Diesel Particulate Filter (1 Viewer)

Nov 18, 2011
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not sur but is that not the same as ad blue the stuff the trucks use only you get two gallons for £18 and 16 for a small can for a car
I may be wrong
edit I am wrong totally:Doh:
 
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wasp

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Is it right you have to have them on your diesel vehicle for the MoT if it is over 5 years old:Sad:

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DBK

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I am naturally suspicious of these sort of claims from manufacturers and would need some independent tests first.
AdBlue which Bill mentions is designed to reduce nitrous oxides not particulates.

Giving the throttle some "welly" from time to time seems the best thing you can do although there are companies who services to clean DPFs but I have no experience of them.
 

Steve

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on and off for 40 years
dpf filter.jpg

Interesting subject, look at the screen shot attached and an advert to have it removed.
 

paulmold

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Is it right you have to have them on your diesel vehicle for the MoT if it is over 5 years old:Sad:

Not true - new MOT rules are that if vehicle was fitted with a DPF originally then it must have one at MOT. Same rule applies to CATS

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sdc77

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Having had experience of a vw crafter I have heard lots of horror stories of the DPF. There are plenty of stories of these vans having DPF problems.. And one thing stands out above everything else... The vans were used for short journeys... This prevents the DPF from regenerating... (this process involves diesel being injected into the DPF and burning off the diesel particles.)
I can't imagine the DPF on a motorhome would have too many probs as most journeys wouldn't be short.
 

Steve and Denise

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DPF

At 5,000 miles our DPF light came on we had just left the motorway around 70 mph for an hour or so.

We limped to Fiat garage spent all day in the waiting room a new sensor was fitted then they ran the engine at full rpm for 30 mins clouds of soot and smoke but they assured us this was what is best for the enviroment.

I must admit I have my doubts :Eeek:

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Steve

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on and off for 40 years
And has anyone done tests on the chemicals used to do this and what they become after going though the engine:Eeek:
 
OP
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Having had experience of a vw crafter I have heard lots of horror stories of the DPF. There are plenty of stories of these vans having DPF problems.. And one thing stands out above everything else... The vans were used for short journeys... This prevents the DPF from regenerating... (this process involves diesel being injected into the DPF and burning off the diesel particles.)
I can't imagine the DPF on a motorhome would have too many probs as most journeys wouldn't be short.

What I find interesting is that lots of diesel vans are used for urban deliveries, so essentially short journeys. How do they cope with this particular problem, anyone know?
 

Geo

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Forte a well known and trusted brand has a particulate filter cleaner add to the fuel and use as normal works well
We use Forte treatments on a daily basis here at the Garage and can measure the differances made on our equipment I have no reason to suspect the particulate cleaner is any different
we use it when a fault lamp appears and it seems to do the trick, we have had no complaints or returns in over two years of using it
Not available at retail shops it can be bought form local garages that are Forte users
I have been known to bring Forte to shows for members given enough notice
G

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Mar 29, 2011
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Having had experience of a vw crafter I have heard lots of horror stories of the DPF. There are plenty of stories of these vans having DPF problems.. And one thing stands out above everything else... The vans were used for short journeys... This prevents the DPF from regenerating... (this process involves diesel being injected into the DPF and burning off the diesel particles.)
I can't imagine the DPF on a motorhome would have too many probs as most journeys wouldn't be short.

Arrrrrrrrrrrr that explains why that sometimes we turn off the engine on our VW T5 and then have a burning smell, only happens occasionally
 
Dec 6, 2011
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the use of the correct and a quality oil including the cleanliness of your oil is paramount; as is regular runs at motorway speeds for regeneration to be effective.

once the oil starts to breakdown past a certain point then blocking of the particulate filter is accelerated.

if you have a faulty DPF sensor then it will not tell the engine management system to regenerate therefore you will get blocking and the need for a manual clean.

the manual clean should be done by plugging an appropriate program into the ECU and it will adjust revs etc until the sensor indicates its clear. if an appropriate ECU program is not used, just full revs then thats complete guess work and not ideal.
modern engines are not designed to run at high revs at standstill for lengthy periods.
 

pappajohn

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at present, the rules state the dpf must be present at mot.....it doesnt state it must be functional.
You could smash out the interior honeycombe and it will still pass.

As for cleaning....on all vehicles the engine ECU will take care of that automatically when the conditions are correct.
A high mileage vehicle may need a replacement every year or less if it didnt self clean and at £600/£700 a time that wouldnt do the manufacturers anyf avours.

It does this by injecting excess fuel causing the dpf to reach a temperature in excess of 700°C thus burning off any soot.
This is generally at motorway speeds and isnt noticed by the driver, at lower speeds slight reduction of power may be noticed, unless you stop before the process is complete when you will smell burning and the exhaust will click and creak loudly as it cools.

Folks dont remove them because they are blocked.....they remove them because they restrict horsepower.

The link looks like advertising in disguise to me.

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motorhomer

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I am always suspicious of additives that promise wonders. If it were so easy diesel would have it at the pumps and manufacturers would recommend it.

Only the latest vans have dpf's . But my car has one which has given no trouble at all. You would not know it's there. I don't do much on motorways but I do try to avoid very short trips, ie less than say a couple of miles. But even without dpf short distances were always bad for cars.
 

Steve and Denise

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DPF

the use of the correct and a quality oil including the cleanliness of your oil is paramount; as is regular runs at motorway speeds for regeneration to be effective.

once the oil starts to breakdown past a certain point then blocking of the particulate filter is accelerated.

if you have a faulty DPF sensor then it will not tell the engine management system to regenerate therefore you will get blocking and the need for a manual clean.

the manual clean should be done by plugging an appropriate program into the ECU and it will adjust revs etc until the sensor indicates its clear. if an appropriate ECU program is not used, just full revs then thats complete guess work and not ideal.
modern engines are not designed to run at high revs at standstill for lengthy periods.

What I should have said Phil the computer they plugged in after fitting the new sensor controled the engine RPM for about half an hour it did seem to be reving at a high RPM for a long time but this was a Fiat dealer :thumb:
 
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crimbo

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sdc77

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Arrrrrrrrrrrr that explains why that sometimes we turn off the engine on our VW T5 and then have a burning smell, only happens occasionally

Yeah. It's a distinct smell.. There is a force regeneration procedure.. But I'm not quite sure of the procedure
 

lee52

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the biggest killer of DPFs is start stop driving as the dpf never gets a chance to regen to regen things have to be at the correct temps if you do motorway runs then the dpf will be quite happy but its the school run type driving that they dont like and have had quite a few for repair they get so clogged up they cant regen (the regen basically injects diesel and burns the crap away you will get exhaust temps 600c plus) when I have had them so clogged up they cant regen you can save them 99% of the time the dealer answer is a new dpf, what works is removing them and jet washing the crap out then a force regen

the thing I didnt understand is I own a vectra manual hatch which doesnt have a dpf (the reason why I bought it) if it was a auto or a estate of the same year and engine they had a dpf,

so the best thing is if you have a dpf is take it for a long run every now and again so it can regen. Mot wise they only need a dpf if the vehicle was orig fitted with one (seen a few gutted and deleted out in the ecu so they look like they have one lol)
 

mikebeaches

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While we were in Switzerland last September a fellow motorhomer at the site we were staying on told us a tale of woe about his almost new Euro V Ducato-based van.

Apparently, the previous day he and his wife were just driving along admiring the scenery when the engine warning light came on and moments later all power was lost. He was relieved that he was able to coast to a reasonably safe stopping place, but said it was a bit scary nonetheless.

They then had to wait for a rescue truck to get them to a Fiat dealer. At the garage the mechanic ran some quick tests and got it going again, but said it was a DPF problem and that he needed to take the van out for half an hour. The owner went with him, riding shotgun and the van was driven at speed and high revs up and down a load of mountains to clear the filter.

He was told by the garage that the Euro V models were more prone to DPF problems than the early models - don't know if that is actually the case or not? At the time, however, I was relieved ours is a Euro IV, and not had any problems so far, although we do tend to just pootle along quite often.

Mike
 
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My Citroen Relay is a Euro IV and I had exactly the same experience on the M4 - it was very scary as I was in the middle lane doing 65mph. I ended up having to have a new exhaust gas recirculation valve which I think is connected with the DPF...
 
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Feb 4, 2010
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My Citroen Relay is a Euro IV and I had exactly the same experience on the M4 - it was very scary as I was in the middle lane doing 65mph. I ended up having to have a new exhaust gas recirculation valve which I think is connected with the DPF...

There's a thread on another motorhome forum about EGR valves sticking open and then breaking on Relays (in this case Romahome R30s....I can't put a link here because it's against forum rules).

To prevent it happening, the expert advice was the same as for DPFs - give the vehicle a good thrashing from time to time.

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maz

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He was told by the garage that the Euro V models were more prone to DPF problems than the early models - don't know if that is actually the case or not? At the time, however, I was relieved ours is a Euro IV

This might be a silly question, but how do I know if I've got a Euro IV or Euro V engine? I can't find any mention in the paperwork. :RollEyes:

I could just ask the Fiat garage when it goes in (again) next week - but I don't want to appear any more blonde than necessary. :winky:
 

TheBig1

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many many years! since I was a kid
euro iv (4) vans were built from 2005, so the new model x250 ducato etc
euro v (5) vans were built from 2009 and are still in production
euro vi (6) vans will be from this september (2014)

the euro rules are strict emissions criteria that new engines and vehicles must comply with
 

maz

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euro iv (4) vans were built from 2005, so the new model x250 ducato etc
euro v (5) vans were built from 2009 and are still in production

Mine's a 2010 so presumably a Euro V then. Thank you. :Smile:

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Terry49

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Particulate Filrter

My engine management light came on my Autotrail Apache 2012, 2.3D 130 BHP at around 9000 miles so I booked it in for investigation at a Fiat Dealer. He said if it was a driver fault I would be charged around £100 if not it would be repaired under warranty. The "drivers Fault" would be if I had not been driving at over 3500rpm's for at least 20 minutes on a regular basis the filter blocks and that would be down to my style of driving. Fortunately it was a faulty unit. I am a bit of a plodder so I give it a blast now and then to hopefully keep it clear. Hope the info is useful? TC
 
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i am fairly certain that the Euro 5 came in at the same time as the Dashboard rejig, so if you have the latest heater Knobs then you are likely to have a Euro 5

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