Blue Tec is a brand, a name that Mercedes Benz markets emissions technology to reduce Nitrogen Oxides (NOx). It  is used by several engines including some non-Mercedes. Under the Blue Tec brand are different technologies. One is the Selective Catalytic Reduction System (SCR) which reduces NOx and is used with DEF, a liquid made up of 32.5% urea which eliminates NOx. Yet another is Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR), used with Diesel Oxidation Catalyst and a Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF).

The 07-09 Sprinter engines used EGR with DPF and the 2010 Sprinter engine uses SCR and DEF. While the new engine has 185hp and 325 ft. lb. torque against the older (OM462) engine with 154hp and 280 ft. lb. torque. Don’t expect any better mileage in 2010 as the new engine and technology are actually years old in Europe which has stricter environmental standards than we have. We should have the European Sprinter engines but politics, NAFTA and other problems keep us running behind Europe.

When you buy a 2010 Sprinter in the US you don’t have a lot of choices. You can chose only 1 engine. Someday we hope that changes.

But how does this technology really work?

In the EGR process (07-09 Sprinters), some of the exhaust gas is basically reburned to lower the emissions and the carbon particles from that process are caught in the Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF). The DPF is automatically cleaned at intervals by burning the particles in a process called regeneration.

In the SCR process (2010  Sprinters) Urea is injected into the exhaust gases from a Urea tank which has to be refilled by the driver just like the fuel tank at regular intervals.

For more information check the Sprinter Model Year 2010 Emissions Features.    PDF

I don’t know. Some have convinced the dealer that it is a warranty issue since earlier models were resettable,  so should be reset for free. Others just have a good dealer who does it for free. No one that I know has had to pay.

2006 Service Manual pg. 8J-19
See the owner’s manual in the vehicle glove box for more information on the features, use, operation and resetting procedures for the ASSYST maintenance computer.
ASSYST MAINTENANCE COMPUTER – RESET
The counter can also be reset by any individual after the indicated service has been performed.  To do so:

1. Turn key to the ON/RUN position.
2. Within one second press the knob/button (mi/km) twice.
3. The present status for days or distance is displayed. Within 10 seconds turn the key to OFF/LOCK.
4. Press and hold the knob/button (mi/km), while turning the key to ON/RUN again. The present status for days or distance is displayed once more. Continue to hold the knob/button (mi/km).
5. After approximately 10 seconds, a signal sounds and the display shows 7,000 miles (Canada: 11,000 km) for approximately 10 seconds. Release the knob/button (mi/km).
6. If the counter was inadvertently reset, have an authorized dealer correct it.

2007 Maintenance Manual
An authorized Sprinter dealer will reset the service display after every service (oil service plus or maintenance).

See the owner’s information packet in the vehicle glove box for more information on the recommended vehicle maintenance requirements as well as the features, use, operation and resetting procedures for the ASSYST maintenance indicator.

2007 Owners Manual
AFAIK, there is nothing in the OM about resetting procedures.

2008 Owners Manual
An authorized Sprinter Dealer, can reset the service indicator when the service has been carried out.

I think the do-it-your-self was taken out as part of the pollution control system. Mercedes wants to make sure the dealer is in the loop. Maybe this was required as part of the  07+ standards for the US.

Day 1 when I got our Sprinter, I went to Walmart to pick up a couple of quarts of oil for just in case. I did not take my owner’s manual (here under Sprinter reference material), choosing instead to rely on my (failing) memory. I came home with 2 quarts of Mobil 1 Delvac ESP 5w-40. In reading the label, it was for low ash diesel engines, mentioned EGR valves, sounded like the right oil. Wrong!

Shopping for Mobil 1 ESP labeled oil is like buying snow on top of Mt. McKinley. It is everywhere, all kinds, for SUVs, diesel trucks, low-ash engines, turbo diesel truck, extra mileage, Formula M, BUT and it is a big but, you cannot go by what marketing (surprise) says using words. You can only go by the specifications often only in abbreviated form on the container itself.

For the Sprinter 2007-2009, oil must meet MB (that is Mercedes Benz) approval 228.51/229.31/229.51 and you should try to use the 229.51 because it is the most recent specification. Oil with specification MB 228.5/229.3 or 229.5 can be used in emergencies and then use no more than 1 quart.

And new (not in the owners manual) Mobil 1 ESP oils are also coming out that are formulated to meet those specifications. For example Mobi1 ESP Formula 5w-30 available at your Dodge Sprinter dealer as part number 68001334AA, meets the 229.51 (here under Sprinter reference material.) Mobil 1 ESP Formula M 5W-40 is available at your Mercedes dealer – I paid $7.43 a quart, part number 0168-Q-1-09-0142.

What’s a guy or girl to do? Trust no one. The truth is out there . . . use the data sheets from the manufacturer to verify what you are told. Above all, use the correct oil. If you have the incorrect oil you risk damaging the DPF filter and that will cost you much more than replacing the incorrect oil with the correct one.

Here is an older article about Cummins and how their system works.

When talking about diesel particulate filters (DPFs), there is absolutely no relation between regeneration and the need for cleaning.

Apparently, a number of folks are not quite sure just what that means or if it’s actually true. A recent conversation with Zack Ellison, the director of customer support at Cummins, began by him saying, “There’s a lot of confusion in the marketplace on how regeneration relates to the need for cleaning a diesel particulate filter. The two are completely independent of each other.”

With that said, let’s go back to the beginning. In just over a half a year, to comply with 2007 emissions regulations, all new commercial diesels will be equipped with some kind of aftertreatment device, more commonly referred to as DPFs. While these devices have been widely used on transit buses for years, they’re new to the trucking industry and apparently are causing some confusion. In general, DPFs will be installed on trucks in place of mufflers and will be needed because 2007 emissions regulations dramatically limit the particulate material that can be emitted in exhaust.

Just like the mufflers they replace, DPFs come in a variety of proprietary designs. All of them will be designed to collect particulate matter without obstructing the flow of exhaust gases. And, they do their jobs very efficiently, but, like any other filter, as they collect material, back pressure will increase unless some way is incorporated in the system to control this.

“Regeneration, which takes place in the presence of heat and a precious metal catalyst in the DPF, is the name given to how we eliminate the soot or carbon from the DP,” Ellison says. “During regeneration, the trapped soot, which is carbon, is converted to carbon dioxide (CO2). Some people think that after we burn off the soot during regeneration, we’re left with ash. That’s not correct. It’s important to understand that there is no residue left behind from the regeneration operation.”

It’s also important to understand that regeneration takes place automatically. No driver input is required nor will a driver know that the process is taking place.

“Passive regeneration means that you don’t have to add anything to the exhaust stream,” Ellison says. “The heat of the exhaust, combined with heat generated by the chemical reaction within the DPF, is enough to convert the carbon to carbon dioxide.”

Active regeneration, during which a small amount of diesel fuel is injected into the exhaust, will be required only if the exhaust temperature is too low because of lightly loaded conditions. Such a situation will not be encountered in most highway applications, but might well be required in city operations where engines have lower exhaust temperatures because they are not working as hard as they are in over-the-road applications.

“I’d say, for 99 percent of our over-the-road customers, they will never need to add fuel to the exhaust stream,” Ellison says. “That, of course, is good for fuel economy. In 30 highway test vehicles, we have yet to experience the need to add fuel for regeneration.” Even in the case of active regeneration of the DPF, no driver action is required.

So what’s all the talk about cleaning DPFs? Recall we said that these filters are very good at removing any solid material from the exhaust stream. A very small portion of that material will come from the additive package in the lube oil. This is what is referred to as “ash.” The amount that gets into the exhaust is directly related to how much oil is burned in the engine and how much of the additive doesn’t burn.

To address that situation, all engine manufacturers are designing their 2007 engines to burn exceptionally little oil, and the new CJ-rated oil that will be used in these engines will decrease ash content from 1.5 percent to 1 percent.

Still, some ash will be trapped; so filters will need cleaning by reverse flow of high-pressure air in a machine designed for the task–a process that takes about an hour and a half. By law, this cannot be required in fewer than 150,000 miles.

Ellison says that Cummins systems are designed to run 200,000 to 400,000 miles before cleaning is required.

That sounds like once in a lifetime to me!

Tom Gelinas
Editorial Director
Fleet Equipment May 1, 2006