DPF always goes up to 100 percent before starting regen

Goran

Member
New and first time owner of a 2019 2500 170 extended roof sprinter. My DPF won't start regen until it gets all the way to 100 percent and then it starts. I don't know how to do a manual one. There reaky aren't any instructions on the 2019 how to do a forced regen. I tried everything. But the dpf goes up to 100 every time, the light doesn't come on, the car runs just fine. And once it hits 100 it starts the regen. From i red that's not good. I called the dealership and he sounded surprised by what I told him. Anyone know anything about this. Should I be worried and go check it out is it OK. I took pictures the last few t times it happened to show the dealership and I posted them here. From what I red on the internet if the dpf gets once like 85 it's done and you have to change it. Mine gets up to 100 almost daily because I do atleast 500 to 600 miles daily.
 

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elemental

Wherever you go, there you are.
New and first time owner of a 2019 2500 170 extended roof sprinter. My DPF won't start regen until it gets all the way to 100 percent and then it starts.
That's how my 2017 NCV3 with 18,000 miles on it works. The "100%" isn't measuring how much the the filter is packed up, it's measuring how close you are to the point at which a regeneration is kicked off; at least as I understand it.
 

98Firebird

Well-known member
That's how my 2017 NCV3 with 18,000 miles on it works. The "100%" isn't measuring how much the the filter is packed up, it's measuring how close you are to the point at which a regeneration is kicked off; at least as I understand it.
That's almost exactly what it's doing. In a bit more technical sense the CDI control unit is looking at the calculated differential pressure across the DPF (in hPa). It is then communicating this to the instrument cluster and then the instrument cluster is converting this to the displayed percentage reading. This percentage reading is always going up of course when the engine is running as the engine is producing soot. Once the DPF differential pressure rises to a certain amount (probably 16 hPa or so at idle like the old system) the system will register 100% fill level and start the regeneration. The system is working exactly as it is designed. Now if it starts reaching 100% fill level at a much lower mileage then yes there is an issue either with the DPF or something causing the DPF to fill up too quickly or something causing it to miscalculate how full it is. The system is designed to only run regenerations at a certain interval because if it runs regenerations too often a myriad of bad things can happen including burning up the SCR catalyst and diluting the engine oil with diesel. I would just enjoy your van for now and just keep an eye on the mileage between regenerations because that's what is the real indicator for DPF issues. If it stays around the same mileage between regenerations and is in that 500-600 mile range I would keep on rolling :rad:
 
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Deleted member 50714

Guest
The contraption appears to be working as designed, no need for unnecessary regeneration. Regen Should occur about every 550 miles. At least it is for a 2015 om651.
 

Goran

Member
Can you post links to or upload the articles you have read?
Just general search but I'll look for them. But I'm pretty sure they said it's not suppose to get to 100. Some of the articles were not sprinter specific. But good to know that it's normal. I kind of stopped worrying about it after the first time I noticed and saw the car was still running great and no lights were turning on.
 

sailquik

Well-known member
Goran,
I read your other post about letting your Sprinter idle for hours while you sleep.
Leaving it idling while you sleep, even for an hour or 2 at a time, is probably what's affecting the DPF soot level.
Leaving it idling while you sleep could also be very dangerous if you don't have an onboard carbon monoxide sensor
to wake you up if the CO level in where you are sleeping goes up enough.
You might develop CO poisoning while asleep, and never wake up.
All it takes is for you to park where the wind blows the exhaust back into the interior of the van or for the wind to change
and the heater blower or AC to fill your cab with CO (if that's where you are sleeping.
That said, it's also probably illegal for you to leave it idling at truck stops.
That's why all the big trucks have the small heating/AC units that use very little fuel and satisfy the "NO IDLING"
regulations.
Not sure why you picked a 2019 diesel Sprinter as a good vehicle for your delivery service.
A gas Sprinter or one of the other gas powered vans, without the sensitive/restrictive emissions systems would probably have
been a better choice.
Not sure how both you and the dealer overlooked the fact that VS30 (2019 907 series) simply do not like to be idled at normal
idle speed (670 RPM ??) for long periods of time.
Roger
 
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Deleted member 50714

Guest
My experience: Single most important thing a Sprinter Owner can do is avoid interrupting DPF regenerations. Three DPF interruptions will throw a check engine light that may self-extinguish if highway operated for extended period of time, up to as much as 2 to 3 hours, interspersed with some stop and go driving, key cycles. Otherwise, the vehicle could default into a hard Limp Home Mode that can only be cleared by dealer level scanner. The only way to ascertain if regenerations are occurring is an engine performance monitor such as a Scan Gauge II.

My question is, does your 2019 alert you when regenerations are occurring?
 
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showkey

Well-known member
My question is, does your 2019 alert you when regenerations are occurring?

Sure sounds and looks like his van shows DPF current “loading” and lets the driver know when regen is occurring.
Since Gorman is driving 500-600 miles per day he liking see a regen every day which would normal with that daily mileage.

Exactly what Sprinter owners have been asking for over 10 years.

Also sounds like elemental’s 2017 is reporting DPF information as well ?
 
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elemental

Wherever you go, there you are.
Sure sounds and looks like his van shows DPF current “loading” and lets the driver know when regen is occurring.
Since Gorman is driving 500-600 miles per day he liking see a regen every day which would normal with that daily mileage.

Exactly what Sprinter owners have been asking for over 10 years.

Also sounds like elemental’s 2017 is reporting DPF information as well ?
From reading threads in the VS30 area, my understanding is that the 2019+ vans have a DPF percentage and ReGen indicator as available information in the dashboard display (I don't know whether a highline display is required in order to to see this information). In my case I'm using a ScanGauge II on my 2017 model year NCV3; the SG II provides DPF percentage and ReGen On/Off as X-gauges (programmable monitors) using the OBD-II interface to the van.
 

4wheeldog

2018 144" Tall Revel
I suspect that the algorithm counts up by mileage, which is what sets the maximum between regens. If you run the thing in such a manner that it generates more soot, that measurement makes the algorithm count up faster.
But no matter what, it is going to get to 100% at or before 553 miles since the last, or whatever that maximum mileage number is.
 

Mike DZ

2016 View 24V (2015 3500)
I suspect that the algorithm counts up by mileage, which is what sets the maximum between regens. If you run the thing in such a manner that it generates more soot, that measurement makes the algorithm count up faster.
But no matter what, it is going to get to 100% at or before 553 miles since the last, or whatever that maximum mileage number is.
If the 2019 is like previous years, i beleive there are software triggers in the ECM coding for both mileage and differential pressure that would indicate soot build up in the DPF.
 

98Firebird

Well-known member
If the 2019 is like previous years, i beleive there are software triggers in the ECM coding for both mileage and differential pressure that would indicate soot build up in the DPF.
Yep and also triggers on fuel consumption among a couple of others I can't remember off the top of my head.
 

GLJones

Active member
OK. Started driving my van today (2019) and I pulled up the DPF screen on the instrumewnt cluster. It was at 94%. I started driving and watched it go to 96, then 98% in about 15 minutes of driving. About the time it should have hit 100% it started dropping...fast. 96, 94, 92...all the way to 0% in about 15 minutes of half highway, half city driving.
There is no indicator or screen that shows regeneration, but it is obvious it is regenerating if the DPF % is dropping like that. I did reach my destination at about 10% so I drove around the block until it reached 0%. If I had stopped and cut the engine, I don't know if it would have started over, or just waited to reach 100% again to regen. A test for another time.
 
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Deleted member 50714

Guest
OK. Started driving my van today (2019) and I pulled up the DPF screen on the instrumewnt cluster. It was at 94%. I started driving and watched it go to 96, then 98% in about 15 minutes of driving. About the time it should have hit 100% it started dropping...fast. 96, 94, 92...all the way to 0% in about 15 minutes of half highway, half city driving.
There is no indicator or screen that shows regeneration, but it is obvious it is regenerating if the DPF % is dropping like that. I did reach my destination at about 10% so I drove around the block until it reached 0%. If I had stopped and cut the engine, I don't know if it would have started over, or just waited to reach 100% again to regen. A test for another time.
My experience 2015, OM 651, regeneration will resumed after interruption and understanding three interruptions may trigger a hard limp home mode requiring a dealer level diagnostic reset. I have no reason to believe the programming for your 2019 would be any different.

Why tempt fate fugging around with vehicle's finicky electronica emissions mojo and just avoid interrupting regenerations?

On the other hand, if you insist on experimenting, consider allowing the diesel exhaust fluid to deplete and activate the low level alarm and subsequent "No start countdown" to determine if countdown Will promptly self-extinguish upon DEF reservoir replenishment as advertised in the owners manual ???

There seems to of been a glitch in early firmware and confident many on the forum are curious if it has been rectified and you would be certainly catapulted into colossal Forum hero status for your courage to go where many fear and avoid.
 
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Goran

Member
Yeah I talked to a few more people and I didn't know. What that thing says on the dash is how far along it is before it starts regen. That doesn't mean that the dpf is 95 full. It's just saying you're about at 95 percent of the miles or time needed before regen. And once it hits 100 regen starts. And for me that's 100 percent correct. Regen starts right when I hit 1000.it doesn't start at 99 or 75.as soon as it's at 100 1 minute later regen starts and the value starts dropping back down until its at 0.
 

Goran

Member
Yeah I talked to a few more people and I didn't know. What that thing says on the dash is how far along it is before it starts regen. That doesn't mean that the dpf is 95 full. It's just saying you're about at 95 percent of the miles or time needed before regen. And once it hits 100 regen starts. And for me that's 100 percent correct. Regen starts right when I hit 1000.it doesn't start at 99 or 75.as soon as it's at 100 1 minute later regen starts and the value starts dropping back down until its at 0.
 

elemental

Wherever you go, there you are.
And once it hits 100 regen starts. And for me that's 100 percent correct. Regen starts right when I hit 1000.it doesn't start at 99 or 75.as soon as it's at 100 1 minute later regen starts and the value starts dropping back down until its at 0.
If other conditions aren't right it won't start the regeneration. Mine hit 103 percent last Friday when the engine coolant wasn't up to temp. As soon as the coolant temperature hit either 193 or 195 (I was driving while watching) then the regeneration kicked off. There might be other factors as well.
 

OrioN

2008 2500 170" EXT
If other conditions aren't right it won't start the regeneration. Mine hit 103 percent last Friday when the engine coolant wasn't up to temp. As soon as the coolant temperature hit either 193 or 195 (I was driving while watching) then the regeneration kicked off. There might be other factors as well.
Faulty or 'drifting' pressure sensors can impede a dynamic regeneration.
 
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Deleted member 50714

Guest
Mathematical or algorithmic calculations determine soot load indications based on a whole plethora of different data. Idle time, start and stops, key cycles, accelerations, driving style, etc and may not reflect accurate soot load percentage. Real time Differential pressure would be more accurate. However, it appears distance traveled is the default for regenerations.
 

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