The Dispatch | Expert | Scudo Hub

tee_cee

Member

Registered: 2016-03-18

Posts: 633

Regeneration Indicator

I fitted a visual indicator to show when the regen cycle is active. As expected it always kicks off just as I'm nearly home ;-)

One of the things that the ECU will do to get more load on the engine, to increase the exhaust temperature, is to switch on extra electrical loads - one of which is the heated mirrors.
Edit - It seems that if battery is low, and is being heavily charged,  the system does not bother with heated mirrors - so no light sometimes.

Pulling the trim away from the bottom of the passenger A pillar, will show the wiring loom. The most likely mirror heater, wire will be the thickest one and in my case it was the solid green one ( I can't see the markings on it). test it by sticking a needle through the insulation and check for 12V when the heater button is pressed.

I cut away the insulation and soldered a flying lead to it.

I already had an LED and a 8k2 resistor, but as 12V LED from eBay will do the job also

The finished article - the light remains lit during the whole regen process

Last edited by tee_cee (2021-02-01 16:36:33)

Oldboy

Member

Registered: 2019-11-08

Posts: 30

Re: Regeneration Indicator

All very interesting, what in general happens during regeneration? You mention other items that are controlled in regeneration, would you like to expand on this?

Michael

tee_cee

Member

Registered: 2016-03-18

Posts: 633

Re: Regeneration Indicator

My understanding is that to get the exhaust temperature up to 500C, in addition to the increased electrical load, extra diesel is post injected into the cylinders and thus into the the exhaust.
In my case, since my nice Bosch battery was knackered by our local dealer, the alternator runs at full voltage 90% of the time. This means that there is no need to switch the mirror heaters on, and thus no light. I rely on Torque (the FAP app no longer works for me) on the phone to show me how much (calculated) soot is in the DPF. I now know that regens happen typically every 350 miles, so I know roughly when to check the level.

Last edited by tee_cee (2021-10-05 16:41:38)

Oldboy

Member

Registered: 2019-11-08

Posts: 30

Re: Regeneration Indicator

Thanks for the reply Ive been looking at other DPF threads, It seems that Peugeot 308 use the glow plugs to boost the temperature, I suppose it could be an increased electrical load as the mirror heaters, the poster seemed to be implying it was a direct heating effect, I can't quite see this myself. Just a thought, there's not glow plugs fitted in the DPF itself by any chance?

tee_cee

Member

Registered: 2016-03-18

Posts: 633

Re: Regeneration Indicator

Yes it makes sense to use the glowplugs, at least for extra electrical load.
My DPF only has a temperature sensor and differential pressure sensor. I have read that some systems added an extra diesel injector to the DPF. Post imjection would do the same thing - the main downside is that diesel ends up in the sump, diluting the oil. Even worse the oil level can rise risking diesel runaway. That's why there is an oil level check every time the ignition is started.