Ducato - Adblue or not?

[Gary217]

Just a quick question, we've just bought a 68 plate Ducato based Swift PVC. Our friends who have a 19 plate Swift Kon-Tiki coachbuilt came to look at it (from a social distance - genuinely) but they mentioned I'd need to use Adblue, like they do. The dealer hadn't mentioned this and so I had a look at where the Adblue should go in next to the filler cap and it is just a rubber blank there. They had (unsuccessfully) a Bailey prevously, also on a Ducato chssis and it was 17 plate and had use Adblue.
It seemed weird that ours doesn't and got me thinking the base van might be old stock that Swift bought cheaply but looking at this on the internet I came across a 2016 Parkers article saying that the Ducato can achieve Euro6 without Adblue - unlike rivals - link here https://www.parkers.co.uk/vans-pickups/news/2016/fiat-ducato-euro-6/

Does any Fiat fan know what the position is and the history? Why ours doesn't need Adblue but our friend's does? Just curious but would be interesting to know.

 

[mikebeaches]

I don't know the precise details, but I was aware that Fiat was originally able to get its engines to Euro 6 standard, without the requirement for Adblue. And in fact, that was after most other similar diesel engines were using adblue.

Our Ducato-based van is a 2016 and is only Euro 5 (or Euro 5+ as Fiat liked to claim at the time).

But the exact date Fiat changed to using adblue I don't know, although I was surprised to learn it was as early as the 2017 Bailey you referred to?

 

[Durham's dad]

Fiat used EGR system to get to Euro 6 status, which recirculates the exhaust gases. The 2020, new fiat engines do use adblue. Your mates van was probably a Peugeot which was adblue.

 

[Vic]

Looks like your Fiat does not require it due to the blanked off filler for it. The cab and most bits in it are for Fiat, Peugeot and Citroën and is capable of being fitted with a number of different engines and gearboxes.

 

[Lenny HB]

On the Fiat it is only the Euro 6D engines that use add blue other versions of the Euro 6 don't.

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[Jenka]

Bailey have used the peugeot 160 adblu from 2017 and The new Fiat engines come with Adblu.

 

[Marmite]

Our Fiat Ducato is 0f 2019 vintage .. and no adblue // this was on the 2020 models

 

[Lenny HB]

Bailey have used the peugeot 160 adblu from 2017 and The new Fiat engines come with Adblu.

Is that the Ford engine?

 

[Paul and Kate]

Is that the Ford engine?

Must be close to the change over from Ford to Peugeot engines.
Our 2016 2.2 was ford our 2018 2.0 is Peugeot.

 

[The Coops]

Ours is a 2019/20 6D model no add blue but a big DFF thing that needs a good run to work which it has not had this year!

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[Jenka]

Is that the Ford engine?

No Peugeot on the autograph, the Ford is their new van .

 

[Gary217]

Aaargh! Our friends have just informed I posted incorrect information (sorry!) - their Bailey was on a Peugeot chassis and not Fiat, so it makes a bit more sense. Their current Swift is however definitely on a Fiat but from what has been posted Fiat switched engines recently to ones that need Adblue?

 

[Pausim]

I had one of the last non AdBlue Fiats which arrived straight from the constructors factory at the end of July 19 and was registered in August. From 1 September 19 the new testing procedures came in, requiring 6D engines and needing AdBlue to pass the test. There was a period of derogation to allow registration of existing stock with 6B/C engines but they should now be out of the system.

 

[Coolcats]

I had one of the last non AdBlue Fiats which arrived straight from the constructors factory at the end of July 19 and was registered in August. From 1 September 19 the new testing procedures came in, requiring 6D engines and needing AdBlue to pass the test. There was a period of derogation to allow registration of existing stock with 6B/C engines but they should now be out of the system.

When Fiat went from EU5 to EU6 the badge on the front side of the van changed slightly I think it’s the 2.3 before the 130 or 150 is in RED I will take a picture and post tomorrow.

 

[Pausim]

When Fiat went from EU5 to EU6 the badge on the front side of the van changed slightly I think it’s the 2.3 before the 130 or 150 is in RED I will take a picture and post tomorrow.

Not sure where this impacts on the use of AdBlue. Fiat achieved the Euro 6 standard without AdBlue for several years using EGR, however the more stringent testing from 1/9/19 seems to have pushed them into using AdBlue. It also seems to have pushed them into not disabling the smart alternator function for motorhomes.

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[Coolcats]

The reason I mentioned it was because if your buying a MoHo and would like an EU6 engine that allows you to display low emissions, when a viewing a vehicle externally you can see if it is EU 6 and understand the latest ad Blue is to produce rose petals out of the exhaust (less Nitrous oxide) it’s a bit weird that the non ad blue EU6 engine was only available for around 3-4 years I am sure there must have been a technical reason at Fiat for not going straight to Ad Blue as some other manufacturers seemed to.

 

[Lenny HB]

Fiat did say when they bought out the first Euro 6 engine they would be changing to one with add blue the following year but the engine without add blue carried on for 3 years.

Easy enough to tell if its an add blue version, open the filler cap cover if there is a 2nd filling point with a blue cap that says add blue I think it's pretty obvious.

 

[Pausim]

it’s a bit weird that the non ad blue EU6 engine was only available for around 3-4 years I am sure there must have been a technical reason at Fiat for not going straight to Ad Blue as some other manufacturers seemed to.

I think it might have been cost and weight factors. Possibly early customer resistance to having AdBlue came into it too. However since VW got caught cheating the test figures the need to update the testing procedures became obvious. EGR worked well enough for the old tests but not the new ones. I read that EGR does very little to improve exhaust emissions at tick over compared to AdBlue but don’t know if this is a confirmed difference. Tick over performance would be important to city driving.

 

[Coolcats]

I think it might have been cost and weight factors. Possibly early customer resistance to having AdBlue came into it too. However since VW got caught cheating the test figures the need to update the testing procedures became obvious. EGR worked well enough for the old tests but not the new ones. I read that EGR does very little to improve exhaust emissions at tick over compared to AdBlue but don’t know if this is a confirmed difference. Tick over performance would be important to city driving.

Yup VW was the first to get caught but many other manufacturers have done the same, So here goes, here is the picture that shows the 2.3 in RED on the Fiat platform this means the vehicle is EU6 so if anyone is browsing MoHo's and would like longevity for emissions this is what to look for.

Crit'Air Emissions Sticker's come in six categories and Cities all over Europe and the UK are getting tougher on what vehicles they want in or near the Towns villages and Cities. so the pre Ad Blue and Ad Blue vehicles that attract the Yellow standard (2) in France meaning its one of the 'clean' vehicles for now.

Cars registered before 1997, motorbikes and scooters from before June 2000 and trucks and buses from before 2001 are all excluded from the scheme, but cannot enter the zones at all when the restrictions apply.