DPF problems !

[bill flyer]

Hi I have been reading through all the problems associated with the particulate diesel filter , and am a bit lost as what's the correct way to diagnose if there is a problem with it or something else that maybe causing the problem that has occurred with my 2009 stx d40 Spanish built .
Got into the car the other day and noticed it had no power highlighted when going up hills top speed flat to the floor on flat surface 80kilometers an hour no lights on took it to my mechanic next day and the pfl light came on he put some sort of scanner on the car and came up with a code fault he says it cannot communicate with the pdf????? and yes the filter needs to be cleaned but on the way home the light went out but I still do not have the power back .
took it for a drive today about 30minutes at 80ks and over but it seems exactly the same, can reach 100km on flat but hills are a struggle so my question is where does one start is it first with the filter and after that the sensors etc.
any help would be appreciated
bill

 

[Old.Tony]

Hi Bill!

It could be a DPF problem, the thing is quite troublesome. If it errors, it's usually the two sensors on it, and a user here called auggie sells replacement sensors - try sending a private message to him. It's several hundred $ but the problem's gone forever. That's if it's the DPF and not something else getting involved at the same time.

DPF faults will trigger a code in the ECU that your mechanic should be able to read. However, the SCV will also produce very similar results - apparent limp mode, no Check Engine Light.

Running a bottle of injector cleaner through (add to a tank of fuel) will answer part of this - if the operation improves then you may have an issue with the SCV (dirt/fault). This doesn't mean the DPF is off the hook!

The DPF expects to perform a regen operation between 200 and 300km after the DPF flag is cleared from the ECU. Once this point is reached, it will start injecting fuel into the exhaust stroke and if the DPF is faulty, you'll have clouds of whitish/grey smoke behind you. Turn the car off, wait a few seconds and start it again - the smoke will have miraculously cleared. This is a sign you need to talk to auggie - precisely this happened to me, I got in touch with auggie, paid for the new sensors, fitted them and the problem disappeared (it took a few km and a short amount of time, but that was a couple of years ago and it hasn't come back - money well spent).

 

[bill flyer]

First of all thank you for replying to my post I really appreciate it ,
So if I get it right, first add the injector cleaner drive the car for around 200/300km s if it makes no difference do I then spend the money on the sensors, and if this does not solve the problem then get the pdf cleaned out is this right.
I can book the car into a company in Geelong who will clean the pdf in about 2/3weeks do you think that's the way to go.
thanks again
Bill

 

[OldManBeard]

There are also DPF cleaners on the market that you add to the fuel. It may be worth trying one of those before blowing major money on sensors or having the DPF cleaned. You can also clean the DPF yourself pretty effectively if you're prepared to remove and reinstall it yourself (make sure you get new gaskets before you do that). There are a bunch of online articles on the subject and videos on Youtube.

 

[Old.Tony]

^ Like he said. Spend the least amount of money doing the job first. When I bought my sensors (a few years back) the two cost me $500 or $600 (unable to recall now). It would be cruel to have to spend that only to find out that a $20 can of stuff from SuperCheap is the fix.

 

[OldManBeard]

Just an FYI on those sensors; I replaced one of mine a while back and paid $125 for a genuine replacement. I got it from Navarapart in Lilydale Vic (they also trade as Patrolapart), which for me is only about a 10 minutes drive. That's about half the price of the next cheapest I could find and it's a new sensor, not one removed from one of their wrecks. The website search sucks but you'll find the sensors if you just search for "dpf". They've gone up to $149 each since I bought mine.

 

[joe2006]

I thought that the sensors sold by Auggie were recalibrated (either new or used) to trick the ECU into thinking no regeneration is required? If that is still the case, the DPF will require either gutting or removal, the latter requiring a delete pipe with bungs for the sensors.
Alternatively the DPF can be deleted from the ECU with a remap. Replacement sensors are not required in that instance. I have read of other ways that are said might work but I wasn't prepared to take the risk and looked at the remap and new exhaust.
Depending on your location, it is possible that an alteration to the emissions system will make the vehicle non-compliant.
I haven't read great things about professional DPF cleaning but maybe it's only the bad stuff you read about? Aftermarket replacement DPF's are now available which are much cheaper than genuine but I have no idea of the quality.

 

[Old.Tony]

^ Joe you're right about auggie's sensors. My own DPF has had some miner modifications (not minor, but miner, as in extensive digging operations performed).

Your observation about only reading bad things is very close to the mark. Most people visit forums because they're having problems. For instance, you'll probably never see a post like this:

"Hi, my name is Adam and I've from Boganville and my Navara runs perfectly, gets great fuel economy and never misses a beat, no warning lights, everything performs as expected, I don't have any questions about adding stuff like a canopy or a bullbar, I'm completely happy - HELP ME!!!!!

 

[joe2006]

^ Joe you're right about auggie's sensors. My own DPF has had some miner modifications (not minor, but miner, as in extensive digging operations performed).

Your observation about only reading bad things is very close to the mark. Most people visit forums because they're having problems. For instance, you'll probably never see a post like this:

"Hi, my name is Adam and I've from Boganville and my Navara runs perfectly, gets great fuel economy and never misses a beat, no warning lights, everything performs as expected, I don't have any questions about adding stuff like a canopy or a bullbar, I'm completely happy - HELP ME!!!!!

That made me laugh,.