AaronT

Below is a quote from DTF, and wondered if any sludge is showing up in 03 and 04 Cummins yet. I could see where you may need to clean IAT, etc. more often and probably exhaust brakes would contribute to the problem. Maybe the rattlin 24 valve will end up being the better engine long term.

"On the engine/technical side of things, the most critical area I see for emissions control are making EGR and particulate filters work without adding too many new problems or complications.

Some particulate filters require and additive system to regenerate, while others, such as some being offered on certain new Audi passenger vehicles, do not require additives. Ultimately, I dont think additive-based systems will be competitive with systems that require no additive.

EGR is helpful for reducing NOx, but its implementation has led to new concerns for diesel engines. Increased oil soot loading and piston/cylinder/ring wear have been cited by engine researchers. However, there is another major problem with the current EGR configuration on many vehicles, such as my VW TDI. The current EGR systems inject exhaust gas into the intake manifold, incidentally combining them with PCV vapors in the intake. The result is a sludge that builds up in the intake manifold, leading to long term decreases in performance and efficiency. Only a manifold cleaning will correct this as of now."

Borush

There is no EGR om the 03, 04, or 04.5 Cummins.

spots

In the Dodge trucks. Other applications do have EGR. I donot know how they are working out.

Borush

The 96-98 12 valve trucks in California had it.

AaronT

There must be a cat or oxidizer of some kind on the exhaust of the 3rd gen's then. I had a 94 with a cat and it was only good for plugging up with soot.

Borush

California 03 and 04's have a cat and all 04.5's do.

J BODY

I have one customer with a Cali 12 valve with 220K on it. A couple of weeks ago he came in with a check engine light. I ended up pulling the intake air temp sensor and it was a ball of black gunk. Cleaned it and life has been good. Out of curiousity I pulled the air inlet and the heat grid was severly coated with this oily soot. It was bad enough to where the outer edge and corners were filled restricting air flow. Everything prior to the egr inlet was clean as can be. I can only guess what the tops of the valves and pistons look like on this engine. I wasn't really aware what the big deal was on the egr topic until I saw this one. Hopefully they reinvented the wheel when the egr comes out on the new ones.

Borush

I think they will be EGR-less til 2007. Hopefully by then they will have a way to keep it off longer. If not, I will be in the market for a new truck before then.