If removing and cleaning your own DPF is something that you are interested in doing, then you can see the whole process in my video called "The No Damage DIY DPF Clean": ruclips.net/video/LE1boZ3fhLg/видео.html
I know you said the HCL won, but to my eyes the Oxalic Acid Alloy Wheel cleaner was the winner. It removed both the soot and the oil (see soapy foaming action)
@@ТарасБондарчук-ъ8в Hi, the full 2 stage procedure can be found in my other video: ruclips.net/video/LE1boZ3fhLg/видео.html I use 200 grams of caustic soda granules with 2 liters of water, and when it comes to the acid wash I use 2 liters of 30% strength hydrochloric acid mixed 1:4 with water (8 liters of water). Do lots of shaking if you can, and don't leave the acid in for more than 30 minutes.
Porque' este interface deixou de funcionar no meu Aipad Scarlett sempre funcionou e agora não dá! Atualização que seja feita pelas duas impressas o mais breve possível pois não posso trabalhar em estúdio agradeço a vossa atenção!
Thank you Steven for creating this video. I have successfully restored a heavily blocked DPF from a Subaru using your Dishwasher Tab/Pool acid technique. Two months later, still working fine with no problems. The original cause of the blockage was sooty oil completely encasing the MAP sensor, and an intake boost leak. The car is running well, with performance and economy significantly improved. Cheers!
Just discovered your work ,here ,and you are one of the best ! If you aren't a teacher in this life ,this world lose a great opportunity to have some kids well ,,trained,, for this life ! You know how to explain, kind voice , good with details! Anyway, congrats and keep it running!
Tested and worked perfectly. Bmw 2007 E60 520d dpf removed from car, pre cleaned for about 30 mins. with 1L of mr.muscle drain unblocker (diluted with 1L of water) , this stage will remove grease mainly. After, i used 20L water + 5L brick acid HCL 34%, and let the dpf soak for about 3 hours. I give it a rinse with just a hose garden initially and after a jet wash with 2 bar pressure (no higher than that as you'll destroy your honey comb inside). Also keep your jet wash nozzle/lance at a 200mm distance from dpf honey comb. Water came clean after all this process and had a good flow from both sides. Dried the dpf for few days and reinstalled on the car. Before this diy clean my car was cutting off right after engine start as dpf was fully blocked. Now my dpf readings are: 4mBar at idle, 12mBar at 2000rpm and 42mBar at 4000rpm. Cost for replacing dpf to this 15 years old car is £1400 just the genuine part + labour to install it. Cost for diy this method is under £50 and some diy enthusiasm. My car has the dpf separate from Catalytic converter. Thank you for all your videos Steven. Nowhere on youtube you can't find such detailed explanation.
Intelligent, precise, calm, methodical, good videographer and editor, doing a good quality work with a touch of humor. and certainly a nice person in real-life.THANK YOU STEVEN **bmw 330d e46 facelift 204 hp (M57N), 300000km, and still like new, I don't let any mechanic touch it, I do everything on it on my own**
This video! My MBZ DPF was completely plugged and I totally submerged it in 4 gallons of pool acid in a bucket for a couple hours then sprayed it out with a pressure washer. Came out new. Brand new. Works perfectly $44 total cost. Thank you!!
Many thanks for your research! I did my DPF on 318D F30 using Drain Cleaner and Hydrochloric acid two years ago and since then I have successful 70k km on it. I passed also annual inspection without problems.
Brilliant video! I would definitely like to see a longer video with more chemicals. Commenters have great suggestions. And a few 'shorts' about this would be great for your channel visability! Very informative, straight to the point, a lil chuckle along the way and youve earned yourself a subscriber!
Thank you! Worked like a charm. My friends Bmw E60 525D had a blocked DPF for 2 years (Warning on display). It was very blocked. I used drain cleaner, mixed it to about 1:10. Then used pure aloy wheel cleaner. Then i pressure washed the dpf from both sides. (Didnt damage it one bit, even on full blast) When done i cleared all codes on the engine. (Very important) then used carly dpf request regen to "clear it out" got ash to 1gram. Now it works like a charm😁
I have tried it and it works. The car has been running for almost 3 weeks now with no more issue with DPF. Cheers. The only thing I would emphasize is to make sure that the filter is completely dry, because after installing it there was some water coming from the exhaust pipe, however as recommended by Steve I kept the car on idle for couple of "minutes/hours",.
Great to hear! I have tried all sorts of ways to dry out the filters before refitting, and none of them work all that well, as the ceramic absorbs water like a flowerpot. Overnight in an oven would work, but otherwise a gentle engine warm-up like you have done is probably the best.
If you think about most agressive chemicals that can be easyly available to use in the household - there are some cleaners for ovens and fireplaces available in markets and cleaners for water residue buildup - recently they started be really effective . Thanks for your tests
Thanks for this video. Ive just cleaned my 2012 Vivaro's DPF / DOC using dishwasher tablets first followed by oxalic acid alloy wheel cleaner. I had error codes on my dash 'Check Injection' and 'Check Emissions' which means DPF is blocked. The van failed last year's MOT with these warnings so the garage did a clean using aerosols with the DPF still on the van. This turned the warning codes off and got the van through MOT but warnings were back 1 month later. Watching your video gave me confidence to tackle it myself this year ahead of the MOT. I was really nervous about loosening the two manifold nuts to remove the DPF/DOC exhaust section as it's 11 years old, and manifold nuts of that age tend to like staying put. But a good quality socket and a bit of GT85 got things moving. I used an old dustbin to soak the exhaust in overnight with dishwasher tablets, and some frequent flushing through / agitation soon released a lot of soot. I would say this preliminary cleaning was most affective. Next I drained and rinsed then soaked overnight in oxalic acid alloy wheel cleaner. I'm not convinced this had a huge benefit considering the dishwasher tablets worked so well. Maybe if I'd skipped the dishwasher tablets and gone straight to alloy wheel cleaner then I'd be saying how wonderful it was. Thinking optimistically though, maybe the alloy wheel cleaner removed the important last 5% of soot from deep down in the DPF. Rinsing the DFP with freshwater took forever to remove the frothing. The flushing water would not run out without some frothing, even after about a million gallons! Not sure what's causing that, either the dishwasher tablet or the alloy wheel cleaner residue in the insulation. I had to call it eventually and run with it. I don't think the frothing would have ever stopped. I left the exhaust out in the sunshine for about a week to dry out (cant believe we got a week of sun in UK!). Then refitted. I didn't use the OBD to cancel the warning codes, instead I took the van for a good drive. Pulled over once after 15mins, turned off and on. 'Check Injection' warning had gone. Drove again for another 15 mins, off and on. 'Check Emissions' warning also gone. Alleluia, the dashboard no longer lights up like a Christmas tree. A week on, and all is good. runs great, no warning lights and the van could be a keeper for another ten years. The only thing I'm concerned about is the Emissions Test at next MOT in few weeks time. Has the dishwasher tablets or alloy wheel cleaner affected the metals on the DOC and that no longer processes CO correctly? I hope its OK or else expensive replacement. (By the way, despite 1 week in the sunshine to dry out the exhaust, there was still quite a lot of moisture vapor coming from the exhaust on its first run. Only visible when stationary on tickover. It must have been lingering in the insulation. If doing it again, I'd be tempted to leave a hair dryer running through the DPF / DOC exhaust for a few hours also before refitting.)
Thanks for sharing your method and results so far! That ceramic material is like a flowerpot - it just soaks up heaps of water and only an oven or an hour of driving is going to get it to evaporate out again...
That possibly may have some positive effect depending on volume flow rate for a sustained period, but I think a lower pressure/higher volume air flow source would be better over a long period. A dry heated air source would be best. Borrowing the wife's hair dryer and letting that blow through for a few hours would work good. An update on my van and MOT test........ All good during the emissions test and passed. I hadn't ruined the DOC Cat and all my dashboard warning lights still off. Very happy!
Hello Steven, I am happy to report that after a second treatment but this time for 24 hr exposure in the DPF cleaning process , my 2014 Porsche Cayenne DPF is back to normal. I just finished testing it and it drives like new again and no more "Check engine/Glow plug" lights. Thank you so much for all your guidance and for saving me at least $7K in total repairs.
@@АлексПушкин-г2в Hello, here are the mixtures; Step 1; Dishwashing tab 1:10 water for 12 hrs Step 2; Pool acid 1:4 water for 24 hrs Step 3; rinse with tap water. Per Steven B Turner "if there is a lot of black soot, then you might need to do the first stage multiple times. After the first stage you should rinse thoroughly. After the acid stage, rinse with lots of water mixed with dishwashing liquid, and then hose with water for at least 10 minutes. When you put it back in the car, idle the car for 15 minutes to gently dry it out." As of today my Cayenne is working perfectly, thanks to Steven B Turner.
@@senolcakr7366 Hello, here are the mixtures; Step 1; Dishwashing tab 1:10 water for 12 hrs Step 2; Pool acid 1:4 water for 24 hrs Step 3; rinse with tap water. Per Steven B Turner "if there is a lot of black soot, then you might need to do the first stage multiple times. After the first stage you should rinse thoroughly. After the acid stage, rinse with lots of water mixed with dishwashing liquid, and then hose with water for at least 10 minutes. When you put it back in the car, idle the car for 15 minutes to gently dry it out." As of today my Cayenne is working perfectly, thanks to Steven B Turner.
Finished the cleaning process on BMW N47D20A 177 hp. I used 10 liters of 10% NaOH and 7 liters of 10% HCl. Afterwards I did a lot of vigorous flushing with water and shaking like crazy. Overall about 200 liters of water. DPF backpressure before cleaning was 90-96 hPa and after it is 10-14 hPa at 2700 rpm, and 123-126 hPa -> 24-28 hPa at 3700 rpm. DPF pressure sensor was calibrated at engine off so the results are very accurate! As far is I compared these pressures on BMW forums the DPF after your cleaning method has backpressure as good as a brand new filter! Therefore I applaud you Steven and highly recommend this method. PS after first startup of the engine I was afraid it didnt clean well because the backpressure was as high as before of higher! But this was due to soke water being absorbed in the porous ceramic. After 15 minutes it dried nicely and the pressures are super low!
Well done on doing this job yourself, and many thanks for posting those detailed results! By the sound of those numbers, your filter was very badly clogged, and definitely needed a good clean.
@@StevenBTuner i was hoping to decrease the turbo lag (gas pedal pressed to full torque time) but this didnt really change much in the 1700-2500 rpm range. However above 3000 the engine revs much cleaner and with more ease :) makes sense I guess.
Hi, the most likely reason for a lack of throttle response in that mid-range is a MAF sensor that needs to be replaced. As they get older, they get very slow to respond, and the only way to properly test this is with an oscilloscope.
We have a fleet of machinery (cat, komatsu, kubota, ect.) We've had great luck simply pressure washing out the dpf filters. Once any of the machines start frequent regens, or will no longer clean them selves effectively through a normal or forced regen, we will pull the dpf off and disassemble them. Then use a low pressure pressure washer (maybe 1500psi) and wash them out from both directions with just water. This seems to clean 90%+ of the soot. The machines always run better and generally take way way longer to even do the next regen because they're so cleaned out it takes a long time to build enough soot back up to need to regen. The first couple times we tried it we were pretty scared to mess something up. But now its become a regular thing and have yet to have an issue. Once the filter is washed out we will blow out with air, place in front of a fan to dry, then reassemble. Codes may or may not need to be cleared. We've done this process probably 40-50 times over the past several years. Its quick and free.
I've had the best results from removing it and welding the empty can back together. Works like a charm, still has the catalytic converter intact, passes MOT with soot levels under max permitted value for my car.
Hi Steven, I really liked you`re videos. I found that the best combination to clean a DPF filter is a 2-mol Oxalic acid and Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid in water. The materials are kinda cheap since you only need a few grams of each per litre and you can do a flush with the engine running. I`ve done this for about 4 times on my own VW Touareg in the last 3 years and the dpf is in best condition.
Hello, sounds good, but how does something like this work with a built-in DPF? Fill in the agent via the lambda sensor opening or temperature sensor opening? What does this do to the differential pressure sensor? Thanks!
@@StevenBTuner please send me you`re thoughts on this after you try it. The original solution is from a german company that does a solution for on-car dpf cleaning
Hi Steven, I tried ALDI all in one dishwasher tablets (not family pack) and Super Alloy concept wheel cleaner (10-25% phosphoric acid, 25-50% hydrochloric acid as per data sheet). Condition of BMW DPF (520 d se2008) -before hand-fuel economy nearly doubled, car sounded juddery sometimes-fuel emission light on frequently-turbo failed a month ago-looks like fuel or something got into engine oil also as oil level increased after turbo replacement. I got the local mechanic to remove the DPF. Crushed 40 Aldi tablets into 15 litres of 40 degree water (15 litres covered my dpf fully) agitated every 15 minutes for two hours . No water flowed through dpf at the beginning - dpf was used for 306,000km. After an hour soot started appearing and breaking down. (Probably could have used 80 tablets as I think this is what you suggested. After two hours soot only was removed (No sign of ash). Washed out with water both directions before next phase of ash removal. Diluted wheel cleaner 1:4 adding acid (12 litres of water and then 3 liters of wheel cleaner ) to water 40 degrees also (kept the hands warm with the rubber kitchen gloves and disposable gloves under these -just in case with safety glasses). Agitated every 15 minutes for 1 hour 30 minutes. Rinsed out with water both directions until no ash seen, then water and washing up liquid, then final rinse with de-ionised water. Dried in oven at 50 degrees for 4 hours . Before the final wash I could see that when using the garden hose that if I placed the hose against a selected few dpf holes the water flowed straight through. I realise this may not be possible for others but this particular dpf allowed me to see both ends. I got the mechanic to re-install and re-set today. After engine warm up fuel economy back to normal. I bought the Altel AP200 unit also so I will check for glow plug issues etc tomorrow. Did test with wheel cleaner on some stainless steel screws beforehand some tarnished and other brands did not . The dpf case did not tarnish. Thanks for the help.
Hi Steven, Thank you for sharing your knowledge. I First burned the filter off at 650 C for 15 min and then let it soak for a night in dishwasher tablets with water. At last I poured over some cleaning vinegar since it was all I could find easily. And the result is that I can keep on driving the car for another year without having to pay 1000,- for a new filter so thanks a lot. Keep up the good work!
Just to be clear to people reading, you can't just do this and expect to drive off in a modern car. It will detect it, throw some codes and go into limp mode. An ECU remap would also be required.
I wrapped my dpf in titanium wrap and it gets alot hotter during the regen. My regen times have cut by half now. Maybe 12 minutes instead of the usual 19
Hi, for the first stage wash any strong degreaser will work well, but dishwasher cleaning solution might be especially good as most of them remove the lime scale too. Definitely on my list of products to try out!
Great vid, Steven! After watching, i removed the lambda sensor and poured 4L of Coca Cola through the hole. My engine light has now gone off and my drive smells of ashy Coke. Win!
Hi Steven, using acidic solutions only might be a bit of a gamble since acids promote the formation of emulsions and a permanent sludge if too much oil and soot present. I would suggest adding cationic surfactant to prevent sludge, promote active binding and removal of soot and the acid to remove ash. Go with something like Bezalkonium Chloride in the 1-5% range addition. (Anionic surfactant and alkaline chemicals are usually in dishwasher powder/tablets) You might be on to something here. Great experiment, no sane person would flush part of the exhaust system with coke though :D the added sugar will do more harm than good!
Hi, all good points! In my other vid I do a full DPF clean as a 2 stage process - the first stage is to clean away the oily soot so that the 2nd stage acid wash can do its work.
@@StevenBTuner Yeah I thought of that too, using either hydrocarbons or something like HEATED! sodium hydroxide solution or commercial/restaurant grade glass detergent to take off the soot before attacking the ash. The surfactant idea is more about creating something like Steven's even more effective mystery wonder solution or concentrate (would buy!!). Why do two soak and rinse cycles if you can make the acid work reliably for both with surfactants keeping the sludge/emulsion particle size controlled and small while the acid is happily eating away at the ash :) Commercial grade dishwashers are doing basically the same but with an alkaline solution. For plates, the wash cycle detergent is basically potassium hydroxide with added surfactants in the ~5% range to deal with fat/emulsion, glassware only detergents are just potassium hydroxide solution (this is why coffee cups with milk remains, very greasy lipstick prints and plates don't properly clean up in glass washers). I work for a global manufacturer of commercial dish- and ware washing solutions and content like this really intrigues me acidic route if adjusted right can result in a bucket of pH ~7 neutral watery suspension of ash, salts and soot particles. Mildly acidic one-cycle solutions with surfactants shouldn't be a problem either. Time to check environmental legislation I guess :D I'd definitely take that route considering the nasty fumes and environmentally unfriendly nature of hydrocarbon based solvents ending up being toxic waste when contaminated.
Having the HCL and NaOH react together at the end to form water and salt is definitely a plus. You can then filter out the remaining particles with a coffee filter :-)
I would try Citric Acid which is commonly used as a coffee machine decalcifier. Cheap, safe and readily available online in bulk. Probably as effective as the HCL acid without the nasty.
would be interesting if you could try using these as an "on car" application Steven, done similarly to the way DPF cleaning companies do it, soloution fed in via the pressure sensing pipes while car is running, and maybe have a before and after pressure reading, would be the soloution everyone would be interested to see.
HI, thanks for watching! I know exactly what you mean, and it could work for most cars, but I feel that it is way too risky to suggest to folk as a home DIY. I can imagine what could happen, for example, if the cleaning solution went back through the turbo and ended up in the exhaust manifold, and then flowed in through an open exhaust valve and filled up a cylinder.
@@StevenBTuner I would imagine if you limit the fluid volume to say a litre or 2 of each stage or whatever volume the DPF itself would roughly take up then you wouldn't have any issue's on most cars as the amount of pipe from turbo to DPF would comfortably take up way more than a litre on most cars, not to mention the turbo's are always higher than the sump/tailpipe height to allow proper turbo oil drainage so the fluid would 99.999% probably drain out of the tailpipe first, sure, i get that you can't account for the human stupidity factor like someone on a steep hill with front facing down but there's always the "disclaimer" option at the start of the video as well, explain possibly risks, video for info purposes only, do not try if you have an IQ lower than room temperature inside a freezer combined with a lack of common sense to match etc lol
I'm hearing you! :-) A reasonably strong phosphoric acid sprayed in using fairly fine droplets could work like that. If it could be made to foam up somehow that might be even better. The process might be something like: spray in 200ml, wait 30 minutes, then spray in another 200ml, wait another 30 minutes, spray in a liter of distilled water then blow in some low pressure air (14psi / 1 bar) for 5 minutes to dry things out. Such a method could work really well as something done every 2 years or so to keep the filter in top condition.
@@StevenBTuner The pressure differential from the turbo exhaust port into the DPF (let alone from the turbo into the exhaust manifold) would prevent that, the turbo exhaust is always at positive pressure compare to the DPF or the exhaust which is at atmosphere. Otherwise, any exhaust gases would back-flow into the turbo or exhaust manifold as well, which would choke the engine.
Sir, your level of detail and work ethic is inspirational! Thank you for such a comprehensive comparison, and I hope you succeed in all your endeavours.
I've just spent 20 quid on a bottle of off car dpf cleaner and I've got about 50 dishwasher tablets under the sink. Gutted. Great video Steven. I'll Try the dishwasher tablet as a pre wash and then use the dpi cleaner fluid. Subscribed and Liked. Thanks Pal..
Give it a go - I'd love to hear about your experience! Some folk have reported that it can work well, but you may have to soak overnight and do some extra shaking.
@@StevenBTuner i used an old baby bath and soaked the dpf in dishwasher tab overnight. the liquid was black don't know if any ash was removed tho i put the dpi cleaner in next. overnight again. and spent 2 hours rinsing it. i put it on the radiator in the hall to dry and fitted it. i had some black liquid coming out the tailpipe but it went after the car was warmed up DPF is fine so far. thanks pal
Just at thought, when you are immersing the parts in the different solutions surely the chemical becomes exausted as the reaction progresses. Would a fresh solution be better after say an hour. I note that someone has suggested heating the solution that would also be a benefit. Why fit these DPF filters in such a way that cleaning is difficult?💣
I'd like to know how brake fluid would do. It worked really well on intake manifolds from direct injection petrol engines according to a technician in my local mitsubishi dealership.
Just watched a 'professional' clean a neighbors DPF in situe, i found it quite amusing tbh..... So what he did was unhook the exhaust under the car and fit a bung, then he removed what i assume is a O2 sensor from the downpipe just below the turbo and he filled the whole dpf with a solution and left it for 4 hours to soak. When the guy had finished and gone away we noticed there was what looked like a dishwasher tab wrapper in all his dirty cloths etc he had thrown in the bin. The best bit is it worked really well........ we did a pressure test before and after out of pure interest. So the DPF went from 10millibars at idle and 110ish at 3000rpm to 6 at idle and 54 at 3000rpm. Now after watching your video i'm convinced he filled the whole dpf is a dishwasher solution.
Hi, my favourite method is still the one shown in my other video: The No Damage DIY DPF Clean. I use the sodium hydroxide solution followed by the hydrochloric acid solution.
The irony of DPFs is hilarious. Save the environment by filtering out some particulates, while at the same time consuming almost double the fuel and halving the efficiency and life of the engine. Great video though, pretty enlightening. Coke is scary stuff.
There's nothing ironic about the DPF, because its purpose is not to reduce emissions overall, but to reduce the *toxic* emissions by transforming them to essentially non-toxic substances. In that regard it's a marvelous invention, because it reduces toxic and cancer causing emissions with at least over 95% efficiency. Also your double fuel figure is off by a magnitude of two at the minimum. In reality DPF only increases fuel consumption by a few percents in the worst case (even less in most cases), which, again, is a very small price for not having to die of cancer or even just live with asthma and in constant smog in cities.
@@cg5138 For one, DEF (as in Adblue or urea mixed with water) has nothing to do with the DPF, and is used for a completely different purpose. It's not doing something with the DPF, albeit it's there - just like the DPF - to reduce poisonous emission, but a different kind of that: NOx gases, that can cause a wide variety of respiratory diseases. Also, DEF is produced as a byproduct of ammonia production, and its production is actually reducing the environmental impact of that. As for what's smart: smart would be if people would educate themselves about the DPF, DEF and similar stuff, before spitting out stupid statements about it, because for one these are there to save their lives and health, but also because only the really dull ones believe that all this stuff is built into cars not because of very good and valid technical and health reasons, but because of being part of a guvemah conspeerazzy to oppress them.
Hi, thanks for watching! Oven cleaner is similar to caustic soda so makes a great pre-cleaner to remove oil and oily soot, but unfortunately won't remove any of the 'end-of-life' ash deposits. High pressure washing with a Gerni or a similar unit can cause cracking of the DPF modules as seen in my other video: ruclips.net/video/-0mtz3Icg5o/видео.html
Hi Steve , before to see this video already I've cleaned an DPF with Doctor DPF cleaner and then with caustic soda , I got good result ! DPF it was cleaned more than 90% , anyway Thanks for your video !
Hi, thanks for watching, and glad to hear that you had good results with the method you used! It is much better get these filters cleaned and back into operation, than it is to throw them away, and buy a new one.
Glad you liked it! If you are interested in doing a full DPF clean yourself, then my other video is still my favorite method: ruclips.net/video/LE1boZ3fhLg/видео.html
I got an idea, seal the ends of the pipe, and fill with cleaning solutions, then strap a palm sander to the outside of the DPF with a strap. Turn on and let it vibrate clean... I bet it would work. Im currently building my own supersonic DPF cleaner. thats how I got the idea. lol
The dishwasher tabs are doing a very good job against soot, I tested already on a very similar dpf from citroen. I'm adding my filter to a second bath of pool acid, I hope will get it clean..
Steven B. Tuner I cleaned it two times with dishwasher tabs and two times with pool acid, then with high pressure cleaner and allot of soot went out of it. After that it has 0 mbar differential pressure on engine idle, not even the new one was having 0 :D for soot cleaning I would strongly recommend dishwasher tabs + high pressure cleaning with water
One important outcome: 0 mBar is usually bad signal. My sensor was giving wrong values, was a 3rd party one. After replacing the sensor everything was fine again and I got ~5 mbar..
I hope no one in the family got sick drinking from the glasses. By the way, I drink Coca Cola when I'm a bit under the weather especially for an upset stomach and it helps. I've known people drink it the morning after a heavy bout of drinking to for the same reasons.
@@anthonyxuereb792 it’s been around for decades … good old iron bru … from a company called Barr’s.. look up the AD for it on here !!! they also make tizer !!! Another classic 👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽😀😀
Brilliant set of DPF Videos I checked my Mercedes Sprinter 2013 130 ( 651 Engine) last week before watching your videos and I can concur I had a 90% full DPF and High Nox P2BAC EGR Deactivated Cleaned DPF with Brick Acid and Petrol The Petrol /Gasoline cleaned out all of the soot The Brick Acid dissolved all the ash The DPF now shows 0% in Diagnostics The fault code is still there which leads me now to the EGR to being blocked which also supports your explanation in one of your videos of this potentially being the initial fault of the DPF problem Keep up the great work and stop stealing glasses....
@@StevenBTunerHydrochloric acid 32% is not readily available in the UK. It was available until about a year ago, used for descaling toilets, but now the government has changed the regulations so that anything with more than 10% hydrochloric acid can only be sold to a registered business or to someone who holds an Explosives Precursors and Poisons licence. The toilet descaler now contains 9% hydrochloric acid and is not very effective. Also at the same time the price per litre has gone up.
Hi, I put it in the vid purely as an experiment, and I wasn't expecting anything... For the first stage wash a strong degreaser or caustic soda will work great and are probably cheaper.
Hi Steven, great videos! I have just cleaned my dpf. For the pre clean I used Fairy platinum dishwasher tabs x 15 in 3lts of hot water, which was enough to totally fill and clean my dpf unit. Most brick cleaners here in the UK are hydrochloric acid 16%, pool cleaner is not so readily available, so I used brick cleaner 2:1, then flushed with lots of fresh water. Only thing I did different was to dry the unit with a hot air gun afterwards (I was worried that water in the insulation would turn to steam under exhaust temperatures and cause some damage? A high amount of water is absorbed in the insulation!) I then stood the dpf vertically on its outlet (cat end) with the hot air blowing in the bottom, took quite some time to dry! It would be good to see a video of you putting a dpf back after cleaning and showing what checks should be carried out to show it is working correctly, there are probably a lot of people that watch these videos on cleaning a dpf unit and quite capable of taking the unit off their vehicle and carrying out the clean, but would not be sure on how to check it is performing correctly/better after the clean! Also some detail of why you would take the dpf of the car in the first place, I know you have produced other videos of things likely to cause a blocked dpf, but there are tests that should be carried out first, before removing the dpf to clean.
Well done on doing the job yourself! My 2006 320D is up to 70 grams of ash now so it is time to do the full video from error message all the way through the process to measured ash level when it is back on the car - just as you have suggested. I wouldn't mind a bit of warmer weather first ;-)
Hi, how many tablets and how much water is really dependent on how much oily soot is in the filter. If the car is running perfectly (except for the ash clogging) then 10 tablets in 10 litres could be fine, but if there is a lot of oil then you would be better with 20 or 30 in 10 litres of water.
@@miguelpinheiro8553 Hi, yes I did, this worked for me although mine was not that blocked with soot and grease, it was as a preclean to the acid clean as mine was more blocked with ash. 15 tabs did seem like plenty though, when you think one would normally do a whole load of greasy dishes!
Doesnt all this suggest that DPF cleaning is really not the issue its made out to be? Maybe if one is a workshop, having cars hanging around for 24 hours to do the work is a real profit limiter, so they tend to use machines and no doubt a proprietory chemical on a rental program. But if one has 24 hours and the car is at one's home it seems to me there's not much stopping us from concluding that Steven's experiments give us high degree of belief in Oxalic acid and dishwasher tabs (perhaps increased if the soot is particularly heavy and we can fill the DPF up from the oxygen or temperature sensor on the top if the DPF is the upright type. Looks like you could actually get rid of the ash when others have said no, once inside there is no effective solution for ash. In fact it is claimed that the amount of ash capacity is the limiting factor to the DPF lifetime. But having loooked at Steven's experiments I cannot help but feel he has managed to explode a myth that is so costly to deal with in normal ways, such as commercial cleaning (£200+) or some are persuaded, seemingly wrongly, that their DPF has in fact reached its ultimate lifetime. I wonder if others agree with me that Steven has demonstrated the no harm solution conclusively. So what determines if you can clean your DPF whilst its in or on your vehicle or whether it must be removed? Might that simply be determined by whether your DPF is in the exhaust system underneath, where one might have to know is it really about whether its a lateral box, liable to half fill with DPF fluid (whatever we decide to choose)? I've just written a bit earlier about this. When I think of using a spray wand through any removable sensor on top, as directed by Mannol's 9694, or even their two-part 9995 and 9996, the manufacturer seems only concerned that one puts the whole contents misted as a spray inside the DPF. In that sense they're like Steven's method of a two-stage process. I wonder how we might better know just how much ash can be cleared and whether, apart from mechanical/structural failure, there's really any limitation to the number of times one can refresh this way. More insight needed. Great subject. Steven must have saved a great many people an awful lot of money. Others may have noticed another conversation going on here where someone claimed the DPF cleaners are snake oil and referred to a product. That was followed by well of 80% of those replying that they didn't agree and the solution worked for them. So is it really explosion of the great DPF myth? Maybe, perhaps there are some very poor designs of DPF that may not be so serviceable. My comments relate in the main to the upright type of DPF that sits next or near to the turbo.
A good friend of mine told me years ago to use a dishwasher tablet and hot water he said they used to do it in the DPFS on the machines at the company he used to work for because they only used to run them in low revs so they got blocked quite quickly quite often I thought it was an old wives tale but I guess he weren't lying 😳😳
Thank you for the video. I’m looking for a way to wash the catalyst at home, what type of acid do you recommend? In garage have phosphoric acid and oxalic acid
Hi, my favorite method is still the one featured in my other video: The No Damage DIY DPF Clean - where I use a 6% strength hydrochloric acid solution as the 2nd stage.
Haha, one cycle using the normal dishwasher tabs followed by a second cycle using a special de-scaling dishwasher cleaning product might work really well!
These are cleaners used to clean when you take the filter apart. They say that hot steam will do a good cleaning job. Will you do a video on DPF cleaner additives?
Hi, they are for when you have the filter out of the car, and my favorites still are the Sodium Hydroxide and the Hydrochloric acid. There are no tank additives that are strong enough to remove ash, but there are products that you can inject directly into the DPF while it is still installed, which definitely need testing :-)
Hi, if you have a bunch of oily soot in your DPF, then anything that breaks down grease is going to work pretty well. Others have used strong degreasers to good effect, and my favorite is caustic soda because it is super strong and cheap.
Hi, do you think you could use the dishwasher solution on a vehicle that has the dpf still on the car? And just tip in through the sensor hole at the top (vertical orientated dpf peugeot 207 1.6 hdi?)
I have another video where I show the whole cleaning process: ruclips.net/video/LE1boZ3fhLg/видео.html If you use dishwasher tablets instead of drain cleaner then you will probably use 20 of them in 5 litres of water, and you can leave the solution in for an hour or two with no problems. When it comes to the 2nd part of the cleaning, the acid shouldn't be left in for more than 30 minutes, and should be well rinsed out with water and dishwashing liquid or some baking soda before a final rinse with distilled water to remove any minerals.
The red residue is probably the cerine used by Peugeot as catalyst added to the fuel, to bring down the combustion temperature from 550 to around 450 C My Peugeot 508 - 2012 had the DPF completely plugged, so we cut it open to clean it as it came entirely welded, contrary to other DPF models which can be opened. When we inspected the filter, it had very low amount of black ash residue, compared to the red ash which was all over the DPF walls, so it was basically plugged with cerine. We ended up removing the DPF all together and reprogramming the car to work without EGR and DPF.
Thanks I cleaned my DPF using your suggestions. Caustic Soda, dishwasher tablets the pool acid at 1/4 dilution and got a stack of black sh!t out, not much orange ash though. Now I get no error codes and runs great. Cheers for that.
It's reassuring to know the Food Standards Agency has our best interests at heart by allowing Coca Cola to be sold as a beverage! What the hell does it do to your stomach? Should be with the Mr Muscle and Astonish products 😳😝
I would like to see a test with denatured alcohol (commonly found in the painting section at a local hardware store or home improvement center). I had looked all over for a product that would release the lacquered/varnished parts(carbs and tanks) of a normal gas(petrol) motor. I found a RUclips video that had suggested denatured alcohol. So tried it on a generator gas tank that had sat for upward of 10 yrs without being run. Within minutes it had broken down a very good portion of the glazed gas and I left it sit for 24 hrs. The inside of the tank looked as though it were new without any agitation. Best of luck and thanks for the video!
Hi, thanks for watching and for the suggestion! I haven't tried it myself, but it sounds like it might work for dissolving any oil, and so might make a good 'pre-wash'.
Great video - take home message is to use the dishwasher tablet and THEN the wheel cleaner ? (As it had the least impact on the packing materials). However, I’ve had great results using Nulon (yes, Aussie made) ‘entire fuel system cleaner’. Works a treat, restoring performance and fuel economy. Seems to last a lot longer (~10,000km) than the competitors and also states (re special chemicals coating the filter) that it ‘reactivates’ the DPF. Also a lot easier pouring a bottle into the tank than removing the DPF! For those interested, I first had a problem at about 75,000km with my 2018 DMax, but now going better than ever with 95,000km on the clock.
Hi, the caustic soda and pool acid are my favourites for being cheap and easy to get hold of, although I will be testing some other acids soon (you can see my separate vid on the process). I am quite wary of some of the claims being made about 'coating the DPF' etc and I am thinking about making a video where I call them out on it - they can prove it or remove it! No coatings are wanted or required as silicone carbide is already a kind of magic space-age material. So far there is only evidence for additives helping with soot clogging by reducing the burn off temperature, which might be helpful to those always stuck in traffic. Ash clogging is very different and isn't helped by any in-tank additives, because anything strong enough to eat away ash will also eat away fuel lines, fuel injection pumps and fuel injectors on the way through.
@@StevenBTuner hi Stephen and thanks so much for replying. The story with the DMax however, does seem to indicate that the fuel system cleaners can work. Fuel economy had gone off to barely 12km/l (from14-14.5) and I am completely sure that this was not due to a variation in operating conditions. I treated with one cleaner and it made very little difference. I treated with another and within the tank, fuel economy returned to normal but within a couple thousand km had deteriorated again. Finally, I treated with the Nulon product and both performance (‘seat of the pants only) and fuel economy became normal again and remained so for -10,000km. After a major service both deteriorated again - second clean with the Nulon product saw my best fuel economy figures ever. Does the Nulon really work, or is something else happening?
Hi, I'm not saying that fuel additives don't do anything useful, it's just that they don't always do all of the things that some of them say on the label. It would be nice if they toned down the marketing hype, and just said what they do and don't do, so that we can make the best choice for our vehicle.
@@StevenBTuner Absolutely. So if (when) my DPF EVENTUALLY blocks up and I have to take it apart to fix it, I’ll know where to start! Great video and excellent possibilities well demonstrated. Thanks very much!
In the food industry We use NAOH followed by HN03 but at elevated temperatures usually above 65-75 along with flow to create mechanical turbulence and scouring action Of course a domestic dishwasher is also plus 65 degs
So I have done your method, without a pressure washer and with wheel cleaner, left it soak in for 3 hours and rinced for another 1H30. Result was very good,cur seems to respond better in terms of Nm. One thing to mention might be the exhaust gas temperature sensor, that needs to be replaced also in most cases, as it will turn on the check engin light even after the cleaning. In the case of a Citroen C4 Picasso, when you take out the DPF pay attention as fair amount of soot will com on your face/head and not healthy. So protective masures need to be taken.Thanks for the detailed explanation.
Hi, great to hear that you got some good results! Whenever possible it is best to unscrew the sensors and plug up the holes with a suitable bolt before cleaning, It is definitely not a fun or clean job...
@@StevenBTuner it was a fun thing to do, not very complex. After doing that, I found the courage to replace the air-conditioning condenser. Car is way more fun. Thanks for sharing.
Hi, thanks for watching! I think I put a chapter in for the winner. Anyway, my other video shows the whole cleaning process from start to finish: ruclips.net/video/LE1boZ3fhLg/видео.html&pp=sAQA
Thanks for the effort in this mate. I waged chemical warfare on my cars DPF and it really didn't do anything. At one point the light went off fir half a day. The only way to clean a dpf is to remove it from the car and jet wash the inside clean. You don't need to be a mechanic to do it (depending on its placement) and you will need to do a forced regen afterwards for good measure but the problem will be done and you will save yourself a lit of money. Garages don't want to do it as its easier to replace it as it's not worth their time financially.
Interested to hear what you tried previously that didn't work. The problem with high pressure washing is that if you hit the catalyser you will strip the platinum off of it, and then it won't as well. A lot of cars have them separate, but not all...
I'm fighting a problem on an '08 Mitsubishi with only about 40,000 kilometers. (32,000 miles). Parked Regen won't go through the whole process. Only attempts regen for about 3 min. Goes into limp home mode. I'm over 300 km from a dealership shop so have to fix it to drive anywhere. The first time it happened I got low differential pressure readings, and the shop said the dpf had been damaged. I put it on anyway and it only drove about 20km before trying to Regen unsuccessfully. I bought a new filter. $4,000. (Soul destroying!) Put that on, cleared all codes, and again it tried to Regen unsuccessfully after only a 10km uphill run. I assumed there'd be a dpf plug code, but only found a excessive exhaust temp code. What do you all think is wrong upstream? Bad injector? It's got pretty low miles. Stuck EGR? I was going to run it with the filter off just to see if it's running noticeably smokey...any ideas?
Hi, it always makes me sad to hear when bad advice means that someone ends up spending a fortune on a new DPF unnecessarily. Regeneration failure is almost always as a result of a fault with the EGR valve or glow plugs, and you will need to look for error codes as well as visually inspect the EGR valve and intake system to make sure they aren't gummed up with oily soot.
@@StevenBTuner no EGR related codes showing, there are five possible...but when it plugged and couldn't complete the cycle the first time the oil level was too high. I figured that was the problem. Seems like that could have also gummed up the EGR...only code showing after an incomplete re-gen is "Excessive exhaust temp", "DPF is overheated".(a red light-stop-your-trip code!) That was 10km after new filter, cleared codes, correct oil level, attempted park &re-gen... on an extended climb, 10% grade for 6km, but w/ normal coolant temps...
@@StevenBTuner Just got back from a uneventful 500 mi test drive. New injectors solved it. (all bad, but cheaper than a new DPF...) They are electromagnetic actuated and can fail in mechanical ways without generating a code apparently. I home cleaned the new DPF. (The old one did blow through. Something to experiment with: can you carefully plug a few individual compromised tube headwalls with some kind of liquid ceramic mixture?). The truck ran a successful 30 min parked regen. I changed the oil after the regen. These '08s over-fuel for the regen process via the cylinder injectors with an after-pulse. This causes fuel leakage, diluting, and filling the oil pan! The 30 min regen caused the oil level to rise 2 cm, or perhaps 1 litre! if not kept track of it could rise above the "over filled" mark, and really start plugging the DPF.
@@iansigman1651 Great to hear that your vehicle is working great again! Fuel dilution is a very bad side effect of a blocked DPF, and can result in rod or big end bearing failures - a terrible way for a diesel engine to be killed.
Hi, thanks for watching! Your car already uses diesel to clean out the DPF regularly as part of the normal active regeneration cycle - but diesel is only good for cleaning out accumulated black soot, it can't remove the ash deposits that accumulate over time and in fact burnt diesel is a part of what creates the ash deposits, along with burnt engine oil.
I'm surprised at the result of acetone. I recently changed the injector seals on my car and the tube came out with the injector as it was bound with carbon. I soaked it in nail polish remover overnight and a little twist I managed to separate them.
Hi, the issue with 'end-of-life' DPFs isn't the carbon/soot, as that burns off during active and passive regeneration. The problem stuff that clogs up the channels is the ash deposits, and they need an acid to dissolve them.
@@StevenBTuner diesels are annoying if you do short trips around town. A hybrid gas electric does just as good. I have a 2021 Toyota Prius prime and it gets 1200km in a 40l tank. I use a truck for long distance trips
@@StevenBTuner I just wanted to mention that too. Thats awesome. Can't wait for that video. Btw a lot of DPF Cleaning Services in Germany are using Ultrasonic for cleaning. But they kind of charge a lot for it. The thing I am excited about is, how deep into the DPF the Ultrasonic can get. The shape and size of the DPF as well as the directional little channels should be challenging in theory. I assume since you bought a large ultrasonic cleaner you will test it without cutting it into pieces . I am very curious. Thanks and keep up the good work (I only discovered your channel recently)
@@bucoescobar1961 Hi, I am thinking about the way to tell that the process has been successful (or not)...cutting up perfectly good DPFs gets a bit expensive :-)
So the whole idea of these systems is to keep the particles out of the environment, then home do it yourselfers negate that process. At dealerships they ship the carcinogens out to a proper disposal site. The dummies in the government think thats what is supposed to happen. Most of us either do it ourselves, or remove the systems. This past week we just ran across a system that is 1 month out of warranty, and will cost over $50,000 to replace. Im betting the customer deletes it. Alll this fooling around with emissions looks good on paper and doesnt go for the long run unfortunately.
The soot that a DPF captures (and then burns off) is only a carcinogen if you breath it in. Once it is trapped in a DPF it is only as dangerous as the soot in your home fireplace. If the dealerships are being charged money to specifically handle carbon then they are being taken advantage of.
Saw this video yesterday and immediately ordered some HCl. But I now realized there might be a problem: the DPF in a BMW e90 is one unit with tue catalytic converter. And in this one, there are metal oxides like Al2O3. Won't those also dissolve in the HCl, ruining the Cat? Any experience in this?
Hi, thanks for watching! Later E90s have a DOC which contains Platinum and Al2O3, so I made a video called "The No Damage DIY DPF Clean": ruclips.net/video/LE1boZ3fhLg/видео.html where I test each of these against HCl.
The best method is to remove government regulations and regulatory agencies. These devices are dumb, and cause more harm than good, and line pockets of high up people.
@@StevenBTuner Good. Consider whatever you want. It doesn't change the fact that our government is just sticking it up everyone's rear end under the guise of environmental protection. Most of the exhaust coming out of a diesel is oxygen. It is far cleaner for the environment than gasoline exhaust. I'm against rolling coal, and anyone who does that intentionally to others should be arrested for assault. However, all of these devices are not necessary, at all.
@@StevenBTuner never settle for a necessary evil, who said it was evil anyway? answer that then ask why they say that, then why to that, then why to that, bit closer to the answer
In about 1981 I saw an aircraft engine un seized using regular Coca Cola. It took about an hour and a half for the drink to "eat" the galled spot on the side of a piston. I've never drank the stuff since that day.
I freed up a Cadillac 500 that sat in a junkyard without heads on it and was exposed to the elements for decades. I used Marvel, WD, Kroil, BP and whatever else I had on the shelf for 3 or 4 days and nothing worked. Old guy told me to dump a coke in each cylinder and check in the morning. All of the pistons popped out with ease the next day. I also haven’t had a coke since that day. 😆 👍
Hi, I can't see why it couldn't work as a reverse flush process, but it would require good visibility to ensure that any heat/pressure isn't applied to the ceramic 'glue' between the ceramic modules.
Hi, I used 32% HCl brick cleaning acid, but pool acid is the same stuff, and the brand doesn't matter as long as they are reputable enough to put in the correct ingredients.
@@StevenBTuner This worked perfectly, left for 24 hours, reset the fault codes, (bmw 635d) ran in sport mode for 40 miles keeping the revs above 2k and had no issues.
If removing and cleaning your own DPF is something that you are interested in doing, then you can see the whole process in my video called "The No Damage DIY DPF Clean": ruclips.net/video/LE1boZ3fhLg/видео.html
I know you said the HCL won, but to my eyes the Oxalic Acid Alloy Wheel cleaner was the winner. It removed both the soot and the oil (see soapy foaming action)
@@crocodile2006 Hi, a few folk have used oxalic acid with good results, so either will work well.
hello Steve a lost your message how clean dpf with caustic soda and acig how meny grams
@@ТарасБондарчук-ъ8в Hi, the full 2 stage procedure can be found in my other video: ruclips.net/video/LE1boZ3fhLg/видео.html I use 200 grams of caustic soda granules with 2 liters of water, and when it comes to the acid wash I use 2 liters of 30% strength hydrochloric acid mixed 1:4 with water (8 liters of water). Do lots of shaking if you can, and don't leave the acid in for more than 30 minutes.
Porque' este interface deixou de funcionar no meu Aipad Scarlett sempre funcionou e agora não dá! Atualização que seja feita pelas duas impressas o mais breve possível pois não posso trabalhar em estúdio agradeço a vossa atenção!
Thank you Steven for creating this video. I have successfully restored a heavily blocked DPF from a Subaru using your Dishwasher Tab/Pool acid technique. Two months later, still working fine with no problems. The original cause of the blockage was sooty oil completely encasing the MAP sensor, and an intake boost leak. The car is running well, with performance and economy significantly improved. Cheers!
That's really great to hear! Sounds like you identified the causes, which should prevent any repeat issues too.
Happy to report the car is still running perfectly after the cleaning process seven months ago. Thanks again. ;)
Just discovered your work ,here ,and you are one of the best !
If you aren't a teacher in this life ,this world lose a great opportunity to have some kids well ,,trained,, for this life ! You know how to explain, kind voice , good with details!
Anyway, congrats and keep it running!
Thanks and welcome!
Tested and worked perfectly. Bmw 2007 E60 520d dpf removed from car, pre cleaned for about 30 mins. with 1L of mr.muscle drain unblocker (diluted with 1L of water) , this stage will remove grease mainly. After, i used 20L water + 5L brick acid HCL 34%, and let the dpf soak for about 3 hours. I give it a rinse with just a hose garden initially and after a jet wash with 2 bar pressure (no higher than that as you'll destroy your honey comb inside). Also keep your jet wash nozzle/lance at a 200mm distance from dpf honey comb. Water came clean after all this process and had a good flow from both sides. Dried the dpf for few days and reinstalled on the car. Before this diy clean my car was cutting off right after engine start as dpf was fully blocked. Now my dpf readings are: 4mBar at idle, 12mBar at 2000rpm and 42mBar at 4000rpm. Cost for replacing dpf to this 15 years old car is £1400 just the genuine part + labour to install it. Cost for diy this method is under £50 and some diy enthusiasm. My car has the dpf separate from Catalytic converter. Thank you for all your videos Steven. Nowhere on youtube you can't find such detailed explanation.
Awesome result from a job well done! :-)
Intelligent, precise, calm, methodical, good videographer and editor, doing a good quality work with a touch of humor.
and certainly a nice person in real-life.THANK YOU STEVEN
**bmw 330d e46 facelift 204 hp (M57N), 300000km, and still like new, I don't let any mechanic touch it, I do everything on it on my own**
:-) :-) Always good to hear about folk keeping their cars in great shape!
This video! My MBZ DPF was completely plugged and I totally submerged it in 4 gallons of pool acid in a bucket for a couple hours then sprayed it out with a pressure washer. Came out new. Brand new. Works perfectly $44 total cost. Thank you!!
Well done in tackling this unpleasant job!
That’s a great idea , submerge it.
Thx!!
What was the concentration? Was it an off the shelf premix?
Many thanks for your research! I did my DPF on 318D F30 using Drain Cleaner and Hydrochloric acid two years ago and since then I have successful 70k km on it. I passed also annual inspection without problems.
Perfect result!
You're an Advanced Mechanic - a Scientist Mechanic, really. Thanks for the video
You're most welcome!
😂
Brilliant video! I would definitely like to see a longer video with more chemicals. Commenters have great suggestions.
And a few 'shorts' about this would be great for your channel visability!
Very informative, straight to the point, a lil chuckle along the way and youve earned yourself a subscriber!
A great idea for sure!
Thank you! Worked like a charm.
My friends Bmw E60 525D had a blocked DPF for 2 years (Warning on display). It was very blocked. I used drain cleaner, mixed it to about 1:10. Then used pure aloy wheel cleaner.
Then i pressure washed the dpf from both sides. (Didnt damage it one bit, even on full blast)
When done i cleared all codes on the engine. (Very important) then used carly dpf request regen to "clear it out" got ash to 1gram.
Now it works like a charm😁
The drain cleaner i used was a Mr muscle type like. With natriumhydroxide
Thanks for sharing your experience!
I have tried it and it works. The car has been running for almost 3 weeks now with no more issue with DPF. Cheers. The only thing I would emphasize is to make sure that the filter is completely dry, because after installing it there was some water coming from the exhaust pipe, however as recommended by Steve I kept the car on idle for couple of "minutes/hours",.
Great to hear! I have tried all sorts of ways to dry out the filters before refitting, and none of them work all that well, as the ceramic absorbs water like a flowerpot. Overnight in an oven would work, but otherwise a gentle engine warm-up like you have done is probably the best.
@@StevenBTuner What about the differential sensor, will it be damaged with the steam?
@@novak4142 Hi, the differential pressure sensors are at the end of a long thin tube so that nothing actually travels up to them except the pressure.
If you think about most agressive chemicals that can be easyly available to use in the household - there are some cleaners for ovens and fireplaces available in markets and cleaners for water residue buildup - recently they started be really effective . Thanks for your tests
Stove glass cleaner should do best results. And EGR cleaner spray.
Thanks for this video. Ive just cleaned my 2012 Vivaro's DPF / DOC using dishwasher tablets first followed by oxalic acid alloy wheel cleaner. I had error codes on my dash 'Check Injection' and 'Check Emissions' which means DPF is blocked. The van failed last year's MOT with these warnings so the garage did a clean using aerosols with the DPF still on the van. This turned the warning codes off and got the van through MOT but warnings were back 1 month later. Watching your video gave me confidence to tackle it myself this year ahead of the MOT. I was really nervous about loosening the two manifold nuts to remove the DPF/DOC exhaust section as it's 11 years old, and manifold nuts of that age tend to like staying put. But a good quality socket and a bit of GT85 got things moving.
I used an old dustbin to soak the exhaust in overnight with dishwasher tablets, and some frequent flushing through / agitation soon released a lot of soot. I would say this preliminary cleaning was most affective. Next I drained and rinsed then soaked overnight in oxalic acid alloy wheel cleaner. I'm not convinced this had a huge benefit considering the dishwasher tablets worked so well. Maybe if I'd skipped the dishwasher tablets and gone straight to alloy wheel cleaner then I'd be saying how wonderful it was. Thinking optimistically though, maybe the alloy wheel cleaner removed the important last 5% of soot from deep down in the DPF.
Rinsing the DFP with freshwater took forever to remove the frothing. The flushing water would not run out without some frothing, even after about a million gallons! Not sure what's causing that, either the dishwasher tablet or the alloy wheel cleaner residue in the insulation. I had to call it eventually and run with it. I don't think the frothing would have ever stopped.
I left the exhaust out in the sunshine for about a week to dry out (cant believe we got a week of sun in UK!). Then refitted.
I didn't use the OBD to cancel the warning codes, instead I took the van for a good drive. Pulled over once after 15mins, turned off and on. 'Check Injection' warning had gone. Drove again for another 15 mins, off and on. 'Check Emissions' warning also gone. Alleluia, the dashboard no longer lights up like a Christmas tree.
A week on, and all is good. runs great, no warning lights and the van could be a keeper for another ten years. The only thing I'm concerned about is the Emissions Test at next MOT in few weeks time. Has the dishwasher tablets or alloy wheel cleaner affected the metals on the DOC and that no longer processes CO correctly? I hope its OK or else expensive replacement.
(By the way, despite 1 week in the sunshine to dry out the exhaust, there was still quite a lot of moisture vapor coming from the exhaust on its first run. Only visible when stationary on tickover. It must have been lingering in the insulation. If doing it again, I'd be tempted to leave a hair dryer running through the DPF / DOC exhaust for a few hours also before refitting.)
Thanks for sharing your method and results so far! That ceramic material is like a flowerpot - it just soaks up heaps of water and only an oven or an hour of driving is going to get it to evaporate out again...
I was wondering if blowing compressed air into the DPF would have helped with eliminating some of the water.
That possibly may have some positive effect depending on volume flow rate for a sustained period, but I think a lower pressure/higher volume air flow source would be better over a long period. A dry heated air source would be best. Borrowing the wife's hair dryer and letting that blow through for a few hours would work good.
An update on my van and MOT test........ All good during the emissions test and passed. I hadn't ruined the DOC Cat and all my dashboard warning lights still off. Very happy!
Thanks for the update - awesome result!
Hello Steven, I am happy to report that after a second treatment but this time for 24 hr exposure in the DPF cleaning process , my 2014 Porsche Cayenne DPF is back to normal. I just finished testing it and it drives like new again and no more "Check engine/Glow plug" lights. Thank you so much for all your guidance and for saving me at least $7K in total repairs.
100% perfect result!
С каким именно раствором вы это делали
What kind of mixture did you use to clean the DPF?
¿Qué tipo de mezcla usaste para limpiar el DPF?
@@АлексПушкин-г2в Hello, here are the mixtures;
Step 1; Dishwashing tab 1:10 water for 12 hrs
Step 2; Pool acid 1:4 water for 24 hrs
Step 3; rinse with tap water.
Per Steven B Turner "if there is a lot of black soot, then you might need to do the first stage multiple times. After the first stage you should rinse thoroughly. After the acid stage, rinse with lots of water mixed with dishwashing liquid, and then hose with water for at least 10 minutes. When you put it back in the car, idle the car for 15 minutes to gently dry it out."
As of today my Cayenne is working perfectly, thanks to Steven B Turner.
@@senolcakr7366 Hello, here are the mixtures;
Step 1; Dishwashing tab 1:10 water for 12 hrs
Step 2; Pool acid 1:4 water for 24 hrs
Step 3; rinse with tap water.
Per Steven B Turner "if there is a lot of black soot, then you might need to do the first stage multiple times. After the first stage you should rinse thoroughly. After the acid stage, rinse with lots of water mixed with dishwashing liquid, and then hose with water for at least 10 minutes. When you put it back in the car, idle the car for 15 minutes to gently dry it out."
As of today my Cayenne is working perfectly, thanks to Steven B Turner.
Finished the cleaning process on BMW N47D20A 177 hp.
I used 10 liters of 10% NaOH and 7 liters of 10% HCl. Afterwards I did a lot of vigorous flushing with water and shaking like crazy. Overall about 200 liters of water. DPF backpressure before cleaning was 90-96 hPa and after it is 10-14 hPa at 2700 rpm, and 123-126 hPa -> 24-28 hPa at 3700 rpm. DPF pressure sensor was calibrated at engine off so the results are very accurate! As far is I compared these pressures on BMW forums the DPF after your cleaning method has backpressure as good as a brand new filter! Therefore I applaud you Steven and highly recommend this method. PS after first startup of the engine I was afraid it didnt clean well because the backpressure was as high as before of higher! But this was due to soke water being absorbed in the porous ceramic. After 15 minutes it dried nicely and the pressures are super low!
Well done on doing this job yourself, and many thanks for posting those detailed results! By the sound of those numbers, your filter was very badly clogged, and definitely needed a good clean.
@@StevenBTuner i was hoping to decrease the turbo lag (gas pedal pressed to full torque time) but this didnt really change much in the 1700-2500 rpm range. However above 3000 the engine revs much cleaner and with more ease :) makes sense I guess.
Hi, the most likely reason for a lack of throttle response in that mid-range is a MAF sensor that needs to be replaced. As they get older, they get very slow to respond, and the only way to properly test this is with an oscilloscope.
@@StevenBTuner I have an oscilloscope. What is the parameter to be tested?
@LazicStefan i changed my whole timing chain assembly 70k ago and it runs like new.
We have a fleet of machinery (cat, komatsu, kubota, ect.) We've had great luck simply pressure washing out the dpf filters. Once any of the machines start frequent regens, or will no longer clean them selves effectively through a normal or forced regen, we will pull the dpf off and disassemble them. Then use a low pressure pressure washer (maybe 1500psi) and wash them out from both directions with just water. This seems to clean 90%+ of the soot. The machines always run better and generally take way way longer to even do the next regen because they're so cleaned out it takes a long time to build enough soot back up to need to regen. The first couple times we tried it we were pretty scared to mess something up. But now its become a regular thing and have yet to have an issue. Once the filter is washed out we will blow out with air, place in front of a fan to dry, then reassemble. Codes may or may not need to be cleared. We've done this process probably 40-50 times over the past several years. Its quick and free.
Hi, that works great on older cars too, as long as they don't have an integrated DOC - the catalyst material is easily damaged by the high pressure.
I've had the best results from removing it and welding the empty can back together. Works like a charm, still has the catalytic converter intact, passes MOT with soot levels under max permitted value for my car.
Hi Steven, I really liked you`re videos. I found that the best combination to clean a DPF filter is a 2-mol Oxalic acid and Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid in water. The materials are kinda cheap since you only need a few grams of each per litre and you can do a flush with the engine running. I`ve done this for about 4 times on my own VW Touareg in the last 3 years and the dpf is in best condition.
Hi, that sounds like an excellent solution for in-place cleaning. I'll have to try it out :-)
Hello, sounds good, but how does something like this work with a built-in DPF? Fill in the agent via the lambda sensor opening or temperature sensor opening? What does this do to the differential pressure sensor? Thanks!
Yeah, remove the oxigen sensor and pour about 1-1.5 l solution. Be careful not to pour into turbo. VERY BAD IDEA
@@StevenBTuner please send me you`re thoughts on this after you try it. The original solution is from a german company that does a solution for on-car dpf cleaning
Hi Steven, I tried ALDI all in one dishwasher tablets (not family pack) and Super Alloy concept wheel cleaner (10-25% phosphoric acid, 25-50% hydrochloric acid as per data sheet). Condition of BMW DPF (520 d se2008) -before hand-fuel economy nearly doubled, car sounded juddery sometimes-fuel emission light on frequently-turbo failed a month ago-looks like fuel or something got into engine oil also as oil level increased after turbo replacement. I got the local mechanic to remove the DPF. Crushed 40 Aldi tablets into 15 litres of 40 degree water (15 litres covered my dpf fully) agitated every 15 minutes for two hours . No water flowed through dpf at the beginning - dpf was used for 306,000km. After an hour soot started appearing and breaking down. (Probably could have used 80 tablets as I think this is what you suggested. After two hours soot only was removed (No sign of ash). Washed out with water both directions before next phase of ash removal. Diluted wheel cleaner 1:4 adding acid (12 litres of water and then 3 liters of wheel cleaner ) to water 40 degrees also (kept the hands warm with the rubber kitchen gloves and disposable gloves under these -just in case with safety glasses). Agitated every 15 minutes for 1 hour 30 minutes. Rinsed out with water both directions until no ash seen, then water and washing up liquid, then final rinse with de-ionised water. Dried in oven at 50 degrees for 4 hours . Before the final wash I could see that when using the garden hose that if I placed the hose against a selected few dpf holes the water flowed straight through. I realise this may not be possible for others but this particular dpf allowed me to see both ends. I got the mechanic to re-install and re-set today. After engine warm up fuel economy back to normal. I bought the Altel AP200 unit also so I will check for glow plug issues etc tomorrow. Did test with wheel cleaner on some stainless steel screws beforehand some tarnished and other brands did not . The dpf case did not tarnish. Thanks for the help.
Congrats on a job well done!
Hi Steven, Thank you for sharing your knowledge. I First burned the filter off at 650 C for 15 min and then let it soak for a night in dishwasher tablets with water. At last I poured over some cleaning vinegar since it was all I could find easily. And the result is that I can keep on driving the car for another year without having to pay 1000,- for a new filter so thanks a lot. Keep up the good work!
A bit of a hybrid process, but is sounds like it did some good!
I used a hammer drill, chisel, and a 3 inch drill bit. It never clogged again.
Makes the engine last longer too now it can breathe
😂😂😂
Better use dummy CAT CON, problems solved.
Just to be clear to people reading, you can't just do this and expect to drive off in a modern car. It will detect it, throw some codes and go into limp mode. An ECU remap would also be required.
🤣👍
I have used this system have 1345000 miles on my semi truck. Still original dpf. Thanks for this guy sharing his research
Welcome!
If only all you tube video's were as good as this one. Thank you.
Many thanks! :-)
I wrapped my dpf in titanium wrap and it gets alot hotter during the regen. My regen times have cut by half now. Maybe 12 minutes instead of the usual 19
What a great experiment!
Excellent test, wondering if dishwasher cleaning solution would work even better than a tab
Hi, for the first stage wash any strong degreaser will work well, but dishwasher cleaning solution might be especially good as most of them remove the lime scale too. Definitely on my list of products to try out!
Great vid, Steven! After watching, i removed the lambda sensor and poured 4L of Coca Cola through the hole. My engine light has now gone off and my drive smells of ashy Coke. Win!
Haha, that's the wildest method I've heard of yet! Thanks for sharing your great result, and thanks for watching!
Did you let it soak overnight?
And did light came off by itself or by connecting an obd2 diagnostic device? Thanks.
@@pezeshkimh no, i just let it go through the dpf, followed by a kettle of hot water then went for a blast down the motorway. Light went out.
Hi Steven,
using acidic solutions only might be a bit of a gamble since acids promote the formation of emulsions and a permanent sludge if too much oil and soot present.
I would suggest adding cationic surfactant to prevent sludge, promote active binding and removal of soot and the acid to remove ash. Go with something like Bezalkonium Chloride in the 1-5% range addition.
(Anionic surfactant and alkaline chemicals are usually in dishwasher powder/tablets)
You might be on to something here.
Great experiment, no sane person would flush part of the exhaust system with coke though :D the added sugar will do more harm than good!
Hi, all good points! In my other vid I do a full DPF clean as a 2 stage process - the first stage is to clean away the oily soot so that the 2nd stage acid wash can do its work.
@@StevenBTuner Yeah I thought of that too, using either hydrocarbons or something like HEATED! sodium hydroxide solution or commercial/restaurant grade glass detergent to take off the soot before attacking the ash.
The surfactant idea is more about creating something like Steven's even more effective mystery wonder solution or concentrate (would buy!!). Why do two soak and rinse cycles if you can make the acid work reliably for both with surfactants keeping the sludge/emulsion particle size controlled and small while the acid is happily eating away at the ash :)
Commercial grade dishwashers are doing basically the same but with an alkaline solution. For plates, the wash cycle detergent is basically potassium hydroxide with added surfactants in the ~5% range to deal with fat/emulsion, glassware only detergents are just potassium hydroxide solution (this is why coffee cups with milk remains, very greasy lipstick prints and plates don't properly clean up in glass washers).
I work for a global manufacturer of commercial dish- and ware washing solutions and content like this really intrigues me acidic route if adjusted right can result in a bucket of pH ~7 neutral watery suspension of ash, salts and soot particles. Mildly acidic one-cycle solutions with surfactants shouldn't be a problem either. Time to check environmental legislation I guess :D
I'd definitely take that route considering the nasty fumes and environmentally unfriendly nature of hydrocarbon based solvents ending up being toxic waste when contaminated.
Having the HCL and NaOH react together at the end to form water and salt is definitely a plus. You can then filter out the remaining particles with a coffee filter :-)
Great!. Very informative & thorough. Can you do similar test on ' EGR cooler' please? Thanks in advance.
Sodium Hydroxide drain cleaner mixed with dishwashing liquid and water will get the gunk out of the EGR cooler.
I would try Citric Acid which is commonly used as a coffee machine decalcifier. Cheap, safe and readily available online in bulk. Probably as effective as the HCL acid without the nasty.
A great suggestion!
would be interesting if you could try using these as an "on car" application Steven, done similarly to the way DPF cleaning companies do it, soloution fed in via the pressure sensing pipes while car is running, and maybe have a before and after pressure reading, would be the soloution everyone would be interested to see.
HI, thanks for watching! I know exactly what you mean, and it could work for most cars, but I feel that it is way too risky to suggest to folk as a home DIY. I can imagine what could happen, for example, if the cleaning solution went back through the turbo and ended up in the exhaust manifold, and then flowed in through an open exhaust valve and filled up a cylinder.
@@StevenBTuner I would imagine if you limit the fluid volume to say a litre or 2 of each stage or whatever volume the DPF itself would roughly take up then you wouldn't have any issue's on most cars as the amount of pipe from turbo to DPF would comfortably take up way more than a litre on most cars, not to mention the turbo's are always higher than the sump/tailpipe height to allow proper turbo oil drainage so the fluid would 99.999% probably drain out of the tailpipe first, sure, i get that you can't account for the human stupidity factor like someone on a steep hill with front facing down but there's always the "disclaimer" option at the start of the video as well, explain possibly risks, video for info purposes only, do not try if you have an IQ lower than room temperature inside a freezer combined with a lack of common sense to match etc lol
I'm hearing you! :-) A reasonably strong phosphoric acid sprayed in using fairly fine droplets could work like that. If it could be made to foam up somehow that might be even better. The process might be something like: spray in 200ml, wait 30 minutes, then spray in another 200ml, wait another 30 minutes, spray in a liter of distilled water then blow in some low pressure air (14psi / 1 bar) for 5 minutes to dry things out. Such a method could work really well as something done every 2 years or so to keep the filter in top condition.
@@StevenBTuner The pressure differential from the turbo exhaust port into the DPF (let alone from the turbo into the exhaust manifold) would prevent that, the turbo exhaust is always at positive pressure compare to the DPF or the exhaust which is at atmosphere. Otherwise, any exhaust gases would back-flow into the turbo or exhaust manifold as well, which would choke the engine.
Hi great video thanks. I had problems with my dpf so put some dishwasher tabs in the fuel tank..its finished
All of the cleaning methods tested are for cleaning a DPF that has been removed from the car.
This channel is such a hidden gem, so glad I found it!
Hi, thanks for watching, and I hope the vids help you out!
Sir, your level of detail and work ethic is inspirational! Thank you for such a comprehensive comparison, and I hope you succeed in all your endeavours.
Many thanks for the kind words!
For jet turbo engines we use a brand called ZOK, pls try that. God to remove sot and aches
Sounds like it would work well.
I've just spent 20 quid on a bottle of off car dpf cleaner and I've got about 50 dishwasher tablets under the sink. Gutted.
Great video Steven. I'll Try the dishwasher tablet as a pre wash and then use the dpi cleaner fluid. Subscribed and Liked. Thanks Pal..
Give it a go - I'd love to hear about your experience! Some folk have reported that it can work well, but you may have to soak overnight and do some extra shaking.
@@StevenBTuner i used an old baby bath and soaked the dpf in dishwasher tab overnight. the liquid was black don't know if any ash was removed tho i put the dpi cleaner in next. overnight again. and spent 2 hours rinsing it. i put it on the radiator in the hall to dry and fitted it. i had some black liquid coming out the tailpipe but it went after the car was warmed up DPF is fine so far. thanks pal
Caustic soda worked for mine on a 2014 ford ranger.
It is great for getting rid of oily soot.
You could pass the soda through one of those survivaliste water filters to remove the colour
Just at thought, when you are immersing the parts in the different solutions surely the chemical becomes exausted as the reaction progresses. Would a fresh solution be better after say an hour. I note that someone has suggested heating the solution that would also be a benefit. Why fit these DPF filters in such a way that cleaning is difficult?💣
All good suggestions for a future test :-) Some engine types have very easy to remove / clean DPFs - just not those from BMW it seems!
I'd like to know how brake fluid would do. It worked really well on intake manifolds from direct injection petrol engines according to a technician in my local mitsubishi dealership.
Hi, I haven't tried it - but I'll add it to the list of things to try next time!
Really enjoy your channel , love the presenting and the thorough facts and results, brilliant thank you.
Glad you like the vids!
Just watched a 'professional' clean a neighbors DPF in situe, i found it quite amusing tbh..... So what he did was unhook the exhaust under the car and fit a bung, then he removed what i assume is a O2 sensor from the downpipe just below the turbo and he filled the whole dpf with a solution and left it for 4 hours to soak. When the guy had finished and gone away we noticed there was what looked like a dishwasher tab wrapper in all his dirty cloths etc he had thrown in the bin. The best bit is it worked really well........ we did a pressure test before and after out of pure interest. So the DPF went from 10millibars at idle and 110ish at 3000rpm to 6 at idle and 54 at 3000rpm. Now after watching your video i'm convinced he filled the whole dpf is a dishwasher solution.
Could well be!
Thank you great test. So which if you did more tests which is the best?
Hi, my favourite method is still the one shown in my other video: The No Damage DIY DPF Clean. I use the sodium hydroxide solution followed by the hydrochloric acid solution.
The irony of DPFs is hilarious. Save the environment by filtering out some particulates, while at the same time consuming almost double the fuel and halving the efficiency and life of the engine. Great video though, pretty enlightening. Coke is scary stuff.
There's nothing ironic about the DPF, because its purpose is not to reduce emissions overall, but to reduce the *toxic* emissions by transforming them to essentially non-toxic substances. In that regard it's a marvelous invention, because it reduces toxic and cancer causing emissions with at least over 95% efficiency. Also your double fuel figure is off by a magnitude of two at the minimum. In reality DPF only increases fuel consumption by a few percents in the worst case (even less in most cases), which, again, is a very small price for not having to die of cancer or even just live with asthma and in constant smog in cities.
Let's not forget about the manufacturing of def and and the waste of plastic containers. So smart!
@@cg5138 For one, DEF (as in Adblue or urea mixed with water) has nothing to do with the DPF, and is used for a completely different purpose. It's not doing something with the DPF, albeit it's there - just like the DPF - to reduce poisonous emission, but a different kind of that: NOx gases, that can cause a wide variety of respiratory diseases. Also, DEF is produced as a byproduct of ammonia production, and its production is actually reducing the environmental impact of that. As for what's smart: smart would be if people would educate themselves about the DPF, DEF and similar stuff, before spitting out stupid statements about it, because for one these are there to save their lives and health, but also because only the really dull ones believe that all this stuff is built into cars not because of very good and valid technical and health reasons, but because of being part of a guvemah conspeerazzy to oppress them.
@@berczigabor yea it's basically identical to the urea that carries all of grain ag today which means it's peanuts in comparison
@@cg5138 I mean how many plastic containers do you buy in a year? So is it really honest for you to complain about that?
I would assume heat and agitation (ultrasonic maybe) would help?
There are professional DPF cleaning companies that do exactly that - so it definitely should work. Time for a new video!
Spray a can of $2 oven cleaner into DPF then flush with Gerni! Couple of days beautiful 👍🤗
Hi, thanks for watching! Oven cleaner is similar to caustic soda so makes a great pre-cleaner to remove oil and oily soot, but unfortunately won't remove any of the 'end-of-life' ash deposits. High pressure washing with a Gerni or a similar unit can cause cracking of the DPF modules as seen in my other video: ruclips.net/video/-0mtz3Icg5o/видео.html
Hi Steve , before to see this video already I've cleaned an DPF with Doctor DPF cleaner and then with caustic soda , I got good result ! DPF it was cleaned more than 90% , anyway Thanks for your video !
Hi, thanks for watching, and glad to hear that you had good results with the method you used! It is much better get these filters cleaned and back into operation, than it is to throw them away, and buy a new one.
@@StevenBTuner Thank you too, your video it was relevant for me , like confirmation !
That acid pool wash seems like the hot ticket.
Hi, it is the best combination of price and availability and consistency that I've found so far.
Thanks for this pragmatic approach. The outcome is quite surprising and very interseting.
Glad you liked it! If you are interested in doing a full DPF clean yourself, then my other video is still my favorite method: ruclips.net/video/LE1boZ3fhLg/видео.html
I got an idea, seal the ends of the pipe, and fill with cleaning solutions, then strap a palm sander to the outside of the DPF with a strap. Turn on and let it vibrate clean... I bet it would work. Im currently building my own supersonic DPF cleaner. thats how I got the idea. lol
Sounds interesting - I hope you'll share the results!
The dishwasher tabs are doing a very good job against soot, I tested already on a very similar dpf from citroen.
I'm adding my filter to a second bath of pool acid, I hope will get it clean..
Hi, thanks for watching and trying out my new favorite method so soon! Can't wait to hear how it goes in a real-life test!
Steven B. Tuner I cleaned it two times with dishwasher tabs and two times with pool acid, then with high pressure cleaner and allot of soot went out of it.
After that it has 0 mbar differential pressure on engine idle, not even the new one was having 0 :D
for soot cleaning I would strongly recommend dishwasher tabs + high pressure cleaning with water
by the way great videos, thanks allot for your experiments with the different substances
Hi, great to hear that it worked well, and that your car is running better!
One important outcome: 0 mBar is usually bad signal.
My sensor was giving wrong values, was a 3rd party one. After replacing the sensor everything was fine again and I got ~5 mbar..
I hope no one in the family got sick drinking from the glasses. By the way, I drink Coca Cola when I'm a bit under the weather
especially for an upset stomach and it helps. I've known people drink it the morning after a heavy bout of drinking to for the same reasons.
Irn-bru is even better!
@@elizabethhawkins9837 pardon my ignorance, but Irn-bru?
@@anthonyxuereb792 It's a soda drink from the uk
@@elizabethhawkins9837 is it a new drink? I've been to the UK twice but never heard of it. Is it like Dr Pepper?
@@anthonyxuereb792 it’s been around for decades … good old iron bru … from a company called Barr’s.. look up the AD for it on here !!! they also make tizer !!! Another classic 👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽😀😀
Brilliant set of DPF Videos
I checked my Mercedes Sprinter 2013 130 ( 651 Engine) last week before watching your videos and I can concur I had a 90% full DPF and High Nox P2BAC EGR Deactivated
Cleaned DPF with Brick Acid and Petrol
The Petrol /Gasoline cleaned out all of the soot
The Brick Acid dissolved all the ash
The DPF now shows 0% in Diagnostics
The fault code is still there which leads me now to the EGR to being blocked which also supports your explanation in one of your videos of this potentially being the initial fault of the DPF problem
Keep up the great work and stop stealing glasses....
:-) Well done in getting that DPF fully clean, and all the best in getting your van back to full health!
So pool acid is the winner 😊
Cheap, effective and available worldwide!
@@StevenBTunerHydrochloric acid 32% is not readily available in the UK. It was available until about a year ago, used for descaling toilets, but now the government has changed the regulations so that anything with more than 10% hydrochloric acid can only be sold to a registered business or to someone who holds an Explosives Precursors and Poisons licence. The toilet descaler now contains 9% hydrochloric acid and is not very effective. Also at the same time the price per litre has gone up.
Quale di questi prodotti può essere utilizzato per la pulizia senza smontare il filtro dpf??
Hi, to see the whole process, see the video "The No Damage DIY DPF Clean".
Very informative thank you!
Hi, thanks for watching, and I'm happy that you got something out of it!
Very informative video,
Thanks you
Try dry cleaning Chemical (perchloroethylene )👍👍👍
Knowing the ingredients of the dish washer tab and the amounts would have been of great assistance to helping us decide what to ultimately use.
Hi, I put it in the vid purely as an experiment, and I wasn't expecting anything... For the first stage wash a strong degreaser or caustic soda will work great and are probably cheaper.
I was about to call him mental for cutting the case with a handsaw. 😂
Hahaha!
Hi Steven, great videos!
I have just cleaned my dpf. For the pre clean I used Fairy platinum dishwasher tabs x 15 in 3lts of hot water, which was enough to totally fill and clean my dpf unit. Most brick cleaners here in the UK are hydrochloric acid 16%, pool cleaner is not so readily available, so I used brick cleaner 2:1, then flushed with lots of fresh water. Only thing I did different was to dry the unit with a hot air gun afterwards (I was worried that water in the insulation would turn to steam under exhaust temperatures and cause some damage? A high amount of water is absorbed in the insulation!) I then stood the dpf vertically on its outlet (cat end) with the hot air blowing in the bottom, took quite some time to dry!
It would be good to see a video of you putting a dpf back after cleaning and showing what checks should be carried out to show it is working correctly, there are probably a lot of people that watch these videos on cleaning a dpf unit and quite capable of taking the unit off their vehicle and carrying out the clean, but would not be sure on how to check it is performing correctly/better after the clean! Also some detail of why you would take the dpf of the car in the first place, I know you have produced other videos of things likely to cause a blocked dpf, but there are tests that should be carried out first, before removing the dpf to clean.
Well done on doing the job yourself! My 2006 320D is up to 70 grams of ash now so it is time to do the full video from error message all the way through the process to measured ash level when it is back on the car - just as you have suggested. I wouldn't mind a bit of warmer weather first ;-)
Hi Steven S, did you use 15 tablets in 3lt of water?
Hi, how many tablets and how much water is really dependent on how much oily soot is in the filter. If the car is running perfectly (except for the ash clogging) then 10 tablets in 10 litres could be fine, but if there is a lot of oil then you would be better with 20 or 30 in 10 litres of water.
@@miguelpinheiro8553 Hi, yes I did, this worked for me although mine was not that blocked with soot and grease, it was as a preclean to the acid clean as mine was more blocked with ash. 15 tabs did seem like plenty though, when you think one would normally do a whole load of greasy dishes!
Doesnt all this suggest that DPF cleaning is really not the issue its made out to be? Maybe if one is a workshop, having cars hanging around for 24 hours to do the work is a real profit limiter, so they tend to use machines and no doubt a proprietory chemical on a rental program. But if one has 24 hours and the car is at one's home it seems to me there's not much stopping us from concluding that Steven's experiments give us high degree of belief in Oxalic acid and dishwasher tabs (perhaps increased if the soot is particularly heavy and we can fill the DPF up from the oxygen or temperature sensor on the top if the DPF is the upright type. Looks like you could actually get rid of the ash when others have said no, once inside there is no effective solution for ash. In fact it is claimed that the amount of ash capacity is the limiting factor to the DPF lifetime. But having loooked at Steven's experiments I cannot help but feel he has managed to explode a myth that is so costly to deal with in normal ways, such as commercial cleaning (£200+) or some are persuaded, seemingly wrongly, that their DPF has in fact reached its ultimate lifetime. I wonder if others agree with me that Steven has demonstrated the no harm solution conclusively. So what determines if you can clean your DPF whilst its in or on your vehicle or whether it must be removed? Might that simply be determined by whether your DPF is in the exhaust system underneath, where one might have to know is it really about whether its a lateral box, liable to half fill with DPF fluid (whatever we decide to choose)? I've just written a bit earlier about this.
When I think of using a spray wand through any removable sensor on top, as directed by Mannol's 9694, or even their two-part 9995 and 9996, the manufacturer seems only concerned that one puts the whole contents misted as a spray inside the DPF. In that sense they're like Steven's method of a two-stage process. I wonder how we might better know just how much ash can be cleared and whether, apart from mechanical/structural failure, there's really any limitation to the number of times one can refresh this way. More insight needed. Great subject. Steven must have saved a great many people an awful lot of money.
Others may have noticed another conversation going on here where someone claimed the DPF cleaners are snake oil and referred to a product. That was followed by well of 80% of those replying that they didn't agree and the solution worked for them. So is it really explosion of the great DPF myth? Maybe, perhaps there are some very poor designs of DPF that may not be so serviceable. My comments relate in the main to the upright type of DPF that sits next or near to the turbo.
A good friend of mine told me years ago to use a dishwasher tablet and hot water he said they used to do it in the DPFS on the machines at the company he used to work for because they only used to run them in low revs so they got blocked quite quickly quite often I thought it was an old wives tale but I guess he weren't lying 😳😳
Great to know!
Thank you for the video. I’m looking for a way to wash the catalyst at home, what type of acid do you recommend? In garage have phosphoric acid and oxalic acid
Hi, my favorite method is still the one featured in my other video: The No Damage DIY DPF Clean - where I use a 6% strength hydrochloric acid solution as the 2nd stage.
How long should you wait before returning home after your wife finds a DPF in her dishwasher?
Haha, one cycle using the normal dishwasher tabs followed by a second cycle using a special de-scaling dishwasher cleaning product might work really well!
These are cleaners used to clean when you take the filter apart. They say that hot steam will do a good cleaning job. Will you do a video on DPF cleaner additives?
Hi, they are for when you have the filter out of the car, and my favorites still are the Sodium Hydroxide and the Hydrochloric acid. There are no tank additives that are strong enough to remove ash, but there are products that you can inject directly into the DPF while it is still installed, which definitely need testing :-)
You're diluting your 32% HCl 1:4 here
In the other video (the brick acid), you were diluting 9.5% HCl 1:4
Aim for 6.5 - 7%
Excellent scientific and unbiased test. Suprising results.
Glad you like it :-)
Watching this whilst on the toilet…and it sounds like this guy actually recorded himself in his. Interesting vid though.
The secret is out!
That’s where I’m sitting , calm my nerves
If the dishwasher tablet worked so good, wouldn't dishwashing soap be good too for the pre-wash?
Hi, if you have a bunch of oily soot in your DPF, then anything that breaks down grease is going to work pretty well. Others have used strong degreasers to good effect, and my favorite is caustic soda because it is super strong and cheap.
Hi, do you think you could use the dishwasher solution on a vehicle that has the dpf still on the car? And just tip in through the sensor hole at the top (vertical orientated dpf peugeot 207 1.6 hdi?)
I haven't worked out the best in-place cleaning method yet - so at the moment I would say that the product from Liqui- Moly is the best bet.
Great video
Love the sarcasm 👍
:-)
Hi Steven like your good experiment. How many dishwasher tablets needed for one DPF filter to clean. How much water and how long need to in the water.
I have another video where I show the whole cleaning process: ruclips.net/video/LE1boZ3fhLg/видео.html If you use dishwasher tablets instead of drain cleaner then you will probably use 20 of them in 5 litres of water, and you can leave the solution in for an hour or two with no problems. When it comes to the 2nd part of the cleaning, the acid shouldn't be left in for more than 30 minutes, and should be well rinsed out with water and dishwashing liquid or some baking soda before a final rinse with distilled water to remove any minerals.
@@StevenBTuner Thanks for the clarification (and all of your videos of course) !
The red residue is probably the cerine used by Peugeot as catalyst added to the fuel, to bring down the combustion temperature from 550 to around 450 C
My Peugeot 508 - 2012 had the DPF completely plugged, so we cut it open to clean it as it came entirely welded, contrary to other DPF models which can be opened.
When we inspected the filter, it had very low amount of black ash residue, compared to the red ash which was all over the DPF walls, so it was basically plugged with cerine.
We ended up removing the DPF all together and reprogramming the car to work without EGR and DPF.
The red residue is probably Nitrogen Dioxide and ash mixture. The catalyst would have taken care of this gas.
Thanks I cleaned my DPF using your suggestions. Caustic Soda, dishwasher tablets the pool acid at 1/4 dilution and got a stack of black sh!t out, not much orange ash though. Now I get no error codes and runs great. Cheers for that.
Awesome result!
It's reassuring to know the Food Standards Agency has our best interests at heart by allowing Coca Cola to be sold as a beverage!
What the hell does it do to your stomach?
Should be with the Mr Muscle and Astonish products 😳😝
A few cola doses and you can be assured that you won't get any ash deposits in your stomach...
I would like to see a test with denatured alcohol (commonly found in the painting section at a local hardware store or home improvement center). I had looked all over for a product that would release the lacquered/varnished parts(carbs and tanks) of a normal gas(petrol) motor. I found a RUclips video that had suggested denatured alcohol. So tried it on a generator gas tank that had sat for upward of 10 yrs without being run. Within minutes it had broken down a very good portion of the glazed gas and I left it sit for 24 hrs. The inside of the tank looked as though it were new without any agitation. Best of luck and thanks for the video!
Hi, thanks for watching and for the suggestion! I haven't tried it myself, but it sounds like it might work for dissolving any oil, and so might make a good 'pre-wash'.
Heads up try oven cleaner
Oven cleaner and drain cleaner are very similar.
Great video - take home message is to use the dishwasher tablet and THEN the wheel cleaner ? (As it had the least impact on the packing materials).
However, I’ve had great results using Nulon (yes, Aussie made) ‘entire fuel system cleaner’. Works a treat, restoring performance and fuel economy. Seems to last a lot longer (~10,000km) than the competitors and also states (re special chemicals coating the filter) that it ‘reactivates’ the DPF.
Also a lot easier pouring a bottle into the tank than removing the DPF!
For those interested, I first had a problem at about 75,000km with my 2018 DMax, but now going better than ever with 95,000km on the clock.
Hi, the caustic soda and pool acid are my favourites for being cheap and easy to get hold of, although I will be testing some other acids soon (you can see my separate vid on the process). I am quite wary of some of the claims being made about 'coating the DPF' etc and I am thinking about making a video where I call them out on it - they can prove it or remove it! No coatings are wanted or required as silicone carbide is already a kind of magic space-age material. So far there is only evidence for additives helping with soot clogging by reducing the burn off temperature, which might be helpful to those always stuck in traffic. Ash clogging is very different and isn't helped by any in-tank additives, because anything strong enough to eat away ash will also eat away fuel lines, fuel injection pumps and fuel injectors on the way through.
@@StevenBTuner hi Stephen and thanks so much for replying. The story with the DMax however, does seem to indicate that the fuel system cleaners can work. Fuel economy had gone off to barely 12km/l (from14-14.5) and I am completely sure that this was not due to a variation in operating conditions. I treated with one cleaner and it made very little difference. I treated with another and within the tank, fuel economy returned to normal but within a couple thousand km had deteriorated again. Finally, I treated with the Nulon product and both performance (‘seat of the pants only) and fuel economy became normal again and remained so for -10,000km. After a major service both deteriorated again - second clean with the Nulon product saw my best fuel economy figures ever.
Does the Nulon really work, or is something else happening?
Hi, I'm not saying that fuel additives don't do anything useful, it's just that they don't always do all of the things that some of them say on the label. It would be nice if they toned down the marketing hype, and just said what they do and don't do, so that we can make the best choice for our vehicle.
@@StevenBTuner Absolutely. So if (when) my DPF EVENTUALLY blocks up and I have to take it apart to fix it, I’ll know where to start! Great video and excellent possibilities well demonstrated. Thanks very much!
You're welcome!
this means Cola is AdsBlue for over human body..
In the food industry We use NAOH followed by HN03 but at elevated temperatures usually above 65-75 along with flow to create mechanical turbulence and scouring action Of course a domestic dishwasher is also plus 65 degs
Hi, that is a very good combination - and should work really well for DPF cleaning too. What product or HNO3 acid strength is used?
I took my dpf out for cleaning but forgot to put it back in, whoops!
Haha, lots of folk make that mistake...
The best way🤣
So I have done your method, without a pressure washer and with wheel cleaner, left it soak in for 3 hours and rinced for another 1H30. Result was very good,cur seems to respond better in terms of Nm. One thing to mention might be the exhaust gas temperature sensor, that needs to be replaced also in most cases, as it will turn on the check engin light even after the cleaning. In the case of a Citroen C4 Picasso, when you take out the DPF pay attention as fair amount of soot will com on your face/head and not healthy. So protective masures need to be taken.Thanks for the detailed explanation.
Hi, great to hear that you got some good results! Whenever possible it is best to unscrew the sensors and plug up the holes with a suitable bolt before cleaning, It is definitely not a fun or clean job...
@@StevenBTuner it was a fun thing to do, not very complex. After doing that, I found the courage to replace the air-conditioning condenser. Car is way more fun. Thanks for sharing.
@@balduberdriver Well done!
Not Bad,not Bad....😅👍
:-)
Thanks for your wonderful videos. But I really didn't get what is the best or number one of all? Regards
Hi, thanks for watching! I think I put a chapter in for the winner. Anyway, my other video shows the whole cleaning process from start to finish: ruclips.net/video/LE1boZ3fhLg/видео.html&pp=sAQA
Outcome is that you must drink a Coke after smoking
Haha!
Thanks for the effort in this mate. I waged chemical warfare on my cars DPF and it really didn't do anything. At one point the light went off fir half a day. The only way to clean a dpf is to remove it from the car and jet wash the inside clean. You don't need to be a mechanic to do it (depending on its placement) and you will need to do a forced regen afterwards for good measure but the problem will be done and you will save yourself a lit of money. Garages don't want to do it as its easier to replace it as it's not worth their time financially.
Interested to hear what you tried previously that didn't work. The problem with high pressure washing is that if you hit the catalyser you will strip the platinum off of it, and then it won't as well. A lot of cars have them separate, but not all...
I'm fighting a problem on an '08 Mitsubishi with only about 40,000 kilometers. (32,000 miles). Parked Regen won't go through the whole process. Only attempts regen for about 3 min. Goes into limp home mode. I'm over 300 km from a dealership shop so have to fix it to drive anywhere. The first time it happened I got low differential pressure readings, and the shop said the dpf had been damaged. I put it on anyway and it only drove about 20km before trying to Regen unsuccessfully. I bought a new filter. $4,000. (Soul destroying!) Put that on, cleared all codes, and again it tried to Regen unsuccessfully after only a 10km uphill run. I assumed there'd be a dpf plug code, but only found a excessive exhaust temp code. What do you all think is wrong upstream? Bad injector? It's got pretty low miles. Stuck EGR? I was going to run it with the filter off just to see if it's running noticeably smokey...any ideas?
Hi, it always makes me sad to hear when bad advice means that someone ends up spending a fortune on a new DPF unnecessarily. Regeneration failure is almost always as a result of a fault with the EGR valve or glow plugs, and you will need to look for error codes as well as visually inspect the EGR valve and intake system to make sure they aren't gummed up with oily soot.
@@StevenBTuner no EGR related codes showing, there are five possible...but when it plugged and couldn't complete the cycle the first time the oil level was too high. I figured that was the problem. Seems like that could have also gummed up the EGR...only code showing after an incomplete re-gen is "Excessive exhaust temp", "DPF is overheated".(a red light-stop-your-trip code!) That was 10km after new filter, cleared codes, correct oil level, attempted park &re-gen... on an extended climb, 10% grade for 6km, but w/ normal coolant temps...
@@StevenBTuner Just got back from a uneventful 500 mi test drive. New injectors solved it. (all bad, but cheaper than a new DPF...) They are electromagnetic actuated and can fail in mechanical ways without generating a code apparently. I home cleaned the new DPF. (The old one did blow through. Something to experiment with: can you carefully plug a few individual compromised tube headwalls with some kind of liquid ceramic mixture?). The truck ran a successful 30 min parked regen. I changed the oil after the regen. These '08s over-fuel for the regen process via the cylinder injectors with an after-pulse. This causes fuel leakage, diluting, and filling the oil pan! The 30 min regen caused the oil level to rise 2 cm, or perhaps 1 litre! if not kept track of it could rise above the "over filled" mark, and really start plugging the DPF.
@@iansigman1651 Great to hear that your vehicle is working great again! Fuel dilution is a very bad side effect of a blocked DPF, and can result in rod or big end bearing failures - a terrible way for a diesel engine to be killed.
You forgot to have water as a negative control in a scientific experiment you must also wash your tweezer when going from one glass to the next
Very true!
Forgive my possible chemistry ignorance here, but would using neat diesel fuel have a good effect for cleaning the dpf?
Hi, thanks for watching! Your car already uses diesel to clean out the DPF regularly as part of the normal active regeneration cycle - but diesel is only good for cleaning out accumulated black soot, it can't remove the ash deposits that accumulate over time and in fact burnt diesel is a part of what creates the ash deposits, along with burnt engine oil.
@@StevenBTuner Great stuff! Thank you for the clarification, you've earned yourself a new subscriber ;-)
Had my last coca cola yesterday, no more thanks.
Haha, fair enough...
Hi please let me know if you try the engine degreaser ? Thanks
Hi, strong industrial degreaser is quite similar to the Wynn's product in the test, so it is great as a first stage wash to remove oily soot.
On both of my cars I cleaned them with hammer and drill. They mapped out along with EGR crap and no problem since😂🖕🏻
You mean apart from the problem that your car now puts out over 50 times more pollution?
I'm surprised at the result of acetone. I recently changed the injector seals on my car and the tube came out with the injector as it was bound with carbon. I soaked it in nail polish remover overnight and a little twist I managed to separate them.
Hi, the issue with 'end-of-life' DPFs isn't the carbon/soot, as that burns off during active and passive regeneration. The problem stuff that clogs up the channels is the ash deposits, and they need an acid to dissolve them.
Only clean i know is ... remove and remap ..... pointless thing is a dpf!
Without DPF technology, diesel cars would have been banned worldwide in the early 2000's. Personally I would rather have them around a bit longer.
People like him will never get it!
@@StevenBTuner diesels are annoying if you do short trips around town. A hybrid gas electric does just as good. I have a 2021 Toyota Prius prime and it gets 1200km in a 40l tank. I use a truck for long distance trips
Good experiment. Try using an ultrasonic cleaner with a good solvent, the cleaning process will go faster.
Hi, I just bought a large ultrasonic cleaner so that I can test exactly that in a future vid!
@@StevenBTuner I just wanted to mention that too. Thats awesome. Can't wait for that video. Btw a lot of DPF Cleaning Services in Germany are using Ultrasonic for cleaning. But they kind of charge a lot for it.
The thing I am excited about is, how deep into the DPF the Ultrasonic can get. The shape and size of the DPF as well as the directional little channels should be challenging in theory.
I assume since you bought a large ultrasonic cleaner you will test it without cutting it into pieces . I am very curious. Thanks and keep up the good work (I only discovered your channel recently)
@@bucoescobar1961 Hi, I am thinking about the way to tell that the process has been successful (or not)...cutting up perfectly good DPFs gets a bit expensive :-)
So the whole idea of these systems is to keep the particles out of the environment, then home do it yourselfers negate that process. At dealerships they ship the carcinogens out to a proper disposal site. The dummies in the government think thats what is supposed to happen. Most of us either do it ourselves, or remove the systems. This past week we just ran across a system that is 1 month out of warranty, and will cost over $50,000 to replace. Im betting the customer deletes it. Alll this fooling around with emissions looks good on paper and doesnt go for the long run unfortunately.
The soot that a DPF captures (and then burns off) is only a carcinogen if you breath it in. Once it is trapped in a DPF it is only as dangerous as the soot in your home fireplace. If the dealerships are being charged money to specifically handle carbon then they are being taken advantage of.
@@StevenBTuner intersting, so what do you do with the soot then?
Saw this video yesterday and immediately ordered some HCl.
But I now realized there might be a problem: the DPF in a BMW e90 is one unit with tue catalytic converter. And in this one, there are metal oxides like Al2O3.
Won't those also dissolve in the HCl, ruining the Cat?
Any experience in this?
Hi, thanks for watching! Later E90s have a DOC which contains Platinum and Al2O3, so I made a video called "The No Damage DIY DPF Clean": ruclips.net/video/LE1boZ3fhLg/видео.html where I test each of these against HCl.
@@StevenBTuner thank you so much! Going to watch this one as well.
The best method is to remove government regulations and regulatory agencies. These devices are dumb, and cause more harm than good, and line pockets of high up people.
Hi, without these filters we would have had a ban on diesel vehicles in the early 2000's, so I consider them a necessary evil.
@@StevenBTuner Good. Consider whatever you want. It doesn't change the fact that our government is just sticking it up everyone's rear end under the guise of environmental protection. Most of the exhaust coming out of a diesel is oxygen. It is far cleaner for the environment than gasoline exhaust.
I'm against rolling coal, and anyone who does that intentionally to others should be arrested for assault. However, all of these devices are not necessary, at all.
@@StevenBTuner never settle for a necessary evil, who said it was evil anyway? answer that then ask why they say that, then why to that, then why to that, bit closer to the answer
In about 1981 I saw an aircraft engine un seized using regular Coca Cola. It took about an hour and a half for the drink to "eat" the galled spot on the side of a piston. I've never drank the stuff since that day.
Haha, fair enough too!
I freed up a Cadillac 500 that sat in a junkyard without heads on it and was exposed to the elements for decades.
I used Marvel, WD, Kroil, BP and whatever else I had on the shelf for 3 or 4 days and nothing worked.
Old guy told me to dump a coke in each cylinder and check in the morning. All of the pistons popped out with ease the next day.
I also haven’t had a coke since that day. 😆 👍
I have best dpf cleaning method: don't buy a diesel car. Your welcome.
:-)
what about steam cleaning the soot on DPF /thanks much
Hi, I can't see why it couldn't work as a reverse flush process, but it would require good visibility to ensure that any heat/pressure isn't applied to the ceramic 'glue' between the ceramic modules.
Thanks for the video. Clearly the pool acid is way ahead, may I ask which brand you used? Thanks
Hi, I used 32% HCl brick cleaning acid, but pool acid is the same stuff, and the brand doesn't matter as long as they are reputable enough to put in the correct ingredients.
@@StevenBTuner thanks for the reply. Very much appreciated.
@@StevenBTuner This worked perfectly, left for 24 hours, reset the fault codes, (bmw 635d) ran in sport mode for 40 miles keeping the revs above 2k and had no issues.
@@garywilliamson1097 Well done on doing a great job!
I tried this on my 2011 Jetta and it works! You saved me a lot of money!
Thank you so much
Great to hear!