DPF Cleaning

I recently inspected an excavator with a DPF and DEF system. The machine is Tier 4 Final. I inquired about when the DPF had been cleaned last as I didn't know how to find that information in the monitor panel. The owners stated it hadn't been cleaned and nothing indicated that it needed to be cleaned. The machine has just over 5,000 hours on the clock and my question is are the cleaning requirements different now that the diesel exhaust fluid is being used? All the Tier 4 Interim machines had to be cleaned at 4,000 to 5,000 hours of operation.

Thanks for any info.

Cat machine..? If yes some sort of info/recommendations should be available on SIS.

I don't have access to SIS any more. I'd be real appreciative to anything that is in there on the subject. The machine I looked at wasn't a Cat but it is something I need to know for future use.

John C. said:

I don't have access to SIS any more. I'd be real appreciative to anything that is in there on the subject. The machine I looked at wasn't a Cat but it is something I need to know for future use.

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Not an excavator but a tier 4 final cat d8t service warning pops up on monitor at 5k.

our 336e and 349e both had the warning telling you to clean the dpf at 5000 hr. I took it in to be cleaned and they said it was good and did not need cleaned. If you have cat et if they put it in there it will tell you when it was cleaned.

Depends....and it always seems to be a moving target and no straight forward answer.
Right now the way I understand it is off hi-way under about 250 hp it’s lifetime. Example Cat T4F 538, 548 and 558 don’t need a DPF replaced. Now a 450 hp Cat 980M T4F does. Look at the emissions module. If it’s a clean looking sealed package it’s most likely for the life. If you see a round DPF with straps on either side odds are every 5000 hrs it needs cleaning.

that is for a 336f t4 final out of sis

Has anyone seen anything on Hitachi/Deere, Komatsu or Volvo?

In Volvo, you have to use tech tool to see when the last DPF was reset, in Komatsu it's under the service schedule, as you said in the 4500 hour slot. Don't know about the others . It'll say KDPF cleaning or replacement.

Thanks, I've found the Komatsu DPF screen in their program today. It basically uses a count down from 5,000 when it was last reset. I didn't know about the Volvo and needing a tool. Does anyone have anything on the Hitachi / Deere?

Deere (excavators with a Deere engine, iT4 and FT4) does not have an interval. It's lifetime or as needed. If it has the Isuzu iT4 engine, it's 4500 hrs, FT4 Isuzu is lifetime or as needed.

So the Deere and Isuzu Final Tier 4 engines would be lifetime or as needed. Is there somewhere in the software that you could look up if it was needed or not or at least give you the percentage of load? Does anyone know if any other manufacturer's engines has the same for Final Tier 4.

John C. said:

Is there somewhere in the software that you could look up if it was needed or not or at least give you the percentage of load?

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The only way I know to check for soot loading is with the diagnostic software, not in the diagnostics of the monitor.

Deere engines using Service Advisor has 3 parameters for determining soot loading and 2 of them can give you an indication of how plugged the DPF would be. One is called "Time Based Soot Load" which as the title states is the calculated amount of soot based on how long the engine has run and another is called "Fuel Based Soot Load" which as this title states is a calculated amount of soot based on the amount of fuel burned. Both of which are measured in g/L. While there is no published spec for when a DPF is considered clogged, I believe the number I'll pull out my hat from memory somewhere is 15 g/L reading would be a plugged DPF. The calculations mentioned above can also be influenced by engine temperature, ambient air temp, engine load, engine speed so there is a lot of factors involved in those calculations. The 3rd reading is "DPF Soot Load - Differential Pressure Based" which indicates the actual current soot loading of the DPF based of the DPF Differential Pressure sensor readings. The logic in the software uses all 3 to determine when a regen is needed.

The Isuzu engine powered excavators you need MPDr version 2.30.0.0 or higher which has a reading titled “Estimated Operation Time to Ash Maintenance”. This is the estimated remaining life of the CSF (Catalyzed Soot Filter). MPDr also has a test in there software that can test the CSF for a plugging condition which is called the "No Load Max Test" that measures Differential pressure at a specified temperature and exhaust flow.

So then there is nothing to tell an owner or operator when the "ash" has to be cleaned out of the filter?

No. If every works properly 5,000, 10,000 etc is safe to assume.
If he owns he should have a record when it was done and if they buy it used maybe pay for an inspection and download so you don’t get surprised with a DPF needing ash service.

Thank you all for the info. I've got a direction to go now.

SkylarDuty said:

The cleaning requirements for Tier 4 Final machines are different from Tier 4 Interim machines. With the addition of diesel exhaust fluid, the DPF tends to stay cleaner for a longer period of time. Generally, the cleaning interval for Tier 4 Final machines is around 8,000 to 10,000 hours of operation.

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Def is injected after the dpf, it in no way helps the dpf stay cleaner longer ,better engine technology would be about the only thing that would help that

Again. In effort to control NOx output, engines had reduced compression and added cooled EGR. The downside to this thought process was higher particulate matter produced. With the introduction of SCR, DEF targeted NOx exclusively. NOW, engine manufacturers could bring compression and boost back and essentially make all the NOx in the world. With higher compression, combustion is more efficient, therefore less particulate matter, less PM means less demand for regeneration. That's why your intervals have changed.

We got an older cat with just the DPF, when she lights up to do a burn the exhaust will get hot enough to turn a frozen labourer into a burn victim.

Somehow hotter then fire

JasonAnderson said:

MOD edit

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Are you a real person or an AI bot? Somehow we get a lot of posts on here that end with, consult the mfr. Well we all know how to read the manuals, we come here to get what the manuals don't tell you.