Regen Questions

[stanz]

I have an 09 TDI and drive 40 highway miles to work 4 days a week. On more than one occasion just before parking a regen starts, time restraints force me to park. My question can I force a regen w/ VCDS when car is warmed up. If not can VCDS pinpoint when my next one may occur. It makes more sense to me to have a regen at highway speed and dump the heat. Thanks.

 

[Lightflyer1]

No and no. There are multiple conditions that are monitored by the computer to tell it when to start. As far as I know there is no way to easily force one while driving and no way to really tell when one is going to happen. There is this that may give you some notice:

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=414187

and there are some things you can do if you see one happening (gauges needed) such as slow down and/or get off the accelerator so that the conditions needed for one to happen aren't met. This generally isn't convenient if rolling down the highway though.

 

[gerrywac]

It's not something that I have to worry about as my 2007 1.9 Golf TDI came without one as they only became mandatory in Europe and the UK the following year.

I was a little puzzled by the "no and no" reply you got as it was my understanding from past browsing of forums that it was so I looked up the Ross Tech VCDS site which came up with this

http://wiki.ross-tech.com/wiki/index.php/Diesel_Particle_Filter_Emergency_Regeneration

Seems to be yes as far as I can tell

 

[VeeDubTDI]

No and no is the correct answer. While VCDS can perform a manual regen, it is not necessary unless you're trying to solve some sort of problem. Merely interrupting a regen is not sufficient reason to perform a manual regen (unless you just like tinkering with VCDS for fun). For the other no, VCDS can not tell you when the computer will decide to perform the next regen.

My advice is to let the regen complete in the parking lot before shutting off the engine. Of if you prefer, go for a drive around the block. I try not to interrupt regens due to the high amount of heat in the turbocharger and exhaust system, which I believe can lead to reduced turbocharger life and potentially a cracked DPF.

 

[JSWTDI09]

There is a way with VCDS to initiate an "Emergency Regeneration". This is normally done ONLY when a normal regeneration has not occurred for some reason. I do not know if this would cause problems if it was done regularly. My solution to your "problem" is just to never arrive late for work. If my EGTs (or fans) indicate that a regen is in progress when I arrive at work, I just take a drive around the block and let the regeneration finish on its own. It is no big deal to me if I arrive at work 15 minutes early or 25 minutes early. I just prefer to not shut down the engine when the turbocharger is a regeneration temperatures.

Have Fun!

Don

 

[Lightflyer1]

VCDS can initiate a forced regen but not really practical in the situation the OP stated. If you don't have time to let it finish one, you sure don't have time to initiate one and let it complete. IIRC the computer uses several values to determine when one is needed such as pressure differential across the dpf, miles since last regen, calculated soot load and such. You can see some/all of these values but predicting when one will happen may not be that easy. Mine only last about 10 minutes each time. The easiest thing to do is just leave 10 minutes earlier so if one happens you are covered. My time constraints aren't so tight that 10 minutes will kill my schedule. I suppose you could force one every other day or so before leaving home, but that sounds like a bigger hassle and who knows what damage all the extra heat cycles would do.

 

[stanz]

Appreciate all the input. I did not know it only lasts about 10 min. I only know it is happening by my fans when I prepare to park. When on the highway I could not tell if it were occurring. I can always spare less than ten min for my dee zul. Thanks.

 

[Lightflyer1]

When mine occur just as I arrive I just keep going 5 minutes and uturn and come back. But I go to work at 4 am when no one is out.

 

[CopaMundial]

I only know it is happening by my fans when I prepare to park.

Start monitoring your Exhaust Gas Temps and you will know a bit earlier because EGT will be higher than normal when you're driving on surface streets to parking. That way you're not already in a parking spot when you find out.
I think a lot of folks on here have had good luck with Scangauge or the Torque App on a phone.

 

[Scoutx]

One thing you can do if you don't like the idea of letting your turbo cook, but you don't want to wait around 5-10 minutes for it to finish. Interrupt the regen by shutting off the engine, then immediately firing it back up. Then let it fast idle for 2 minutes to get your EGT to drop before shutting down again.

Note: If you do this you MUST give the turbo time to cool as this will also interrupt the engine fans and eliminate the cooling they provide.

 

[Cat3roadracer]

If the timing of the regren is so important, why is there not an indicator on the dash indicating not to turn the car off until the cycle is complete?

 

[13CJAA]

If the timing of the regren is so important, why is there not an indicator on the dash indicating not to turn the car off until the cycle is complete?

and OP,
It would be really helpful if VW had some type of "regen" light so that we could tell when one is occurring. Since our cars don't have such light, the easiest (and cheapest) way of detecting a regen is by listening for the radiator fans while parked. If you don't mind spending some money, some members use a scanguage or a Polar FIS. Both will show your EGT's. The Polar FIS will show many engine parameters right in your gauge cluster, although it only works if you have a Golf or the "Highline" cluster and the buttons on both sides of your steering wheel. The Scanguage will work with any TDI I believe, the only drawback is that it is a separate unit with a display.

 

[TheGrove]

If the timing of the regren is so important, why is there not an indicator on the dash indicating not to turn the car off until the cycle is complete?

The short answer is that VW is afraid that an indicator will freak out the low-information driver of the car.