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Frequent Regen message

9K views 48 replies 19 participants last post by  isopurephoto 
#1 ·
Hi guys,

I've owned my 2015 Eco for a little over a year now driving the same way. Short drives over the week. Long drives over the weekend.

Same pattern as it has been for a year.

Leading to one year I get the regen message for the very first time. Prior to a year, I never saw it.

Then it keeps getting more frequent.

When I get the message that day I drive the highway until regen is complete.

Any issues or tips? Is something about to fail?

Thanks.


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#3 ·
how 'long' are the weekend drives? you may have been getting auto/unannounced regens that weren't fully cleaning the dpf but rather just reducing the % full ... but overtime those haven't been enough to really clear it out

if you haven't done a long road trip and would potentially have a reason to do one that may clear it out again - not sure if it'd need to be 100, 200, 500 miles or what distance though.
 
#4 ·
Ash (not unburnt hydrocarbons) can build up in the DPF over time leading to more frequent regens. That is often seen around 100,000 miles or later. Using the wrong oil can cause it sooner. Dealers have been known to use the wrong oil.

More likely is that you need a longer highway trip to clean it out completely.
 
#5 ·
The best thing for diesels is to run hot and long, or work them by pulling something.. If you are doing neither... You will see this at least occasionally.
 
#7 ·
Thanks guys for inputs.

My last long drive was only last Saturday which was a 220 mile (both ways) freeway drive for over 4 hours at max limit speed most of the time.

I thought this don't as good enough to burn everything in there. Then the message came up on Thursday after my usual city driving.

That's what baffled me.

Will report back if I get another message then something's up with one of the sensors or something is clogging something.

Had a recent oil change and the dealer used the latest recommended 5W-40. This was a relatively new dealer that switched from being a Nissan dealer to a FCA dealer.

The only thing I can remember was during my long distance trip when I filled up, the fuel overflowed a tiny bit and going into the catchment wherever that leads to. Maybe it causes a clog and needed to be burned off?


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#8 ·
A regen won't occur until the filter is over ~60% full, you could have been only 50% full on your highway driving, but then it filled up to 60% after that. The message shouldn't come up until you are over 80% full. I have a regen once every tank of diesel.

I would invest in an OBD adapter and monitor the dpf level before and after a regen. If it isn't clearing down to <10% then you may have a problem. And make sure the oil they are using is dpf friendly. 5w40 is the new oil spec for the ecodiesel.
 
#9 ·
Thanks for tip. I guess an OBD adapter is my next purchase.

Any good recommendations for a quality one?
 
#11 ·
Cool. Thanks! Will take a look at it.
 
#13 ·
Thanks. Will read up on both!


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#14 ·
I have also experienced more frequent regens. I had a regen a week ago this past monday while driving on the highway (about a 30 min trip). The rest of the week was mostly short city driving trips which is typical for me. Last Friday I left on a trip from Boston to PA, about 400 miles each way, and all highway. Returned Sunday. Drove a grand total on 6 miles city after returning and my car just went into regen mode. Any thoughts? Up till this point, i could go roughly two weeks of city driving with a weekend highway trip and maybe go 4 to 6 months without getting a regen mode message. All of a sudden i get two in a weeks time after driving 800 miles of highway driving.
 
#16 ·
Over the long weekend had a 200KM trip as well as another 100KM climbing up and down a mountain.

Today back at work I get the regen message going home so I drive on the highway until it completed.

I guess it doesn't matter how long or far I drove immediately prior if it's not time to regenerate? I was just hoping any long drive will help heat and clear soot regardless of timing.

Can anyone confirm?

Also I did finally get a ScanGauge II. I couldn't justify buying the more expensive Banks iDash when I will be using it sparingly. Shipment should arrive over the weekend. Wife doesn't know yet. Sshh. :)


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#17 ·
So update. I drove 2 miles city driving and of course the message didn't go away but figured i Would go on the highway after..After two hours of sitting I then started my car back up and the message wasnt there. I drove the 4 miles of city driving home and it never came back on. I was told by the Diesel tech at my dealership that you get 3 or 4 messages. That the messages are based off algorithms and not based in the filter being actually full. I continued to just drive city driving for two weeks of going back and forth to work and never got a regen message again.
 
#18 ·
I was told by the Diesel tech at my dealership that you get 3 or 4 messages. That the messages are based off algorithms and not based in the filter being actually full.
Change dealership. I wouldn't let this tech touch my ride with a 10ft pole. He obviously has no clue how this system works. I'm crossing my 50K and never got the EVIC message. Most of my drive is a mixed city-highway commute. I believe most forum members here share similar experience. I also regularly use Torque Pro to monitor the vehicle and can tell you that regen cycles are tightly related to DPF differential pressure.
 
#19 ·
My regen frequencies have skyrocketed lately. '14 Eco, 34,500 miles. Used to get a message once a year (maybe); have gotten 3 in the last month. No change in fuel stations, driving habits, and the last oil change was 4k miles ago so not related to that I wouldn't think (oil life shows 57% remaining). I keep thinking my MPG has dropped, but looking through my mileage logs...it hasn't, I'm just being paranoid. Have open recalls for DPF and the death-shifter; now that its acting up I'll have the DPF done and see if that helps.
 
#20 ·
One thing I have noticed is since I've switched to the ROTELLA I have noticed a few more regen messages. They always clear, but previously basically never seen them. Any correlation?
 
#21 ·
My last oil change was Rotella. Nothing different as far as messages. In fact I have never seen a message, 17,000 miles.

2015 model, majority of miles are highway, 65-70%.

Don't know if there is a difference between 2014 and 2015 models in the frequency of messages.
 
#22 ·
If most of the miles are highway then you won't see the regen message.

I was going to say as well since switching to the new oil I see the regen versus no regen at all.

I finally got a scan gauge II and it helped me understand how often and how near I am to getting the message and I can plan to drive further if u see it undergoing a regen.


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#23 ·
OK, got my Eco into service to get checked. As noted above, I'd gotten 3 regen in about 6 weeks; before, it had never been more than once a year.

No CEL. No gauges out of spec. No running issues other than frequent regen.

Diagnosis? Coolant leak in the EGR cooler. FCA says make it a VOR (Vehicle Off Road) - do not drive, parts are on the way. Looking in my garage tonight after the diagnosis, I saw what makes sense as a small coolant leak towards the front of the block / radiator area based on where I park it every night.

So.

If you're getting frequent regen messages...get it checked out. I never smelled coolant and until they told me, I'd never seen enough coolant on the ground in the garage to make me wonder.
 
#24 ·
Hmm. Good info to ponder on. Tnx.


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#25 · (Edited)
Racer,
Exactly what happened to me....no obvious coolant leak but an occasional "whiff" of anti-freeze and a sludgy overflow bottle were my symptoms. Took it to the dealer and they called me to tell me the diagnosis and said they could not release the vehicle back to me. So it was there until they got the parts (which were backordered!)

The good news was that I did an oil analysis after the EGR cooler replacement and there were no signs of anything bad in the oil. In fact, the UOA was pretty much perfect for an almost 40k engine.
 
#26 ·
Thats good to know. What is a EGR? I wonder if thats whats wrongs with mine. My vehicle was in on Aug 17 and they did a forced regents. since then i did hour long highway trips on the 19th and city driving all during the week on the 25th. On the 26th i did a 5 hour highway drive to upstate NY. Shortly after leaving on the 27th to come home on the highway my car went into regen mode and i was driving highway so i watched until it finished.....continued at highway speeds for the remaining of the trip (another 4 hours or so) back to boston. After arriving home the car sat in the driveway until the next morning (yesterday) when i drove to work (about 3 miles). Leaving work my car went into region AGAIN.
 
#27 ·
Hi isopurephoto,

The EGR is exhaust gas re-circulation. If you need any assistance working with the dealership, please let us know!

Kori
Jeep Social Care Specialist
 
#28 · (Edited)
Kori -
How do I prove that is what is causing my frequent regens? I popped my hood this morning after my car had been sitting over night and i had about a inch of coolant in my reserve. The only leakage under my vehicle that i can see is water from my AC. I called my dealership yesterday and my service rep talked to my diesel tech who works on my car and he is telling her that its doing what its supposed to do. I told her that when i bought the car brand new over three years ago that i would only see a regen/filter full - drive on highway speeds message, was only if i hadn't been on the high way in over 3 weeks. Which rarely happened. So i saw that message 2-3 times per year. I've never added my own DEF fluid. I always have the jeep dealer do it when its in for a oil change. She also said idling can cause the filter to clog up quicker. I told her that the car had just been in regen mode less then 24 hours ago at the start of a 5 hour drive from western New York back to Boston doing highway speeds of 70-75mph most of the way. I did hit stop and go traffic for 20 min my last hour but then i was back at highway speeds fort the remaining 40 mins. Then the next morning I drove the 2-3 miles to work, then as soon as i turned the car on to come home i get the message that my filter is almost full to go on the highway.
 
#30 ·
I'd be happy to escalate a case to our handling team if your vehicle is at the dealership for this. Without having the technical background that our factory trained technicians do, I wouldn't be able to give you proper advice. We do have corporate technical resources that can support the dealership as well. If you're interested in that, and have another appointment scheduled, please feel free to send me a private message at your convenience with the VIN and servicing dealership name.

Kori
Jeep Social Care Specialist
 
#33 ·
My coolant didn't seem low. I checked after the car had sat over night and i had a inch of coolant in the reserve tank. I didn't bother checking the actual radiator. Should I? Should my car have gone into or wanted to go into regen the day after just going into and completing a regen at the beginning of a 4-5 hour trip the day before?
 
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