1.9 cdti with dpf - Dpf and/or engine experts please help

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Thu 17 Sep 2015 20:08
1.9 cdti with dpf - Dpf and/or engine experts please help - Greg1.9cdti

Hi all

Trying to find out whats wrong with my motor

Using the car as taxi, lot of town driving , no motorway sometimes for weeks

First the lack of powerat around 75k miles, felt like the turbo was held back, kept on driving anyway, two weeks later, big "exhaling" sound as it can be from an engine and just stopped. Towed, although when cooled could be started again. Into Vauxhall, changed manifold and dpf and they said I had a lot of excess oil. Genuine manifold, aftermarket dpf. Since then, when regening, huge blue smoke comes out and doing the process for way too long and sometimes too often and excessive oil builds up

  1. Could it be that some kind of seal gave in, when I was driving for too long without turbo and in the mean time the dpf clogged up, so maybe the pressure that built up for these reasons just led the weakest seal to break? At Vauxhall all the readings are fine, they cant see whats wrong

This is just my speculation as that exhale sound was like somewhere there was a puncture in the system...

What do you guys think what could it be?

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Thu 17 Sep 2015 22:32
1.9 cdti with dpf - Dpf and/or engine experts please help - Big John

A lot of "excess" oil was probably diesel in the sump oil that runs down the bores especially after lots of failed regen attempts - first job change the oil as diesel doesn't lubricate well. Smell the oil on the dipstick.

For this reason I now drive a petrol

Edited by Big John on 17/09/2015 at 22:33

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Fri 18 Sep 2015 00:18
1.9 cdti with dpf - Dpf and/or engine experts please help - daveyK_UK

which Vauxhall model is it?

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Fri 18 Sep 2015 01:48
1.9 cdti with dpf - Dpf and/or engine experts please help - Greg1.9cdti

Good old Zafira

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Fri 18 Sep 2015 01:47
1.9 cdti with dpf - Dpf and/or engine experts please help - Greg1.9cdti

Changing the oil every two weeks

I want to find out why it injects a lot fuel that it doesnt even need. Trying to find someone, who had the same problem and actualy found a solution as I know a few others with the same problem, but never the answer. So hopefuly someone out there had the time and skill to strip the engine, as Im sure the advice given by the garages is the same: get rid

I dont want to waste it as I looked after it so well

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Fri 18 Sep 2015 05:40
1.9 cdti with dpf - Dpf and/or engine experts please help - RobJP

'Big John' has already told you why there is excess oil/diesel in the sump, and why it is injecting more fuel than needed : failed regen attempts.

Either get a vehicle suitable for the type of driving you are doing, or continue to have more and more problems.

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Fri 18 Sep 2015 10:23
1.9 cdti with dpf - Dpf and/or engine experts please help - daveyjp

Reason for excess levels in sump is as described. It could be a problem with any number of sensors which activate and deactivate the regen process, monitor soot levels etc.

Unfortuanately its either continue throwing money at it to try and get to the bottom of why it keeps over regenerating, or consider something like a Prius.

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Fri 18 Sep 2015 13:54
1.9 cdti with dpf - Dpf and/or engine experts please help - Gibbo_Wirral

I'm not a Vauxhall expert, but on Peugeots if any part of the DPF regen system isn't working - including glow plugs, glow plug relay, engine fan & relays - then the regen fails. It will also fail if the DPF is already too clogged.

Peugeot does have the additional EOLYS additive system, and relies on that and extra components, but I don't think they're fitted to all marques.

Edited by Gibbo_Wirral on 18/09/2015 at 13:54

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Fri 18 Sep 2015 18:44
1.9 cdti with dpf - Dpf and/or engine experts please help - Greg1.9cdti

The regen system parts can checked or tested or just have to replace them to make sure?

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Tue 22 Sep 2015 14:40
1.9 cdti with dpf - Dpf and/or engine experts please help - Gibbo_Wirral

The regen system parts can checked or tested or just have to replace them to make sure?

They can be replaced but I'd test them with decent diagnostic equipment to find out if they're faulty. Seems daft to waste time and money replacing good parts.

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Fri 18 Sep 2015 18:42
1.9 cdti with dpf - Dpf and/or engine experts please help - Greg1.9cdti

Could we worth checking or replacing all relevant sensors?

I already got a petrol Verso, just want to save this car as its the cleanest most looked after Zafira on the planet and cant sell it this way

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Fri 18 Sep 2015 18:53
1.9 cdti with dpf - Dpf and/or engine experts please help - RobJP

... just want to save this car as its the cleanest most looked after Zafira on the planet and cant sell it this way

Stop now and look at that last post of yours.

You are emotionally invested in this car. That is a recipe for disaster.

It does not matter if it is immaculate, well-looked-after, if it has been cossetted in a heated garage and sung lullabies every night to put it to sleep. It is a piece of machinery.

Use it in the 'wrong' way (i.e. the way you are, where the DPF never gets a chance to operate/regen properly), and you will get bitten. Badly.

So either use it in the 'right' way for a modern diesel, or get rid. It is going to continue to be faulty, and sooner or later (probably sooner), you will have to chuck money at it to fix faults, or accept a VERY low price for it for the next owner to be willing to fix the faults at their own expense.

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Fri 18 Sep 2015 18:39
1.9 cdti with dpf - Dpf and/or engine experts please help - Greg1.9cdti

I just cant seem to be able to get the regen finish properly until I go on motorway.2nd gear at 40 mph or 3rd at 60mph. Only when I do 70 in 5th seem to make the big smoking go away. If I stop at lights people think the car is on fire

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Fri 18 Sep 2015 21:42
1.9 cdti with dpf - Dpf and/or engine experts please help - Big John

Whilst there are still a lot of diesel taxis around I've noticed more and more hybrid or petrol ones recentley

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Mon 21 Sep 2015 10:44
1.9 cdti with dpf - Dpf and/or engine experts please help - skidpan

I just cant seem to be able to get the regen finish properly until I go on motorway.2nd gear at 40 mph or 3rd at 60mph. Only when I do 70 in 5th seem to make the big smoking go away. If I stop at lights people think the car is on fire

Driving at high revs is exactly the opposite of what you need to do to complete a regen.

Too many revs = too high gas speed = temperature too low in DPF to complete regen.

Handbooks give you the recomended rev band. The 2 cars we have owned with DPF's have both had ranges between 1600 rpm and 2200 rpm. In one car (a Kia) regens always completed quicker at 60 mph in 6th on the motorway (1900 rpm) than they did at 70 mph (2200 rpm). Both cars would carry out a successful regen when driving across town from Tesco's, about 20 minutes and 8 miles.

But you cannot force a regen to start. No amount of thrashing will trigger one. A regen will only start when soot levels have reached the %age set by the manufacturer.

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Mon 21 Sep 2015 11:36
1.9 cdti with dpf - Dpf and/or engine experts please help - jc2

You also say in your original post that you do not have a genuine DPF but an aftermarket one!

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Mon 21 Sep 2015 16:46
1.9 cdti with dpf - Dpf and/or engine experts please help - Railroad.

When are people finally going to realise that unless you do proper mileage a modern diesel WILL give problems by the time they get to four or five years old. The days of cheap good MPG diesel motoring are gone.

The answer is simple. If you want a car for school runs/shopping trips/round the town driving, buy a petrol or a hybrid.

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