I know some have wondered how to tell when a regeneration is occurring, and some have set up to be able to see the DPF percentage.

Anyway, a quick easy indicator of a regen cycle in progress is by way of the fuel economy readout.
In the pics below, you can see the blue bar in the center of the fuel economy readout shows the "instant" average economy, the number on the right shows the overall average for all the miles since the meter was reset.
Both pics were taken during similar driving, going down a slight downgrade, a situation where the engine is de-fueling.
But, where you can tell that there is a regen in progress is the one where the "instant" average depicted by the blue bar in the center is down near the 10 MPG line, compared to the other pic where the blue bar is up near the 30 MPG line after the regen process has finished.

During the regen miles depicted in the pics, the regen started about the 1015 mile mark, and finished at the 1032 mile mark, which is actually a fairly short number of miles for a completed regen.

So, when you see that low instant average MPG stay like that for an extended amount of miles, that is the regeneration in progress.

These pics are from the second regen I observed in my truck as I drove it the past few days, before picking up a 5th wheel trailer, after which no obvious active regen processes were observed, this due to the fact that the loaded truck was able to use "passive" regeneration to accomplish the needed regeneration.

Active regeneration pic


After regen completion



And, just for fun, it is really cool to see the very high "miles to empty" achievable with the 48 gallon fuel tank in these trucks!

 

I wished my 2019 F350 XLT showed you WHEN it was IN a regen

im not into all the aftermarket gadgets.

I simply want a light LIT the entire time it’s in a regen, so I don’t cut engine off during this time.

 

Why? Are you under the impression you must regen the DPF down to zero every time it's in regeneration?

 

The above example shows you when it's doing a regen cycle.
But, yes, it really doesn't matter if you shut the truck off during a cycle, it will start over again once it is back up and going down the road.

 

Actually it won’t regen until it needs to again.

Still the easiest way to tell without any OBD gadgets is to enable the DPF % screen and monitor it.

 

It will restart if you shut the truck off in the middle of a cycle.
And, my way of telling when the regen is occurring is easier than messing with enabling any monitor, because you have to have the equipment/software to do that.

 

Did they change something for the "22's ? I have a CTS2 monitor and I know mine definitely does not restart the regen cycle if it gets stopped in the middle somewhere . It will continue till fill back up to 100% and then start a new regen cycle . Just curios as I wish mine would complete the regen cycle on restarting the truck .

 

That may be true of the new trucks, but not in my 19. The regen will not restart if the truck has been shut off until it reaches 100% again. Extended stops at stop lights can be enough to interrupt it. The dealership can also enable the DPF% screen if someone does not want to do it themselves. Sometimes free of charge. Watching the instant MPG screen has been a known indicator and is good tip, but it does not give you an idea of when a regen will begin, or end, like the DPF% screen can.

 

Just when you think you're getting a good understanding of the regeneration function, it does something you don't expect. I too thought it would resume regeneration if you shut it off in progress. I first also assumed it would just quit and begin climbing back to 99-percent. Both of those assumption were observably wrong. My observation is there is a threshold based upon some parameters where it will resume a regen after a shut down. For example; I had just started a regen. It got down to 60-percent and I had to park for a couple hours. I expected that the regen was done. When I got back on the highway and everything was back up to temperature, the regen restarted. I wasn't expecting that. I have done the same thing, but with a regen getting down to around 30-percent and it will not go back into regen and starts climbing again. So, it appears there is, again, a threshold where it will or won't resume a regeneration. I have also observed that when you are in a regen and it gets down to around 30-percent and you come to a traffic stop or just crawling traffic, the regen will stop and start climbing back up. It has happened this way more than once, so there is a pattern of sorts here. I think below 60-percent, it just starts filling up again and 30-percent, it calls it a wrap if you aren't running the engine at higher RPM. Maybe it's an efficiency issue. I don't know. There might be year-to-year differences too.

I was operating under the notion that a regen down to zero was successful regen. But I have since evolved from that position to understand that a successful regen is where it does a regen without regard to the percentage. In that regard, I am a big believer in the philosophy of Bobby Mcferrin: Don't worry, be happy. Don't make owning the truck difficult. Just drive it and enjoy it.

 

Interesting, I think you might be on to something there. I have not interrupted one at various stages of regen, my experience of it not restarting after shut off, or not continuing after stop and go driving, was based on a lower percentage. Around 35%.

 

Well smart guy how does your method work when towing or when it is in passive regen 🤪? Enabling it is not daunting. If it scares you have your dealer enable it. It shows on the maintenance screen.

I’ve only had it continue a regen once after stopping and it was a 5 min stop. It won’t continue unless certain conditions are met. If you park and the truck cools it won’t go immediately back in regen as soon as you start driving. When new, my truck would regen when the DPF got to 75%. If I shut down before it finished it wouldn’t regen again until it hit 95%. Once it was able to go to 0% it would regen at 75%. Now my regens are either passive from towing or mileage related - many are before the DPF is at 75%. I have been tracking mine and these are the averages over the last 6 months and 13k miles. Just to clarify I am referring to 2020+ trucks.




Also my active regens are usually done in 10-15 miles.

 

The best thing to do is cover all that chit up, just drive and enjoy your truck! All that crap does is create un-necessary worry!

 

This is how I have my OBD Link set up. The Regen reading goes to 1 when in regen

 

nope. I don’t like cutting the engine off with all that heat and / or extra fuel in the cylinders to bleed down into the crankcase.