DPF smoking

[davidno64]

Hi all,
Recently I had some drama with my car. MK5 Golf GT Sport, TDI.

Error on dash, Diesel Particulat intrusions. This came and went. Then came back.
Next day Glow plug error light. The following day , car went into limp home mode.
This was all after some warrentie work. Replacment of fuel pump. Apparently they
can and do get hot, fail and even carbon up, while all submurged in the tank of
diesel. I'm told the fuel can boil as it returnes from engine to tank. As the pump
heats hotfuel, it may carbonise?

Again returned to VW, warrented and replaced a sensor in the DPF also forced a
regen of the DPR. They did noy say what was done to the glow plug error. But I
suspect it was minor as there was also a couple of other electrical gremlins.

My car had only done 75000 kM's, never had a regen done before by the dealer
or naturally either. But I aware that it had done a few micro regenerations. Up to
this point I have never noticed any smoke in the exhaust.

I have only a few weeks of warrentie left. Last night picking up my wife. I drove home
and put the foot down a little. The car's headlights behing me showed that I was blowing
some smoke. Visable through the rear vision mirror. As said I had never noticed this before.
Considering this is DPF equipped, I would have expected no smoke or minimal un-noticable
smoke. Today I got Dad to rev the car. It was stationary with no load, reved to about
3000rpm and smoke. also pips of smoke between burst's of throttle.

Obviously Its hard to describe how much smoke. It was no terrible blinding smoke. But it
was noticable. You would not want to stand behind the car while it was doing it. A little unplesant.
The amount is what I would expect from a late diesel VW without a DPF.

What is the consensis of this. Should I expect any smoke on such a DPF vehicle, or am I
expecting too much..... I'm guessing this may be the end of the DPF's life. and maybe VW
are botching it, just to get the car through warrentie? After this current regen, I noticed
the car performs better, inc. fuel economy. But still not as good as in the first months of life.

[Transporter]

Anyone with the VCDS should be able to check your DPF for the particle loading and figure out how many % of the DPF is cloged up. I would also check the intake system and get it cleaned. Did you install PROVENT200, if not think about it, the oil in the inlet is the killer for the DPF and finaly make sure that you're using VW507.00 oil in your engine 100% of the time that includes top ups.
Also make sure that you have a record that VW replaced faulty sensor. The faulty sensor has potential to kill the DPF and always shorten its life, since the DPF will not be regenerating forever, it wears out.

[jazd]

The sensor failure is a common failure. See my thread here - http://www.vwwatercooled.org.au/foru...igh-62596.html
I have the same car.

Definitely hook your car up to VCDS and measure a few things, you should be able to find someone in VIC that will lend you one.

You will need the label file for the BMN engine - http://www.vwwatercooled.org.au/foru...0ps-62631.html

[Greg Roles]

What colour is the smoke, white, brown or black like soot??

The need to have a forced regen means the active regen at 40% load has failed, the car starts to freak out and force one at 60% and goes into limp at 80%. The sensor could have caused this level of load, but the smoke is something new to me with a DPF equipped car. I've done some truly nasty experiements to my TDI / DPF yet never had one ounce of smoke out the back..........

I can loan you an OBD reader, am about to take them on as a product line as a part of my Viezu tunes. PM me an address before 6pm and I'll put one in express post. Checking the DPF load and error codes should reveal a lot.

[davidno64]

What colour is the smoke, white, brown or black like soot??

The need to have a forced regen means the active regen at 40% load has failed, the car starts to freak out and force one at 60% and goes into limp at 80%. The sensor could have caused this level of load, but the smoke is something new to me with a DPF equipped car. I've done some truly nasty experiements to my TDI / DPF yet never had one ounce of smoke out the back...........

Hi all,

I have no idear at what levels the DPF regenerates. But the conditions and driving style, for me. The car has never seen a natural regen. Only micro regen's? nor has it blown any smoke.

But thats all diffent now. As Said, smoke is not bad. Exept that is there and noticable to one who's looking. I thought the DPF should remove all noticale soot. And yes it is soot, Black soot. In fact fron a few hundred kM of driving. Tail pipes are showing signs of smoking.
Anyway, I would be interested in measuring DPF levels.

---------- Post added at 07:49 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:33 PM ----------

Also I do have a catchcan fitted. A provent and has been fitted for some time.
The inlet is fairly clean. Recently cleaned, the EGR valve is blackened in carbon
Clumps and bumps removed. Shut down valve and manifold are very clean.
In fact I want to look at fitting some quality hoses to the Provent.

[Transporter]

Where do you buy your fuel from? What brand?

[davidno64]

Where do you buy your fuel from? What brand?

Occasionally BP, mostly Caltex Vortex. Occasionally Coles.

[Greg Roles]

Got your PM, but all my scan options are laptop based. You need to either loan a lapped, or find someone local with VagCom, it's quite easy to read codes and check channel 075, the DPF load and temp channel.

Black soot behind a DPF is indeed very odd, and you are right in being concerned, that technically should not happen. With VAgCoyou can force a regen at will, code 20295 I advanced coding, but check the load levels first. They should be 40% or below typically.

[davidno64]

Got your PM, but all my scan options are laptop based. You need to either loan a lapped, or find someone local with VagCom, it's quite easy to read codes and check channel 075, the DPF load and temp channel.

Black soot behind a DPF is indeed very odd, and you are right in being concerned, that technically should not happen. With VAgCoyou can force a regen at will, code 20295 I advanced coding, but check the load levels first. They should be 40% or below typically.

I have a OBD2 cable and software. But no usable laptop and unfortunatly my PC is 64 bit (not 32 bit -standard) S/Ware. This has compatibility issues. Unfortunatly at the time of trying to get an original cable. A knock off arrived.
So is there anyone around say the BERWICK area who has a laptop, cable abd some time to spare? Thanks in advance.
I'm thinking after my next fill up, assuming the problem persists of going back to VW. But although I made them aware of the problem, it was passed off as that probly normal and nothing to worry about. Warrentie ends 29/03.

[gldgti]

Nobody has mentioned the (perhaps unlikely) scenario that the dpf core has mechanically failed....

Greg, when you pulled that one apart ages ago, did it seem possible that a chunk of it might become dislodged? (Thinking just that only a bit would need to fall out of the exit end in order to "unlbock" the terminal passages.

[Greg Roles]

Would be unlikely, as I had to belt the living s#&t out of it to break it, it was like a solid piece of pottery, FAR more solid than I had anticipated. It does however sound like a possible scenario, but even if cracked, it;s 180mm long, would take a hell of a fail to have a passage through the entire thing.....

I can get a standalone controller, but will take time.....and you don't really have that......

[davidno64]

Well filled up the next tank of fuel and..., the same. SMOKE!
In fact noticed the car is getting dirty in the rear end. Needing a clean, And in cleaning her ,the dirt was soot.
So I also cleaned/polished the exhaust tips. (Now the are actually shinny). 15 Miniuts drive and theys are
showing signs of soot.

Poped in to see Dad today and let the wife go home. When she drove off in the car, I noticed smoke (moderate
acceleration). What woe, Dad also noticed the smoke. And no he was not looking for it. He's 85 years of age
and leagally blind.

So I think there is a problem. This was created after VW warrented a DPF related repair and introduced a couple
more electrical gremlins. Tuesday, I will be going back to VW and complaining. Hopefully this time I will get the car
repaired correctly and before warrentie runs out.

I will keep you informed.

[Transporter]

The time is not on your side. I would be complaining politely to get it fix. Actually not complaining, just asking them to fix it, is probably better than telling them that they broke it.

Maybe try another dealer.

[benough]

Could the car be injecting unburnt fuel in the exhaust stroke, as per a regen, and it's making it's way through the DPF and burning on the way out?

i.e. It's being burnt past the DPF?

[Greg Roles]

Good theory, and with these DPF's anything's possible, but brown smoke is fuel, white smoke it oil, and well, black soot is well, soot!

If the dealer has been at it, then returning it is indeed your best move!!