DPF Cleaning

[Alsub]

I am about to change vehicles.
One choice is the Discovery 5.

One big concern I have it the DPF. I would prefer an Adblue system, but that is only available in the Dodge Ram, which is an option.

I have found out that the D5 has a DPF, as do some D4 and possibly D3 vehicles.

Has anyone cleaned their DPF or used a DPF cleaning service?
Has anyone had to replace their DPF? If so how much did the replacement cost?

Is the DPF easy to remove?
Could I request a spare DPF at time of purchase and alternate units yearly, leaving one soaking in cleaner or whatever is used to clean them?

When researching the D5 I have found a greater emphasis on sun roofs, seats, iPhone apps and others such fruity stuff and very little information about the mechanics of the vehicle.

(I did search for DPF cleaning, found lots of treads but nothing about DPF"s)

Regards,
Allan

[bsperka]

I don't believe that they can be cleaned. No others can. Just regenerated and replace when they fail. I'd budget at least $5k + as an estimate for the replacement cost. Light trucks are get about 500kms before replacement required.

[Tombie]

A Dodge Ram and a D5 are a VERY different type of vehicle...

DPF self regenerate - they aren't taken out or cleaned...

What is your intended use for the vehicle (I'm predicting towing a large van?)

[Alsub]

Intended use is towing 3 ton caravan, with possibility of changing to a 5th wheeler in the future if I buy a Dodge Ram or Nissan Titan.

The D5 is intended to fill the gap for the next 5 years.

If DPFs can be replaced, they must be able to be removed and cleaned.
I am curious to know if this can be done by an owner, as I like to do in-between servicing on my vehicles such as greasing, oil change, filter change etc.

I found a company who cleans DPFs.....

DPF Cleaning Services / Diesel Particulate Filter Cleaning Services – Western Sydney, Australia (http://www.dpfcleaning.com.au/)

Pics on the site show units removed for transport to them for cleaning.


Regards,
Allan

[LRD414]

Only early D4s came to Australia with a dpf and they have not been fitted for the last few years here.
So if this is your main concern a new or low km's D4 may be a better bet, considering also that timing & availability for D5s to Australia is still not 100% certain.
Another point is that accessories for a D5 will take even longer depending on what (if any) you are planning to fit.

Regards,
Scott

[scarry]

i wouldn't worry about a DPF.

We have them on the work vans,they self clean themselves,if they need more cleaning,a gauge will notify when they are getting close to need cleaning,then a light comes on and a button is pushed to put it through a cleaning cycle.

With normal driving,they seem to keep themselves clean,that is go through the cleaning cycle automatically.

Or it maybe a regeneration cycle,as Tombie has said.

[LandyAndy]

Only early D4s came to Australia with a dpf and they have not been fitted for the last few years here.
So if this is your main concern a new or low km's D4 may be a better bet, considering also that timing & availability for D5s to Australia is still not 100% certain.
Another point is that accessories for a D5 will take even longer depending on what (if any) you are planning to fit.

Regards,
Scott

Scott.
I got an email from Southern Land Rover a couple of weeks ago saying they had been allocated build numbers and were taking pre-production orders.April delivery.
Andrew

[isuzurover]

Firstly Adblue (SCR) does not replace a DPF. SCR is for reducing NOx, not particulates. The reason one vehicle may have SCR and not a DPF though is because we don't yet have EURO6 regs in Australia (EURO 6 specifies a particle number limit to force DPF fitment).

DPFs these days are pretty reliable. The most important thing is to use the right oil, good fuel and drive it HARD. The people who have problems with DPFs do mainly short trips or drive like geriatrics.

If your main use will be towing at highway speeds you should be fine.

EDIT:
Don't change your air filter between services. It will let more dust into your engine.

Back on topic: In theory you could remove the DPF and reverse flush it with a solvent, but (1) you would need a lot of solvent and create a lot of carcinogenic waste, and (2) you would need to remove half the exhaust and at least 3 sensors/connectors. It would take a few hours and LR would probably void the warranty on the DPF if they noticed.

Baking a DPF at 550oC for a couple of hours would be the best way to clean it, however I doubt you would have a large industrial furnace handy.

The DPF is not like the other filters you are changing. It is more like a catalytic converter. If you accidentally foul the catalyst while cleaning it then it will fail (clog) very quickly.

[Alsub]

Crikey!
Scary things these DPFs.

Maybe I should look at second hand D4.

I had not considered second hand as I am able to get fleet discount on new, it is worth while.

Thanks for all the comments.....


Allan

[Tombie]

Allan, in this case you're over thinking it.

For the life of the vehicle you won't need to remove it, or clean it...
The vehicle will indicate a regeneration cycle is needed and act accordingly. All you'll need to do is drive until the cycle stops... easy.

I take it you may not be in Australia? As last time I looked the Nissan Titan isn't coming here any time soon.

[Bohica]

Allan, in this case you're over thinking it.

For the life of the vehicle you won't need to remove it, or clean it...
The vehicle will indicate a regeneration cycle is needed and act accordingly. All you'll need to do is drive until the cycle stops... easy.

I take it you may not be in Australia? As last time I looked the Nissan Titan isn't coming here any time soon.

Yes, location is listed as Cleveland, I'd guess Ohio, USA. :D

Or Cleveland QLD!

[Alsub]

Allan, in this case you're over thinking it.

For the life of the vehicle you won't need to remove it, or clean it...
The vehicle will indicate a regeneration cycle is needed and act accordingly. All you'll need to do is drive until the cycle stops... easy.

I take it you may not be in Australia? As last time I looked the Nissan Titan isn't coming here any time soon.

The Titan may not be imported by Nissan but at least one company is already importing and converting them.


Nissan Titan XD - SCD American Vehicles (http://scdamerica.com.au/vehicle/nissan-titan-xd/)

Regards,
Allan

[theresanothersteve]

Crikey!
Scary things these DPFs.

Maybe I should look at second hand D4.

I had not considered second hand as I am able to get fleet discount on new, it is worth while.

Thanks for all the comments.....


Allan
The South Australian Country Service updates its fleet on a rolling schedule, the current spec fire trucks all have DPFs.

The only issue is forcing a regeneration cycle before entering long grass etc because of the heat generated during the cycle. Easy to do, the dash display warns you when a regeneration is due and you can force it before it happens automatically.

If you're on road it doesn't matter, we'll let it do its thing when it wants.

[crawal]

Our new CFA truck has a DPF, SOP is to activate a manual burn at the end of each shift when away on a strike team .we have just got in at work a cleaner that you add to the fuel ,waiting on customer feedback .

[Geedublya]

Passenger cars with DPFs usually don't allow you to activate a regeneration cycle manually, as far as I know they are all automatically activated. You can activate a regen if you have some sort of tool (ie. Vagcom for VWs).

I have read of people cleaning VW DPFs by backflushing them with high pressure or by cutting them open and flushing. There are also additives coming on to the market which supposedly help clean them.