Alliance Diesel LLC

If you own a diesel Truck you probably have a diesel particulate filter, however, you may not know exactly what this is or how to maintain it.

Diesel particulate filters have been fitted to diesel-fuel Diesel for almost two decades now – but if not maintained, or if tampered with there could be serious consequences for your car.

Here we explain exactly what they are, what they do, why you need them and how to look after them.

What is a diesel particulate filter?

A diesel particulate filter (DPF) is a filter that captures and stores exhaust soot (some refer to them as soot traps) in order to reduce emissions from diesel cars. But because they only have a finite capacity, this trapped soot periodically has to be emptied or ‘burned off’ to regenerate the DPF.

This regeneration process cleanly burns off the excess soot deposited in the filter, reducing the harmful exhaust emission and helps to prevent the tell-tale black smoke you used to see from diesel vehicles, particularly when accelerating.

To help lower car CO2 emissions effectively made DPFs mandatory, and since then, around one in two new cars a year have been diesel-powered.

Is it illegal to remove a diesel particulate filter?

Yes, it is illegal. Owners face fines if caught 

How do I tell if my diesel particulate filter is blocked?

If the DPF is becoming clogged with soot or a fault develops in the system, an orange light will typically appear on the dashboard as seen below.

They usually look like this with a piped box that has dots in the middle, although they can slightly vary by manufacturer manufacturer – check your handbook for more information.

What causes a diesel particulate filter blockage?

Short journeys at low speeds are the prime cause of blocked diesel particulate filters.

This is why car makers often go as far as recommending city-bound short-hop drivers choose a petrol car instead of diesel (and it’s why diesels are something of a rarity in the city car sector).

Other things that are bad for DPFs include poor servicing. A diesel particulate filter on a poorly serviced car may fail sooner than a well maintained one, generally, they should last for at least 100,000 miles.

It’s important you use the right type of oil as well – some oils contain additives that can actually block filters. Performance modifications can damage a diesel particulate filter, as can using low-quality fuel and even running the car frequently on a low fuel level as the car may avoid DPF regeneration in order to save fuel.

How do I maintain a diesel particulate filter?

The best way to maintain a DPF is to make sure it’s fully able to regenerate itself when it’s full of soot (when the warning light appears).

There are two types of regeneration: passive and active.

Passive regeneration 

Passive regeneration occurs when the car is running at speed on long motorway journeys which allows the exhaust temperature to increase to a higher level and cleanly burn off the excess soot in the filter.

So it is advised that drivers regularly give their diesel vehicle a good 30 to 50 minute run at sustained speed on a motorway or A-road to help clear the filter.

However, not all drivers do this type of driving regularly – which is why manufacturers have designed an alternative form of regeneration.

Active regeneration 

Active regeneration means extra fuel is injected automatically, as part of the vehicle’s ECU, when a filter reaches a predetermined limit (normally about 45%) to raise the temperature of the exhaust and burn off the stored soot.

Problems can occur, however, if the journey is too short, as the regeneration process may not complete fully.

If this is the case the warning light will continue to show the filter is still partially blocked. 

In which case it should be possible to complete a regeneration cycle and clear the warning light by driving for 10 minutes or so at speeds greater than 40mph.

You will know whether active regeneration is taking place by the following symptoms:

• Engine note change
• Cooling fans running
• A slight increase in fuel consumption
• Increased idle speed
• Deactivation of automatic Stop/Start
• A hot, acrid smell from the exhaust

Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) technology uses ammonia to break down dangerous NOx emissions produced by diesel engines into nitrogen and water. In automotive applications SCR delivers ammonia through a urea solution – Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) – which is sprayed into the exhaust stream by an advanced injection system and then converted into ammonia on a special catalyst.

SCR is the technology of choice for the majority of truck and engine manufacturers to meet 2010 emissions standards for heavy-duty trucks.

Aside from helping the environment the biggest benefit of SCR for vehicle owners is the fuel saving which the technology provides. Because SCR deals with emissions in the exhaust pipe, engineers are able to tune the engine to provide more torque and reduce fuel consumption.

For example, Detroit Diesel’s BlueTec technology boasts up to 5% better fuel economy and Cummins has said its EPA 2010 technology delivers a 5-7% fuel efficiency saving compared to EPA 2007. However, SCR systems require a regular top-up of DEF.

The technology was first used in vehicles by Nissan Diesel in 2004. Since then Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) has been widely implemented on diesel vehicles and by the end of 2010, more than 1 million trucks and buses had been equipped with the technology in Europe alone.

SCR can be implemented in many different ways on a diesel engine. One of the most common configurations includes four steps:

1. Reaction of the exhaust gas with an oxidation catalyst to remove hydrocarbons and convert some NO to NO2.

2. Conversion of urea from AdBlue/DEF to ammonia on a hydrolysis catalyst. This requires injection of the urea solution into the exhaust stream at the correct dosing rate, and in a way that results in no build-up of urea on the walls of the exhaust or on the injector itself.

3. Reaction of ammonia with NOx on an SCR catalyst to produce nitrogen and water.

4. A final oxidation catalyst is often installed after the SCR catalyst to destroy any remaining ammonia. This is sometimes called an ammonia slip catalyst.

Sourse: https://www.discoverdef.com/def-overview/selective-catalytic-reduction/

The purpose of the fuel injection system is to deliver the right amount of fuel to the engine cylinders, at the right moment in a suitable condition for the combustion process.

The injector on a diesel engine is its most complex component, it has to be able withstand the temperature and pressure inside the cylinder and still deliver the fuel in a fine mist. When an injector is not working properly means the engine is malfunctioning and your vehicle would have poor performance.

There are some indicators showing that an injector is failing:

• Black Smoke

• White Smoke

• Engine Decrease in Power

• Poor Fuel Economy

Black smoke out from the exhaust pipe could mean the injection system is not working properly and probably one or more injectors are not firing fuel at the right moment.

White smoke will come out from the exhaust pipe, chances are the problem is internal injector leakage and for that you will a replacement.

If the vehicle’s fuel injectors have an issue, the performance of the vehicle would decrease, causing misfires, loss of power and acceleration.

Malfunctioning would be shown in the fuel consumption of your vehicle. The vehicle would consume more fuel if the injection system has an issue.

Here is a short video with some tips for gasketing application. Gaskets are a key component to the motor and installing them incorrectly can lead to costly failures that stop the truck from earning for you.

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A happy and healthy lifestyle is important to us here at Alliance Diesel and we like to volunteer our time to encourage people to go outdoors and move more. This 5K run was particularly fun because it was geared towards kids and it got the whole family involved and Universal Studios was a great venue to get the crowd excited.

We are cycling escorts for the lead runners to keep track of their time as well as ensure the safety of the route. We also escort every wheelchair athlete because it is important to us to support challenged athletes. This event even caught the attention of the elite para-athlete Ryan Reed. She is currently training for the 2020 Paralympic Games and we love supporting her on her way to represent our country in Tokyo, Japan.

Here is a short video with some tips for epoxy application. Epoxy repairs save you money if done correctly, and extends the life of the part without having to replace it.

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A happy and healthy lifestyle is important to us here at Alliance Diesel and we like to volunteer our time to encourage people to go outdoors and move more. RunDisney is a great organization that organizes running events with Disney and donates a lot of the proceeds to charities picked by the runners. The 5K, 10K, and Half-Marathon runs bring everybody from small children, grandparents, and elite runners and it is a lot of fun to see the whole family involved in a healthy activity in a magical place like Disney.

These are very popular events that draw huge crowds so it is important of us as cycling escorts to make sure the lead runners and wheel chairs have a safe and clear path to complete the race