Tag: Diesel Particulate Filter

Clogged Diesel Particulate Filter

How to Deal with a Clogged Diesel Particulate Filter of a Truck

Diesel-powered truck owners usually ask if it is possible to clean the diesel particulate filter on their own. Diesel particulate filters get clogged. When it happens, you should not worry because there is a way of cleaning it. All you will have to do is to dive the DPF clean. Your truck will do this automatically on a long drive, but most trucks will need a little help. This guide will inform you how to clean the diesel particulate filter if it gets clogged.

How Diesel Particulate Filter Works in a Truck

To understand the diesel particulate filter, we first have to look at the functions of the DPF. The diesel particulate is in the exhaust o your truck, and it does the role of collecting soot particles from the exhaust fume so that they do not pollute the environment. 

The filter collects fine soot temporarily. When driving after covering 1000 km, the filter becomes filled up with foot, which you must remove. To remove them, you have to regenerate your particulate filter.

How to Know When Your Diesel Particulate Filter is Clogged

Several factors will let you know that your diesel particulate filter is clogged. The most common scenario is when you see the filter malfunction light showing on your dashboard. The appearance of this light is a warning that your DPF is clogged. If your truck has no particulate filter light, the engine management light will show you that the DPF is clogged.

You will feel your truck is driving differently when the DPF is clogged. For example, your truck might shutter, or the rate at which it consumes fuel will go up.

Cleaning a Diesel Particulate Filter

Prevention will supersede cure, but sometimes it might be too late for prevention. If this happens, you must look for ways of cleaning your DPF. Cleaning will always be cheaper than replacement. There are two methods of cleaning your DPF. You can do it yourself, or you can seek the services of a professional, which might be costly.

Lindemann’s total care diesel cleans the DPF by lowering the combustion temperature of soot which makes it easy to burn, and this product contains a lot of cleaning agents. 

Apart from the diesel particulate filter, it will also clean your truck’s turbo, EGR valve, and intake system.

Avoid using additives when your DPF is filled with soot. The additive will compile and add on the soot and will not solve electronic or mechanical problems.

Conclusion

Diesel-powered trucks have been unfriendly to the environment. To regulate the level of toxins in their emissions, DPF was invented. Diesel trucks have been popular for producing too much smoke even if the entire engine is healthy. The DPF regulates this by temporarily holding the soot. As the soot accumulates, the DPF will be clogged with time. This guide has enlightened you on two popular ways of cleaning your PDF. If you cannot get the right cleaning agent, consider taking your truck to the nearest mechanic will help you remove the soot.

bad Diesel Particulate Filter in a truck

Symptoms of A Bad Diesel Particulate Filter In Trucks

Have you ever experienced having a bad diesel particulate filter in your truck? If you own a diesel-powered truck, you might have heard of the term diesel particulate filter (DPF), but you probably do not know what it means. You may be unable to figure out how vital this part is until it becomes terrible. How will you know that your DPF is bad? Your engine will lose power when your DPF gets clogged, and the engine check light will appear on your dashboard. The rate at which your truck consumes fuel will also rise, and it might be hard to start your vehicle. This guide evaluates common symptoms of a clogged DPF that you should know. 

Bad Diesel Particulate Filter Symptoms

Check Engine Light

When your diesel particulate filter gets clogged or bad, the engine check light will appear on your dashboard. The diesel particulate filter has sensors that take the pressure and temperature measurements before and after the diesel particulate filter. If the pressure and temperature are incorrect, the engine control module will light up the check light on your dashboard. 

If such light appears on your dashboard, consider scanning the trouble code memory to identify what is wrong. 

Reduced Engine Performance

When the DPF is clogged, the exhaust system will be affected. Your truck will be unable to remove the exhaust fumes that will accumulate in the engine. 

When this happens, your engine will become weak and slow down. As the exhaust fumes builds up in the engine, the fuel pump will not be able to pump the adequate fuel necessary for the combustion. In such a situation, you will not be able to accelerate properly. The engine, on the other hand, will require more energy to push out the exhaust fumes. 

Low Fuel Economy

If your engine is not working correctly, it will have to burn more fuel, increasing fuel usage in your truck. Low fuel economy results from the blocked filter, forcing the fuel pump to pump more fuel to complete similar tasks. You will have to press the acceleration pedal more to allow more fuel in the combustion chamber to get the desired result.

Such a problem will force you to use more money to refuel your truck.

Difficulty in Starting

When your diesel particulate filter is clogged, exhaust fumes will build up in your engine. The trapped gas will have nowhere to escape which will increase pressure. In such a situation, starting your engine becomes difficult. You will not be able to start your engine until the pressure is released. 

Such a sign is a safety design because if your engine starts with such pressure, it might get damaged permanently. 

Strange Smell

Your truck will produce a strange odor as the exhaust gases build up in the engine. Such a smell annoys and can be dangerous. Breathing exhaust gases can cause health complications. At the same time, such gases are flammable. Such a smell makes it difficult to know if other parts are not okay. 

Conclusion

The DPF clog is not good for the truck, and these are some symptoms you should know are associated with the clogged DPF.