Engine: D52447: Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF)

[nigelearle]

Hi, Just had the 72K service, the dealer explained that due to problems with the DPF the oil level is now set at 3/4 qtrs as it is possible for blended Bio diesel to naturally dilute and overfill the engine oil. It is now recommended that the owner checks the oil every 1.5k and if the warning light comes on it's too late the damage will have been done. I can't say I'm entirely happy about this especially having to regularly check the oil.

How can I check if my car actually has a DPF fitted its a March 2007 2.4 D5

Interestingly my wife has just received the attached recall notice for an XC60

[chunderground]

Have done a lot of reading up on the DPF on all makes and the following is the general consensus.

All manufacturers of euro IV compliant dpf diesels have regeneration problems if :-

1]the car runs on cheap diesel :- use a low particulate diesel such as shell v-power and Bp Ultimate to eradicate problems

2] If the car is used on short runs and the revs rarely go above 2500, Run the car in lower gear with revs of 3500 for twenty mins to clear DPF of soot once every 400 miles.

3] A driving style which is gentle and pedestrian is not good for DPF cars. Give it some welly and apparently the engines loves it.(I drive like a granny so this one is hard for me)

I personally have had no problems but I use shell V-power diesel now as it appears to be worth the extra cost. Car runs quieter and the DPF has not regenerated since using it.Mpg seems to be 1.5 mpg better but early days yet! (placebo effect I hear you say)

shell V-power also has added Liquified gas rather than bio diesel.Bio diesel is supposed to be the cause of oil levels rising in cars fitted with DPF as it gets into the sump during regeneration and does not evaporate.

[npw]

chunderground, you say 'Car runs quieter and the DPF has not regenerated since using it'. referring to the type of fuel, but how do you know if the DPF has regenerated or not?

[owenfackrell]

I notice in the letter they tell you how to stop a car when the accelerater has stuck innice simple terms. I hope they put it to the USA the same as they didn't seem to be able to do this before (the yanks not Volvo).

[chunderground]

when regeneration takes place the MPG drops by about 4-5 mpg (instant mpg readout) engine runs hot, engine really hot 1 hour after stopping.

[npw]

chunderground, It says in the handbook that the heated rear window may come on during regeneration to make the engine work harder. Have you noticed this or is it only if the regeneration is not effective under the conditions being driven?

[reggie59]

Originally Posted by npw

chunderground, It says in the handbook that the heated rear window may come on during regeneration to make the engine work harder. Have you noticed this or is it only if the regeneration is not effective under the conditions being driven?

my audi a4 tdi (2002) used to send amazing amount of black smoke every time I was accelerating even mildly... even from new. Was crazy when driving at night time.

The volvo does not at all and I feel very good about it.

But this DPF does seem to be a lot of problems. Mine has 5,200mi and no issues. Does school runs but also being driven regularly (twice a week) for 70mi plus on motorway at 70mph (2000 rpm).
Do you really need to drive at 3,500rpm for 20 minutes? That would be madness. Volvo My10 users manual does not specify any RPM. Honest John says 2000 RPM.

[chunderground]

Originally Posted by reggie59

my audi a4 tdi (2002) used to send amazing amount of black smoke every time I was accelerating even mildly... even from new. Was crazy when driving at night time.

The volvo does not at all and I feel very good about it.

But this DPF does seem to be a lot of problems. Mine has 5,200mi and no issues. Does school runs but also being driven regularly (twice a week) for 70mi plus on motorway at 70mph (2000 rpm).
Do you really need to drive at 3,500rpm for 20 minutes? That would be madness. Volvo My10 users manual does not specify any RPM. Honest John says 2000 RPM.

You may never have a problem but check your oil level reguarly to see if it has risen above MAX. Having researched more 3500 is the highest revs quoted and 2000 the minimum so I am possibly overcooking it. I have just checked my oil level and it is 2mm over max (9 months use) on a level surface. Not unduly worried about it but I am hoping that my recent switch to V-power diesel will stop it getting worse. So will let you know results every few months. My average speed is 22mph and average MPG is 24.5 to give an insight to my driving contions for comparison with other drivers. You should not get black smoke from a DPF diesel as it gets caught by the DPF possibly a puff of white smoke as it is burnt off. Would be grateful if you could report back if you get problems of rising oil level or soot filter full problems.I hope that 2000 revs is enough because that is easily done.

Not noticed the heated rear window coming on will look out for it.

If we can all share information in this way I am sure problems can be avoided and prevent visits to the dealer.

[reggie59]

Originally Posted by chunderground

You may never have a problem but check your oil level reguarly to see if it has risen above MAX. Having researched more 3500 is the highest revs quoted and 2000 the minimum so I am possibly overcooking it. I have just checked my oil level and it is 2mm over max (9 months use) on a level surface. Not unduly worried about it but I am hoping that my recent switch to V-power diesel will stop it getting worse. So will let you know results every few months. My average speed is 22mph and average MPG is 24.5 to give an insight to my driving contions for comparison with other drivers. You should not get black smoke from a DPF diesel as it gets caught by the DPF possibly a puff of white smoke as it is burnt off. Would be grateful if you could report back if you get problems of rising oil level or soot filter full problems.I hope that 2000 revs is enough because that is easily done.

Not noticed the heated rear window coming on will look out for it.

If we can all share information in this way I am sure problems can be avoided and prevent visits to the dealer.

I checked the oil at about 2,500mi and it was above MAX. I mentioned it at the quality assurance (QA) visit at 3,000mi and they pumped some out. Just checked and it is still (just) below MAX although stupidly did not check after QA so impossible to say it they left it below MIN and close to MIN or just below MAX.

Will be monitoring closely. I do not expect those engines to go very far in mileage if they are constantly polluted by diesel. To me, this is a serious issue.

[scrambler]

How much oil would it take to raise the level from min to max on the dip stick? Maybe a litre? If someone tipped a litre of diesel in my sump i'd have to change the oil. Just sucking the oil/diesel mix out to correct the level is unacceptable.