dpf cleaner woes...

[highwaystar]

hi,
i had been having some issues with the w220 s320cdi and diagnostics did point towards dpf so i bunged 400ml of dpf cleaner in the tank with the intention of giving it a thrash...but within 4 miles and no thrashing i'm conked out at the side of the road and got recovered..
ive since chemically cleaned dpf off the car, replaced a turbo intake pipe that i noticed was split but no joy.
car cranks for 10 secs then dies
i'm guessing its fuel related so the question is,
has anyone had experience of what component or sensor dpf cleaner can knock out if any?

 

[onefortheroad]

You need the fault codes read.

It's maybe the dpf pressure sensor that's failed . Fairly common fault.

 

[highwaystar]

yep i agree, but until i find out if someone has a mobile bring Star to customer service, i'm asking if anyone has had experience of putting dpf cleaner in tank and conking out

 

[markben]

hi,
i had been having some issues with the w220 s320cdi and diagnostics did point towards dpf so i bunged 400ml of dpf cleaner in the tank with the intention of giving it a thrash...but within 4 miles and no thrashing i'm conked out at the side of the road and got recovered..
ive since chemically cleaned dpf off the car, replaced a turbo intake pipe that i noticed was split but no joy.
car cranks for 10 secs then dies
i'm guessing its fuel related so the question is,
has anyone had experience of what component or sensor dpf cleaner can knock out if any?

Are you absolutely SURE that your W220 S320 cdi has a DPF - despite the Dx suggested fault? (Maybe check the VIN & Option Codes for your model to verify either way?).

If it helps: my late 2004 UK spec 140k mile but often gently-driven-locally S320L cdi (OM648 inline 6 engine) used to emit quite dark exhaust smoke under hard acceleration despite giving good fuel economy (32 mpg in town, up to 46 mpg on a long run) and no other performance or reliability issues.

At first, I had the same concerns about a possibly 'clogged' DPF, and requiring professional cleaning at some considerable cost £££.

But.. after some research, I discovered that my particular UK spec model DOESN'T have a DPF (!) - and a few experts on other MB forums suggested (q): 1. Use a Premium Diesel Fuel (e.g. BP 'Advanced Diesel' - with higher Octane & additives etc). + 2. Give the usually lazy cdi engine a good 'Work-out' regularly: i.e. 'Blow-out the cobwebs / debris etc in the injectors & valves etc, or: Apply a Diesel fuel additive at every fill-up (ok, good idea but inconvenient?).

Result: after running the car on Premium Diesel Fuel for a few tank-fulls (a bit more expensive than Regular) for about 500 miles + more regularly stretching the engine to the rev limit (approx 4500 rpm): Hey Presto: no more dark exhaust smoke issues under hard acceleration, the engine feels even smoother than before, and I swear that I'm getting even better mpg.

That said: if your problem is DPF related (or possibly not!), I recommend that you find a reliable & expert MB Indie who has 'Star' SDS diagnostic software, + the skills & patience to thoroughly get to the root-cause of your reliability problem. Our ageing W220s, although magnificent cars, are incredibly complex when it comes to accurate fault diagnosis.

Hope this helps - let us know how you get-on

 

[highwaystar]

yep, definately has a dpf..i took it off and treated it to an 8 hr chemical clean...

 

[markben]

yep, definately has a dpf..i took it off and treated it to an 8 hr chemical clean...

Fair enough - hope you find a solution one way or another.

 

[highwaystar]

cheers,

tomorrow i'll try easy start to see if it runs with that for more than 10 secs
if it does i think im looking at injectors or fuel pump, fuel pressure regulator o ring
while im at it i'll look for blown fuses and relays..especially fuel pump

i did read theres a relay i can swap to test it but cant remember which one it was now,d'oh

 

[LostKiwi]

As has been said get codes read.
You don't need star - a cheaper tool will read codes.
ICarsoft do a few that are suitable and Autel do the AP200 which talks to an Android phone for under £100.

I have both ICarsoft and Autel (as well as Star) and either will do.


There's an old saying - Test don't guess.

 

[Larkone]

If you don't want to get the codes read, print this out and use accordingly

 

[onefortheroad]

As has been said get codes read.
You don't need star - a cheaper tool will read codes.
ICarsoft do a few that are suitable and Autel do the AP200 which talks to an Android phone for under £100.

I have both ICarsoft and Autel (as well as Star) and either will do.


There's an old saying - Test don't guess.

First thing to do with any dpf fault code is to steep the dpf in chemicals though right .

 

[highwaystar]

@Larkone which prick are you in that dartboard..deep in the bull i suspect

@onefortheroad dpf code (yes car was on a Star recently) suggested dpf was clogged and a regen on Star failed so 'steeping' the dpf off the car in chemicals is the next step i would imagine cos the amount of black stuff that come out was pleasing to see

@LostKiwi thankyou very much for that advice, appreciate it.

to clarify for those who dont read posts properly while surfing and supping their favourite tipples dans the evening and can only chip in with get the codes read in a derogatory manner or suggest i havent got a component that i certainly do have...

i am in discussion with someone with Star to come to the car cos it aint going nowhere at the mo under its own steam but like anything its gonna take a number of days. The car isnt at my abode and arranging a time is difficult.

so just for arguments sake after my question in the first post, someone had replied with, 'yeah that happened to me, it was the fuel relay and its gonna cost you a tenner to fix the problem' then obviously i would be laughing if indeed that was the case.

testing relays and fuses, inspecting fuel pump, fuel hoses etc before getting diagnostics done seems to be common sense and what you would all do im sure...

ive had one Star diagnostic done in the past which wasnt conclusive but a bit of guess work and a lot of experience got us there on that time and other times its been spot on....

old chinese proverb

codes dont get read straight away
booking in might take a week and a day
lets see what others say
way hey hey

 

[onefortheroad]

@Larkone which prick are you in that dartboard..deep in the bull i suspect

@onefortheroad dpf code (yes car was on a Star recently) suggested dpf was clogged and a regen on Star failed so 'steeping' the dpf off the car in chemicals is the next step i would imagine cos the amount of black stuff that come out was pleasing to see

@LostKiwi thankyou very much for that advice, appreciate it.

to clarify for those who dont read posts properly while surfing and supping their favourite tipples dans the evening and can only chip in with get the codes read in a derogatory manner or suggest i havent got a component that i certainly do have...

i am in discussion with someone with Star to come to the car cos it aint going nowhere at the mo under its own steam but like anything its gonna take a number of days. The car isnt at my abode and arranging a time is difficult.

so just for arguments sake after my question in the first post, someone had replied with, 'yeah that happened to me, it was the fuel relay and its gonna cost you a tenner to fix the problem' then obviously i would be laughing if indeed that was the case.

testing relays and fuses, inspecting fuel pump, fuel hoses etc before getting diagnostics done seems to be common sense and what you would all do im sure...

ive had one Star diagnostic done in the past which wasnt conclusive but a bit of guess work and a lot of experience got us there on that time and other times its been spot on....

old chinese proverb

codes dont get read straight away
booking in might take a week and a day
lets see what others say
way hey hey

That's all very well , But a faulty dpf pressure sensor would show as dpf @ fill level of 400% . You would and always will, get black stuff from a dpf in a chemical bath , even if you washed it monthly, it's air flow you need to have , not a clean dpf.

 

[tonyleckenby]

Onefortheroad
how do you get a 400% reading? I can only get soot and ash figures in grams on my icarsoft CR V2.0? currently ash 99.44g(was 156g last week before passive regen) , soot 19.63g.
thanks in advance
Tony

 

[onefortheroad]

Onefortheroad
how do you get a 400% reading? I can only get soot and ash figures in grams on my icarsoft CR V2.0? currently ash 99.44g(was 156g last week before passive regen) , soot 19.63g.
thanks in advance.

A 400% fill level either means dpf blocked ( unlikely in most cases ) or the dpf pressure sensor is kaput.

 

[highwaystar]

@ onefortheroad..point taken but it wouldnt cause breakdown while driving and then prevent starting i dont think???

so while waiting for possible Star diagnostic to come to car ive ordered the AP200 and see what that says.
the obd scanner ive used in the past wasnt much cop hence booking star sessions in the past but reviews on this seem good

tbh the w220 s320cdi has been very reliable and not suffered the problems like others seem to...until recently, so apart from a couple of faults and servicing replacing balljoints and discs and pads its been good

 

[onefortheroad]

@ onefortheroad..point taken but it wouldnt cause breakdown while driving and then prevent starting i dont think???

so while waiting for possible Star diagnostic to come to car ive ordered the AP200 and see what that says.
the obd scanner ive used in the past wasnt much cop hence booking star sessions in the past but reviews on this seem good

tbh the w220 s320cdi has been very reliable and not suffered the problems like others seem to...until recently, so apart from a couple of faults and servicing replacing balljoints and discs and pads its been good

No I'd imagine that's the split turbo pipe sucking in air or something you dislodged or not fitted correctly. Dpf cleaner ,simply enters the combustion chambers along with fuel . By the time detonation occurs, I'd imagine very little cleaner would actually enter the dpf to do any good or harm for that matter. Snake oil tbh.

 

[highwaystar]

yep and i thought the same about the split pipe and part of the broken orange seal flapping in the breeze...replace those and thats the fix..but no it wasnt

 

[highwaystar]

so i was about to press buy now on the AP200 but just double checked the price on your icarsoft 2.0 and its coming in at £136..
i like the way its standalone and doesnt use phone so decisions decisions

 

[onefortheroad]

so i was about to press buy now on the AP200 but just double checked the price on your icarsoft 2.0 and its coming in at £136..
i like the way its standalone and doesnt use phone so decisions decisions

.

 

[highwaystar]

for some reason i thought mb icarsoft was 3-400 ballpark hence getting star booked in the past

ive ordered it now, cheers