Modern diesel - is it possible and how to remove the DPF filter from it. Guide

Modern diesel engines use particulate filters to clean exhaust gases. Meanwhile, more and more drivers are removing these devices. Find out why.

The particulate filter, also known by its two acronyms DPF (Diesel Particulate Filter) and FAP (French filtre à particles), is installed in most new diesel vehicles. Its task is to clean exhaust gases from soot particles, which is one of the most unpleasant pollutants in diesel engines.

DPF filters have been around for almost 30 years, but until the late 90s they were only used in commercial vehicles. Their introduction has eliminated the emission of black smoke, characteristic of older cars with diesel engines. They are now also being installed by passenger car manufacturers who want their vehicles to meet increasingly stringent exhaust emission standards.

Design and operation

The filter is installed in the car's exhaust system. Outwardly, it looks like a silencer or a catalytic converter. Inside the element is filled with a structure with a lot of so-called walls (a bit like an air filter). They are made of porous metal, ceramics or (less often) special paper. It is on this filling that soot particles settle.

Currently, almost every car manufacturer offers cars with engines equipped with this element. It turns out that DPF filters have become a nuisance to users.

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A characteristic feature of these components is that they become clogged over time and lose their efficiency. When this happens, a warning light on the car's dashboard comes on and the engine starts to slowly lose power. becomes the so-called safe mode.

Manufacturers foresaw this situation and developed a filter self-cleaning procedure, which consists in burning off residual soot particles. Two methods are most common: burnout by periodically changing the engine operating mode and by adding a special liquid to the fuel.

Problem Shooting

The first method is the most common (it is used, for example, by German brands). It consists in the fact that the engine should work for some time at high speeds, and the speed of the car should not exceed about 80 km / h and should be constant. The engine then emits an increased amount of carbon dioxide, which gradually burns off the soot.

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The second method uses special fuel additives that increase the temperature of the exhaust gases and, therefore, burn off soot residues in the DPF. This method is common, for example, in the case of French cars.

In both cases, to burn out soot, you need to drive about 20-30 kilometers. And here comes the problem. Because if the indicator lights up on the route, the driver can afford such a trip. But what should a car user do in the city? It is almost impossible to drive 20 kilometers at a constant speed in such conditions.

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In this case, a clogged filter will become a growing problem over time. As a result, this will lead, in particular, to a loss of power and then the need to replace this element. And these are not small expenses. The price of a new DPF filter ranges from 8 to 10 thousand. zloty.

Worse, a clogged diesel particulate filter is bad for the fuel system. In extreme cases, engine oil pressure may increase and lubrication may decrease. The engine may even seize.

What instead of a particulate filter?

Therefore, for several years now, more and more users have been interested in removing the DPF filter. Of course, this cannot be done in a car under warranty. In turn, removing the filter at home will not do anything. The DPF filter is connected by sensors to the engine management computer. Therefore, it is necessary to replace this device with a special emulator or download a new program to the control computer that takes into account the absence of a particulate filter.

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Emulators are small electronic devices that send signals to the engine control unit, such as sensors that control the operation of a liter diesel particulate filter. The cost of installing the emulator, including the removal of the DPF filter, is between PLN 1500 and PLN 2500.

The second way is to load a special program into the engine controller that takes into account the absence of a particulate filter. The price of such a service is similar to emulators (with the filter removed).

According to the expert

Yaroslav Ryba, owner of the Autoelektronik website in Słupsk

– In my experience, the emulator is the better of the two ways to change the DPF filter. This is an external device that can always be removed, for example, if the car user wants to return to the DPF filter. In addition, we do not interfere too much with the car's electronics. Meanwhile, uploading a new program to the engine control computer has certain limitations. For example, when the vehicle broke down and the software needs to be changed. The new program then automatically deletes the previous settings. One way or another, the program can be deleted accidentally, for example, when an unbiased mechanic introduces new settings.

Wojciech Frölichowski