Trouble seems to follow us...

[ddschuman]

This time it is vehicle problems. I am sure I am not the first but I must say, I absolutely HATE the new DEF exhaust systems they have on newer trucks these days. 2nd truck, same problem...only this year we were stranded in the mountains 100 miles to nearest dealership.

We left central Texas on Friday and headed to Santa Rosa, NM State park for one night. No issues that leg of trip. Got up Saturday morning and headed towards Colorado. Destination was to be Blue Spruce RV Park at Valecito. We got about 30 miles from Chama, NM and vehicle message came on stating "cleaning exhaust filter. Keep driving until message clears". No biggie, this is what it is supposed to do. Unfortunately the process would not complete (apparently filter is clogged or something) so power was severely reduced. When this occurs, we were going up hill. Engine power reduced us to 5mph and there was no shoulder to pull off the road. We managed, thank God, to make it to the top and safely pull off the road. At this point we have no cell phone service but we do have Onstar if needed. Turned truck off for a little bit to see if could reset. It worked! We moved on about 11 more miles and it happened again right at the bottom of another incline so we pulled over. Tried to get to reset but no such luck. We called Onstar who routed us to Chevrolet Roadside Assistance. They tell us they can tow truck but not trailer. I am not leaving trailer on side of road. I call Progressive Roadside Assistance who say they can tow trailer but not truck. Chevrolet calls back and says they will tow both for $1000 but will be towed only to dealership. It is Saturday evening and dealership will not be open until Monday. This would force us to stay in hotel for a couple of days.

Before letting either Chevrolet or Progressive dispatch anyone, a nice man stopped and asked us if we needed help. He advised that he could go get his big rig and pull us up Tia Hill and it was down hill from there all the way to Chama. We had already been on the side of the road for 2 hrs at this point and were open to any suggestions. I didn't really like the idea of being pulled up the hill but said I would agree to it if Chama had an open site for us. I called Sky Mountain RV Resort (we are scheduled to stay here a couple of days next week). They were so nice and said they had a summer seasonal guest that they would ask to come get the trailer and hopefully the truck would make it without the extra weight. Awesome! We made it and are here until at least Monday. The owner here said he personally knows a diesel mechanic in town that works on his truck and has worked on several guest trucks over the years. He said very trustworthy and reasonable and he should be able to fix truck and get us back on the road Monday....we hope anyway. Otherwise, we will need to be towed 100+ miles to be fixed at dealership which will really put a damper on our trip.

From reading the Duramax forum, this is a common problem. The exhaust system cleans filter automatically but occasionally it needs to be taken apart and thoroughly cleaned. Sure wish it would gave happened on flater ground like at home vs on vacation in the mountains pullin a fiver.

Oh well, I refuse to let it ruin my trip! We have beautiful views here, it is a nice park and everyone has been extremely helpful and friendly. We couldn't have had this trouble in a better place. We even had one guest offer to let us use his vehicle to sight see or go to town. Of course we refused the offer but it was certainly a nice gesture. We are on flat ground here and can make it into town and back if need be.

[Tango__AE7UI]

I am glad my '06 D/A does not have that exhaust "cleaning" system.
I will not buy another new because of this EPA******requirements.

[FlatBroke]

My 03 GMC doesn't even have a CAT. My only emission problem is paying the yearly $65 emission test!

[edatlanta]

I'm with you willutfid. My 2006 GMC LBZ engine is doing fine and I plan on keeping it until my son in law inherits it and I'm in no hurry for that to happen.

[willutfid]

We have a 2007 GMC Sierra Classic - manufactured in late 2006 - just before GM switched body styles and updated the Allison so it required
def,regenerations etc. Pulls our 41 foot 5th wheel with no problem at all. Am going to try to keep it forever.






















g

[ddschuman]

dezl_dr wrote:


All the talk of DEF won't cause your issue, those faults come on with plenty of warning before the reduced power and 5 MPH start happening
Sorry for you troubles, sounds like an easy fix.

Actually, we didn't have much warning before reduced power and 5mph occurred. The notice came on that it was cleaning exhaust filter and to keep driving...we did. We were heading up hill pulling trailer just moments later when reduced power message came on. The grade was fairly steep and power declined rather quickly because of it. We did not think we would make it to the top because it reduced us to 5mph. After finally topping the hill, speed increased and we were able to get to an area with shoulder where we could safely pull off the road. I believe the speed you can go depends a whole bunch on the situation (uphill, towing etc.). Without the trailer attached, we were able to drive 40mph up the next hill.

As far as DEF... I guess I was mistaken thinking they were all connected. Our prior truck had a problem with that system. DEF was added as required and a few days later the message read to add again. Tried to add but it was full. A couple of days later vehicle had to be towed because it lost all power. Message display read the same as this time "reduced engine power". That time though vehicle just stalled. It ended up being a computer malfunction and the entire module had to be replaced.

I sure hope you are right and it's an easy fix.

[Water-Bug]

rjxj wrote:

720Deere wrote:
Seems like a lot of people confuse DEF and DPF. DEF is the fluid that is used to reduce NOX. DPF is the diesel particulate filter in the exhaust system. Its purpose is to trap soot. While both are emissions equipment, they are separate systems.

I was confused as I read the thread. Is the op's 2012 dpf or def? I thought def started in 2013 but I'm new to diesels. I have a 2014 Ram

Dodge went to DEF in 2013. Ford and GM several years earlier. My 2012 Ram does a regen cycle but doesn't use DEF.

[rexlion]

My father owned several diesels, back in the '70s and '80s, but if he were alive today I doubt that he would touch a modern-emissions-system diesel with a ten foot pole. For years I've been sure I would one day buy a diesel myself, but now, no way!

[laknox]

Just one more reason that I'll "build" a no-later-than-early-2007 truck the next go-round. Total b.s.

Lyle

[dezl_dr]

It does sound like one of the EGT sensors, all models have them and all are prone to the same type failure.

The life of the DPF is at least 250,000 miles not 100K.

I carry a spare sensor as well, it's normally the one after the DPF or just before it.

All the talk of DEF won't cause your issue, those faults come on with plenty of warning before the reduced power and 5 MPH start happening.

Oh, don't power wash your DPF. They are cleaned by compressed DRY air and or baking them first. I think water will screw them up. Most ceramic material doesn't like to get wet after it's been exposed to high heat.

As for deleting the stuff, those days are about over, I can't wait until they are. I hate black smoking diesels, I don't like breathing that crap. A little puff is fine rolling coal isn't.

Sorry for you troubles, sounds like an easy fix.

[mileshuff]

is it friday yet? wrote:
I drove my truck hard on purpose and pulled our 33' 5th wheel often. It still didn't regenerate correctly. I deleted it around 65,000 miles when it acted up. Still running strong at 90,000 miles now.

I have a 2007.5 6.7L Ram. During the first 2 years it was in the shop more than on the road. Constantly sooted up turbo, egr, heater grid etc. After 3 turbos, numerous cleanings, TSB's, flash updates etc., it's now been several years and 50,000 miles (Now have 80,000) since I've had any problems. Unfortunately I cannot delete because of emission testing and inspection laws where I live but so far so good.

Also, the 1st year I drove 50/50 city/highway and light towing. The last several years have been 80% towing on highway.

[ddschuman]

Yes, truck is under warranty. Problem is the nearest dealer is over 100 miles away per Chevrolet roadside assistance. Not sure I trust it to drive that far. They will tow it but there is a diesel mechanic here that can do the same thing they can do at the dealership only it will be out of pocket. If the dealership was closer, we'd definitely be on a dealers doorstep first thing in the morning. However, due to our location and really wanting to get back on the road so we can enjoy the remaining of our limited vacation, we are going to first check with the diesel mechanic here in the morning. According to the owner of this campground, they work on all Diesel engines...everything from big rigs or buses to pickups and are very trustworthy. Everyone here has been super nice and helpful. We are hoping it us an easy and quick fix. I really don't think it us something major...just something that prevents us from pulling the trailer any further until checked out.

[is_it_friday_ye]

Truck still under warranty? I would check with the dealer if so. They can clean the DPF by basically power washing it. I would worry about getting stranded again, especially pulling a trailer.

[ddschuman]

Took the truck out for a drive today and the system cleared itself. It is now driving fine. Of course being so far from home, we are afraid to connect to trailer and pull up mountain passes to our destination without getting it checked out first. Hopefully we will have answers and repairs needed in the morning. Yes, I am speaking of the exhaust system and not the fluid.

[TS21sso]

DutchmenSport wrote:
Thanks for the information. My new truck has a little over 3000 miles on it. I've had to add DEF. Took it to a GM dealer (we were on vacation towing the trailer too). They were nice, got us filled up again. They said when we purchased the truck, the DEF was probably not full, it should go much longer between fill-ups than that.

Anyway, I now carry 2 gallons of DEF all the time. No problem for space with that shell I have on the truck. I have free oil changes and servicing on the truck for a long time. So hopefully, the GM guys will know when and how to service the DEF and the filters and everything on regular intervals. I most definitely will ask them about this the first time I take it in for an oil change. Got the truck in April this year, and really use it only to tow my camper and my utility trailer. So everything about this truck is still new to me. I'll take any tips and warnings anyone can throw at me.

Thanks for the tip!

Good idea to either keep DEF on hand or carry with you. sdetweil mentioned shelf life of DEF. My garage will get near 100 degrees in summer.
To keep fresh, I usually add DEF about every 3000 -4000 miles. That way tank never gets near empty and DEF stays fresh.

[azrving]

720Deere wrote:
Seems like a lot of people confuse DEF and DPF. DEF is the fluid that is used to reduce NOX. DPF is the diesel particulate filter in the exhaust system. Its purpose is to trap soot. While both are emissions equipment, they are separate systems.

I was confused as I read the thread. Is the op's 2012 dpf or def? I thought def started in 2013 but I'm new to diesels. I have a 2014 Ram