DS5 Clogged DPF

[Mart7379]

Hi guys
Had a phone call from my brother in law this morning asking if there was anything he could do to unclog the dpf on his ds5

I had an Insignia diesel 2ltr CDTI last year that had constant dpf issues. Which I bought an OP COM Vauxhall specific diagnostic kit for.

My brother in law doesn’t have anything in terms of a diagnostics kit, nor are his breakdown services willing to assist (understandable, due to a risk/possibility of catastrophic failure during a forced regen)

is there anything that can be done, (up until I bought my diagnostic kit I used to just take my Vauxhall to a specialist) he needs the car for work and considering it is bank holiday Monday. No mechanics are open.

Are these chemicals claiming to clean a dpf any good, or just a waste of money?

[GiveMeABreak]

A DS5 with DPF already has assisted regeneration which should happen as and when necessary. What exact messages are you getting on the display - the DS5 will tell you this (Risk of Particle Filter Cogging or Additive level Low etc.)

Of course Particulate filters have a finite life as there are various compounds from the additive, oil and engine deposits that cannot be burned off and remain in the filter walls. The system measures the amount of additive that has been passed through the system and dumped into the filter (estimated) and at some point it will put up the message about replacing the filter.

At this point you have several options - replace the DPF, or attempt a chemical clean. There are light and heavy cleaning that can be done and many garages are offering these services now - even Halfords dare I say it.

So how many miles has the DS5 done and what messages are being displayed?

The other issue is that if the car is used for short stop and start runs where the car rarely gets to temperature for very long, then this will decrease the life of the filter as it will clog more, require more assisted regenerations - and when these cannot complete (when the engine is switched off during a regen cycle for example) it will attempt to alter its strategy for repeating the process - until at some point it will flag up the warning if it continues to be able to regenerate. A filter that gets to anywhere at 70% or over runs a high risk of being unable to regenerate due tot he level of blockage.

The cleaning methods using chemicals squirted into the filter are less invasive and destructive than the risks associated with removing the filter and pressure washing it - as the cement holding the filter internally are delicate and can easily be weakened or destroyed using a pressure washer if not careful.

But consider replacing the filter, they are not as expensive as they were years ago.

[Mart7379]

Thank you for your response.
The message that appears on the dash is ‘ Risk of Particle Filter Cogging’, also displaying ‘service’ on the bottom of the Speedo, along with the engine light on top left of the Rev counter.

Personally have no experience of the Citroen dpf, my 1 and only car with a dpf was an insignia which I got rid of and returned to Petrol vehicles.

The car is not in limp mode, and picks up speed, no where near as responsive as it should be. I did suggest it could be low additive but again I have no experience of it, nor know what the symptoms would be, but my understanding from what you say, the message that
appears is specific to the problem?

The car has done approx 90k on a 62 plate. So around average for its age. And has had a full service history from new

[Hell Razor5543]

What I would suggest is to take the car for a nice long motorway run, which should allow her to get hot enough for long enough to allow the regeneration to work. 100 miles might do it.

Normally, if the additive is running low, you would get a warning message.

[GiveMeABreak]

Thank you for your response.
The message that appears on the dash is ‘ Risk of Particle Filter Cogging’, also displaying ‘service’ on the bottom of the Speedo, along with the engine light on top left of the Rev counter.

Personally have no experience of the Citroen dpf, my 1 and only car with a dpf was an insignia which I got rid of and returned to Petrol vehicles.

The car is not in limp mode, and picks up speed, no where near as responsive as it should be. I did suggest it could be low additive but again I have no experience of it, nor know what the symptoms would be, but my understanding from what you say, the message that
appears is specific to the problem?

The car has done approx 90k on a 62 plate. So around average for its age. And has had a full service history from new

90k miles is about the average life of one of these filters, so probably needs looking at now. As I mentioned, there are some elements and other rubbish that can't be burned off, so these will ultimately block the filter, so probably time to decide what you want to do - deep clean or replace.

[Mart7379]

90k miles is about the average life of one of these filters, so probably needs looking at now. As I mentioned, there are some elements and other rubbish that can't be burned off, so these will ultimately block the filter, so probably time to decide what you want to do - deep clean or replace.

My brother in law just informed me he is having a dpf specialist out to the car on Wednesday who I’m sure will be able to determine the problem, and advise accordingly.

Thanks all for your advice and input

[GiveMeABreak]

No worries - just don't let anyone convince you to 'remove' it as I'm sure you know that's illegal for road using vehicles.

In either case of having it replaced or cleaned, you will need to let the engine ECU: A) know that the filter been replaced and B) Top up and reset the Diesel Additive Counter to zero, so that it knows no additive has been dumped into the filter as yet.

This can be done by the dealer or anyone with Diagbox, or a competent mechanic with a decent compatible diagnostic tool.

[Mart7379]

The guy they have coming out to it is a dpf specialist so would assume they will do all necessary steps to get his car back on the road.