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Nissan Titan XD 5.0L Cummins Deletes and Tuning (DPF, SCR and EGR)

Updated September 26, 2019 by Jeff Hart

The Titan XD with the new 5.0L Cummins is Nissan’s answer to the 1/2 ton diesel truck market, and from initial impressions they seem to have created a great new combination with this truck. The Titan XD is basically a 1/2 ton truck with the engine of a 3/4 ton truck, which really makes it fall into a class of it’s own.

Considering it puts out an impressive 310HP and 555 ft. lb of torque in a less than 8,000 pound truck, the XD sure seems to be punching well above it’s weight class.

All New Powerplant

At first glance, you’ll notice some very impressive materials and packaging used on this engine to make it as lightweight, compact, and powerful as possible.

The construction of the 5.0L is nothing short of high tech, with Cummins opting to use metal technologies like CGI (Compacted Graphite Iron) to make the block thinner and more lightweight while staying as strong as possible. Aluminum was used to cast the heads which heavily contributes to the 5.0L being much much lighter than any of the older diesel v8’s that we are used to.

The packaging was designed for a small footprint, using tricks such as tucking the turbos deep into the valley pan area, with the intake manifold just about being molded right around them.

Clean and Quiet

A lot of emphasis was put into making sure that the 5.0L Cummins V8 would put quietness and cleanliness at the forefront of their design.

The Bosch piezo injector system has the ability to fire five times during each combustion event, keeping the pistons from slapping the walls and creating unwanted noise. Cummins even took into consideration the timing of the fuel pump, and by running the Bosch CP4.2 off of the timing chain, they were able to set it with precision to sequence the combustion cycle.

And of course, because of modern diesel regulations, the 5.0 has all of the usual emissions equipment that you would find on any new truck.

The Problems

Just like every other modern diesel engine, there are always trade-offs. Namely the DPF, SCR and EGR systems. They’re what really hold this engine back from it’s full MPG and HP potential, while contributing to future failures.

Don’t get me wrong, when these systems are operating properly they do help to greatly reduce emissions and are generally a good thing. They’re also a requirement if you live in a country with regulations on diesel pollution. While they are good systems for reducing tailpipe emissions, they definitely have the trade-off of collateral damage that they can cause that becomes a concern for the longevity of your truck’s engine.

Fortunately, there are still options for those of us who don’t have to keep our trucks legal for the street.

How to delete the Titan XD

There are only a few parts that you will need to delete your 5.0 Cummins; a tuner, an exhaust, and a some way to block or turn off the factory EGR system. All of these parts together are what most will call a full delete kit.

We’ll start with the most important part first, the tuner. You won’t be able to run a deleted truck properly without it, so it is definitely a must have in order for everything to work.

Best Tuner for Deleting the Titan XD

GDP EZ LYNK Tuner For 2016 2017 2018 Nissan Titan XD 5.0L Cummins

Check Price

ebay.com

as of October 8, 2019 2:57 pm

Features:

Read / Clear Diagnostic Trouble Codes
Monitor Vehicle Specific Parameters
Record / Play / Send Vehicle Datalogs
Reflash / Update Engine Control Module
PPEI Tuning
Compatible With Emissions Compliant & Emissions Detached Applications

Single Tune HP Levels:

20 HP – Economy
40 HP – Tow
60 HP – Street
120 HP – Race
140HP – Max Effort

**EGR DELETE DPF DELETE CAPABLE**

Titan XD DPF/DEF/Cat Delete Exhaust Kit

AFE 4" Delete Exhaust for 16-17 Nissan Titan XD Cummins

Check Price

ebay.com

as of October 8, 2019 2:57 pm

Features: | Mandrel Bent 16GA Stainless Steel | 4" Diameter | Deletes Both The Diesel Particulate Filter and Catalytic Converter |

EGR Delete Options

Unfortunately, there really aren’t any readily available delete kit options for physically blocking off the EGR system on the 5.0L Cummins, instead most everyone simply turns off the EGR function with the tune.

As someone who really values a clean engine bay free of unnecessary junk, I would like to see the market respond with some more options for EGR block off plates for this truck.

Stay tuned here for updates, we will make sure to post any new delete kit options as they become available.

Conclusion

I hope this guide has helped you to understand what parts you’ll need to delete your 5.0L Cummins equipped Titan XD.

Feel free to reach out to us in the comments below with any questions or suggestions. Thanks for reading!

Deleting and tuning the 2.8L Duramax LWN | Remove DPF, DEF and EGR

Updated September 20, 2019 by Jeff Hart

From the factory, the 2.8L LWN Duramax is a remarkably stout and impressive power plant for the 2015-2017 Colorado and Canyon trucks. Straight out of the box people have been praising the power and performance of this compact 4 cyl. diesel motor. It’s so good most people don’t need to do a thing to it besides drive it (and change the oil, frequently.)

Of course, nothing can ever be perfect, and every engine has it’s weaknesses. We wouldn’t have to keep buying new parts or new trucks if they lasted forever. In the case of the LWN, well it wouldn’t be a modern diesel without complicated modern emissions equipment. That complicated modern emission equipment has some…. tradeoffs.

In fact, one of the main complaints so far has been that some of these trucks have already been throwing emissions codes because of a non-functioning, clogged up EGR system and related sensors going off for the DPF and SCR efficiency, in chain reaction to the EGR malfunction.

Most of the time, a thorough cleaning of the EGR system can make the codes go away, but it’s just gonna be one of those procedures that will have to be added into your maintenance schedule as you rack up the miles. The DPF filter is also going to need to be replaced in the higher mileage trucks at some point, the clogging happens there as well. Even more so when the EGR isn’t working properly.

And of course, the DEF isn’t going to fill itself.

Properly maintained and working correctly however, these systems do work really well together to make the LWN one of the “cleanest” diesels available.

What are the EGR, the DPF and the SCR/DEF injection systems?

These are the series of parts works together in order for the LWN to meet emissions output regulations. In order to better understand them, let’s do a quick overview of how each of these individual components function:

The DEF system is what uses the urea fluid (aka blue def or adblue) injection into the SCR, vaporizing the fluid mixture into ammonia and carbon dioxide that can be filtered by this catalyst into nitrogen and water. In theory, this a great addition to the overall reduction of emissions output. In reality though, the urea mixture is a little too volatile for long-term reliability, especially in cold climates. Urea likes to crystallize and evaporate when exposed to cold temps or air, which can wreak havoc on the injection system. These systems have numerous sensors and a heating element contained in the holding tank, which get attacked by the corrosive fluid and will almost always fail over time in one way or the other. Overhauling these injections systems can get quite costly.

In the DPF portion of the exhaust you have the filter that takes the remainder of NOx and filters out as much as possible by grabbing the carbon as it flows through the tiny passageways of the filter. As you can imagine, these passageways don’t take a lot to get clogged up, this is why you have what is called the “regen mode” which works by super-heating the filter to burn away carbon deposits. The burn is created by over-fueling the engine to make the exhaust gas temperature rise very high in order to vaporize deposits. Over-fueling does have the negative effect of also dumping some of the fuel into the oil, thereby reducing it’s longevity and lubrication effectiveness. For this reason, it is VERY important to follow the oil change intervals as closely as possible to combat the diluted oil. The DPF filter itself will also clog after some time, and require replacement of that entire section of the exhaust.

The EGR system works to lower emissions by re-introducing some of the unburnt fuel in the exhaust back into the intake tract, thereby re-burning some of the inherit emissions that would need to be filtered by the SCR and DPF. Some form of EGR systems have been used on just about every modern engine to reduce the amount of emissions they produce and they have been proven to do just that, which is a great thing for the environment. However, they do come with a huge reliability drawback, especially on diesels, and that is the amount of gunk that clogs up not only the EGR system but also the intake manifold, valves and etc. Basically by allowing the EGR to do its job, you’ll also have to accept the fact that all that dirty exhaust is going to be recycled back into the intake of your engine, gumming up everything in its path. This is terrible for engine longevity.

Should you delete and tune your 2.8L Duramax?

Let’s weigh some pros and cons:

Delete Pros:

Tuning can increase the power to around 212hp and 412 ft. pounds of torque.
By removing the clog-prone EGR and DPF, you will increase the reliability and longevity of your truck.
On average, you will stand to gain an extra 5 MPG after the deletes.
No more limp mode because of a clogged DPF or the frequent DEF system failures. This translates into much lower maintenance costs.
Your engine will run cleaner by not having recycled carbon and fuel dumped back into the engine, which frees you up from low-ash type oil and allows you to run my favorite oil: Rotella T6.
This is purely my own preference, but if you run without a muffler you’ll have much more pronounced turbo and engine sound with the exhaust restrictions gone.

Delete Cons:

The biggest con to deleting your mini max is that the warranty can be voided by the dealership if they detect a tune (and they can, even with it returned to factory conditions.) Normally these systems are covered under the emissions warranty for 8 years/ 80K miles, which is actually quite generous, although I have noticed that a lot of times people are having clogged DPF filter and EGR issues right after the emissions warranty runs out.
Legality is another con of removing emissions equipment, at least in the US. You need to be aware that these modifications are only to be used in vehicles that aren’t to be driven on public highways, as the US regulations have made modifications to these systems to be a fine able offense.

Tell me how to remove it!

So after careful consideration of the remaining value of your warranty and acknowledgement of your local laws, you’ve decided to delete your truck. Well, that in itself can be a little tricky; because of the newness of the LWN trucks some aftermarket manufacturers are still in development for this platform. That said, there’s some really good options already.

Keep reading to see the breakdown of everything that you’ll find in a typical delete kit.

Best Option for a 2.8L Duramax Delete Tuner

PPEI Custom EFILive Switch On The Fly

PPEI EFILive 2015 2016 GM Colorado Canyon 2.8L Duramax

Check Price

ebay.com

as of October 8, 2019 11:03 am

Each PPEI calibration is built off of a basic good running calibration, and is then tailored specifically for your needs and applications.
Each DSP4 tune is built with 4 power levels. PPEI will not build lope tunes, nor will we build or endorse the use of ""Smoke Tunes"".
Power levels are dependent on supporting modifications, but the basics of each level are described below.

1. No Additional Fueling Added (Heavy Tow)
2. Some added Fueling at higher RPM (Light Tow/Mild Street)
3. Additional Low & High RPM Fueling (Hot Street)
4. Max Effort Tuning Per Supporting Modifications (Race)

Best DPF/SCR/CAT Delete Exhaust

aFe Power Large-Bore HD

If you’re going to be running a delete tune, you’ll need to exhaust to support it. This exhaust replaces all the factory exhaust emissions components with a much less restrictive straight pipe and optional muffler.

DPF filters and DEF injection systems are a big source of issues on these trucks, they are a part that IS going to need replacement at some point in the usable life of the truck. The funny thing is that they seem to be conveniently engineered to last until just after the warranty expires. Get ahead of the imminent failure and remove the factory exhaust to replace with this one.

aFe Power Large-Bore HD 49-44075-B Exhaust System (3", Turbo-Back, Stainless Steel)

Check Price

amazon.com

as of October 11, 2019 1:56 pm

Features

Constructed from 3" mandrel-bent Stainless Steel tubing
Included in this exhaust system is a massive 4-1/2" dia. Black Stainless Steel tip
Utilizes all factory mounting locations to provide a quick, hassle-free installation
Uses a high quality band clamp and OE-style bayonet hangers for a secure fitment
This is a "Race only" product used solely for competition. It's use is limited to closed-course and open-course racing that is formally sanctioned by a recognized racing organization.

Product Description

Simple installation: this system uses factory mounting locations providing stability and hassle-free installation. OE fit: OE-style bayonet hangers are used to maintain a stable pipe location during high vibration and high heat conditions. The bayonet tip holds the hanger bushing in place for an OE-style fit that does not change with time. Flow and performance: this large bore-hd exhaust system is constructed of 3" mandrel-bent stainless steel tubing for maximum flow. Smooth Transition bends allow for low turbulence, increasing horsepower, torque and lowering EGT's. 4-1/2" diameter black tip: finishing off the exhaust is a 4-1/2" diameter, black, stainless steel Slash cut tip with a unique stainless steel laser-cut aFe Power logo plate riveted on for an aggressive style.

EGR Delete Kit for the 2.8L Duramax

OZ Tuner LWN EGR Delete Kit

Removing the EGR system is vital to longevity on the mini duramax engine, as many drivers have noted excessive carbon buildup in the intake even before the first oil change interval. This extra carbon is a pretty much a universal issue on emissions controlled diesel engines, and it always results in the soot gumming up your intake and valves and contributes to an overall shorter engine life.

As far as available options to remove the EGR on the Canyon and Colorados, OZ Tuning is pretty much the only choice for a well-built and complete kit. The actual installation process to remove the EGR on the 2.8L takes some mechanical ability to perform, but the end results are more than worth it.

One caveat to EGR removal is that it WILL increase nox output, thus also increasing the amount of DEF that your truck will have to use in order to counteract. This is why it is recommended to perform both the EGR and DEF/DPF delete at the same time, otherwise you will risk having the engine computer raising alarms about the abnormal SCR utilization.

This kit includes all the block off plates and rerouting hoses that you’ll need to do a full EGR delete.