emission control equipment maintenance

Maintain emission control equipment the CEM way, for longer, trouble-free engine life!

We continually hear of modern low-emission, heavy-duty truck engines having to be rebuilt at only 600,000km or less, along with many stories of long periods out of service. One of the biggest issues in maintaining reliability is keeping the emission control equipment working properly.

Short answer: modern low-emission diesels fail early when soot clogs the EGR, turbo, DPF and AdBlue system. The fix is prevention — reduce soot at the source and keep the fuel and exhaust systems clean, and most early rebuilds can be avoided.

Normally, keeping emissions equipment healthy just means keeping everything clean and working freely — but that’s easier said than done. Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) valves can load up with soot, as can turbos, diesel particulate filters (DPFs), AdBlue injectors and the sensors in the exhaust. EGR issues can also lead to severe, constricting inlet-system deposits.

The high temperature and pressure created in common rail systems can degrade diesel, leading to fouling deposits that interfere with injector response and spray patterns. This can cause over-fuelling or poor combustion, which increases the soot load on EGRs and DPFs. EGR valves then malfunction, further increasing soot-related problems, which can increase the frequency of DPF auto-regeneration cycles.

Oil soot levels also become elevated — and as the problem advances, piston ring deposits build, oil consumption and blow-by increase, and engine service life is shortened, often dramatically.

Faulty EGR valve removed due to heavy carbon and soot build-up

Emission Control Maintenance Achieves Optimum Service Life

To get the best service life and reliability from these low-emission diesels (as with all diesels), the focus should be on prevention. With over 30 years in maintenance problem-solving, Brisbane-based Cost Effective Maintenance has developed tailor-made solutions that correct most of these emission control problems before a rebuild becomes necessary. Similar principles apply to low-emission diesels as to older technology.

A 7-Point Plan to Keep Emission Control Equipment Clean

1. Reduce soot at its root cause: combustion

FTC Decarbonizer, added to the diesel, catalyses the combustion process for a more complete fuel burn — with less soot to foul turbos, EGRs and DPFs.

2. Optimise injector function and reduce diesel degradation

CRD Fuel Enhancer cleans and keeps clean the high-precision fuel system, particularly pumps and injectors. It also increases fuel lubricity to reduce the frictional heat that breaks fuel down, ensuring injector response (which can be several times per firing cycle) is immediate and accurate, and preventing over-fuelling.

3. Clean coked-up turbos

FTC Decarbonizer catalyses the combustion of carbon, lowering the burn-off temperature to around 300°C, and actively cleans up turbos — keeping them working efficiently with no drop-off in boost pressure.

4. Maintain EGR cleanliness

The use of FTC Decarbonizer and/or CRD Fuel Enhancer achieves this.

5. Maintain DPF cleanliness

FTC Decarbonizer will burn off soot downstream in the exhaust to the DPF, eliminating the need for manual DPF cleaning. It also cleans up AdBlue injector tips.

6. Maintain low oil soot levels

FTC Decarbonizer results in less soot production and, with cleaner top ring grooves, improved sealing against soot migrating into the oil. Should oil soot levels become too high — as frequently happens in low-emission diesels — the engine needs flushing. Use Flushing Oil Concentrate, which is also capable of freeing severely blocked piston rings.

7. Prevent air intake system deposits

Use of either FTC Decarbonizer and/or CRD Fuel Enhancer is recommended to maintain clean intake systems. Where intake manifolds are heavily carboned, removal and manual cleaning is recommended rather than the use of solvents.

Cummins, Cat, Detroit, Volvo or other diesel engines — if they’re giving you grief, Brid Walker of Cost Effective Maintenance invites you to “bring your problems to us! In most cases, we’ll have a low-cost solution for your needs.”

For related reading, see our guides on fixing DPF regen problems, engine blowby, and how FTC Decarbonizer works.