A diesel deletion entails removing the DEF system, the catalytic converter, and the DPF, and replacing the exhaust with a new one.
Is it illegal to remove a diesel from a vehicle?
There is no way around it; tampering with or modifying your truck’s emission system in any manner is completely unlawful. It is not a state or local law (though such do exist), but rather a federal law. The first thing clients remark when we discuss it is that “it’s only for off-highway use” or “it’s for tractor pulls.” They believe that by doing so, they will be able to avoid any laws, but this is far from the fact.
Yes, your emission system can be lawfully removed from your vehicle, but it will require recertification by the manufacturer and the issuance of a new emission label and certification. You can’t just sign a piece of paper and declare that your engine has been recertified. You’d have to pay to have your engine re-certified by the original equipment manufacturer, which is a costly process.
Myth #2 There are no EPA Police
This is technically correct. A federal emission law, on the other hand, can be uploaded by any state or local government. This misconception is similar to someone declaring, “There are no IRS cops,” despite the fact that the IRS can collect and enforce laws from a building thousands of miles away. The extent of testing and enforcement will differ depending on your state and county.
Myth #3 – The EPA doesn’t go after the little guys
Another prevalent misunderstanding among clients is that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) does not target small enterprises. For your convenience, the EPA maintains a list of every single resolution filed against the Clean Air Act for cars, organized by year. Cases range from tuning equipment providers being taxed over $4 million to a single owner doing a DPF delete on a single car.
If you think you’re “too small” to be noticed or cared about, rest assured that you’re wrong. It only takes one employee or service provider to report the problem, and you’ll be in serious trouble in no time. If the removal/tuning has been done frequently or on a wide scale, the cases might be both civil and criminal.
The fines can quickly mount, since the EPA has the authority to levy civil penalties of up to $7,500 per day for major violations and $37,500 per day for minor violations.
Myth #4 – Only California Cares about Emissions
We get calls from county and state governments asking for a software solution to detect pollution manipulation on commercial trucks on a regular basis. We don’t have a response yet, but I can assure you that someone is working on one right now. There is a sizable demand for a device like this. The reason for this is that the fines are so high that a government agency might pay tens of thousands of dollars each month for that software and still make a profit.
California isn’t the only state with this problem. Several counties in Texas already require emission testing on commercial trucks, and states like Minnesota, as well as New York, are following suit. They’ll find a means to collect fines if there’s money to be made!
Myth #5 Deleting my emissions will solve all my problems
This isn’t even close to being accurate. Your first task will be to find a competent “tuner” to assist you, and based on our experience, there are more incompetent ones on the market than competent ones. To be honest, the truly outstanding tuners aren’t promoting because they know what they’re doing. In terms of technical expertise and capability, the ones that do advertise are often at the bottom of the totem pole. They frequently clone one ECM software to another without thoroughly inspecting the intricacies.
So, what exactly does this imply? It indicates that if your engine is tuned by a bad tuner, you will have serious issues. Poor engine performance to your engine flinging a rod through the block are all possibilities. Inexperienced tuners, for example, will often remove the EGR on the PACCAR MX engine. The EGR, on the other hand, cools the combustion chamber. With the EGR removed, your head will crack, and you’ll be dealing with a far worse problem. Modern engines are built to work in harmony with all of their components, and changing one component might lead to more serious issues. If you think it’s just MX engines, consider this Facebook user who had an ISX removed:
Aside from these urban legends, there are a few more things to consider.
Finding a Shop to Help You
You’ll have a hard time finding a franchised dealership to help you after you’ve removed your emissions. They don’t want to take on the risk of working on decommissioned emission equipment, and they can’t guarantee the work. That means you’ll have to find a qualified independent facility willing to work with you on your own. Even if the engine problem you’re having has nothing to do with your tune or delete, as most of you know, seeing these on the open road can be challenging at best.
Reselling Your Truck
If you ever consider selling or trading in your truck, you will almost certainly run into problems. If you sell it with parts removed, the individual who buys it or takes it in trade will have a legal case against you. You made an unlawful change without informing the customer, and now you’re facing legal (and financial) consequences. You will very certainly have to pay to restore all deleted components to their original configuration. Even taking your truck to an auction doesn’t exempt you from liability, as one forum user pointed out. Law enforcement frequently attends public auctions to guarantee that no illegal activities are taking place. Note:
Summary
There are two basic approaches for emission adjustment, according to the “economy.” The first option is to save money by learning to do it yourself. Because it requires downloading ECM information to your laptop/computer, updating the software, then pushing it back, you should have a foundation in computer science and how diesel engines work if you go this route. The actual “tuners,” who are subject matter experts, do exactly that.
These folks, on the other hand, are often hard to discover and are aware of the risks indicated above. They gain money in a different way, by selling the “tunes” to repair shops. Do you remember the guy who advertised on Facebook and Craigslist that he would do a tune for $1,000? That individual has no idea what he’s doing. He’s buying tuning files from real specialists, marking them up, uploading them to your ECM, and then walking away from you for good.
That’s all we know about eliminating and optimizing your engine. Our recommendation is to avoid it and instead work with a local, experienced repair shop that has access to correct diagnostic instruments and repair information. You’ll be alright if your engine is well maintained and you can locate a qualified repair facility that can precisely troubleshoot emission difficulties. If you can’t find one, we recommend taking advantage of our aftertreatment diagnostics hands-on training program.
What does it signify if a diesel truck gets removed from the list?
We recognize that there are certain terminology you’ll come across when reading about your truck because we’ve written about trucks and autos a lot. A truck has been ‘removed,’ for example, is a term you’re bound to come across. What exactly does this imply? Let’s begin with a quick response:
The diesel particle filter, the exhaust regulating system, and diesel emission fluids are all removed or bypassed when a truck is deleted. The removal of a vehicle enhanced its fuel efficiency by 2030% while simultaneously increasing its power and lowering its maintenance costs. Modern trucks, on the other hand, have more complicated systems, making the cost of eliminating a truck greater than the benefits achieved.
That, however, isn’t the whole tale. We’ll go through what exactly is gone when a truck is deleted further down. We’ll also go through the benefits and drawbacks of this technique, as well as whether it’s legal and whether buying and selling a deleted truck is permitted. Continue reading!
Is it legal to erase DPF?
So, what about the $22,000 question: is it legal, and can you get penalized for erasing the DPF? In a nutshell, yes, you can be penalized, and no, it isn’t legal. We spoke with the NSW Environmental Protection Agency, who confirmed that it is unlawful (because you’re tampering with a car’s pollution control system), and that the corresponding on-the-spot fine for driving a vehicle with a DPF delete is $300. However, an individual’s maximum court-imposed sentence is $22,000!
Is it worth it to get rid of a 6.7 Cummins?
Overall, getting rid of the DPF and other emissions systems appears to be a great idea. It minimizes maintenance costs, enhances performance, and improves gas mileage by preventing blocked filters.
On the other hand, it makes your truck illegal, preventing it from passing inspection, lowering resale value, harming the environment, and most shops refusing to work on it.
So, should you get rid of your Cummins 6.7 DPF system? We honestly don’t recommend it unless you have a pressing need for extraordinary performance. The DPF filter is covered by an 8-year, 80,000-mile warranty. Furthermore, with all of the standard emissions systems intact, these vehicles are still capable of achieving power improvements in excess of 200rwhp.
If you want to remove it for better gas mileage, you may install an intake and a tune without jeopardizing the factory warranty or making your truck illegal. Unless you absolutely need it eliminated for performance reasons, it’s just more trouble than it’s worth.
Is it really worth it to get rid of a diesel?
To put it clearly, any diesel pickup’s emissions equipment should not be removed. It is a federal criminal to remove any factory-installed emissions equipment, regardless of local or state testing regulations. The factory warranty on the vehicle is also void when emissions equipment is removed. Before you say anything, there is no way to prevent a dealer from discovering that emissions equipment has been removed. Even if the hard parts are replaced, the ECM will still show signs of adjustment.
What are the advantages of getting rid of a diesel truck?
The soot-clogging concerns are eliminated after a diesel deletion is performed. There may also be improvements in performance, such as increased torque/horsepower and improved fuel economy. The tuner, aftermarket software, and engine hardware all play a role in these favorable adjustments.
Are trucks that have been deleted legal?
Is It Illegal To Remove A Diesel? Tampering with, removing, or purposely weakening the DPF system in a truck is prohibited, according to Section 203 of the Clean Air Act.
Is it possible to pass emissions with a diesel engine that has been deleted?
Can Dpf Delete Help You Pass Emissions? Diesel cars with DPF deletes used to be able to get around emissions limits. However, it is now much more difficult. A diesel that has been disabled will now pass any emissions test, regardless of which country you own or how far you travel.
Is it against the law to erase a file?
It’s not difficult to find someone who can modify or remove the Diesel Exhaust Fluid (or DEF) emissions systems on your agricultural equipment if you look hard enough. Given the openness with which this service is provided, a farmer could be forgiven for thinking DEF alterations are permitted.
They aren’t. The EPA Clean Air Act forbids anybody from removing or rendering inoperable an emission control device on a motor vehicle in the United States. Under a different name, the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, Canada has essentially the same statute.
Even though it is forbidden, DEF tampering occurs. What is causing this, and what are the potential consequences?
Early DEF systems, according to Kevin Rossler, Sales Manager for Markusson New Holland Ag in Regina, could be problematic.
“There were early concerns in agricultural equipment as it developed into Tier-Four emissions or DEF systems,” explains Rossler. “An error code from a sensor failing at seeding time could cause you to lose power, which is quite inconvenient. As a result, several operators wanted to get rid of their DEF systems or purchase DEF delete kits to avoid having to utilize them.”
Interfering with a DEF system can get you in trouble with the law, but that’s not the only danger. It will also nullify the manufacturer’s warranty on the device. When equipment with tampered DEF arrives at a dealership as a trade-in, it must be returned to its original DEF settings before it can be resold. That’s $5,000 to $7,000, according to Rossler’s experience.
He advises equipment owners to let go of any lingering misconceptions regarding DEF, stating that current versions of the technology work significantly more consistently. DEF systems are unlikely to cause problems in the field, but they’re excellent at what they’re supposed to do: regulate emissions from agricultural equipment and help farming keep its good environmental reputation.
“Early DEF systems are nothing like what we have now,” says Larry Hertz, WEDA’s Regional Vice-President for Canada. “Today, you could place your face right close to the exhaust pipe and nothing would come out. DEF is required by legislation in order to maintain air quality. That’s all the more incentive to leave your DEF alone and let it do its thing.”
How much does it cost to delete the DPF?
A DPF delete is an excellent alternative if you own a truck with a diesel particulate filter and want to increase performance, reduce fuel consumption, give your vehicle more power, and save money.
Why Do People Delete Their DPFs And Is It Legal In Calgary?
Diesel engines include a variety of after-treatment systems, including diesel particulate filters (DPF), diesel oxidation catalysts (DOC), exhaust gas recirculation systems (EGR), variable geometry turbochargers (VGT), and urea injection systems (DEF or diesel exhaust fluid). They’re known for being fussy, high-maintenance, and expensive to fix. The primary reason most people choose to delete their after-treatment systems is to avoid these problems. Uninstalling part or all of the physical components of an after-treatment system and reprogramming the ECU to account for the now-missing sensors is the process of removing an after-treatment system. DPF, DOC, and DEF deletes are staged, with the actual removal of the EGR (exhaust gas recirculation) system and the replacement of the variable turbo with a regular turbo completing the process. Deleting after-treatment systems is allowed in Alberta and does not violate any laws or regulations; nevertheless, it will void the car manufacturer’s warranty (if applicable).
How Does Deleting A DPF Increase Fuel Efficiency And How Much Fuel Can You Expect To Save?
The removal of exhaust limitations and the updated ECU calibration result in some fuel savings when after treatment systems are deleted. However, the true cost savings come from not having to operate an after-treatment system, which includes not having to buy diesel exhaust fluid. The additional engine life potential from a deletion might also be considered as a savings. The addition of an after-treatment system to a truck’s exhaust system raises exhaust backpressure, which raises engine temperatures. These higher temperatures contribute to a reduction in total engine life, with some reports claiming that without after-treatment, engine life drops by 50%.
How Much Does A DPF Delete Cost?
Prices and service timeframes vary depending on the unit’s model and year, as well as the amount of the deletion, but often range from $3000 to $10,000. This cost is frequently the same as or less than the cost of replacing the after-treatment systems when they fail.
What are the advantages of DPF deletions? Keep in mind that the benefits indicated below are dependent on how the vehicle is maintained and driven in general; therefore, outcomes may vary.
What are the pros of a DPF deletes?
While uninstalling after-treatment systems is now permitted in Alberta, this could change in the future. It’s impossible to say whether this would effect existing vehicles or merely new vehicles. What is known is that no legislation to modify Alberta’s emissions regulations is currently underway, nor does it appear to be on the horizon. If done appropriately, after-treatment system deletions are also reversible in the event that someone changes their mind or the car is being moved or sold to a jurisdiction that requires it.
