To put it another way, deleting a diesel implies removing some or all of the emissions control equipment. Catalytic converters are the simplest to remove, as all that is required is the installation of a straight pipe in their stead. The process of removing an EGR system is a little more involved, needing blocking plates on the easy end and new exhaust up-pipes on the tough end. The removal of the diesel particulate filter (DPF) or selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system is also simple, requiring only the replacement of the exhaust system. Removing the EGR, DPF, or SCR, on the other hand, necessitates retuning the engine computer to fit the deleted equipment.
What are the benefits of deleting a diesel truck?
By recirculating a part of the exhaust back into the engine, the EGR helps to reduce pollution. However, due to the numerous faults with the EGR, many operators choose to have it removed. An EGR delete entails removing the system with a delete kit. Engine performance, fuel economy, and not having to worry about EGR emergency maintenance are just a few of the advantages (or even the engine itself). Because particles, soot, and debris can build up over time when recirculated back through the engine, it may require more maintenance than an engine without an EGR. It’s all a huge part of the value proposition of getting rid of the EGR entirely.
Is deleting diesels illegal?
Clients who wish to perform emission deletes on their trucks send us emails, phone calls, and live chats every day. All of these customers have the same issue: their automobiles require frequent, expensive maintenance, and they are fed up with it. I truly sympathize with them; many of them have had traumatic situations and are simply searching for a way out. However, before we delve too far into the weeds, there are a few fallacies that we commonly encounter.
Myth #1 – Deleting or Tuning a Truck is Legal
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 customers say when we mention 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 case.
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 municipal 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, as 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 way 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 capacity, 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 shatter, 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 once 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 them 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 necessary 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 effectively troubleshoot emission difficulties. If you can’t find one, we recommend taking advantage of our hands-on aftertreatment diagnostics training class.
How do you tell if a diesel is deleted?
You will be eliminated if your intake horn has a “Blue” plate on it. The factory EGR pipe would be connected there. On the left side of the engine, you’d also have a huge EGR cooler and some cables for a valve; now, you should only have two plates on the exhaust manifold where it would have been.
Can a dealership sell a deleted truck?
A dealer is not allowed to sell a deleted automobile under federal law. It’s better to put it back on so they don’t refuse the transaction or value drops by up to $6k because it was removed.
Is deleting a diesel worth it?
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 happens if you get caught with a deleted diesel?
It varies depending on the circumstances, but it might range from a few thousand dollars to millions of dollars. A consumer truck owner convicted of this infraction, for example, will be fined at least $2500 and up to $45,268 per truck. A fine of hundreds of thousands of dollars or even millions of dollars could be imposed on a larger corporation. **
Civil fines for non-compliant vehicles or engines are up to $45,268 per day, $4,527 each tampering event or sale of the defeat device, and $45,268 per day for reporting and recordkeeping violations.
If you’ve been wondering what the EPA fine is for removing your DPF filter, it’s likely that you’ve been suffering decreased performance and higher fuel usage as a result of your DPF.
Let’s take a closer look at the benefits and drawbacks of having a DPF filter, as well as the potential penalty for not having one.
Has anyone been fined for DPF Delete?
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!
How much does a diesel delete cost?
For the Chevrolet Silverado 3500 6.6L V8 diesel, Hypertech offers a number of DPF-friendly modifications.
The Hypertech Max Energy Power Programmer for a 2005 Silverado with a Duramax 6.6L engine is a nice example.
The user can pick between three phases of performance to enhance horsepower from 32hp and 68 ft.-lbs. torque to 87hp and 173 ft.-lbs. torque on average.
Programmers for use with the DPF are also available from H&S and SCT Tuning.
A variety of performance intake and exhaust products, in addition to tuners, are available to meet enhanced performance demands for just about any application.
The cost of improved performance is determined by the amount of power and performance desired. The cost of a basic tuner ranges from roughly $550 to more than $3,000 for a complete performance package that includes a DPF delete, cold-air intake, stainless down pipe, and other components.
The good news is that there are numerous legal ways to boost the power and performance of diesel pickup trucks. The DPF systems will perform well for many years after the manufacturer’s warranty has expired if they are properly maintained.
Replacement filters, which cost roughly $2,500 for the filter, sensors, and labor, are available from the manufacturers as well as aftermarket businesses like Econix and Cleaire.
Author information: Austin Craig contributes to a number of prominent automotive journals, writing articles on a variety of topics. Austin C. Craig Marketing is his company, and he lives in Parkland, Florida.