I have seen two regens now while towing. The DPF soot load percentage was below 40% both times but I'd hit something around 500 miles since the last regen. So on my (2019) truck at least I'm getting regens based on the 500 mile mark that are not "required" based on DPF load.

 

I've noticed while towing on the interstate the DPF% screen is not a very accurate representation of when the truck will go into a regen or how loaded the filter actually is. It will regen at Exhaust Filter Full everytime, however it will complete a regen and display many different percentages. I've seen anything from 15% to 40% after a completed regen. While towing and the EGT's are high enough it will passively clean the soot from the filter which seems to throw off the % screen from what I have noticed.

My theory is, the last regen your truck completed dropped the soot to it's clean state and the % screen displayed 25%. The higher EGT's after this regen kept the filter clean enough not to bump the % screen to 30% which you would have noticed. After 500 miles it went into an active regen. You "could" have missed the quick notification at this time. Since the filter was relatively clean prior to the regen, it did not last long and didn't drop the % screen any as a result. An active regen with a clean filter and high EGT's wouldn't require much extra fuel to heat the exhaust to regen temps and the fuel mileage might not be affected enough to be noticable.

Only way to know for sure is to make another long towing trip and monitor the PID that indicates the truck is in an active regen.

 

Fefanatic, Not sure what your truck is doing, but still think it is actively regen'ing even though your %DPF screen didn't change or apprear to change. nor did you get a warning. Yours must be one out of them all.

2014,2105 and 2016 Ford Workshop DVD in the PCED section states the following for all three model years.

• Regeneration Concerns:

Note: Regeneration is interrupted if the transmission is shifted into PARK or NEUTRAL position. If a regeneration event did not complete because the vehicle was shifted into the PARK or NEUTRAL position, regeneration may continue in a subsequent drive cycle. When the distance traveled between completed regenerations is greater than 1073 km (667 mi), during each subsequent drive cycle, the PCM continues to initiate the regeneration until the regeneration event completes. After the regeneration event is completed the filter is sufficiently cleaned and continues to trap the particulate matter. An internally damaged particulate filter may result in a greater than normal distance traveled value since the last completed regeneration.Carry out the following preliminary checks:

• Confirm the biodiesel fuel percentage, the maximum approved biodiesel percentage is 20%
• Confirm customer regeneration interval complaint.
  • Normal distance traveled between completed regeneration events is 160-965 km (100-600 miles). Fully completed regeneration events may be indicated by the Exhaust Filter Drive Complete message.
  • The vehicle enters a regeneration event when the particulate filter soot or ash loading is above a predetermined threshold that indicates cleaning is required. The engine coolant temperature must be greater than 70°C (158°F) and the vehicle speed must be greater than 7 km/h (4 mph).

Many monitors, such as the Edge CTS/CTS2 or TorquePro or FORScan, have the ability to monitor this PID

 

I can honestly say I have missed a few of the Cleaning Exhaust Filter notifications on my dash because I have the luxury of seeing the regen status on my mounted tablet. I have the TorquePro on my tablet set to flash DPF percentages when they get to 95% and higher, and then the regen indicator goes green when the regen starts. Many times I've seen the regen indicator go green, and then a couple minutes later the cleaning exhaust filter message pops up on my dash. Makes me chuckle each time I see that because TorquePro indicates it so much earlier than the on board system.

Some times the DPF% flashes for quite a while before the regen starts (depends on exhaust temps), and I stop watching it especially in busy traffic. Then some time later I'll notice the green regen indicator, but I never noticed the cleaning exhaust filter notification on the dash. So it's not at all impossible to miss these dash notifications.

Fefanatic, if you are not satisfied with what people have shared on here about the forced 500 mile regen threshold, why haven't you called the service department at your dealership yet? Call your Service Writer, and tell him your question and that you want to talk with the 6.7L diesel tech or even the Service Manager. I've done that when I had repeat reductant error codes, and they were happy to connect me just like they should be receptive to a you requesting help.

 

I took your advice and called my local dealer. Service manager and diesel tech were in agreement. They don't know of any program where a regen is forced if it doesn't need it. They are not familiar with a 500 mile regen whether it needs it or not. The asked how I was monitoring in a '15 and I had to tell them about Forscan and they were familiar with it.

So, as I was asked by them. Why would you think the system would do a regen when it isn't necessary? I can't answer that. As explained a regen creates a lot of head and puts stress on parts so Ford wouldn't want to put stress on parts if it's not necessary. It was also explained that the 500 mile interval is Fords explanation of a normal regen cycle and not necessarily typical if I were on a trip. They thought like I did. I kept the temps up during my trip and kept the filter relatively clean so a regen wouldn't have been necessary.

FWIW, I really don't care anymore. If my truck didn't do any regens like I observed and there was no harm then I am fine with it. If it still doesn't do any regens during heavy towing and it blows up then I will bring it back to Ford and have them fix it right. It's no big deal to me. I started this post as an observation and did not want to see a pissing contest or get any feelings hurt. If you believe a automatic regen happens every 500 miles then you can keep believing. I just have not seen any documentation that states a regen will occur when it is not necessary. I'm going to leave it at that.

 

From page 201 of version 3 of the 2017 Owner's Manual:

I realize that it's not an explicit statement that, "An explicit regeneration will always occur whenever the DPF % exceeds 100% or the miles since last regen exceed 500." But user experience on the forum seems to agree with that statement.

 

I agree and until someone can post an image of their "Distance Since Last Regen Completed PID" with a number greater than 500 miles, there is no proof that Ford does not initiate an active regen within 500 miles.

 

 

Just did another trip pulling my enclosed trailer with my Mustang in it. Round trip was a little over 3,000 miles to Jefferson City, MO, and for the entire trip my soot % stayed below 20%. In fact most of the time I was seeing it at single digits. Regardless, the truck's regen system forced a regen just before I got to 500 miles since the last regen (DSLR) every single time. It would run the exhaust temps up like usual, and the soot % would go negative. Clearly no doubt the 500 mile limit is in place because my exhaust certainly didn't need a regen with single digit soot percentages.

 

This is the reason not to have to monitor the truck like this. The system in my 15 works just fine truck is solid. never had a check engine light. I tow with it all the time. Gong on a 750 mile trip next week I never give any of this stuff any thought at all. These trucks are not like the trucks of the past where you worried every morning what is going to leave you on the side of the road.

 

It went into active regen at 95% But Ford theory would suggest passive regens should have been happening.

 

Sorry friend but fuel dilution does happen. My 6.4 "made " oil and so does the 6.7. You can go to the EPA paper on " impact ot DPF technology on diesel engines" for some light reading on the subject. I forget exactly when that was written but it was way before this technology was shoved up the backside of diesel owners. The 6,4 was a lot worse than the 6.7. In fact I installed a fumoto valve on that truck and lowered the oil level every 1000 miles or so, I have the valve installed on the 6.7 but haven't started draining yet. Final line in the EPA report above was that the impact was minimum and the engine showed no unusual wear even at a full life of 100,000 miles. That was written when we were routinely getting 3 to 400,000 miles from a 7.3L.

 

I just came back from a trip to Colorado. I hauled my 7500 lb John Deere skid steer, bucket, pallet fork and posthole digger on a 21' gooseneck. 14k lbs or so.....
I drove at 70 mph. I monitor with the Edge Insight. DPF Load went to 0% and stayed there the entire trip. A regen started at 625 miles. Driving around Colorado unloaded I had another regen at 240 miles. When it started I reset Trip B. Right after that I left for Texas bring back a 620 John Deere tractor and Polaris General. I am at 630 miles and haven't had a regen yet.
I had a '15 SD and towed fairly heavy with it. I don't remember if DPF Lload got to and stayed a 0% but that truck would have a regen at 500-525 miles whether it needed it or not.

The only reason I can think of for the '16 going farther between regens is because of the heavy loads I was hauling.

BTW on Raton Pass, I locked out 5th and 6th gear, and used the exhaust brake and tow/haul. Engine braking worked well. I saw 3500 rpm or higher. Ambient temp in New Mexico was 102-104. Engine Coolant temp stayed around 210. Around 212 the fan would kick on and it sounded like a jet engine taking off. By locking out 6th or 5th if necessary I could get ECT to decrease.

Fuel mileage was disappointing. 8.8 mpg going with a head wind and 9.5 returning with some tail wind. Carrying that much load I would have to put to the floor to "make it go" and it didn't have much left...

 

They are onto something here, When heavy towing I can go 2K miles before a regen. Filter % stays a zero.

 

I have to wonder if what Fefanatic and Senix and seeing was changed for 2017+.

In software we would call the regen process a "Black Box". We can't crack it open to see how it works. All we can do is observe the inputs and outputs and try to come up with rules that explain what it does.