[Duraek]

Good Afternoon,

I hope you are all doing well. My stock emissions-intact 15.0 LML has been tucked in storage for a few years due to a significant winter advisory and the truck has been there ever since to save money. I have been pondering the aforementioned idea to begin daily driving the solid piece of machinery. I understand the fuel and diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) may have to be siphoned and replaced from degradation? From reading what y'all have stated, regulations will eventually lead to ALL d3leted trucks to be impounded and fines to owners in EVERY state?

My main concern is daily driving a 15.0 LML with stock emissions-intact. The commutes one-way will be approximately 12 - 15 miles of about 50% highway without ever towing. The commutes will allegedly proceed in the New England area where a cold climate is prevalent. I may decide to only operate the truck during the 7 warmer months out of the year. Occasionally, one-way trips of about 30 - 50 miles without towing and mainly highway miles may proceed every few months if ever. Will the diesel particulate filter (DPF) last to 150K to 200K miles?

 

[GoBlowSnow]

The DPF isn't so much of a trouble point as the DEF system is. As long as you are able to get those regens done at highway speeds and let it complete a full regen cycle at highway speeds (65-75 is best but it will do it at 55) the DPF will likely not give you too much trouble. But that's the key though, You need to allow it to do those regens in highway driving, it won't do it at city speeds below 50 MPH I believe and if you do a lot of stop and go, and not a lot of highway driving, that will clog up the DPF and make it less efficient even when you do finally get around to getting out onto the highway and working it hard to get those exhaust temps up to burn off the soot. I always do a 20-30 mile drive on the highway when my truck is wanting to do a regen. It will actually start the regen process at 30 MPH when it needs to but you will get the best results driving on the highway at highway speeds of over 55 MPH and gearing down to get it to between 1600-2000 RPMs.

I've had 2 LMMs that didn't have any DPF issues, one had over 215,000 miles and was still regen every 300-450 miles.

I have also had a 2012 LML where the DPF is a bit different vs the previous gen on the LMM, but still able to get regens every 250-350 miles. Biggest difference was that I would sometimes get a big cloud of white smoke out of the exhaust when taking off from a stop when it was in the middle of a regen. Was common for these years and also on the Power Strokes.

Once your DPF is no longer able to regen because of how much nonburnable stuff it has accumulated, you can take it to a shop that does DPF restoration- they cut off the DPF and have a way of superheating it or cleaning it with chemicals that gets rid of the unburned stuff and restores it to working order. They can then clamp it back on and you are good to go again. Saves you $3000-$4000 for a new DPF.

But get it on the highway and work it hard when it does a regen every now and then and it will appreciate that. Hotter temps mean more soot and crap burned off the DPF faster. Expect the regen to last 15-30 min or 20-30 miles.

How does REGEN work in an LML Duramax?

Have you ever wondered how Regen works in your LML Duramax? This article breaks down how regen works and what other components are in the emissions system.

blog.duramaxtuner.com

https://static.oemdtc.com/TSB/SB-10065826-9133.pdf

 

[Duraek]

The DPF isn't so much of a trouble point as the DEF system is. As long as you are able to get those regens done at highway speeds and let it complete a full regen cycle at highway speeds (65-75 is best but it will do it at 55) the DPF will likely not give you too much trouble. But that's the key though, You need to allow it to do those regens in highway driving, it won't do it at city speeds below 50 MPH I believe and if you do a lot of stop and go, and not a lot of highway driving, that will clog up the DPF and make it less efficient even when you do finally get around to getting out onto the highway and working it hard to get those exhaust temps up to burn off the soot. I always do a 20-30 mile drive on the highway when my truck is wanting to do a regen. It will actually start the regen process at 30 MPH when it needs to but you will get the best results driving on the highway at highway speeds of over 55 MPH and gearing down to get it to between 1600-2000 RPMs.

I've had 2 LMMs that didn't have any DPF issues, one had over 215,000 miles and was still regen every 300-450 miles.

I have also had a 2012 LML where the DPF is a bit different vs the previous gen on the LMM, but still able to get regens every 250-350 miles. Biggest difference was that I would sometimes get a big cloud of white smoke out of the exhaust when taking off from a stop when it was in the middle of a regen. Was common for these years and also on the Power Strokes.

Once your DPF is no longer able to regen because of how much nonburnable stuff it has accumulated, you can take it to a shop that does DPF restoration- they cut off the DPF and have a way of superheating it or cleaning it with chemicals that gets rid of the unburned stuff and restores it to working order. They can then clamp it back on and you are good to go again. Saves you $3000-$4000 for a new DPF.

But get it on the highway and work it hard when it does a regen every now and then and it will appreciate that. Hotter temps mean more soot and crap burned off the DPF faster. Expect the regen to last 15-30 min or 20-30 miles.

How does REGEN work in an LML Duramax?

Have you ever wondered how Regen works in your LML Duramax? This article breaks down how regen works and what other components are in the emissions system.

blog.duramaxtuner.com

https://static.oemdtc.com/TSB/SB-10065826-9133.pdf

@GoBlowSnow I appreciate your response and the very valuable information you provided. I recall my digital fuel mileage dropping suddenly about 5 - 6 mpg and about 30 - 40 minutes of 75 mph highway driving brought my mileage back up to about 21 mpg. A few years ago, I drove the truck once a week primarily on the highway at 75 mph without towing and the truck dropped about 5 - 6 mpg with reduced power every 60 miles!

I will try to locate a shop in advance that will clean the DPF if the truck runs into that complication, thank you. Do you know if regulation is going to start tracking owners of d3leted diesels?

Lastly, I believe DEF has a self life of 1 - 2 years and the stock CP4 requires very new fuel. Since my 15.0 LML has been in storage for a few years without driving, do you recommend I siphon and replace the diesel fuel and DEF fluid before driving again?

 

[GoBlowSnow]

Yes, please get that old stuff out of there and get fresh new stuff in there. You will want to change the fuel filter as well. Diesel that sticks around a long time has a tendency to grow algae too. I'm going to suggest you get all the old stuff out of there, fresh new diesel in there, and pour 2 bottles of seafoam for diesel in the fuel tank for the first tank of fuel, then start using a good top notch additive going forward like Opti-Lube. This will provide the best protection and lubrication you can get for that CP4. When you replace the fuel filter, you might even consider filling it halfway with seafoam and the other half with fresh diesel too, that way the injectors get a good chug of the seafoam in there first off, which I've heard from others on here over the years has sometimes had positive effects. If it has been in storage for awhile, check her over good for hidden mice nests, check the air box, and exhaust and what not.

How full is your fuel tank right now?

As for the DEF- the big issue with old DEF fluid is that it tends to crystalize from what I understand. But get the old stuff out of there, pour fresh new stuff in there, let it slosh around a bit, and perhaps siphon that out and then put new fresh in there and try that out.

Hopefully we get some more people who chime in here.

Once you get her running, drive her hard for that first tank of fuel. Get that thing hot and working hard and I bet she'll respond favorably.

I believe the DPF will also bennefit from the seafoam and additives in the fuel, it will hopefully clean that 9th injector that injects the fuel into the DPF to increase the temp in there.

Just curious, why was it parked for so long? Also, got any photos of her? I always like bringing a truck or vehicle that has been sitting for awhile back to life. Something satisfying about it.

 

[Duraek]

Yes, please get that old stuff out of there and get fresh new stuff in there. You will want to change the fuel filter as well. Diesel that sticks around a long time has a tendency to grow algae too. I'm going to suggest you get all the old stuff out of there, fresh new diesel in there, and pour 2 bottles of seafoam for diesel in the fuel tank for the first tank of fuel, then start using a good top notch additive going forward like Opti-Lube. This will provide the best protection and lubrication you can get for that CP4. When you replace the fuel filter, you might even consider filling it halfway with seafoam and the other half with fresh diesel too, that way the injectors get a good chug of the seafoam in there first off, which I've heard from others on here over the years has sometimes had positive effects. If it has been in storage for awhile, check her over good for hidden mice nests, check the air box, and exhaust and what not.

How full is your fuel tank right now?

As for the DEF- the big issue with old DEF fluid is that it tends to crystalize from what I understand. But get the old stuff out of there, pour fresh new stuff in there, let it slosh around a bit, and perhaps siphon that out and then put new fresh in there and try that out.

Hopefully we get some more people who chime in here.

Once you get her running, drive her hard for that first tank of fuel. Get that thing hot and working hard and I bet she'll respond favorably.

I believe the DPF will also bennefit from the seafoam and additives in the fuel, it will hopefully clean that 9th injector that injects the fuel into the DPF to increase the temp in there.

Just curious, why was it parked for so long? Also, got any photos of her? I always like bringing a truck or vehicle that has been sitting for awhile back to life. Something satisfying about it.

@GoBlowSnow Thank you for your help thus far. I have not thought about changing the fuel filter during the duramax resurrection process, thank you. I am assuming I will have to pull the fender well liner to locate the fuel filter? I poured a full bottle of STP Diesel Fuel Additive in the tank prior to storage, I will research Seafoam and Opti-Lube.

What kind of containers do you recommend using to fill with the old diesel fuel and DEF? More importantly, what organizations will accept and safely dispose of the old diesel fuel and DEF? I believe I fully filled the tank to prevent the growth of algae. I hope the DEF did not crystalize since I am uncertain on how to thaw the crystallization of DEF and I already had to have my 9th injector replaced.

I decided to start storing the truck for the winter months to avoid the road salt and corrosion. I kept the truck in storage for the entirety of last year due to the major events that occurred. I will snap a photo once I travel to storage and I will post an update. Agreed, I assume no one else on DuramaxForum has stored a diesel truck before?

 

[MIkey52]

As far as def goes, dilute for %35 to %2 and it will make a good fertilizer for your lawn. If you can get it sprayed on while grass is still dormant it will be better. Don't do this if you don't like cutting grass.

 

[Duraek]

As far as def goes, dilute for %35 to %2 and it will make a good fertilizer for your lawn. If you can get it sprayed on while grass is still dormant it will be better. Don't do this if you don't like cutting grass.

Thanks, I may have to coordinate with a chemist service to enact such endeavor. How often do LML owners experience having to cut open and service a DPF? What are the chances that the CP4 will explode before 150K miles?

What kind of containers do you recommend using to fill with the old diesel fuel and DEF? I am assuming the organization that disposes old diesel fuel and DEF will require the containers too.