DPF/EGR Solutions
This section briefly explains a cars DPF/EGR System, and how we can help if yours is giving issues. Click the below for some basic background, or use the tabs further down to find out how we can help.
DPF (Diesel Particulate Filter)
A diesel particulate filter (DPF) is designed to remove diesel particulate matter or soot from the exhaust gas on a modern diesel engine. After the accumulation of a minimum level of soot, a regeneration process will inject diesel (or another fluid) in attempt to increase exhaust temperature to a level high enough to combust the soot particles, resulting in an ash deposit from the exhaust – cleaning the DPF. This cycle will continue for the life expectancy of the DPF. (You can usually find this in the handbook.)
The only issue posed by a working DPF is an slight increase in back pressure which limits the engine potential. This results in a reduced performance and fuel economy from the engine. The main problems with DPF filters are when they aren’t functioning as they should. There are many factors which play a role here. Below are our most common three:-
–System Faults. The regeneration will only occur if there are no engine system faults. Due to the fact there is a combustion process happening in the exhaust, everything must be closely controlled and monitored by the ECU. Any engine fault will cause the vehicle not to regenerate.
–Vehicle Driving. For regeneration to occur minimum engine running factors must be met. (eg minimum driving speed, engine temperature, length of drive) Taking this into account we find that vehicles which are driven daily on longer commutes give less issues, the opposite is true for short journeys. It is worth bearing this in mind when looking at which solution is best for you.
-DPF Aging. In most vehicles the DPF is a serviceable item. In the service manual you may find details of the frequency of checks, and when replacement is expected. Cleaning or Forcing a regeneration on a DPF which is overdue a replacement may not have a positive outcome.
Auto-tune do not assume responsibility for the use of this service on a vehicle on public roads in the UK or abroad where emissions controls have been removed. It is the customer’s responsibility to ensure compliance with the rules and laws of the area of use. We would like to advise that it is illegal to remove any emission control devices or increase the exhaust noise limit on vehicles permitted to drive on public roads in the UK and most other countries around the world. Please check the rules and laws relating to this in your country. Any parts supplied or work carried out by Auto-tune are strictly for off-road use and may fail an MOT test. This means that we cannot accept any responsibility for vehicles being driven on public roads where removal of emission control devices is prohibited. If you carry out this work at our premises, we would not be able to road test afterwards. For more information click here.
Here at AutoTune we believe that the key to a successful DPF Solution is Diagnostics. This doesn’t only come from the data from the Vehicle, but talking to the customer is essential. During our advanced diagnostics, we will be looking for:-
-Engine DTC’s or Fault Codes
This will tell us why the DPF is giving issues. This may immediately pinpoint the problem, or indicate the need for further diagnostics.
-Engine Electrical Live Data
This allows us to read the live data fed back to the engine ECU. We know that EVERYTHING must read correctly for the DPF to fully function, and we can see these readings using our Diagnostic Computers.
-Vehicle Daily Driving
At this stage we will speak to the customer to see what the every-day driving the vehicle is like. This can be a prominent factor in the diagnostic process since if the vehicle is not being driven long distance regularly, it simply will not regenerate correctly.
This is the primary step to removing a high Soot Accumulation if the DPF has not regenerated by itself. This step involves using Diagnostic equipment to force the vehicle to enter a regeneration, either while driving or static. We advise this option following an Advanced Diagnostic to ensure that once the DPF has successfully regenerated that it will continue to do so. This will ONLY be the case if:-
– NO ENGINE FAULTS are present and all sensor live data is reading within parameters
– LONG JOURNEYS make up the majority of the regular driving of the vehicle.
This is the second step to removing a high Soot Accumulation if the DPF has not regenerated by itself, and a Forced Regeneration cannot be completed. Cleaning involves removing the sensors from the DPF, and spraying cleaning fluid into the DPF via specialist equipement. Since the basis is is the same as a Forced Regeneration the similar rules apply:-
We advise this option following an Advanced Diagnostic to ensure that once the DPF has successfully regenerated that it will continue to do so. This will ONLY be the case if:-
– NO ENGINE FAULTS are present and all sensor live data is reading within parameters
– LONG JOURNEYS make up the majority of the regular driving of the vehicle.
This should be treated as a last resort for DPF issues, or as a performance modification for Stage 1+ vehicles. This process generally takes a full day, due to the amount of work involved. To carry this out, we remove as much of the exhaust system in one piece as possible.
Once this is done we open the DPF Canister and remove the actual DPF Filter from inside. We leave the Catalytic Converter in place, these rarely cause any restriction and prevent excess smoke from the exhaust.
Once this has been professionally removed and re-installed we can then do DPF Software. This is essential to remove faults from the car having now no DPF fitted, as well as to prevent the injection of diesel or additive and cause the car to plume white smoke once the engine is warm.
Your DPF Removal is completely garaunteed while you own the vehicle. For more details see our T&C’s here.
EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation) Valve
Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) is a process which works by recirculating a portion of an engine’s Exhaust Gas back into the Engine. The EGR Valve controls the volume of air which can pass through this process.
EGR systems are designed solely to provide a reduction in vehicle emissons, often at the compromise of longeivity and reliability. Unlike a DPF system, even when working correctly the EGR process has negative effects.
- Carbon rich Exhaust Gas recirculated back into the cylinder can increase engine wear, as Carbon particles can wash past the rings and into the oil. This creates abrasive properties in the oil as well as increasing acidity, reducing engine longevity.
- Exhaust Gas has a higher specific heat than air, so during combustion it lowers the combustion temperature in the cylinders. This reduces the amount of power produced by the engine during each combustion cycle.
- The benefit of lowering the combustion temperature (as above) is nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions are fractionally reduced. However, this has a negative effect on vehicles with a DPF filter, as NOx is the primary oxidiser of soot caught in the DPF. As a result, diesel (or another fluid) has to be used in the active cleaning of a DPF.
- During the EGR process the otherwise dry intake system is subject to soot, unburned fuel and oil in the Exhaust Gas. This condenses with cold air and oil vapour and can cause buildup of sticky tar in the intake manifold and valves. It can also cause problems with components such as the EGR Valve itself, Manifold Flaps, Anti-Shudder Valves etc.
As above, the actual operation of the EGR can cause them to foul with soot from the exhaust. The main issues we see result from the sticky tar deposit sticking the mechanical parts of the valve, or damaging the electrical components of modern electronic EGR valves. This is worsened in cars which are driven shorter, stop/start journeys or the whole of the RPM range is not used during each drive cycle.
EGR Removal
Due to the problems of the EGR system, and the minimal effect it has on vehicle emissions we believe removal is the best method for dealing with any issues. It is possible to Clean and also Replace an EGR Valve but since no level of diagnostics beforehand can confirm if either of these will work on a longer term, we prefer to use this guaranteed method.
EGR removal is often also called “bypass” or “blanking” and describes the process where we remove the EGR as a process rather than the valve itself. This process is vehicle dependant and involves 3 steps:-
- Advanced Diagnostics – confirm the exact fault in the EGR system.
- Software – remapping the vehicle to remove the EGR software from the ECU.
- Hardware – how we stop the EGR. This is vehicle and fault dependant. Sometimes the software is enough to stop the gases, or a vacuum/electrical plug removed, or a blanking plate can also be used.
Your EGR Removal is completely guaranteed while you own the vehicle. For more details see our T&C’s here.
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