EGR effecting DPF soot levels?

[Lizzy R]

Hi all. I have a question. I’m no mechanic by any stretch of the imagination, so please keep answers as simple as possible! I’ve been having problems with my T6 Shuttle since I bought it in September. It had warning lights come on a short while after I bought it: (orange) fuel management and (orange) glow plugs. Also, particulate filter light came on intermittently, but not on all the time.

I took to my trusted local garage, and they identified a fault in the fuel temp sensor, and a suspected oil leak. I mentioned to him that there may be a leak in the coolant as I'd already had to top it up a couple of times, but he couldn't find a leak. He tried a forced re-gen but it wouldn't let him due to soot levels being too high.

Since then, another garage has had the DPF cleaned which seems to have worked re the warning lights, and it now drives much smoother. However, the coolant is still running out fast. They’ve now found that there is a fault with the EGR cooler valve. I don’t quite understand the full workings of the EGR but if it wasn’t working properly all along, would that account for the high level of soot build-up in the DPF in the first place?

Just trying to get my head around it, as I believe it’s quite a pricey problem to get sorted!

Thanks for any (simply-worded!) advise in advance.

 

[Dellmassive]

The EGR cooler has been a common problem...

It uses engine coolant to reduce the recirculated exhaust gas temp as part of the emissions control system.

It leaks internally and the engine ingests the water.... Not good and it needs replacing. (£600 part, about £1 fitted).. a very common job on the T6.

DPF may be a separate issue and is normally clogged by excessive oil or diesel in the exhaust stream.

What's your van spec? Engine code?

..
Some extra info...

DPF Regen, Yellow Light & Adblue - Whats It All About? -

DPF Regen, Yellow light & AdBlue - Whats it all about? - The DFP light is becoming a more apparent issue with modern diesel vans, unfortunately, it’s a fact of modern diesel life. what is a DPF? Diesel particulate filters (DPF) are very effective in cutting emissions, trapping even the...

www.t6forum.com

.

 

[Lizzy R]

Thanks very much. That's really helpful. I feel like I'm continuously learning!

 

[John A]

As per Dellmassive's post, what engine have you got in your Shuttle?
The EGR is supposed to recycle (some of the) exhaust gases before they go through the DPF. I also believe that it has a job in controlling temperature of the gas and prompting DPF regen. A lot of people will tell you to have the EGR mapped out and this often comes with a recommendation to remove the DPF, depending on how the map is written.
I have a feeling that the 'good' maps will open the EGR for start-up and regen, but if you are mapping out an EGR because it's blocked, then that's probably pointless.

I opted to replace my EGR. I have a 2016 T6 with the pre-Euro 6 140 bhp T5.1 engine (no AdBlue).
I bought a new, OE spec EGR from GSF for about £360 including a £108 surcharge which was refunded within 24 hours of returning the old (blocked) valve. Labour cost me £120 including replacing the coolant, but I have a good relationship with the tech and I don't think he charges me much more than £40/hour. The total job came out to less than £375.

 

[Lizzy R]

Thanks for the reply. I have a 2.0 TDI BlueMotion EURO 6 (ULEZ / CAZ - COMPLIANT) 150PS. The DPF has already been taken out, professionally cleaned and put back in, so that should hopefully be OK now (as long as this EGR issue doesn't effect it?). There's also no warning lights at present, but because the coolant level seemed to run out rather frequently, I flagged it up withe the garage which is when they identified the EGR leak. They're on the case now and I'm waiting to hear back from them re price etc. but am I doing the engine any damage by driving it in the meantime? Thanks again for your help and advise.

 

[Scottish Scrutineer]

Thanks for the reply. I have a 2.0 TDI BlueMotion EURO 6 (ULEZ / CAZ - COMPLIANT) 150PS. The DPF has already been taken out, professionally cleaned and put back in, so that should hopefully be OK now (as long as this EGR issue doesn't effect it?). There's also no warning lights at present, but because the coolant level seemed to run out rather frequently, I flagged it up withe the garage which is when they identified the EGR leak. They're on the case now and I'm waiting to hear back from them re price etc. but am I doing the engine any damage by driving it in the meantime? Thanks again for your help and advise.

Yes by continuing to use the van whilst there is an undiagnosed water loss, you are putting the engine at risk of hydraulic locking. Water leaking into the cylinders cannot be compressed, the result can be broken or bent connecting rods, effectively resulting in a full engine rebuild or replacement being required.
If water is being lost 'internally' into the engine, apart from the already mentioned EGR cooler leaking, another possible leak is from the air-to-water intercooler.

 

[Lizzy R]

Thanks. I've been onto the garage this morning to hurry things up!