HOW TO CLEAR A BLOCKED DPF FILTER? CAUSES OF BLOCKED DPF’S
When an engine is running at high speeds, the diesel particulate filter (DPF) can regenerate itself. However, if you are driving in slow-moving traffic for a long period of time or use certain types of fuel this may not be possible and will result in blocked DPFs.
Blocked DPFs happen because a vehicle needs to maintain enough heat to vaporize the solid particles in its diesel particulate filter (DPF), and this usually happens during motorway or long A road driving when it has sat over 2500 RPM for 10 minutes.
For diesel vehicle owners, short-distance driving can cause severe problems for your engine. If you drive around town and only use the car to commute back and forth from work every day, it could lead to DPF blockage because of all the carbon buildup that occurs during those trips. Most likely this is not due to regular long-distance travel on highways as most people do with their cars; rather it’s caused by too many shorter journeys without any highway rides in between them. A petrol engine would be a much better choice for somebody who drives mostly within city limits or makes frequent stops at home throughout the week like me!
PREVIOUS OWNER DRIVING
If you buy a second-hand car, it’s hard to tell how much its been driven on highways or if the previous owner was careful about keeping up with maintenance. The DPF might seem fine at first but over time driving short distances can lead to dirty exhaust filters and eventually break down completely.
VEHICLE AGE & MILEAGE
A DPF starts going around 80-120 thousand miles. If you’re in a vehicle that does the odd motorway drive here and then, you may be in this range. However if frequent frequently motorway driving, it’s possible to get between 120-150 thousand miles out of your DPF.
How to clear the DPF warning light by DPF cleaning.
Having a clean diesel particulate filter (DPF) is crucial for maximizing your car’s performance and preventing early engine failure. Your handbook will have instructions on how to properly carry out this process, but we’ve included some tips below:
1. Warm up the engine by driving it for around 15 minutes at high speed while keeping revs above 2000 RPMs
2. The heat generated from doing so should help burn off any accumulated DPFs particles and trigger an automatic regeneration cycle in your vehicle
If your car is misfiring or in limp mode, avoid revving the engine too high. This can cause further damage and problems for you. If it’s really bad, take it to a mechanic so that they can fix the problem before things get worse. To clean up this issue, add some BG244 into your gas tank and drive on one of those long highway routes at 70mph while keeping an eye on how many rpm’s are going around (ideally above 2000). There are other cleaners available but we think ours works best – especially when dealing with DPF issues like these! How do I make sure my DPF stays clear?
If you want to maintain a clean efficient engine, make sure that the fuel is high quality and run your car for long enough journeys. Avoid short trips where the temperature isn’t able to properly warm up or when there’s no time for it carries out an entire revolution of 2000 rpm. You can use additives such as BG244 in order to keep components working well together! Can I remove my DPF? This may be possible but this doesn’t always comply with regulations so please check before attempting anything like this yourself
If your car has a DPF filter, it is likely to fail an annual inspection. A failed engine emissions test could be because of your driving style or the engine running too richly; both cases should be evaluated so that there are no more blocked filters in future engines.
WHAT CAUSES A DPF WARNING LIGHT?
The DPF warning light is caused by a number of things, the most common being:
- DPF blockage
- Sensor faults in the exhaust
- Exhaust mechanical faults
- ECU faults
The best course of action if you have a DPF warning light is to bring it to the mechanic so they can run full diagnostics. Most diagnostic machines will show fault codes that are associated with more specific explanations about where the problem lies. The mechanic will be able to tell you what, and potentially where, your issue lies – whether or not it’s related to your DPF! If this turns out to be an internal engine management error then repairing/replacing these components may help solve future problems too!
How does a DPF WORK
The purpose of a DPF is to reduce the number of harmful materials that escape into our environment during combustion. The filter catches soot and other wastes as they’re on their way out, through the exhaust system before it exits from your tailpipe.
As time goes on, the exhaust system becomes clogged with burnt particles. These deposits build up and become a solid that prevents proper combustion from occurring in the engine. To stop this issue, DPF systems go through regeneration cycles where they get very hot to vaporize these harmful ashes into less harmful gases which leave no trace behind them when exiting out of an engine’s tailpipe.
HOW CAN I FIX A BLOCKED DPF?
If a professional diagnosis of the vehicle fault determines that your DPF is blocked, there are several options:
• Regenerate – There’s no guarantee you will be problem-free after this solution. This applies to option 2 as well.
• Clean – You may see the dreaded “DPF Light” again if you choose this one too!
• Delete – The most expensive and permanent fix for your trouble
If these don’t work for you, it may be time to consider a more drastic measure: deleting the DPF altogether. This is usually done by an expert mechanic who specializes in this type of modification and will not cause any issues on newer vehicles that have good emissions standards overall. However, if that doesn’t seem like something right for your car then option one or two might be better suited at keeping things simple until they can figure out what’s wrong with their vehicle specifically rather than working around problems instead of solving them all together.
DPF REGENERATION
There are several ways to fix DPF regeneration issues. One of the most common methods is regenerating with your ECU when you have a blockage in your diesel particulate filter (DPF).
It’s worth doing, but it may not be permanent. To do this, drive on an empty highway for 10-20 minutes at 3000+ rpm while cruising in 3rd or 4th gear and then return home immediately after turning off the engine.
If you feel like this solution does fix the problem and don’t want to pay for any of the below options, make it part of a weekly driving routine!
DPF CLEAN
At Phantom Tuning (and many other reputable motoring firms in the UK), we have access to a specialist DPF cleaning machine. You can bring your vehicle OR your DPF here, and we’ll put it through our cleaner designed specifically for that purpose. Once cleaned, you should be good as new!
This solution is preferable for vehicles with mild or mid-range blockages in their DFPs because while some people might think of replacing them entirely when they get blocked up really badly, this isn’t necessary if there’s only been very minor damage done to them over time.”
DPF DELETE
This solution guarantees that you will never have a DPF problem again, making it the best for peace of mind. The process includes:
• Removing and cutting open the casing
• Welding back together after removing the filter
The vehicle is returned to its original state with no more concerns about future problems!
A mechanic reprograms the car’s ECU to stop it from knowing that there is a DPF. With no more problems, this process removes the physical problem of stopping the engine from combusting correctly, and then ECU can be properly programmed not to know about having a DPF which will make your vehicle run smoothly on public roads.
Conclusion
We have three solutions on how to clear a blocked DPF that might be of interest. If you would like some advice, let us know using one of our contact forms or give us a ring. We’ll help advise the most suitable solution for your situation
