Popular Posts Ten questions before adding battery electric trucks to your fleet THWART SUPPLY CHAIN ISSUES WITH EXTENDED DRAIN INTERVALS  Battery maintenance to combat the changing temperatures 6 Tips To Improve Work Truck Ergonomics and Tech Comfort   These truck tire checks should be routine Connect with us advertise with us

Ten questions before adding battery electric trucks to your fleet

THWART SUPPLY CHAIN ISSUES WITH EXTENDED DRAIN INTERVALS 

Battery maintenance to combat the changing temperatures

6 Tips To Improve Work Truck Ergonomics and Tech Comfort  

These truck tire checks should be routine

Popular Posts Ten questions before adding battery electric trucks to your fleet THWART SUPPLY CHAIN ISSUES WITH EXTENDED DRAIN INTERVALS  Battery maintenance to combat the changing temperatures 6 Tips To Improve Work Truck Ergonomics and Tech Comfort   These truck tire checks should be routine Connect with us advertise with us

Ten questions before adding battery electric trucks to your fleet

THWART SUPPLY CHAIN ISSUES WITH EXTENDED DRAIN INTERVALS 

Battery maintenance to combat the changing temperatures

6 Tips To Improve Work Truck Ergonomics and Tech Comfort  

These truck tire checks should be routine

Sponsored By D-A Lubricant Company, Inc.

Coolants: What You Need to Know to Prevent Downtime

Sponsored By D-A Lubricant Company, Inc.

Did you know coolant is just as important as your engine oil when it comes to your fleet? Coolant needs to be monitored and tested because mechanical and/or chemical reactions can take place hindering the performance of the coolant. Coolant can break down and become less effective over time. Not monitoring the coolant could result in corrosion and/or sludge, which can impact proper function of the cooling system. If the cooling system becomes damaged, you risk the possibility of the engine overheating causing downtime for your business.

Want to learn more about coolants? Attend this webinar to learn about:

Speakers Emily Featherston, Product Application Supervisor, POLARIS Laboratories Joe Heitker, Senior Director of Strategic Sales, KOST USA, Inc. Jason Morgan, Editor, Fleet Equipment

Sponsored By D-A Lubricant Company, Inc.

Fleet Equipment covers all the latest industry news and in-depth features related to trucks, tractors and trailers, including detailed information on the latest equipment components. Fleet Equipment tracks industry equipment trends, focusing on the issues that help fleets run the most efficient and productive trucks on the road. Fleet Equipment’s detailed editorial focused squarely on the equipment makes it an excellent resource for every fleet. The experienced editorial staff provides insights and solutions based on their many years in the trucking industry. Access to digital editions, contests, news, and more are ready for you today!

Fleet Equipment covers all the latest industry news and in-depth features related to trucks, tractors and trailers, including detailed information on the latest equipment components. Fleet Equipment tracks industry equipment trends, focusing on the issues that help fleets run the most efficient and productive trucks on the road. Fleet Equipment’s detailed editorial focused squarely on the equipment makes it an excellent resource for every fleet. The experienced editorial staff provides insights and solutions based on their many years in the trucking industry. Access to digital editions, contests, news, and more are ready for you today!

ByFleet Equipment Staff on May 24, 2017

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Proper preventive maintenance of the Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) plays a key role in keeping commercial vehicles up and running. Fleet managers now schedule DPF cleaning as part of regular maintenance. The result is less downtime and fewer unexpected DPF service surprises.

The aftertreatment system measures exhaust backpressure and temperatures to calculate the levels of soot and ash on the surface of the DPF. Figure 1 (above) shows a typical DPF and the various electrical components that are attached to its housing (as seen in TruckSeries, Mitchell 1’s truck repair information software).

If the DPF system determines it is time for cleaning, it has two strategies: passive and active regeneration. The former is carried out while the vehicle is in operation (without the driver’s knowledge), and the latter is indicated by a light on the dash and requires the truck driver to park the truck and manually switch the regeneration on… and then wait.

Both strategies inject diesel fuel into the inlet of the DPF while using heat generated by the engine exhaust to burn off the soot. The DPF cannot perform as required if the upstream engine systems are not in perfect working order.

Issues like faulty injectors, internal engine oil leaks or internal coolant leaks can cause severe damage to the DPF that requires replacement of the filter. These faults can also be masked by the DPF and may remain undetected until the DPF fails.

To identify upstream faults, it’s important to remove the DPF for inspection and check exhaust opacity in front of the DPF. Also, external damage to the DPF housing or any of the components may compromise the filter’s structural integrity.

So why, under normal conditions, would the DPF need to be serviced by a technician? While the above mentioned strategies remove the soot from the DPF, the trapped metal oxide ash deposits on the DPF filter need to be physically removed. These ash deposits have been identified as hazardous materials, and due to EPA regulations the service is done in a controlled environment with special machinery designed to clean and capture the remaining deposits.

It is important to note that the use of a pressure washer or compressed air to clean the DPF will cause damage to the filter and should be avoided. The technician should always refer to the DPF supplier’s service recommendation and follow local state and federal regulations when servicing or replacing the DPF. A typical DPF maintenance interval is shown in here:

To get the most out of the DPF system, follow the truck manufacturer maintenance schedules and make sure the DPF system is functioning without any problems. Driver awareness can play a key role in predicting life expectancy of the DPF. Frequent active regeneration events indicate the DPF system is working extra hard to remove the deposits.

Overall, the DPF’s design has improved dramatically after several years of real-world testing. They are lighter, more durable, efficient and reliable—all of which should contribute to making the truck run more efficiently when properly maintained.

This article was contributed by David Price, technical editor for Mitchell 1’s commercial vehicle group.

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