Technical 1.3 deisel - it went BANG!!!

[RobW]

As has been explained. There is no physical oil level sensor as such. The recommendation is to fill the car till it's a couple of mm below max on the oil for the technicians, that way when the diesel gets into the oil the level shouldn't go above max and cause issues. Once the ecu calculates that the oil is degraded enough to need changing it will tell the driver via a message on the display.

There are a number of reasons why the issue the OP has could happen and I stress that I'm not accusing anyone or insinuating that this is what happened..... just throwing some ideas out there which could apply to this fault should it occur to anyone

The oil could have been overfilled by the technician doing the oil change or by the owner when topping up.
The driver could have ignored the warning and kept on going
There are probably a couple of other situations but my brain hasn't woken up yet.

I used to spend my days dreaming of ways diesel engines could fail, a runaway was the second highest FMEA score and there had to be multiple levels of detection and containment systems in place. this was on engines used in JCBs and generators. In a passenger car the risk is a level higher because of proximity of driver and the speed that the vehicle can travel.

You just can't rely on one sensor that may not operate with this severity of failure... You need what is called 'first fault safe'.

 

[306maxi]

I used to spend my days dreaming of ways diesel engines could fail, a runaway was the second highest FMEA score and there had to be multiple levels of detection and containment systems in place. this was on engines used in JCBs and generators. In a passenger car the risk is a level higher because of proximity of driver and the speed that the vehicle can travel.

You just can't rely on one sensor that may not operate with this severity of failure... You need what is called 'first fault safe'.

I agree, the whole system relies upon people doing their jobs properly and the driver maintaining the car properly which is never going to work 100% of the time!

 

[Most Easterly Pandas]

Just read this elsewhere on the forumDPFs and oil changes and servicing for the DieselThe main issue with the DPF system used by Fiat and many other manufacturers, is that the filter is purged by injecting extra fuel into the combustion chamber which increases the temperature of the gases flowing through the exhaust and burns the particulates out. By injecting the extra fuel into the cylinder, a small amount will bypass the rings and make it's way into the sump and dilute the oil.

Not all of the systems, a lot of the latter inject it straight into the DPF upflow of the exhaust via a 5th injector, thats how it is on my Bravo anyway. Seems to be the earlier ones that wack extra fuel into the cylinder.

 

[306maxi]

Not all of the systems, a lot of the latter inject it straight into the DPF upflow of the exhaust via a 5th injector, thats how it is on my Bravo anyway. Seems to be the earlier ones that wack extra fuel into the cylinder.

Is yours the 1.6 MEP?

 

[Most Easterly Pandas]

Is yours the 1.6 MEP?

Yep. Why out of interest?

 

[306maxi]

Yep. Why out of interest?

Wondering if the 1.9's are different in terms of DPF operation with them being newer?

 

[Most Easterly Pandas]

Wondering if the 1.9's are different in terms of DPF operation with them being newer?

1.6 is the newer engine that replaced 1.9 due to emissions. (assume we're on about the 1.9 120bhp).

 

[306maxi]

1.6 is the newer engine that replaced 1.9 due to emissions. (assume we're on about the 1.9 120bhp).

That's what I mean Some of the old 1.9's were DPF and I'm just wondering if perhaps they don't have the 5th injector and pump more fuel into the cylinders.

 

[Most Easterly Pandas]

That's what I mean Some of the old 1.9's were DPF and I'm just wondering if perhaps they don't have the 5th injector and pump more fuel into the cylinders.

Quite possible. Not sure the setup on the 500 either, as the 5th injector takes more space in the engine bay around the DPF, and obviously in the 500 engine bay space is limited.

 

[306maxi]

Quite possible. Not sure the setup on the 500 either, as the 5th injector takes more space in the engine bay around the DPF, and obviously in the 500 engine bay space is limited.

One would imagine that with what's happened in this thread that it doesn't have a 5th injector.

 

[Most Easterly Pandas]

One would imagine that with what's happened in this thread that it doesn't have a 5th injector.

Possibly. But then again OP never replied and we don't even knoe its defo the DPF which caused the failure. Could have been turbo seals (although unlikely)