DPF Cleaning - What you need to know
If your DPF warning light comes on, it’s important to take action and get the DPF filter cleaned as soon as possible. A blocked DPF can cause all sorts of problems with your diesel engine, including reduced power, loss of performance, and even engine failure. In this article, we’ll explain what DPF cleaning is, how it works, and what you need to do if the DPF warning light comes on in your car.
DPF warning light ON – what does it mean?
If the DPF warning light comes on in your car, it means that the DPF filter is becoming blocked and needs to be cleaned. DPF regeneration can usually clear the blockage, but if the DPF warning light keeps coming on, it’s time to do a thorough forced DPF regeneration.
What is DPF cleaning?
DPF stands for Diesel Particulate Filter, and it’s a filter that captures soot and carbon particles from the exhaust gas of your diesel engine. Over time, the DPF can become clogged with these particles, which reduces its ability to capture new particles. This can eventually lead to the DPF warning light coming on, as the DPF filter is no longer able to do its job properly.
DPF blockage and how it can cause problems
If the DPF becomes too blocked, it can cause all sorts of problems with your diesel engine. The most common symptom is a loss of power, as the engine is not able to expel all of the exhaust gases properly. This can also lead to increased fuel consumption, as the engine has to work harder to produce the same power.
There are two main ways to clean a DPF filter:
– Manual regeneration: This is where the engine is run at a higher than normal RPM to burn off the soot and other particles in the DPF filter. This can also be done by using a special DPF cleaning fluid applied to the fuel tank, then driving the car on a long journey at highway speeds.
– Automatic regeneration: This is where the DPF filter is cleaned automatically, without the need for any manual intervention. This is usually done by fitting a DPF regeneration device to the vehicles intake and fuel system, which will then run the vehicle through an automatic cleaning cycle which will clear and clean out a blocked DPF filter plus clean other vital internal components such as the turbo and EGR valve.
How often does a DPF need to be cleaned?
This is very individual and depends solely on what type of driving you do. If you are doing lots of highway driving and long trips, it is very likely that there won’t be trouble with the DPF getting blocked at all. On the other hand, short trips and city driving is something that really causes problems and blocks your DPF as it simply doesn’t get hot enough to burn off all the soot and carbon build up in the system.
In general, DPF filters should have what is called a forced regeneration done every 30 – 40,000 KM. However, as mentioned before, if you do a lot of short trips, or if you regularly drive in stop-start traffic, the DPF will need to be cleaned more often. Key here is to not turn off your vehicle while it is performing a regeneration burn.
How DPF cleaning works with WYNN’s MultiSERVE technology
As mentioned above, automatic DPF cleaning is a process that removes the soot and carbon particles from the DPF filter and vital internal components, restoring it to its original condition.
At Garden City Tyre and Mechanical, we can now offer DPF cleaning with WYNN’s MultiSERVE technology. This is an automatic regeneration system that uses high-frequency sound waves to clean the DPF filter. The sound waves together with specially formulated cleaning agents, break down the soot and other particles in the DPF filter, making it easy for the regeneration device to remove them.
If you have any questions about DPF cleaning, or if you need to book your car in for a DPF regeneration, please don’t hesitate to contact us