Retired FAP?

[Cristache39]

Hello, I need an advice regarding DPF.
A few days ago, while driving, the error "Risk of particle filter clogging" appeared and disappeared multiple times. I moved the gearbox in sport mode and drive for almost 30km but no regeneration started.
Since then i haven't drive the car anymore.
I got a short diagnosis and I have the following data:
Amount of Additive in The Additive Tank : 1020ml
Average Distance Between The Last 10 Regenerations: 147km
Cumulative Total Additive Weight in The Particulate FIlter: 22g
Degree of Clogging of The PEF With Soot: 77%
Difference in Pressure Between Particulate Emission Filter Input/Output: 40mbar
Total Weight of Soot in The PEF: 5.13 g/l

Unfortunately someone made me a fast diagnosis and couldn't get more info, on engine I have an error related with the FAP and P1498.
Now, a lot of people told me that I should cancel it but i really don't want to do that.

What should I do? I was thinking to clean it with the thermic method, I saw that this is the efficient one, but I am afraid that the issue will appear again. Also, I don't know if I should choose an aftermarket one.

[Paul-R]

How many miles/kilometres has the vehicle done?
Has the Eolys been refilled to your knowledge?
Has the DPF/FAP been cleaned or replaced before?

[Cristache39]

How many miles/kilometres has the vehicle done?
Has the Eolys been refilled to your knowledge?
Has the DPF/FAP been cleaned or replaced before?

I bought it at 191K Km and now it has 213K Km.

When I got the car there was an error read with 2 tools ( P0EB0 - Additive Reservoir Empty; U3EB0 - Fuel additive supply pump, Signal too low intermittently). I bought Eolys and when the service tried to fill noticed that it was full. Then they reset it and since then I haven't received any similar error.

I'm not aware of this.
Distance travelled since the particle filter was replaced 100000 Km
Distance remaining before replacement of the FAP 69216 Km
This info is from 6months ago, maybe it helps. My Lexia is not working anymore but if more details are needed I will find a tool and provide.

I want to mention that the Intake Valve was replaced 1y ago, regarding the P1498(I read that it might be correlated with FAP). And only 6months ago I have received one time the "Risk of particle..." error but then the regenerations started immediately.

[Cristache39]

Up!

[Paul-R]

At 213k km I strongly suspect that the FAP needs taking off and replacing or deep cleaning.

[Cristache39]

At 213k km I strongly suspect that the FAP needs taking off and replacing or deep cleaning.

Ok, thank you. I found someone that uses the thermic method, I will send it next week.
I understand that after cleaning and remounting, using Lexia I need to notice ECU that the FAP was replaced and also I need to reset the additive counter.
I have 2 questions regarding this:
1. I need to do that before the 1st start of the car with the FAP cleaned, right?
2. Is mandatory to top up the additive? Right now I have 1020ml from 1160.

[Rp0thejester]

It's not mandatory to top up the additive but you may as well so everything is on sync.

[Paul-R]

What is the thermic method? It sounds as though it involves using a flame of some kind. If true, this will not clean the FAP properly at this stage of its life as all the combustible carbon will have been burned off under normal regeneration and what is left is non-combustible ash and cerine products from the Eolys. This needs to be cleaned out using a chemical or strong detergent of some kind.

Yes, you need to tell the car that a new FAP has been fitted. You don't need to reset the additive counter though as this should be done only when the Eolys has been refilled.

Yes, all before starting the car for the best effect.

If you truly have 1020ml of additive then it sounds like it might have been refilled not so long ago. You need to check physically that there is enough Eolys additive and, if there is, just leave it alone. On the other hand if someone just reset the counter at, say, 150k to get rid of an error message without topping up then it truly is time to fill the Eolys up. There is then the possibility that the Eolys pump might have burnt out from running dry. Let's hope not.

[Cristache39]

What is the thermic method? It sounds as though it involves using a flame of some kind. If true, this will not clean the FAP properly at this stage of its life as all the combustible carbon will have been burned off under normal regeneration and what is left is non-combustible ash and cerine products from the Eolys. This needs to be cleaned out using a chemical or strong detergent of some kind....

Thermobaric method, using an oven and compressed air. From what I read this one is more efficient than the aqueous one that uses chemicals and water.

I understood that the additive counter should be reset too, as the ECU is counting how much additive has passed through the filter in grammes.

I tried to fill the Eolys tank more than a year ago, when we saw that it was already full. Indeed, in over a year only 140ml of additive was consumed? Is it normal?

[Paul-R]

If the Eolys counter was reset when you checked/tried to refill the container (or reasonably close to that time) then it won't need resetting again. 140ml sounds reasonably normal to me. It obviously depends on how many miles have been covered of course. Only minute quantities of Eolys are injected into the fuel tank so usage is low.

[PaulC5]

I could be wrong on this, but I seem to think on a C5 3 litres of dpf fluid would do around 100k miles, possibly less. This works out about 140 ml doing about 5k miles, or 8k km.

[Cristache39]

I think that these 140ml covered more than 10k km.
Maybe the fact that I had a faulty thermostat until 6–7 months ago also impacted the whole regeneration process.
I will monitor it after I clean the FAP.

But the following value, Difference in Pressure Between Particulate Emission Filter Input/Output: 40mbar, couldn't be the result of a bad sensor? Because I saw other FAPs with worst values than mine, regarding Cumulative Total Additive Weight in The Particulate FIlter, Degree of Clogging of The PEF With Soot, Total Weight of Soot in The PEF, but with a Pressure like 5mbar.
I will clean the FAP, of course, but just curious.

[Paul-R]

I could be wrong on this, but I seem to think on a C5 3 litres of dpf fluid would do around 100k miles, possibly less. This works out about 140 ml doing about 5k miles, or 8k km.

That may be an earlier type of Eolys (second gen Eolys 176?) fitted up until about 2010. The later type (third gen PowerFlex?) is much more frugally used for two reasons I believe. First, the amount that's injected into the fuel tank isn't a fixed amount whenever the fuel cap is opened but a measured amount that takes account of the fuel gauge readings. Secondly the whole regeneration process requires less Eolys anyway. That information is a bit out of date with regards to part numbers as there have been supersessions.