Rayjsj Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 According to advertising blurb from 2012, my Ducato 2.3 150bhp should be able to regenerate the DPF Even when running on tickover. Is this correct ? only it doesn't seem to be working, For health reasons I cannot use the van at present, So to keep the oil circulating in the engine, every 2-3 weeks I start the engine and run it for half an hour or so, varying the revs upto 3000 until well after it has reached operating temp. But the engine check light keeps coming on, and my cheap OBDII device is saying DPF filter blocked. I reset it, And run the engine again, correct temperature, and revs 3500, but still the check light reappears. My warranty runs out in October, do I need to take it to my Fiat dealer before then ? or will it clear when back in normal use ? I have it on my EHU, so no worries of the batteries going flat. Ray Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 I wonder if this relates to your previous use of the van, when the particulates may have accumulated, rather than while it has been parked with the engine run periodically. You expressed some reluctance to, as you saw it, "thrash" the engine, in previous posts, and I wonder if what you are now seeing is the result of being over-protective. I think that once initially run-in (5,000 miles?), they need to be progressively revved up the scale from time to time, and also opened up to blow the system through from time to time. These are industrial power packs, and are de-tuned to withstand rough use over thousands of miles. I'm not advocating what I would consider "thrashing" the engine, but I do think it needs to be allowed to rev freely, and also benefits from periods of use at near full power. Cruising at 65 MPH, ours is turning at less than 2,500rpm, and the "red line" is way above that. It is now past 13,000 miles and is getting sweeter as it goes. Once you are able to get it back on the road I think a good motorway run for 50 miles or more at near 70MPH might sort out the DPF - so long as it hasn't got so clogged it can't now regenerate. Be interesting to see what Nick thinks on that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
euroserv Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 It has always been inadvisable to leave a diesel engine idling without load and since the arrival of all of these traps and other bottle necks there are ever more places that soot and other deposits can gather and cause harm. If you have a battery charger connected, the only other precaution that i would take would be to cover the engine and alternator from above in order to prevent corrosion from water ingress. (It's about the only thing that really gets affected after long periods of exposure). If the engine is not run for 6 months; it will do no harm. Longer than that and it might be worth running it briefly but only long enough to get some oil circulating... maybe a couple of minutes. After that you get condensation building up in the exhaust that will not dry out until it is fully hot and by then you are putting too much soot into the cat and DPF because of idling without a load. We had an '07 2.3 van that was written off with 60,000 miles on it at 18 months old. It was stored outside our building for 4 years. We dragged it inside, removed the engine (throwing away a seized alternator), changed the cam belt and water pump. Fitted it in another van and it started first time. This was 3 years ago. It did another 100,000 miles before we sold it in perfect order. Don't worry Ray. It will be fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayjsj Posted June 30, 2015 Author Share Posted June 30, 2015 So, presumably the statement (in the advertising) that the DPF regenerates EVEN at tickover wasn't true ? I must say I always thought it unlikely. But due to my present situation,I was hoping that it might. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frankkia Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 We had a similar situation with our 3 ltr 2012 Ducato. We were in Portugal at the time and after staying in the same place for about a month we set off - within 5 miles the engine management light came on but otherwise the engine was performing normally.. we stopped overnight and when we set off in the morning the engine went into limp mode. We drove to Faro (to nearest Fiat dealer) ((good fun 40 mph on a motorway)). where the mechanic hooked it up to his computer - after a lot of head scratching he got out a long stick which he placed between the steering wheel and the accelerator pedal and left it running flat out for 15 mins. After that the engine was running perfectly but the red light was still on. Apparently - although the engine was clear the small bore pipes in the sensor switch were clogged and he had to replace it . It is a small plastic unit not much bigger than a match box and took him all of 10 mins to do. I don't know how much it cost as the 'van was under warranty and it cost us nothing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billggski Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 The "Italian tune-up" is even more necessary with a dpf. As I understand it the regeneration depends on heat, although my car does a forced regen by injecting diesel into the dpf directly to burn of excess particles. My guess is that the fiat garage can do this hooked up to the computer. As has been said, starting the engine and idling for a while is doing more harm than good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Rayjsj - 2015-06-30 3:45 PM So, presumably the statement (in the advertising) that the DPF regenerates EVEN at tickover wasn't true ? I must say I always thought it unlikely. But due to my present situation,I was hoping that it might. Guessing, Ray, but I suspect that what they mean is once the regeneration cycle has begun it will continue during tickover, rather than that it will initiate at tick-over speed. As said above, the process needs a lot of heat, and tickover just doesn't generate that kind of heat. It needs a blast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
euroserv Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Just about right. The regeneration process can only start if all conditions are met and that includes a pretty high exhaust temperature; which you just won't get from idling. It's too efficient at dissipating the heat when there is no load on the engine. If, on the other hand you had been driving for a while and the process wanted to start while you were idling; it will. There is a setting in the diagnostics to force a regeneration when static but this involves a lot of waste fuel in getting the DPF up to temperature and it is never a particularly good burn anyway. I should add that this concept of an 'Italian tune-up' is not entirely right either. Just because you are revving the engine up, does not necessarily mean that you will be heating up the system to the required temperature. Driving at low speed in a high gear and accelerating will introduce more load and more heat. Less likely to disturb the crockery that way too. No amount of thrashing an engine is going to dislodge the soot from the DPF; it will burn off in it's own time by it's own method. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayjsj Posted July 1, 2015 Author Share Posted July 1, 2015 3000-3500rpm is hardly 'idling' but I take the point about being 'under load', not much I can do about that unfortunately, cannot simulate it whilst parked up. Can't say I am impressed with 'modern' diesel vehicles and their reliability for intermittent Motor home use, Fine for what Nick uses them for, but they don't like being idle for months at a time, which is what happens to Motorhomes. Sometimes not by choice. Thanks for the information Nick. Ray Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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