What is the score with changing oil and the ECU with a 1.3 multijet diesel?

I am about to change oil and filter for first time and saw somewhere else (not recent) that the ECU should be "told" or it will start putting warnings up that a change is overdue. Maybe even putting car into limp mode? Would the driver display be flashing and bleeping all the time? Would an MoT tester fail if he saw the warning?

Can anyone clarify this? Thanks.

OK, like a lot of newer cars with DPF filters the oil level rises due to excess diesel injected during regeneration. Depending on the car there is either a set distance or the ECU measures the oil quality. It has to be reset using a scan tool but the warning will not cause it to fail an MOT.

maggers said:

It has to be reset using a scan tool but the warning will not cause it to fail an MOT.

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Or Fiat's examiner software, or MultiECUscan.net software.

As above it won't fail and MOT if lit, but could cause costly failures with the car if the oil degradation index is not reset (if applicable on your 1.3).

Thanks for that.

maggers said:

OK, like a lot of newer cars with DPF filters the oil level rises due to excess diesel injected during regeneration.

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How on earth does excess fuel get into the sump oil? I thought the regeneration fuel would be injected during the exhaust stroke and therefore (burning) straight out into the exhaust manifold. Any unburnt would go out with it, nowhere near the sump.

Anyway, I will look into that multiecuscan. All this sounds like a scam to get you to get services done at main stealers. Fiat could easily have provided a reset switch (some other makes do I gather). And what do those places like Halfords do when they do a "free oil change"?

Dr Zhivago said:

Any unburnt would go out with it, nowhere near the sump.

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Not if it remains in the cylinder if turned off mid regen.

Dr Zhivago said:

All this sounds like a scam to get you to get services done at main stealers. Fiat could easily have provided a reset switch (some other makes do I gather). And what do those places like Halfords do when they do a "free oil change"?

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These places reset it or **** up your car.

If manufactures just placed reset switches left right and centre then people will be incorrectly resetting it when they shouldn't be and cause potentially costly damage to engines like this!

Dr Zhivago said:

Thanks for that.

How on earth does excess fuel get into the sump oil? I thought the regeneration fuel would be injected during the exhaust stroke and therefore (burning) straight out into the exhaust manifold. Any unburnt would go out with it, nowhere near the sump.

Anyway, I will look into that multiecuscan. All this sounds like a scam to get you to get services done at main stealers. Fiat could easily have provided a reset switch (some other makes do I gather). And what do those places like Halfords do when they do a "free oil change"?

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Well, you thought wrong. Since diesel only ignites under compression there would be little point doing it any later, they overfuel at normal injection time to raise the pre DPf temperature to about 700 degrees c or thereabouts and excess fuel washes past the piston rings to contaminate the oil.

All cars with dpf's do it some worse than others had a bloke come in a few Saturday's ago later in the morning with a Mazda 5 2.0d with all the lights on , scanned it blocked dpf , oil degradation codes , as was not far before closing And he had only dropped in as saw a garage all I could offer him was get his oil level down so he could limp to the Mazda dealer , took just over 5 litres of what was once oil out of the sump just to get it back below the max level !!

Most Easterly Pandas said:

If manufactures just placed reset switches left right and centre then people will be incorrectly resetting it when they shouldn't be and cause potentially costly damage to engines like this!

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I wasn't asking for a big red button in the centre of the dashboard (or to the left and right of it), but would have expected some technically oriented means of resetting it at the time of an oil change such as briefly removing a link in the fuse box, rather than having to buy yet another tool for it.

There are plenty of other things by which I could cause a lot of damage, for example loosening brake pipe unions "left right and centre", but the manufacturer takes no measures against doing it (low brake fluid wanings perhaps, but not preventive measures) and I don't anyway.

As for the potentially costly damage that incorrect resetting could do, you said in an earlier post yourself that it "could cause costly failures with the car if the oil degradation index is not reset" (my italics and bold emphasis). Not resetting at all is thus itself a case of "incorrect resetting" and making resetting a hurdle is only promoting such incorrect resetting and potential failures.

Sorry, as I said before, this sounds like a scam to me.

Dr Zhivago said:

I wasn't asking for a big red button in the centre of the dashboard (or to the left and right of it), but would have expected some technically oriented means of resetting it at the time of an oil change such as briefly removing a link in the fuse box, rather than having to buy yet another tool for it.

There are plenty of other things by which I could cause a lot of damage, for example loosening brake pipe unions "left right and centre", but the manufacturer takes no measures against doing it (low brake fluid wanings perhaps, but not preventive measures) and I don't anyway.

As for the potentially costly damage that incorrect resetting could do, you said in an earlier post yourself that it "could cause costly failures with the car if the oil degradation index is not reset" (my italics and bold emphasis). Not resetting at all is thus itself a case of "incorrect resetting" and making resetting a hurdle is only promoting such incorrect resetting and potential failures.

Sorry, as I said before, this sounds like a scam to me.

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This proves my point exactly on why they haven't provided a reset trick.

Change the oil and don't reset it and your DPF eventually will fail to regen and cost upward of £1k to replace.

Complete a trick and reset the oil degradation index and not change the oil and you'll risk the engine running away, average cost again £1k plus for an entire replacement and ancillaries - assuming the block doesn't explode and take the bulk head and other body panels out with it.

This is serious stuff, and if the latter could potentially be fatal to anyone standing around should things go Pete tong and the engine run away and then explode! This is why there isn't just a reset trick, and why despite what you think, it's not a scam.

You could say putting a reset trick in and allowing an engine to run away due to the actions of an ignorant owner costing them £1k+ would be the actual con!

Like most things, it's there to stop well-meaning but ultimately clueless hobby mechanics fiddling. If this statement causes any offence then I don't care. Ask yourself A) what is YOUR profession and B) if you would be happy with an amateur doing it.

maggers said:

Like most things, it's there to stop well-meaning but ultimately clueless hobby mechanics fiddling. If this statement causes any offence then I don't care. Ask yourself A) what is YOUR profession and B) if you would be happy with an amateur doing it.

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What are these "most things"? I thought this thread was over, but as you seem to be addressing me, no offence taken as I am on pretty solid ground.

(A) I am a professional engineer (it's in my profile), and I am the equivalent of the MoT tester for a group of nuclear power stations. I have also been an engineering officer on one of HM's ships, have designed train suspensions, and as industrial training I worked for a time as a mechanic in a small British Leyland dealership (effectively, after a while, deputising for the foreman - the other mechanics were boneheads). There is no part of a car that I have not rebuilt/replaced/repaired at some time or other.

(B) Yes. Oil changing should be a simple job. But I am unhappy in this case at hurdles being put in the way of doing a proper job.

Dr Zhivago said:

(B) Yes. Oil changing should be a simple job. But I am unhappy in this case at hurdles being put in the way of doing a proper job.

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But they're not hurdles like you're making them out to be. You've admitted yourself you do it all yourself, if so then do what every other professional and compident DIYer has done and buy the kit. Its less than £70 all in and will pay for itself countless times over for more than just oil changes

www.multiecuscan.net

Most Easterly Pandas said:

do what every other professional and compident DIYer has done and buy the kit

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I'm going to. Thanks for the link

Dr Zhivago said:

I'm going to. Thanks for the link

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No worries, you'll be amazed at just what you can do with it, and will no longer need to have a main dealer need to touch it for anything

Most Easterly Pandas said:

you'll be amazed at just what you can do with it, and will no longer need to have a main dealer need to touch it for anything

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Cough, cough .......

with the exception of "key coding" ........

s130 said:

Cough, cough .......



with the exception of "key coding" ........

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You can do half a job with getting the remote side of things working lol.