The Down-Low on DPF Maintenance

Getting Down and Dirty with DPF Maintenance

As the spotlight continues to focus on diesel emissions this year, the pressure is on truck owners and fleets to not only meet immediate diesel emissions requirements but to also make decisions about diesel aftertreatment that'll last into the future.

One of the major players in diesel aftertreatment is the diesel particulate filter or DPF. DPFs are not created equally, and just because yours is full of residue doesn't necessarily mean it needs to be replaced. Before you start replacing the diesel particulate filters on all of your trucks with the most cost-effective parts available, it may be worth the investment of time to understand how DPFs are maintained and how they differ from each other in the aftermarket.

Passive Regeneration

Inside a vehicle's diesel aftertreatment system, the exhaust is passing through the diesel oxidation catalyst and into the DPF, which traps soot particles and ash. For a hard-working application, the DPF would be rendered useless pretty quickly if this part didn't have a way to somehow regulate itself.

During passive regeneration, heat from the engine combines with the soot to create carbon dioxide, which then passes through the filter. This method of regeneration typically happens when a commercial vehicle is running under load, and the driver may not even be aware when passive regeneration is happening.

Passive regeneration within your DPF may not completely clean it, so active regeneration may also need to happen for your diesel particulate filter to maintain itself.

Active Regeneration

When an engine isn't creating the heat that the aftertreatment process needs to regenerate the DPF, active regeneration happens. As soot continues to build within the DPF, it will eventually trigger the engine to inject fuel into the exhaust stream. This creates the necessary heat to trigger DPF regeneration.

The beauty of both passive and active regeneration is that they happen automatically and without any input needed from the driver. How about that?

What Happens When Passive and Active Regeneration Don't Work?

There may be some operating conditions where neither of these automatic regeneration processes are triggered. Depending on the type of DPF you've got, it may be possible to trigger regeneration from bringing the vehicle to normal operating temperature while parked.

But it's also important to note that a DPF that's inhibiting vehicle performance may also just need to be removed and cleaned by a professional service. A dirty DPF is not a means to an end and may not necessarily need to be replaced.

Can I Remove My DPF?

We're not here to tell you what to do but trust us when we say this is not a good idea. As annoying as having to deal with DPF maintenance, cleaning, and replacement can be, you or your company can get into big time trouble for tampering with or removing diesel aftertreatment parts. Not to mention that your vehicle will fall out of compliance with current emissions standards, which is bad news.

If your DPF has really been through the wringer and needs to be replaced, it does matter which brand you choose, and we've got a suggestion.

Choosing an OEM Replacement DPF

With some heavy-duty truck parts, it's okay to choose a value brand that will get your truck back up and save you some money. But a diesel particulate filter is one of the stars of your diesel emissions system, so you're going to need a top-quality brand that you can rely on mile after mile.

PowerEdge diesel aftertreatment products from Denso, including heavy-duty aftermarket diesel particulate filters, cover 95% of 2007-2013 Class 8 trucks that are on the road today. PowerEdge DPFs meet over 99% of the demand for heavy-duty aftermarket DPFs and are proven to remove 85% of diesel particulate matter from vehicle emissions – with even higher levels captured when combined with the PowerEdge diesel oxidation catalyst.

Denso's PowerEdge DPFs meet or exceed OEM emissions requirements and feature:

• Exact-fit OEM replacement units that come with necessary installation gaskets and clamps
• Stringent testing for OEM functionality and durability
• Compliance with emissions requirements for model years that are 2007 and newer
• Approval for horizontal, vertical, and dual installations

Check out our full haul of heavy-duty everything to find the perfect Denso PowerEdge DPF for your application.