Maintenance to mitigate emissions-related longevity concerns?

3735 Views 8 Replies 5 Participants Last post by Laytunes, Jan 16, 2021

Arkive

Discussion Starter · Dec 23, 2020

I'm considering a 3.0 PowerStroke in a 2020 but my research has me concerned about the issues others are having with the newer emissions-related equipment on diesels. Have some of those bugs been worked out and this is no longer as big a concern as you hit 100K and beyond? And if not, is there maintenance you can do to mitigate those concerns?

I have a pretty short window to pull the trigger on this deal so I apologize for not assembling this info myself. But I have to admit, after about 3 hours of scouring the web on this I don't feel like I'm any closer to an answer than I was before I started (other than having a much better understanding of emissions tech like EGR, etc).

Thanks in advance!

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Laytunes

· #2 · Dec 23, 2020

Modern emission systems have come a long way since the early ones that really gave things a bad rap. There are things you can do to ensure it runs as it's supposed to, like ensuring full regenerations, high quality fuel, cetane booster and additives, etc. The new DEF injected systems ensure that engines don't need as much EGR as they have historically, as NOx can be counteracted this way as well. This is why we are seeing diesels with more power than ever still meeting emission standards. Here's a good conversation with a ford diesel designer that may answer some of your questions. The system will need maintenance, but so far I've been impressed with the system on this truck. I haven't had a single emission related issue, aside from the EGR valve recalls that ford is taking care of. If you are buying a new one, this will have already been completed. Best engine that I've owned in an F-150, would not hesitate to buy again.

New Ford Diesel Tech Explained, How Far Diesel Engines Have Come - YouTube

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Dunrollin

· #3 · Dec 23, 2020

First, welcome to the forum and if you have time feel free to start a thread in the New Member Introductions section. Laytunes nailed it, these are solid engines with no known problems. Several people are reaching "high mileage" status without major items to report.

There is the 150,000 mile point where new timing belts are recommended.

Ford has about everything right on these except of course the egr valve and they are handling that. Other manufacturers are having issues, even the big boys. I frequent motorhome forums and they are plagued with def issues that leave the owners stranded on trips. This is on units less than a year old.

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hydrex

· #4 · Dec 28, 2020

Any way that you can reduce soot build up in your oil and motor will contribute to longevity. In my Ram Ecodiesel, I was able to tune out the EGR system. My oil tests show very low (about .1% to .2% soot after 10,000 miles) after tuning.Typically over the road trucks got 1-1.5 million miles before overhauls, now with the EGR BS, they are down to 250,000 mile overhauls. IMHO, all of the 3L diesels are great, but the EPA mandated smog stuff is not helping. Soot is very abrasive. I tuned out the EGR at 5,000 miles. Check out the (insolubles).

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Oilburner

· #5 · Jan 15, 2021

@Arkive I agree with hydrex...keep the soot out of your intake and oil..you will give your truck a breath of fresh air

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hydrex

· #6 · Jan 15, 2021

UOA can catch a problem before it gets bad, sometimes. Over the years I've caught problems before serious damage happened. Silicon and antifreeze in oil , for example. IMHO, if you can do your own service, you will know it's done right. Just keep records for warrantee. I have over 102,000 miles on my Ram, only time that I took to dealer was for a Sirrius radio update, and dealer managed to kill the radio. I did my own transmission service at 100,000 miles, was easy. Dealer would have wanted a fortune.

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Laytunes

· #7 · Jan 15, 2021

hydrex said:
Any way that you can reduce soot build up in your oil and motor will contribute to longevity. In my Ram Ecodiesel, I was able to tune out the EGR system. My oil tests show very low (about .1% to .2% soot after 10,000 miles) after tuning.Typically over the road trucks got 1-1.5 million miles before overhauls, now with the EGR BS, they are down to 250,000 mile overhauls. IMHO, all of the 3L diesels are great, but the EPA mandated smog stuff is not helping. Soot is very abrasive. I tuned out the EGR at 5,000 miles. Check out the (insolubles).

Insolubles and Soot are two separate things. If you want to know what your soot is, there's a special test that you need to order from blackstone. Your insoluble doesn't tell you much about your soot level. My truck posts those numbers not deleted. Insolubles are typically a result of oil oxidation, and excessive insolubles are formed if the engine is running too hot. Soot stays suspended in the oil by design, and thus isn't measured by the way this test is performed, which is through centrifuge. To determine soot level you need to use an infrared spectrometer. The information is posted on Blackstone's website.

What Are Insolubles? | Blackstone Laboratories (blackstone-labs.com)
Soot: How Much is too Much? | Blackstone Laboratories (blackstone-labs.com)

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Dunrollin

· #8 · Jan 16, 2021

Good to know, Laytunes. Thanks. According to Blackstone's site you referenced we are OK up to 2% soot. Two percent is a lot, so I would guess these new engines in our trucks are not going to get up there until they hit over 100,000 miles or more. Just a guess, testing would be valuable.

We like to see soot at 1.0% or less; anything higher than 2.0% to be cautionary. So what does that mean to you? In layman’s terms, excess soot can indicate a combustion problem. Pinpointing that problem (or problems) can be a bit more difficult, but there are a couple fairly simple things to check if you think you’re seeing excess (or just more than normal) soot in the oil. Make sure that the fuel system is maintained and properly calibrated so that the injectors are operating at peak efficiency and with a proper air/fuel ratio. Also check for intake leaks and make sure that the air filter is clean and serviceable. Make sure injection timing is set correctly as well. Change the oil and filter regularly to prevent soot build-up.

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Laytunes

· #9 · Jan 16, 2021

Dunrollin said:
Good to know, Laytunes. Thanks. According to Blackstone's site you referenced we are OK up to 2% soot. Two percent is a lot, so I would guess these new engines in our trucks are not going to get up there until they hit over 100,000 miles or more. Just a guess, testing would be valuable.

Yes the emission systems on these are pretty good and don't require nearly as much EGR as the systems of old. But either way soot builds up from blowby in any diesel engine, and more frequent oil changes is the key to it not building up too much to affect viscosity or wear. 5000 miles (8000 km) is max for me for this reason, even though the oil itself is likely fine.

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Maintenance to mitigate emissions-related longevity concerns?

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