The Diesel Particulate Filter, or DPF, is found in many modern diesel cars but in a lot of cases it can work out to be more trouble than it’s worth. The filter is designed to remove potentially harmful particles from the exhaust but if it fails it could add a considerable amount to your fuel consumption and, therefore, the amount that you end up paying at the pump. It can also lead to serious and costly engine problems.
The most common DPF problem is that the filter becomes clogged with a sooty residue. When driving, the filter should heat up to a suitable enough level that it burns off this residue and prevents clogging from occurring. While manufacturers claim that this should happen during normal driving this isn’t always the case and certain makes and models of cars are known to suffer with clogged filters more regularly than others.
Symptoms of DPF problems
Symptoms of a clogged DPF filter include a loss of power and increased fuel consumption. Your car should have a DPF warning light and if there is a problem with the filter then this light should pop up on your dashboard alerting you to the problem. If this happens then you should get it resolved quickly in order to avoid further and increased damage to your engine and the rest of the car.
Diesel engines typically perform best when driven under motorways conditions and this is when the DPF filter is supposed to recycle the sooty particulates that they collect. Driving on the motorway for between 10 and 20 minutes will heat the engine up to the right temperature that the DPF filter will be able to burn off the particulates and leave you with a clean and clear DPF. However, this may not be enough to resolve all problems.
DPF’s overloading
There are reports of DPF’s overloading so badly that the particles spill over into the engine or the exhaust. This can lead to damage to the engine and significantly increased diesel consumption when driving under any conditions and in any circumstances. When this occurs, you may need a new DPF filter. In the long run, if you want to enjoy improved performance and fewer DPF problems, then you should consider having the filter removed from your car.
ECU Remapping sometimes advise clients that having the DPF filter removed is the best course of action for these very reasons. Call us today to discuss the implications and the benefits of removing this potentially troublesome filter from your car.
Comments are closed.