Ford DPF pain in the a**s

[Crispin]

Folks,

A friend of mine has a 53 plate Ford Focus C-Max with 87k on the clock. He is having constant fault codes with it and the diesel particulate filter. I cleared the last error for him and the car runs normally for a bit an the error comes back.

He has had the fluid refilled once and has since taken it to two indi garages which both have said it's not worth keeping and he should buy a new car. All he wants to do is ask about swapping the filter for a new/used one.

I find it odd that a car which is in perfect condition other than this "silly" little contraption should be turfed. His options are now limited in that he has to sell this one (for not a lot) and pay a shed load for a new / used car which will only do the same thing....


I know it's a Ford but seems crazy....

 

[Julian T]

His driving style may be influencing the fault, especially if he is interrupting the regen cycle, assuming it has a regen cycle. if he is not driving it hard enough it can possibly cause faults as the system may not be getting hot enough.

I know that with the modern trucks (euro 5) there are quite a few problems caused by not letting the truck do it's regen cycle.

 

[Crispin]

His wife uses it to drop the kids to school and back again. Pretty short journeys. Will give him the link.

 

[TonyP]

Can you not remove the DPF and clean it? Something simple to try first

 

[Crispin]

Ya, you can. it's a bit of a PIA on that engine as it's squashed in but doable. Will try that one weekend.

I also read that one of these models - not sure if it is his or not - has a problem with the EGR valve which sticks leading to higher than usual soot. That, coupled with short, cold journeys and the the DPF does not stand a chance at cleaning.

 

[white90]

Get the dpf removed and ECU reprogrammed, doesn't cost alot, couple of hundred quid. Cheaper than swapping the car and cheaper than a new dpf, a quick web search will find you a garage with the kit to do it.

 

[Julian T]

It's possible that this is one of the fords that was available with the option at purchase of being fitted with DPF or not, so removal and reprogram of the ECU is probably the cheapest option.
Euro 5 and mandatory DPF was from 2009 I belive, his car is a 2004/5 if I have my years right for the new plates.

 

[Gary820]

You can get dpf cleaning products that can help.
Ones that go in the fuel and ones you spray into the filter usually via a sensor hole in the dpf.
Regeneration can also be forced to attempt to clear them but could be a Ford only procedure.
The problem is they get clogged with ash and the dpf cleaners can help.

If egr has an issue yes it can cause problems, same if there's a glow plug fault it'll stop regeneration of the dpf.
Short journeys don't help at all either.


As said you can get them removed and reprogram but a dpf being physically there is part of the mot (doesn't say needs to have anything in there)

 

[Crispin]

interesting on getting it removed - can you remove the filter but leave the outer canister so from the outside it looks like it is in-place. Would that show up on the exhaust test they do at MOT time?

I think I will try the cleaning option first though and check the EGR valve for full travel. Seeing as it's summer the glow plugs should not be a problem now - oh wait - it snowed again today!

 

[white90]

You can just smash the middle out and leave the outer casing, makes no difference to an mot emissions test, waste of time cleaning it, only a short term fix.

 

[Gary820]

Yeah you just knock the core out (wear a mask it's horrid )
Ref the glow plugs doesn't matter time of year, if has a fault it affects the dpf.

There'll be somewhere local to you that will offer dpf removal/coding

 

[Crispin]

So a new "OE Quality" (careful use of words there ) off fleabay is cheap enough: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1x-OE-Qua...:Focus&hash=item20f893f7de:g:vjwAAOSwv0tVECeH


The filter element is probably reinforcement mesh

 

[Mblinko]

We had a brand new L200 Browning on our recent Morocco trip. Lovely bit of kit, then the DPF threw a fault code on day one on the piste and immediately went into limp mode. No amount of cycling the computer power etc helped. His holiday was ruined as he had to leave and go back to Spain to get it fixed. We all thought what an odd design, to disable a car because one tiny error.

 

[StarCruiser]

We had a brand new L200 Browning on our recent Morocco trip. Lovely bit of kit, then the DPF threw a fault code on day one on the piste and immediately went into limp mode. No amount of cycling the computer power etc helped. His holiday was ruined as he had to leave and go back to Spain to get it fixed. We all thought what an odd design, to disable a car because one tiny error.

The DPF cuts down on emissions of diesel soot, so at a guess, with it not working properly (or the ECU thinking it doesn't work properly) there is a chance the level of permitted emissions will be exceeded. Best shut the truck down as we don't want that now do we. Oh what about the poor stranded people- sorry, can't have too much soot coming out in the desert!

 

[Mblinko]

My sentiments exactly. Why not put it on a 500 mile countdown to limp home mode.

 

[Julian T]

Yet another example why I don't want a modern car.
I had a work colleague ask me if I was ever going to get rid of my old car and buy a new car, he was rather confused when I told him if I ever came to the point where I had to replace my cruiser it would be with another of the same vintage and if I could not find one I liked then I might be looking at a car from the late 60's or early 70's, something I could maintain at home with basic tools and no requirements for sensors and ecu diagnostics.

 

[Mark01]

We have 3 merc sprinters at work, They have dpf fitted. They do approx. 120000 miles a year and still had problems with regens until I had them deleted. One year on and no problems at all. Our fitter knocked the filter out and hung it back up with all sensors so it looks like its all there for future mots. He deleted the dpf programme from the ecu, so it doesn't know its there. Best couple hundred quid spent per van.

Cheers, Mark

 

[Julian T]

I used to work for a fleet asset rental company, hiring out trucks, trailers and buses, all the vehicles were sold off once they hit 5 years old so every year on average 1000 new trucks were bought, and when the Euro 5 engines with DPF came into effect the most common breakdown was DPF, the average was 3 breakdowns a day reported, especially if they were operating in London.
One operator had a fleet of VW based buses for transfers from Heathrow into London hotels, and they were nearly daily with their breakdowns, so much so that the warranty breakdown service had a tech nearly permanently stationed in their area of operation just to cover that companies call outs.
All he would do was go out and do a forced regen cycle on the vehicle.

 

[clivehorridge]

The world's gone mad....

JMHO

 

[Shayne]

Digitally enforced break down - its a cash generator .