Technical Car started and then stopped after parking with Maximum Temperature check DPF message

[trekkingnut]

Been out in the camper today, all great, (always leaves a soot streak on the road when pulling away hard but accelerates well) - parked up at local Tesco on way back so car was parked around half hour. Went to start it twice and it fired but then died and a message came up saying something like maximum temperature check environmental filter or something like that. No warning lights or anything and after 3rd attempt it started and ran fine all the way home so no idea what was going on. Anyone have any ideas?

Engine pulls really well and flies up hills so DPF cannot be clogged plus no warnings/lights apart from the one stated upon starting engine. The DPF system really annoys me though and am thinking about getting it deleted but the worry of insurance/resale issues prevents me doing so even though technically the vehicle did not require a DPF in 2006. Had oil change barely 1000 miles ago too and it has been very regularly serviced in its life.

 

[bugsymike]

Any chance pending error codes can be read using MES or similar.
If black smoking at times good chance DPF side could be an issue due to soot clogging. White choking smoke when trying unsuccessfully to perform a Regen of DPF.
Re legal requirements at 2006 if it says so on the Vin.Number then strictly speaking obligatory, I have a 57 plate Skoda Scout 4x4 which has it and is confirmed in service book by Vin number, daughter has a VW Tiguan with same running gear and does not have , again confirmed by Vin.

 

[trekkingnut]

Any chance pending error codes can be read using MES or similar.
If black smoking at times good chance DPF side could be an issue due to soot clogging. White choking smoke when trying unsuccessfully to perform a Regen of DPF.
Re legal requirements at 2006 if it says so on the Vin.Number then strictly speaking obligatory, I have a 57 plate Skoda Scout 4x4 which has it and is confirmed in service book by Vin number, daughter has a VW Tiguan with same running gear and does not have , again confirmed by Vin.

Hi, Thanks for reply - I only use it once a week and speaking to an independent fiat specialist, they reckon the starting and dying was more likely to be egr valve stuck and message can come up if battery voltage down. Had done a 12 mile run in it then 10 to Tesco and battery was new recently but cold weather and journey under 30 miles in one go perhaps not enough. Battery never turns engine over anything like as readily as my Qubo which starts almost before getting in it and has never given me any issues apart from random messages on airbag system and the triangle warning light when old battery was giving up. No warning lights on the Doblo so no idea if any codes are stored or not. Went out in it again yesterday and no issues. Exhaust tailpipe very rotten and only 2 years old so not sure why that would be unless poor quality exhaust?

It pulls effortlessly up hills and flies along hardly breaking into a sweat and all looks clean out the back when going along (aside from pulling away hard of course) so its hard to imagine there can be dpf blockage but you would know more than me!

 

[Greasytrucker]

Been out in the camper today, all great, (always leaves a soot streak on the road when pulling away hard but accelerates well) - parked up at local Tesco on way back so car was parked around half hour. Went to start it twice and it fired but then died and a message came up saying something like maximum temperature check environmental filter or something like that. No warning lights or anything and after 3rd attempt it started and ran fine all the way home so no idea what was going on. Anyone have any ideas?

Engine pulls really well and flies up hills so DPF cannot be clogged plus no warnings/lights apart from the one stated upon starting engine. The DPF system really annoys me though and am thinking about getting it deleted but the worry of insurance/resale issues prevents me doing so even though technically the vehicle did not require a DPF in 2006. Had oil change barely 1000 miles ago too and it has been very regularly serviced in its life.

Wouldn’t worry too much about the legal side of getting it deleted as long as it’s done correctly, the canister of the dpf is left in place but the internals are removed so it still looks complete, then they reflash the ECU with the DPF bits removed so it doesn’t try to do regens etc. Come MOT time it won’t be an issue as Diesels only have a smoke test not an emission test and a visual check that the DPF is still in place. Also smoother running and a bit more power

 

[bugsymike]

If possible to read data on scanner, it may give an idea. I have a basic Launch scanner that worked well on my Citroen C3 Picasso, giving cinder count and DPF pressure readings and all sorts, but less good on Fiat.

 

[trekkingnut]

Wouldn’t worry too much about the legal side of getting it deleted as long as it’s done correctly, the canister of the dpf is left in place but the internals are removed so it still looks complete, then they reflash the ECU with the DPF bits removed so it doesn’t try to do regens etc. Come MOT time it won’t be an issue as Diesels only have a smoke test not an emission test and a visual check that the DPF is still in place. Also smoother running and a bit more power

Its only when reselling the vehicle I would have the concerns - especially these days! Totally agree with the +ves though and no more diesel dilution of the oil after just having an oil change either which really annoyed me!

 

[Greasytrucker]

Its only when reselling the vehicle I would have the concerns - especially these days! Totally agree with the +ves though and no more diesel dilution of the oil after just having an oil change either which really annoyed me!

It was like it when i bought it mate…….

 

[trekkingnut]

It was like it when i bought it mate…….

Would have to lose the service book though as it shows regens and use of cataclean for the 1204 dpf code under previous owner - unless i sold him down the river of course and said he must have done it - very tricky ground to be on though legally speaking.

 

[Greasytrucker]

Would have to lose the service book though as it shows regens and use of cataclean for the 1204 dpf code under previous owner - unless i sold him down the river of course and said he must have done it - very tricky ground to be on though legally speaking.

Get your point entirely but if it’s a 2006 it’s 17-18 years old currently, so by the time you sell it it’ll probably be 20+ years old unless you’re looking to sell it very soon obviously. To me if you’re buying something of that age no DPF trouble would be a plus point, could understand it was a 15, 16 plate or something but a camper of that age is obviously of the lower end of the market and value, and the kind of person likely to buy it is gonna be more worried if it’s gonna get them to the tip of Scotland or Cornwall without breaking down rather than if it’s still got a working DPF filter. Anyway at the end of the day it’s your camper and your decision and what i have said is just my opinion may it be right or wrong in people’s eyes. Different opinions are what these forums are for as far as I’m concerned

 

[trekkingnut]

That`s fair comment and of course the vehicle had a dpf long before it was mandatory stupidly but would an insurer be looking at it in the event of a claim in an accident? - I absolutely love the actual conversion of the vehicle and it has to be the best conversion of a Doblo car out there which was why I got it and I would keep it a lot longer if it did not have the dpf even though I have not actually had any warnings/blockages/limp mode/codes in my ownership, only the white smoke on one occasion and the `dnk dnk dnk` noise with a slight judder being felt which must have been a non notified regen as I remembered it doing I had the white smoke suddenly appear and then stop after a few miles (after I pulled over in a panic of course). I had used millers additive in the tank and at the oil change they guys said the oil stank of additive so it must have regenned. I hate that it pees fuel into the sump as the Qubo never seems to do it but much newer tech of course.

I may bite the bullet and get it done and you are correct in that a new owner would probably be glad the dpf was hollowed out. The smoke under hard acceleration makes it pointless anyway so I reckon it builds up and ends up in the back box. I generally try to clear it when passing cyclists who are holding up the traffic!

 

[Greasytrucker]

TBH i think you’d be very unlucky to have any insurance comeback in an accident as it wouldn’t be a factor and it’s not visibly modified. If you do go to the expense of having it done i’d get the EGR deleted at the same time but again leave the blanked off valve in place for MOT reasons. The EGR could be part of the smoke problem and again the engine will run better without it!

 

[trekkingnut]

TBH i think you’d be very unlucky to have any insurance comeback in an accident as it wouldn’t be a factor and it’s not visibly modified. If you do go to the expense of having it done i’d get the EGR deleted at the same time but again leave the blanked off valve in place for MOT reasons. The EGR could be part of the smoke problem and again the engine will run better without it!

Could well be right there as it has done over 100k - only smokes on hard acceleration normally though but the garage said the incident the other day could have been caused by egr sticking. Needs checking anyway. Will give the dpf a tap with some wood later top see if it sounds solid or hollow as have not done that yet. Expecting solid sound due to service record and previous owner telling me about dpf blocking when he changed his job and used the van to go 4 miles to work each day which obviously did not suit the dpf. I always drive it hard and minimum trip is 10 miles and so far no fault codes.

 

[trekkingnut]

just to update that tapping the dpf got a solid sounding `dnk` and tapping the pipe behind it got a `ding` so assume that dpf is indeed intact.