Regeneration DPF replacement Terraclean - but not in that order. In upshot I am having regeneration issues and would like advice and help. Sorry for the long post.
First the rules: 2.2 D Auto Euro IV DPF 09 facelift model estate (not used for towing). I got it a year old from a mainstream Jag dealer and have had it for the past 8 years.
This is a great car with a great drive and it has only let me down once when the EGR valve failed on a cold and frosty morning. "Jaguar Assist" came out, listened as the engine started and then died within 10 seconds, and immediately diagnosed an EGR issue. He completely blanked off the EGR to get me going and I booked it into the dealers for a replacement EGR under warranty.
In the 8 years I have run the car I have often noticed that it does a regeneration at the most inconvenient moment, often as I come up the exit ramp from a motorway or park up on the drive. As
others have noticed:
Problem is that there is nothing on the X Type to tell you if it is doing a regeneration in general driving.
There is no indicator light on the dash but there is
this:
..the only way I know is that the revs rise at idle and the oil temperature rises from 90C to 100C...The fans speed up like mad and there is a burning smell. I have to try and make sure I don't then switch the engine off. It's only when driving down the motorway you can't detect it except by checking the oil temperature and it happens every 600 to 800 miles. I'm glad that my X-Type doesn't have it.
and
this:
...I always know when my auto is doing a regen as the idle revs rise and the auto snatches as a result. I can also hear the higher revs when idling. ...My car now does a regen quite often immediately following a long motorway run which is counterintuitive but that's the Jag DPF for you.
After a handful of these regenerations (which I allow to complete) the car throws a service message at me. Considered opinion is that the regenerations cause diesel to seep into the oil sump and eventually the car decides its time to change the contaminated oil. This used to happen about every 5k miles. As I was on 10K annually this meant the the yearly main service and an oil change at half time. Not an issue but somewhat different from the estimated 12k service interval that is in the book.
My car has now done 70k miles and for the first time I actually got a DPF warning message. Following the instructions I took it for a thrash until the light went out and it stopped regenerating (idle revs back to normal, i.e. 800 rpm instead of 950 rpm.). A few weeks later I got the same message - this time halfway down the motorway doing 70mph. I dropped a few gears and after 15 minutes or so the light went out.
I took it into my local independent garage who have serviced the vehicle since I stopped using the Jaguar dealers after the warranty ran out. He was thinking about getting a terraclean licence and offered me a discount so the terraclean agents could demonstrate the process (on my car). This was the full job including in-situ DPF clean. This didn't do the trick, and as between 70k an 90K it is usual for DPFs to get full of ash (from the burnt off soot), the DPF was sent off to terraclean for an oven bake job and chemical clean. The DPF "crumbled" (their words) under this onslaught so I purchased from them a reconditioned OEM Jaguar DPF (much cheaper than a brand new one). The repalcement DPF was much lighter than the old one (as presumably it was not full or soot or ash).
The new DPF is now fitted (along with an EGR blanking plate with 10mm hole as its the electronically controlled EGR) and the vehicle has been told it has a new DPF. I'm not sure why this is necessary as I thought DPF regeneration was controlled by back pressure from the DPF so no need to know. See
here:
..There are definitely two pressure sensors, one high level and one low level. The following blurb is taken from the Jaguar workshop CD.
The differential pressure sensor is located in the engine compartment, on the lower RH side of the bulkhead. The sensor is located on 2 studs and secured with nuts.The differential pressure sensor is used by the DPF software to monitor the condition of the DPF. Two pipe connections on the sensor are connected by pipes to the inlet and outlet ends of the DPF. The pipes allow the sensor to measure the inlet and outlet pressures of the DPF. As the amount of particulates trapped by the DPF increases, the pressure at the inlet side of the DPF increases in comparison to the DPF outlet. The DPF software uses this comparison, in conjunction with other data, to calculate the accumulated amount of trapped particulates. By measuring the pressure difference between the DPF inlet and outlet and the DPF temperature, the DPF software can determine if the DPF is becoming blocked and requires regeneration.
My problem is that after spending all this money the car is now doing its regeneration thing every hundred miles or so - which will cost me a lot in oil changes and probably means the DPF is clogging up faster than I would want. My driving habits have changed as I am doing a small commute of just over 10 miles a day (rather than the 65 on the motorway that I was used to) but this is plenty of time for the engine to get to and remain at normal driving temperature. I still do a 150 or 200 mile motorway journey (each way) once a month.
My mechanic says that the rise in idle revs and heat from the exhaust is not a proper regeneration but my view from the cars history and those of the forum that I have quoted are that this is what the car is designed to do, and I do run the car until the revs die down although getting much above 40mph is not possible where I live. I know that when a regeneration is forced in the workshop the revs are up in the 3000rpm area.
Barney100golf describes regeneration:
From the Jaguar workshop manual:
The active regeneration process takes approximately 20 minutes to complete. The first phase increases the DPF temperature to 200°C
(392°F). The second phase further increases the DPF temperature to 600°C (1112°F), which is the optimum temperature for particle
combustion. This temperature is then maintained for 15-20 minutes to ensure complete incineration of the particles within the DPF. The
incineration process converts the carbon particles to carbon dioxide and water.
The active regeneration temperature of the DPF is closely monitored by the DPF software to maintain a target temperature of 600°C
(1112°F) at the DPF inlet. The temperature control ensures that the temperatures do not exceed the operational limits of the turbocharger
and the catalytic converter. The turbocharger inlet temperature must not exceed 760°C (1400°F) and the catalytic converter brick
temperature must not exceed 800°C (1472°F) and the exit temperature must remain below 750°C (1382°F).
During the active regeneration process the following ECM controlled events occur:
The turbocharger is maintained in the fully open position. This minimizes heat transmission from the exhaust gas to the turbocharger
and reduces the rate of exhaust gas flow allowing optimum heating of the DPF. If the driver demands an increase in engine torque,
the turbocharger will respond by closing the vanes as necessary
The throttle is closed as this assists in increasing the exhaust gas temperature and reduces the rate of exhaust gas flow which has
the effect of reducing the time for the DPF to reach the optimum temperature
The exhaust gas re-circulation (EGR) valve is closed. The use of EGR decreases the exhaust gas temperature and therefore prevents
the optimum DPF temperature being achieved
The glow plugs are occasionally activated to provide additional heat to assist in raising the DPF temperature
If, due to vehicle usage and/or driving style, the active regeneration process cannot take place or is unable to regenerate the DPF, the
dealer can force regenerate the DPF. This is achieved by either driving the vehicle until the engine is at its normal operating temperature
and then driving for a further 20 minutes at speeds of not less than 30 mph (48 km/h) or by connecting the Jaguar approved diagnostic
system to the vehicle, which will perform an automated static regeneration procedure to clean the DPF.
Is this "active regeneration" the regular 950rpm regeneration that I (and others) are getting or the "workshop forced " regeneration?
Anyway, back to my main question. Why is my car regenerating every 100 miles or so and what can I do to stop it! Any help appreciated. The EGR is not throwing any faults and visual inspection shows it is clean and working and the DPF sensor at the end of the inlet/outlet tubes (also clear) has been replaced.
DaveBell
says:
Hi. You won't see a light on a DPF X-Type unless the filter is seriously blocked. The EMS will initiate a burn every few hundred miles to avoid filter blockage and you can spot this when the engine revs at idle go higher...
Seriously... every few hundred miles. I want mine back to the every one thousand miles that I think I was getting for the first seven years.
