Forum Discussion

demiles's avatar
demiles
Explorer
Jan 10, 2017

Diesel Regen Smells

So how many of you catch a whiff of diesel/ regen at times in the cab? Is this just a issue with newer emissions trucks? The Titan XD is known to have the smell problem but riding in my BIL's 2016 Duramax over the weekend and I could smell it. It was not strong or constant but it was there occasionally. My BIL said he didn't smell anything.
  • The air exiting the tailpipe is cleaner than the air going into the engine as well.
  • not with the windows up. I can smell it when I get out, or at a light with the windows down. but the smell is pretty mild, more like the smell of something hot (what a suprise!) But when it is doing a regen in town, If I give it a good dose of throttle you do see it blow some white "smoke" out the back. Getting rid of all that carbon.
  • I can't say I ever smell the regen burning the soot, but once in a great while I'll smell the ammonia from the def.
  • N-Trouble wrote:
    You shouldn't really smell it in the cab while driving unless there is an exhaust leak. Leaking downpipes have been known to cause this on Duramax trucks. The exhaust gases get sucked into the AC vents


    No, but everyone behind you can sure smell it. Don't worry though, that's the smell of CLEAN. Good luck.

    Gman
  • My 08 Duramax will gag you in the summer if the wind blows it back towards the cab while stopped. When I first got the truck I was not familiar how hot the exhaust gets while in regen. I was idling in my parking lot at work one day, looked in my side view mirror and saw smoke. The exhaust tip was in a bush and burned the heck out of it. Now I make sure that the truck is nowhere near dry grass or bushes when in regen.
  • You shouldn't really smell it in the cab while driving unless there is an exhaust leak. Leaking downpipes have been known to cause this on Duramax trucks. The exhaust gases get sucked into the AC vents
  • I don't smell anything in the cab of the truck. The only way I know it has gone through a regen is the burning smell that I sometimes smell after getting out of the truck, just from the DPF getting much hotter than normal. And it doesn't regen often.
  • I might get a whiff of diesel 3-4 times a year in my 12 2500 CTD. Only lasts a few seconds.
  • My '08 Cummins 6.7L STANK when it was in regen. Which was a lot. And in the summer I sometimes worried about starting grass fires.
  • demiles wrote:
    So how many of you catch a whiff of diesel/ regen at times in the cab? Is this just a issue with newer emissions trucks? The Titan XD is known to have the smell problem but riding in my BIL's 2016 Duramax over the weekend and I could smell it. It was not strong or constant but it was there occasionally. My BIL said he didn't smell anything.


    I could always notice a regen by smell before I noticed the change in engine tone or seeing it on the EVIC.