Okay, background, so I recently purchased a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit with the ECO Diesel 3.0L. Nice rig, but, most of what it knows, I don't ... LOL ... I suspect the Tri is the same way.
Anyway, on my way home from bowling yesterday, I got a message on the dash, "The exhaust filter is approaching full, keep driving normally". I had no clue what that meant, but, it seemed I should keep driving. No lights, no alarms, etc. So I did, got home with no issues.
To be honest, I kind of forgot about it. This rig tells me stuff all the time like "normal ride height achieved", "Aero Dynamic Ride Height achieved" etc.This morning I thought I'd go early and pick up some items I will need for the smoked turkey dinner I'm planning for mom on Thanksgiving. So off I headed to the grocery store at 5am. (we have 1 Safeway that is open 24/7).
Started the Jeep, got the belt on and headed out. Got another cryptic message saying "Exhaust system needs regeneration. Please drive safely at highway speeds". Okay, now my interest is peaked. I figured, be a good sailor, do what you're told (even though I'm not keen on taking
"ORDERS" from my car). I decided to take the long way to the store and get on I70. I figured I'd drive until the warning cleared, or, I hit the Utah Border, 32 miles. If it didn't clear in 32 miles, might be time for some challenging the orders
.
As I was building speed on I70, at about 50 mph, the message changed to "Exhaust regeneration in progress. Please continue to drive at highway speeds safely". At about 16 miles at 75 mph, the message changed to "Exhaust regeneration complete. Please drive normally". Should be noted here, that during that 16 miles, the Jeep ran a tad "rough". Not horrible, but, not the silky smooth I've come to know, which surprised me since it's. a diesel. Also, I've paraphrased the messages.
Okay, so all was back to silky smooth, so I turned around at Fruita and headed back to the store, got my groceries and went home. I hate it when I have to do things that I don't understand. So, I read the 40 something pages in the owners manual closely about this (had skimmed it before, but, frankly, it's boring). It went into great detail about how you need to do this and also about "obeying" the rules about filling the DEF tank (Diesel Exhaust fluid) and oil change messages, but not why. So now I can be expecting more "Orders" from my Jeep.
Since I was not happy with the "Obey the Orders" explanation, I decided to see if anyone on the internet had some more info. Again should be noted, I take stuff on the net with a box of salt (a grain doesn't seem to be enough).
I found a couple articles that explained the progression starting in 2002 and going though 2010 (thanks Bush and Obama) regs on EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation), NO and NO2 (Nitrous Oxide) production, DPF (Diesel Particulate Filter), SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction), DEF (Diesel Exhaust Fluid) and lots of other stuff. I thought I understood EGR, but, apparently not as it applies to a diesel. After reading these, it was clear as mud. Lots of technical "stuff" and acronyms (ever notice we've created a big word to describe that we're using initials instead of a big word?
) that they explained once then went to just acronyms.
I kept searching. I found a video that does a pretty good job of explaining how all this fits together. Between the articles (one of which was the actual EPA regs ... pretty sure nobody except engineers understand that one) and the below video, I understand it enough that my brain will actually allow me to unconditionally "obey" the dash messages, well at least the ones I've mentioned here .. LOL. A disclaimer about the video, they are explaining all this so you'll buy their products they claim will make your diesel last forever, and maybe they will. I also found a couple videos that go into some of the issues that can happen if you fail to obey the orders, and the numbers for repairs in this video seem to be inline.
So, without further adieu,
A.B. Normal Engineering brings you the video.
Disclaimer, I have nuttin to do with this company ... just a mind that rarely lets me let things go without question
.