Equipment World Digital Magazine
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/85686
trucks | by Jack Roberts DPF light? Don't panic! You're starting to won- der just how long it will take before you fi nally reach your destination, when suddenly a little yellow light on the dash winks on: Your DPF fi lter needs attention. Great… Just what you need. A problem to deal with. And just what on earth is a "DPF" anyway? F DPFs: What is a DPF? The DPF light (lower right) on the dash board of Kenworth's T680. "DPF" is shorthand for "die- sel particulate fi lter." It's an exhaust fi lter, just like a fuel or oil fi lter. It's set up in the exhaust system of your truck, always upstream from the diesel exhaust fl uid injector SCR catalyst chamber. One of the main provisions of the Environmental Protection Agency's 2007 diesel emissions regulations was the reduction of diesel particulates in diesel exhaust smoke and that re- irst off, there's no need to panic. That's because the truck isn't in any trouble. And neither is the engine, for that matter. That little light winking on is just letting you know that a normal function in the life of an EPA 2007 or 2010 diesel en- gine has to take place. And the good news is that you're prob- ably going to have to do little to make that routine piece of maintenance happen. In fact, DPF lights are such a normal, non-event, some experts, like David McKenna, director of powertrain sales and market- ing for Mack Trucks, argue that there's not really a good reason to put a DPF warning light on the dash of a truck. "We're worrying drivers for no reason," he says. "DPF func- tions are really invisible and should be a total non-event for a driver." Here's a quick recap on quirement carried over into the 2010 regulations we're operat- ing under today. So any truck manufactured after January 1, 2007, is equipped with a DPF. Smoke is smoke. It just fl oats away, right? Strange as it seems, there's actually a lot of heavier-than- air stuff in diesel smoke. You and I would call it "soot." The EPA calls it "diesel par- ticulates." They are tiny bits of soot leftover from the combus- tion process, comprised of fi ne and ultra-fi ne particles. These particles can contain elemental carbon with adsorbed com- pounds such as organic com- pounds, sulfate, nitrate, metals and other trace elements. So, obviously, the diesel particulate fi lter traps all these little bits of soot before they can escape out into the atmosphere. Exactly. But over time, these fi lters fi ll up and start to clog – just like any fi lter on your vehicle does. Does that impact my vehicle or engine performance? Yes. Much like a clogged catalytic converter on your car, a full DPF interferes with ef- fi cient exhaust fl ow out of the engine and if left untreated, can lead to compression or combustion problems. What does it look like and where is it located? Actually, it's not a spin-on type EquipmentWorld.com | August 2012 45