Regeneration

[finn1]

The Diesel option was available in the Grand Cherokee for several years, and in the 1500 series pickup truck.

It was a 3.0 l V6.

The option was pulled last year because FCA failed to disclose all of the AECD (auxiliary emission control devices) as required to meet the clean air certification standards.

FCA was involved in a lawsuit with the government over the compliance issues, and sales were suspended but has now apparently resolved them, so the engine will once again be available for sale in 2018 my vehicles.

It's quite a nice package, actually, but was more popular in the Ram pickup application than the Jeep, by far.

 

[UpstateSC_Papi]

I am at a point that I'm wondering if I should do a manual regen. Based on the manual, there are 3 levels of "warning". Yesterday, after my neighbor borrowed it for 3-4 hours, I was cutting some brush. The "CEL" light started flashing and the tractor almost stalled. I pressed in the clutch for a few seconds, the light stopped flashing and off I went. Maybe 5 minutes later, it did it again, but this time the tractor shut off. I turned off the PTO, dropped to a lower gear, restarted and put it up for the evening. This leads me here. According to the manual, the "CEL" is the "3rd level of warning". I never saw the first two warnings!! My neighbor said he didn't notice anything either. Honestly for me, if I was looking for it, I don't think I would notice it as I'm not usually looking/glancing at the dash. I was fully expecting it to run a regen in the 20+ hour range but do so automatically (like Neopheous back in August). So, should I manual run a regen to see if that takes care of it? I would love to be able to finish up my yard today, but if you guys think I should wait and discuss with dealer tomorrow, I can wait. 21.8 hours on the tractor currently. Most of that (90%, at least) ran in 2000+ RPMs (brush cutting, tilling, etc).

Thanks in advance!

 

[neopheous]

I am at a point that I'm wondering if I should do a manual regen. Based on the manual, there are 3 levels of "warning". Yesterday, after my neighbor borrowed it for 3-4 hours, I was cutting some brush. The "CEL" light started flashing and the tractor almost stalled. I pressed in the clutch for a few seconds, the light stopped flashing and off I went. Maybe 5 minutes later, it did it again, but this time the tractor shut off. I turned off the PTO, dropped to a lower gear, restarted and put it up for the evening. This leads me here. According to the manual, the "CEL" is the "3rd level of warning". I never saw the first two warnings!! My neighbor said he didn't notice anything either. Honestly for me, if I was looking for it, I don't think I would notice it as I'm not usually looking/glancing at the dash. I was fully expecting it to run a regen in the 20+ hour range but do so automatically (like Neopheous back in August). So, should I manual run a regen to see if that takes care of it? I would love to be able to finish up my yard today, but if you guys think I should wait and discuss with dealer tomorrow, I can wait. 21.8 hours on the tractor currently. Most of that (90%, at least) ran in 2000+ RPMs (brush cutting, tilling, etc).

Thanks in advance!

UpstateSC, I can't really speak on whether or not to do the manual, but mine just done another auto-regen at 66.6 hours yesterday. So this time it went a little longer, almost 40 hrs instead of the 28.x the first time. I normally run mine in the 1500-2100 range but also idle at 1000 when hooking up implements, working on something on the ground. etc. I was grappling logs out of a burn pile that is soon to be a pond when mine started this time. The way I know is the engine begins making a clicking sound and I look down and see the red light. If I am running at 1500 or so I will bump it up to around 22-2300 until it finishes while I work, which is usually around 20 min.
I wouldn't have thought you would would have missed it at 20 hrs, especially if you run higher RPM's 90% of the time. I wouldn't think a manual regen would hurt anything, but you may want to run it by the dealer first, or see if someone else here has had the same experience.

 

[UpstateSC_Papi]

UpstateSC, I can't really speak on whether or not to do the manual, but mine just done another auto-regen at 66.6 hours yesterday. So this time it went a little longer, almost 40 hrs instead of the 28.x the first time. I normally run mine in the 1500-2100 range but also idle at 1000 when hooking up implements, working on something on the ground. etc. I was grappling logs out of a burn pile that is soon to be a pond when mine started this time. The way I know is the engine begins making a clicking sound and I look down and see the red light. If I am running at 1500 or so I will bump it up to around 22-2300 until it finishes while I work, which is usually around 20 min.
I wouldn't have thought you would would have missed it at 20 hrs, especially if you run higher RPM's 90% of the time. I wouldn't think a manual regen would hurt anything, but you may want to run it by the dealer first, or see if someone else here has had the same experience.

Thanks neopheous! I say 2000+ but I'm not in front of the dash. It would be the RPM range just a few ticks above the 540e PTO line. Thinking that is around 2000??

Like you had happen, and I've mentioned here based on my dealer's comments when I bought it, I fully expected it to do an automatic sometime around now or in another 4-6 hours. I even told my neighbor that if he saw a red light and it smelled funny to just keep on cutting!

I'll give it an hour or so to see if anyone else replies. I really want to run a manual but at the same time I don't want to damage it. The poorly written manual has me thinking I'm to the point now that the unit is more than 120% full and that I need to replace the DPF (page 4-17 in my manual). Sigh...

Thanks again for the reply! I might hit you up later on with a few other questions, if you don't mind.

 

[countrybumpkin]

If the cel comes on due to no regen, then it should put the tractor in limp mode, and will not run over 1350 rpm, until the unit is reset. If the cel light is coming on then going off by its self it more than likely is a different issue.

 

[UpstateSC_Papi]

If the cel comes on due to no regen, then it should put the tractor in limp mode, and will not run over 1350 rpm, until the unit is reset. If the cel light is coming on then going off by its self it more than likely is a different issue.

Both times the CEL light came on it was running at higher rpms. The first time, the tractor almost shut off, but rev'd back up when I pressed the clutch in for a few seconds. The 2nd time it shut down (maybe 2 2 minutes after the 1st time), but then restarted and I put it up for the night. Was probably at 1000 or less rpms when I restarted it and drove it the 50 ft or so to park it. So by "until the unit is reset", do you mean I should just run a manual regen?

 

[countrybumpkin]

So after restarting the CEL was not on? If it had a regen issue that caused the light to have come on , then the light would not go back off until the dealer plugs the tractor into a computer to reset the light and read the trouble code.

 

[UpstateSC_Papi]

So after restarting the CEL was not on? If it had a regen issue that caused the light to have come on , then the light would not go back off until the dealer plugs the tractor into a computer to reset the light and read the trouble code.

The light never stayed on. It flashed both times. After depressing clutch the first time it stayed off for the 2-3 minutes mentioned earlier. When it came back on the 2nd time, it flashed, rpms dropped, tractor turned off. In the driving it 50 feet to put it up, it never came back on.

 

[UpstateSC_Papi]

If the cel comes on due to no regen, then it should put the tractor in limp mode, and will not run over 1350 rpm, until the unit is reset. If the cel light is coming on then going off by its self it more than likely is a different issue.

Sounds like you nailed it sir. Just spoke with a guy in my dealer's shop and he stated it is in limp mode. They will be out to pick it up and take it in to force a regen on the computer. He said he would try also to figure out why it didn't regen automatically as it should have done so.

 

[UpstateSC_Papi]

Quick update for any still snoozing through my post - lol

Dealer picked up tractor yesterday. Didn't hear from them this morning and we are still "small town, closes at Noon on Wednesdays" so I can't reach out to them until tomorrow. Unless, of course, I get home tonight and it is back in the yard. The mechanic did say he would call me to come up there to show me how to force a regen so unless that was forgotten, it is still at the dealer.

Rambling for the day... Done!

 

[DieselBound]

Appreciate the updates. If you could, ask the dealer if there is any harm in forcing a regen even if it may not need it. I don't know whether the regens are based on fixed time intervals or in comparing the sensors; if the later then I'd figure that it would go to regen and then quit because it would find it didn't need to regen.

Always pay attention to dash lights. I was running the tractor not too long after I first got it and I noticed a red light was on. Oh, crap! I immediately shut down the tractor: wasn't sure how long I may have been running it with that light on, but am pretty certain that I spotted it just after it had first come on. I looked in the operator's manual to see that it was the "Water in fuel" warning light. I drained the filter, getting, of course, a bunch of water: this has always puzzled me as I've not encountered any water in my bulk storage tank- nothing else has noted any such problems; it's like the tractor came with water in the tank! (or in the filter; and it finally had had enough) I started draining the fuel filter when I was filling the tank, but I no longer was seeing any water so I have backed off on this.

 

[Btown]

Generally regeneration is needed when when the DPF collects soot and it restricts the flow of exhaust gases. At a certain percent restriction a regen will be needed to burn the soot and restore exhaust flow.

 

[DieselBound]

Generally regeneration is needed when when the DPF collects soot and it restricts the flow of exhaust gases. At a certain percent restriction a regen will be needed to burn the soot and restore exhaust flow.

It's based on comparing two sensor readings. One sensor at the entrance and one at the exit of the DPF. Either flow or pressure, probably. At a predetermined difference the system triggers the regen. I'm just curious as to whether a forced regen skips any comparative analysis based on the sensors and just does a cycle.

 

[Haneyrm]

Quick update for any still snoozing through my post - lol

Dealer picked up tractor yesterday. Didn't hear from them this morning and we are still "small town, closes at Noon on Wednesdays" so I can't reach out to them until tomorrow. Unless, of course, I get home tonight and it is back in the yard. The mechanic did say he would call me to come up there to show me how to force a regen so unless that was forgotten, it is still at the dealer.

Rambling for the day... Done!

Wondering what the final verdict and outcome was? Thanks.