Worked Hard. Please Elaborate

[3CUMMINS]

Have 2 CTD's. The 3500 is for hauling anything but it doesn't do it all the time. No daily driver here.
The 2500 has hauled, but is mainly used for a daily driver but with a one way trip of 70 K - no issue with this one.
Have had older ones without DEF and all the electronic stuff and they could do both.
Never had an issue save the fact that, since the 3500 wasn't used enough, the battery needed a drive without some of the creature comforts (heat, safety features always work. The heat or AC worked but weekly and no radio GPS etc).
It had sat for several weeks with no activity whatsoever but it tells you that you have erred and allows you to correct the error by taking it for a tour. 40 K is usually sufficient (25 miles) will get you back to where it should be, but drive it just not for groceries.

 

[NotSoFast]

I have a 2020 CTD and when I used it as a daily driver for a month or so last year, I had problems with the Diesel Particulate Filter. This was winter conditions. I was running the truck long enough to get it up to operating temperature and even enough to run through the regen cycles, but the DPF was often showing partial clogging, which it had never done before. But after hooking up the trailer and running it on the freeway at 75 for an hour or so, the DPF was baked out and hasn't given any more difficulty. So yes, the truck does like a good workout from time to time. It seems like that's the way the exhaust filter was built to work.

 

[Choupique]

The trucks were certainly built to work and don't like frequent short trips. DEF also doesn't age well and the more of it you pump through the better, especially in the summer.

The engine itself really doesn't care much one way or the other. Modern electronic engines don't have serious fuel dilution problems at cold temps like the old mechanicals did. The new ones also warm up MUCH faster thanks to EGR. You might accelerate some seal failures and technically would wear the engine out faster with a bunch of short trips vs a few long trips, but you'd likely never notice it.

The exhaust aftertreatment system is what really hates short trips and light loads and infrequent use.

 

[Goose55]

They're not grocery getters. Throw some Extreme Diesel injector cleaner in every 5K or so and go on a 50+ mile run with hills. It helps cut down on regens and will clean out the bs emissions equipment. I have a 2007 5.9 and run it. Power Service is like water. You have to run so much in order to enable it to do anything. A shop I use has guys with all the emissions crap come in with 200K frequently because they are used as designed. I also run R95 renewable diesel.

A few months ago, I did get a gallon of Extreme Diesel injector cleaner, 2T, on sale at TS. And, I have noticed fewer regens. I'll prolly keep buying it.

 

[06 Dodge]

A few months ago, I did get a gallon of Extreme Diesel injector cleaner, 2T, on sale at TS. And, I have noticed fewer regens. I'll prolly keep buying it.

Many owners have reported doing very well with Archoil products including fewer regens using 6400D injector cleaner then 6500 fuel additive...

 

[chri5k]

The other area harmed by short light load trips is the turbocharger variable vanes. The short light load trips do not exercise them to their full range or frequently. This allows deposits to accumulate in the untraveled area. The vanes can become jammed and / or the actuator damaged by the increased resistance to moving through the deposits.

 

[JayLeonard]

My 2021 has close to 46 k miles now. Each summer it has towed our TT on a 4 month camping trip, 2x up the east coast, 2 x out west and back to FL. All winter i do many short trips like 1/3 mile to our social club and back, with several longer trips as well.
Just last week it did its first regen cycle. I know it hadnt done this previously because the warning on the message center was very irritating, ( coming on every 2 minutes for 30 minutes) so i could not have missed it.
My previous diesel was a 1991 D250 and of course thats a different animal, but i would start that up in the cold CT mornings and go as soon as my seatbelt got fastened. That truck was my daily commuter and rarely got worked hard other than my weekly bonzai run to make sure it could still hit 99.

 

[KKBB]

My 2021 has close to 46 k miles now. Each summer it has towed our TT on a 4 month camping trip, 2x up the east coast, 2 x out west and back to FL. All winter i do many short trips like 1/3 mile to our social club and back, with several longer trips as well.
Just last week it did its first regen cycle. I know it hadnt done this previously because the warning on the message center was very irritating, ( coming on every 2 minutes for 30 minutes) so i could not have missed it.
My previous diesel was a 1991 D250 and of course thats a different animal, but i would start that up in the cold CT mornings and go as soon as my seatbelt got fastened. That truck was my daily commuter and rarely got worked hard other than my weekly bonzai run to make sure it could still hit 99.

With 46k miles, that was definitely not your first regen!!! It may have been your first where the DPF was plugged so much that it showed on the dash or something, but definitely not the first regen!!

 

[JayLeonard]

Ok if you say so. Ive paged thru the gages and its never showed much for DPF. Also never experienced any of the indicators that are discussed here when regen happens

 

[Choupique]

There's scheduled Regens that trigger at set mileage or hour intervals (don't remember which one) regardless of the DPF soot load. What you saw was probably the prompt that initiates after a few interrupted regens. The regen events on the newest trucks are nearly imperceptible.

 

[BossHogg]

There's scheduled Regens that trigger at set mileage or hour intervals (don't remember which one) regardless of the DPF soot load. What you saw was probably the prompt that initiates after a few interrupted regens. The regen events on the newest trucks are nearly imperceptible.

Both my diesels get a regen triggered by mileage, I don't know if hours can trigger a regen but obviously, a high soot load can but I've never seen that on either of my diesels. I'm seeing regens occur every 979 miles on my ECODiesel and 698 miles on my Cummins as recorded by the Banks iDash Data Monster.

I also monitor the DPF soot load and I've noticed over the years, the regen's passive mode keeps the soot load in check, typically less than 50% but is higher in the winter months where the soot load can get up to the low 80% range.

Many of the comments seen across the Internet, regardless of the nameplate, are from the era of the first use of DPFs. It looks as if the diesel emission systems have evolved to be nearly fault-free. There are isolated issues but the few posts seen is hardly a representation of all diesel truck owners. Besides that, think of all the off-road diesels that successfully survive with modern emission systems.

As you mentioned, a regen is unnoticeable unless you happen to catch the instant MPG reading. I lose a few MPG during the regen which takes 15 to 20 minutes. I can also tell by watching the exhaust temperatures on the iDash,

 

[2003F350]

My 2021 has close to 46 k miles now. Each summer it has towed our TT on a 4 month camping trip, 2x up the east coast, 2 x out west and back to FL. All winter i do many short trips like 1/3 mile to our social club and back, with several longer trips as well.
Just last week it did its first regen cycle. I know it hadnt done this previously because the warning on the message center was very irritating, ( coming on every 2 minutes for 30 minutes) so i could not have missed it.
My previous diesel was a 1991 D250 and of course thats a different animal, but i would start that up in the cold CT mornings and go as soon as my seatbelt got fastened. That truck was my daily commuter and rarely got worked hard other than my weekly bonzai run to make sure it could still hit 99.

As others have said, it was definitely NOT your first regen, just the first that gave you a notification. These have a 'passive' and an 'active' regen cycle, passive tends to engage when you're traveling at high speeds (expressway) OR when you're pulling a heavy load (towing your camper). This keeps your soot load down, so you wouldn't see much on the DPF gauge. Active mode either pops up with the 'keep driving' message OR when you scroll to the DPF screen, it will show 'regen in progress.' As noted above, you'll also notice a hit to your mileage on the instantaneous, I know when mine is in an active regen cycle because my mileage drops way off. It sounds like, from the way you drive/use your truck, you likely wouldn't notice any of these, as you are rather regularly under load or at higher speeds (or both).

 

[jejb]

There's scheduled Regens that trigger at set mileage or hour intervals (don't remember which one) regardless of the DPF soot load. What you saw was probably the prompt that initiates after a few interrupted regens. The regen events on the newest trucks are nearly imperceptible.

This. I watch my DPF gauge fairly closely, and I have seen the passive 24 hour regens happen. I would not have noticed them otherwise. The one time I did interrupt one of those regens, the next highway stint caused very noticeable EVIC messages and sounds about keep driving, etc while it did an active regen.

 

[mtnrider]

Ok if you say so. Ive paged thru the gages and its never showed much for DPF. Also never experienced any of the indicators that are discussed here when regen happens

Your truck regens every 24 hours of engine operating time regardless. Your truck has had many regens so far, you just got your first DPF full message triggering an out of cycle regen.

.

 

[nlambert182]

My 2021 has close to 46 k miles now. Each summer it has towed our TT on a 4 month camping trip, 2x up the east coast, 2 x out west and back to FL. All winter i do many short trips like 1/3 mile to our social club and back, with several longer trips as well.
Just last week it did its first regen cycle. I know it hadnt done this previously because the warning on the message center was very irritating, ( coming on every 2 minutes for 30 minutes) so i could not have missed it.
My previous diesel was a 1991 D250 and of course thats a different animal, but i would start that up in the cold CT mornings and go as soon as my seatbelt got fastened. That truck was my daily commuter and rarely got worked hard other than my weekly bonzai run to make sure it could still hit 99.

There are 2 types of regen cycles.... active and passive. I promise that you've been through many passive regens. It would be impossible not to.

Passive regens happen all the time, but you don't notice it because it gives no indication that it is happening. If you fail multiple passive regen attempts due to short driving distance, etc... and allow the DPF to get full, then it will perform an active regen and you could get the message warning you that it is occurring. That warning should be your indication to drive the truck until the regen completes.

It isn't idling and putting around in itself that kills these trucks. it's idling and putting around with all of the emissions equipment on it. You have to work them to keep all of the systems healthy. That's why you see the older diesel engines go for much longer with a lot less issue.