DPF sensor flashing up on dash every now and again, what do I need to do
DPF light comes up on dash once or twice a journey, what do you recommend I need to do?
Experienced mechanics share their insights in answering this question :
Depending on the year, make, and model of your vehicle, the light means you need to do a parked regeneration of the catalyst. Your vehicle may also be telling you it is regenerating. To be sure, I’d suggest having a certified technician, like one from YourMechanic, diagnose the warning light firsthand for an accurate repair. Best of luck.
How to Identify and Fix Common car Problems ?
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What do you do when you see the DPF light? When the DPF light has become illuminated, it`s telling you that `passive regeneration` has failed and that you need to actively regenerate the diesel particulate filter. You can do this by increasing your speed to more than 40mph for between 10 and 15 minutes.
Don`t ignore a warning light
If you ignore a DPF warning light and keep driving in a relatively slow, stop/start pattern, soot will build up in the filter until your car goes into `restricted performance mode` to prevent damage. If you let it get this bad: Driving at speed alone won`t be enough.
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.
The easiest and cheapest method of DPF filter cleaning is by driving the vehicle for a long-distance at high revs per minute. Doing this increases the heat of the exhaust and burns the soot blocking the DPF filter. It`s best to drive on a motorway or A road where you can keep the vehicle at a consistent speed.
In order to burn it clean, the de-installed DPF is put in a burning oven, where it is heated until all remaining soot is burned to ashes. Subsequently, the filter is blown clean with pressurised air until all ashes are completely removed. Rinsing is in fact blowing the filter clean with a watery cleaning solution.
Most DPFs will automatically clear as they`re used but on rare occasions, in specific circumstances, they may get blocked and require manual cleaning. In normal use, a DPF cleans or regenerates itself by reaching a sufficient temperature to burn off the excess soot.
It is illegal to drive a diesel vehicle without a DPF or remove the DPF from your car. Driving with a malfunctioning DPF filter may damage your car engine.
For on-highway vehicles, the DPF should be pulled off for its first cleaning after 150,000 to 200,000 miles, and then every 100,000 miles after that for preventive maintenance cleaning, Anderson notes.
When the filter becomes faulty or clogged up with soot, you will normally be alerted to this by an orange light on your dashboard. The emission of black soot is another sign that you need to have your DPF cleaned. Your oil level may also increase, as may your fuel consumption levels.
Diesel fuel additive for cleaning and regeneration of all types of Diesel Particulate Filters (DPF) without dismantling and disassembling. Suitable for all types of diesel fuel and for all types of diesel engines equipped and not equipped with automatic DPF regeneration systems.
During normal working condition the diesel particle filter will clean itself regularly by self-regeneration. After each regeneration-cycle, some ash are left in the filter and cause shorter regeneration interval. This means that each DPF will need service sooner or later.
Relevant Questions and Answers :
the most relevant questions and answers related to your specific issue
DPF sensor flashing up on dash every now and again, what do I need to do
ANSWER : Depending on the year, make, and model of your vehicle, the light means you need to do a parked regeneration of the catalyst. Your vehicle may also be telling you it is regenerating. To be sure, I’d suggest having a certified technician, like one from YourMechanic, diagnose the warning light firsthand for an accurate repair. Best of luck.
Need to replace Accelerator Pedal Position Sensor
ANSWER : The TPS and a scanner to test it is all that you need. The code P0122 points to the sensor but a through pinpoint test should be done to make sure the sensor is failing before you replace it.
If you need help with this, contact a certified mechanic who can diagnose your Check Engine Light code and make the necessary repairs to your vehicle.
ABS lights flashing on dash, temperature gauge increased. Multiple lights flashing on the dash. I put my seat belt on and they went away
ANSWER : Hello, this could be a number of things depending on how the vehicle is running now. If you possibly ran through a puddle of water or your belt is worn, it could have slipped and caused the lights to flash because the alternator and water pump were not operating.
Usually when the lights on the dashboard all light up together, you are losing voltage to the electrical system which on your vehicle would usually be the alternator. Now, if the engine temperature went up as well it sounds like you have multiple issues. It is also very common on your vehicle for the abs module to fail. If you need to have this checked by an expert, have a certified technician, like one from YourMechanic, inspect the ABS Light and other symptoms in person, so that this repair can be taken care of.
i need to replace both o2 sensors for vehicle listed above. so is it front left and back left o2 sensors?
ANSWER : Hi there:
Typically when an issue comes up with O2 sensors, it’s either the front bank (before the catalytic converter) or the rear bank (after). It’s very rare that all need to be replaced. However, the quickest and most effective way to determine which is faulty and need to be replaced is to have one of our professional mechanics complete a check engine light is on inspection. This service will allow them to determine which one is bad, and if you’d like, we can replace that O2 sensor for you.
I did replace the heater core and two sensor the crank sensor and camshaft sensor it didn’t work can it be the computer
ANSWER : If the check engine light is on, what kind of codes is the system detecting? Do you have spark at the plugs? If you have spark, does spritzing some starter fluid give you a momentary startup? If so, there is a fuel issue. More symptoms and information on the car’s behavior before and after the parts you replaced would be very helpful. At this point, I would recommend an inspection from YourMechanic.com to diagnose this car starting problem, get an accurate assessment of damage and cost estimate for repairs. YourMechanic.com can dispatch a mobile, professional mechanic to your location to help you get your car up and working again.
Why would I need a new hall sensor, is that and a cam sensor vital to fix before driving a long distance?
ANSWER : Hi There,
A hall sensor is in many cases the same as a camshaft position sensor. Many camshaft position sensors work on what is called the "hall effect" meaning they provide a square wave output voltage (either 5 V or 12 V) with a change in frequency relative to engine speed. An increase in engine speed is met with an increase in the output frequency from the camshaft position sensor. The camshaft position sensor is a magnetic sensor that monitors camshaft speed to regulate ignition timing and fuel injection timing. It gathers and sends information about the car’s camshaft speed to the car’s electronic control module. This information is used by the computer to further calculate the time of ignition and the timing of fuel injection required by the engine. When this is not working properly, you may experience a drop in power, poor idling, poor fuel mileage and problems starting the vehicle. As the sensor begins to fail and gets worse over time as the signal it provides to the computer weakens. I would recommend having a professional from YourMechanic come to your location to diagnose and inspect your vehicle.
Check engine light – O2 sensor circuit + speed sensor circuit…
ANSWER : Hi there. O2 sensor low voltage can be caused my a number of things. Mass air flow sensor was only one of them. It can be a bad O2 sensor, coolant temperature sensor, or wiring issue.
What should be done is a proper diagnosis for the Check Engine Light. Using a complete scanner rather than just a code reader gives a technician the opportunity to not only read trouble codes, but to read voltages for individual sensors. While a code reader tells you the relevant system that set the Check Engine Light on, but with a number of possible causes, the full scan tool allows checking of each individual cause. Having a proper diagnosis will help you have this repaired correctly without replacing parts that are not faulty.
Got told I needed I new head gasket but my car doesn’t over heat or smokes obut needs o2 sensors… Any suggestion?
ANSWER : Hello, thank you for writing in. Without knowing the symptoms the vehicle is having, it is difficult to say what the issue may be. If you are receiving a code from the computer related to the oxygen sensors, then the sensor(s) may be receiving a reading outside of specification. This can be because fluids are passing through the head gasket and being consumed in the engine. When this happens, the catalytic converter is forced to process contaminants it is not designed to handle. This may set off the an oxygen sensor code. In this situation you would not necessarily see or smell a leak, but you would see a decrease in fluid levels. However, there are several other causes for these sensors to read outside of of specifications. They include a bad connection, bad O2 sensor, or a bad catalytic converter. If you are worried you are being scammed, get a second opinion by contacting our service department.
