So, I'm driving home last night from dad's house. It's a 45 mile trip but I've got 38 MTE (miles to empty)... and I towed a trailer over there, so I know the DTE is a bit off. I'm pretty sure I can make it home. I really want to fill up at my chosen local station... I know their fuel is good and I like to support local businesses.

Of course, I'm driving it very easy, going about 62, and maxing out the MPG (I was getting 22, according to the LOM!!). I'm keeping my eye on the fuel gauge and the DTE, to be sure I'm safely in range of my favorite diesel station.

25 miles from home, 20 MTE. cutting it close.
15 miles from home, 11 MTE. getting better!
5 miles from home, 3 MTE. I'm gonna make it!!
3 miles from home, 2 MTE - "Cleaning Exhaust Filter". RATS!

I know there is a buffer in the tank that exists below "empty", but it's there to protect the injectors. I also know that a regen means a fuel dump into the exhaust pipe. I coasted into my chosen station, but it was as close to the danger zone as I've ever flown! By the time I got there, it was 0 MTE, and I put 24.5 gallons into my 26 gallon tank. Whew! Living on the edge

 

Yikes! That's cutting it close buddy. One of the two regens I've noticed in 6000 miles was when I got up on I-90 heading to Rapid City, SD taking my 5er to the dealer for some warranty work. I always reset my LOM when I go over the overpass. As soon as I reset the mpg, it decided to regen. My next 7 miles was like 5 mpg. Once the regen was complete, I again reset the LOM. I wound up round tripping 300 miles at 75 mph dragging about 13k empty at 8.8 mpg. I should slow down a little to help the mpg's out. But I can't. It just cruises so easy at that speed. That's my goal tho this summer while towing is to slow down to 65 mph. Afterall, I think that's all the 5er's tires are rated for.

 

Need to fill between 1/2 and 1/4 tank. I always worry when I get below 1/4 and coincidentally I can't find a station especially with a trailer.

 

I prefer to fill up at about 1/4 or 1/8, depending on the trip. I'll push it below 1/8 if it means I can only make one stop in between destinations. keep in mind that there is a "buffer" in the tank, so there's not an actual *need* to refill at 1/4.

 

I just filled up with 19 MTE on the display. The truck took 22 gallons and the trip gauge said that I had used 21.5 gallons. On the last six tankfuls the trip gauge has been within a gallon or so but I've had 3 tankfuls with over a 2 gallon difference, always reading less than what I put back into the tank. That said, I would put the most trust in the trip gauge when deciding if I can make it to that next station but don't think I would push it past 23 gallons used.

Take a look at the link in my sig to see the exact numbers.

 

I ran out of fuel the other day with the fiver in tow......200 yards from the pump. It took three tries to get it started, but no trouble. 26.1gals to fill it. Wont do that again. I wanted chevron.....

 

Even after cycling the key for 30 seconds 6 or 7 times before starting?

 

I usually cut it pretty close, less than 20 miles to E most of the time. But I know my fuel stops. Depending on which direction I go, from my house w/trailer:

I-20 W, Anniston, AL
I-75 N, Dalton, GA
I-95 S, Brunswick, GA
I-40 W, Knoxville, TN

These are always my first stops for a travel day. Second stops are consistent too but I won't bore you all. I always go to the same stations, kinda funny really.

 

I'm new to diesels. Getting my 20116.7 F-350 in a week or so. What is REGEN and what happens when it occurs?
Thanks

 

Every since I changed the DTE caluclation to towing, the calculations of mileage and distance to empy on the display seem to be within .5 mpg and .5 gallons on fill up. Much happier with these results and now have a lot more trust in the infamous LOM!

jammer

 

Regen is short for regeneration of the DPF (diesel particulate filter).
There are a number of topics in this 6.7L section related to this process.

There are two modes; active and passive.
Passive is where EGT's are hot enough while driving (such as pulling a heavy trailer) where it can burn off soot particles due to the heat already generated.
Active regeneration is where EGT's are not hot enough so the left bank of cylinders inject extra fuel into the exhaust stroke to increase the EGT's.

For the most part, this is nothing you need to worry about.
If you do a lot of city driving, you'll probably notice more regen's and if you don't let them complete, you'll eventually see a message about "drive to clean exhaust."
I've never seen that message but I think that's what it says.
In other words, the truck will tell you what it needs.

It's best to take it for a drive on an open road if you do get the drive to clean message.

See if this post helps at all:
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/9...ml#post9188025

 

Regen happens when the DPF (diesel particulate filter) has collected soot from the exhaust and is measuring backpressure to the computer. When the computer commands a cleaning (REGEN) cycle, the left bank of cylinders will receive an extra fuel injection during the exhaust stroke. This raw fuel is burned in the DPF rasing the temperature to a point where the soot is burned off, thereby cleaning the filter. This can happen both passively (like when towing and EGT's are very high) or actively when the computer detects the backpressure and commands a cleaning cycle. Passive is better as no extra fuel is used.

I see about 1 active regen per tank of fuel. Only see more if a regen begins right before I shut down. The next cycle will be within a couple hundred miles. I think a full cycle takes about 20 minutes or 20 miles.

jammer