L3301H - DPF Issue

[webnetandmore]

I purchased a Kubota L3301H used with a LA525 Loader and a non-working LCD and a Warning light that stayed on during use. After using the tractor for a while I started to have a variety of issues so I started doing research and taking areas of the tractor a part to fix things the best I could. I am inexperienced with large tractors but mechanically capable as I do work on other items like automobiles. I determined that the seller was not 100% truthful and had taken a piece of Black electrical tape and put it over the LCD display to hide the odometer and error codes that were displaying. I have been running the tractor on and off for almost a year now before my DPF issue. I mainly use the tractor to grade a gravel road I live on that is 1/2 mile long. I tell you this to give you background on the tractor history and use. I have fixed a Hydraulic Leak and a few other items but now I am having a DPF Issue.

The tractor started beeping and the Warning and Park Regen Indicator lights started flashing on the instrument panel. No other lights are on when running and no error codes in the LCD. I can also say that the power of the tractor has significantly been reduced to a point it will move but has no strength to function normally. From doing some research it appears that the tractor DFP Filter may be dirty but the Park Regeneration Switch never lighted up to indicate it needed a regen. I can press the DPF Inhibit switch and it will light up and press it again and it will go off. The Park Regeneration Switch never lights up. I did take the switches/buttons and swap them just to determine if the switch was working. I get the same results so I believe the switch itself is not the issue.

After more research I believe the issue is with a clogged DPF Filter where the previous owner may have not completed the regen process properly and it is now in a locked stage for a manual regen using a computer. I also looked at how to go about cleaning the DPF itself by taking it a part. So I determined the least damaging method as a first step was to take it a part and soak it in a degreaser to get most of the black soot out of it and make it so the DPF would be able to be cleaned with a more powerful cleaner later if needed. After letting it dry in the 85+ degree sun for several days and letting it sit for another 5 days I put it back together. The tractor is still beeping but I believe the exhaust is flowing through better.

My questions are the following:

Is the only way to reset the system in the ECU is to have a dealer with a laptop use their diagmaster software or is there another way?

Any suggestions on troubleshooting why the park regen light never came on and how to track down how to fix it without going to a dealership?

Is it possible to run the tractor without the DPF attached temporarily to get the power back until I can fix the ECU manual regen flag reset?

Can you reset or reboot the ECU to cause the system to reset the DPF manual flag?

Can a tractor owner purchase a piece of software and cabling to reset the DPF Manual Flag themselves and do other troubleshooting? So far everything is cost prohibitive.

I'm not looking to permanently bypass the DPF but just temporarily until I can get someone to look at it if needed.



Thanks,
Scott

 

[BigG]

Take it to the dealer and have him repair it. The ECU is a dealer only part of the tractor. Only Kubota dealers can hook on to it.

Before more damage is done have the dealer look at it.

 

[Bark]

I am sorry I am not able to answer any of your questions and hope somebody else can.
I certainly lack the experience to really comment on this (but that wont stop me).
If this is an off time of the year for you, meaning you don't need the tractor for awhile you may want to just bite the bullet and take it to a good dealer. Its not my money so its easy for me to say take it in because its Its gonna cost you.
But, I agree with BigG, this could lead to more serious engine issues. May want to get it fixed right. They may be able to tell you the hours on the machine and what other kind of service should be performed on it.
Once again, I apologize for not being able to actually help with your questions.

 

[old and tired]

It a dealer only thing.... sorry.

(suxs what the seller did to you...)

 

[sheepfarmer]

What the seller did to you is beyond belief.

You have made a couple of tactical errors: you need an operator’s manual and shop manual before you do anything. You can download manuals from Kubota website.

Maintaining a dpf filter in good order is not difficult but can be really screwed up by not following directions. The seller covering over the lights on the dash makes that impossible.

Before you go any further, take it to a dealer. He might have been able to get a parked regen without any problem, but I am thinking he wouldn’t attempt it now on a dpf filter that had been soaked in brake cleaner. Sounds dangerous to me. He might be willing to send it out for professional cleaning, and then reinstall. Otherwise you may be up for the purchase of a new dpf filter.

Here is how Regens and lights are supposed to work on an L3301

http://www.orangetractortalks.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=34899&d=1521419961

 

[lugbolt]

once again I don't sugar coat anything so you are warned. If your feelings are easily hurt, quit reading now.

You had error codes for how long? And you didn't address them? There is the problem. Error codes aren't just for piddly stuff like switches. On these (and many other EFI diesels), those codes mean something is wrong. If for instance you had a code for a differential pressure sensor failure, and you keep running it, the ecu won't recognize when the dpf is getting plugged, and all at once boom--it gets clogged up, egt goes through the roof, it goes to dpf soot level 5 and now you have to pay the dealer to take the dpf off, send it out for cleaning (if possible), then they reinstall it, figure out what kind of error codes were popping up for ONE YEAR of use, address those, make changes to the ecu, reprogam, test, reset the soot level and regeneration time, among many other things.

This is probably going to be kind of expensive and there is little you can do about it. You MIGHT be able to pull the DPF and send it out for cleaning on your own, but typically it costs about the same to pay the dealer to do it as they get a discount from the "DPF cleaning store", and you probably don't. Some guys have pulled them and run dawn & water through them on their own, but trust me when I say that's a bad idea...the changes necessary in the ecu for dpf cleaning are not done, and the process will just be repeated again and again until the ecu stuff IS done--and as said, that's dealer-only (and even then it's logged/leaves footprints). The EPA hates diesels so you can thank them.

DPF being clogged causes the exhaust gas temp to rise dramatically, to the point that if it's left unchecked with full engine power available, the engine will actually melt itself. I've seen broken pistons melted pistons broken exhaust valves, among many other things. They were all due to lack of maintenance and lots of neglect and in one case a failed "delete kit" on an M6-101. So what Kubota did is to have the program in the ecu written such that when the dpf gets to soot level 2.5 to 4.0, the engine power is reduced (defueling) 25%. Most people don't notice 25% reduction. When you get to soot level 4, 50% and that is absolutely noticeable.. 4.5 and 5.0 it will basically idle and that's about it. It is only then that people complain and by then it's too late. It is done to protect the engine from eating itself and I believe that's what you are seeing.

 

[webnetandmore]

Sheepfarmer,

Just to be clear if I misrepresented anything I cleaned it with a degreaser not brake cleaner. It is a cleaner you can use with a pressure washer to remove oil and grime from surfaces like cars, concrete, etc. Nothing that is flammable.

Also, I do have a shop manual and have run through all the fuses and processes normally done to regen it in a park regen but the park regen button does not do anything. my goal posting here was to see if anyone had any suggestions before getting a dealer involved to keep my costs down.

Thanks for the input and advice.

 

[webnetandmore]

Lugbolt,

Thanks for the input. I am seeing the reduction in power as you have indicated but I thought that if I had cleaned enough of the soot and grime out of the DPF maybe the ECU would recognize it and automatically change the soot level lower and allow me to perform a park regen cycle to clean the remaining soot and particles still in the DFP. If the ECU is not smart enough to change the soot level automatically then my only option may be to get a dealer involved which was my next step. If the ECU will reset if it is run at a certain RPM for a long enough time then that would be helpful to know and try.
I am not able to use the tractor in normal operating power levels so it is parked until I can get this resolved so that no more damage will occur. Just looking for input here from others with more experience then myself before involving a dealer and high fees for something I could have done myself. According to the dealer all they would do would be to connect the computer and force a manual regen and let it sit there and run until it was completed.

Also to some of your other points on the error codes. Once I had determine that the seller had scammed me and I removed the black electrical tape from the hours LCD panel I could see the error codes. I have addressed all the error codes indicated and reset the error codes using the method indicated in the work manual for the tractor once I got all the error codes resolved I was good again for a bit until this DPF issue. It may be there is a sensor issue somewhere because the tractor never indicated it needed to be regen until it lost power and started beeping. The deal tech said that a bad sensor may have cause it to not notify my properly or allow the park regen cycle to be activated as normal.

Thanks again for the input and advice.