Technical Fiat 500 1.3 Multijet EGR DPF Oil Level

[Caboz]

Went for a drive on the highway and this is the new result (Particle Filter Clogging): 22,74%

I think the cleaning machine definitely worked.

 

[AndyRKett]

How’s the oil level been since ?

 

[Caboz]

The oil level is stable since last change.

 

[DaveMcT]

How do Fiat regenerate the DPF? Do they hot by misting fuel into it as Ford do?

 

[Caboz]

How do Fiat regenerate the DPF? Do they hot by misting fuel into it as Ford do?

Yes, the 1.3 Multijet injects fuel in the exhaust moment (post injection) mixing it with the exhaust gases, raising the temperature in the DPF.

 

[Caboz]

I cleaned the DPF once again (in a DPF cleaning machine) , as the first attempt did't show great results. This time after the first normal regeneration it shows clogging at 22%.

I don't know if these numbers are normal, also I'm averaging around 300kms between regenerations. Does anyone have experience with this? Are these numbers normal for this car?

The oil degradation is now at 89% after 1100Kms.

 

[bugsymike]

I cleaned the DPF once again (in a DPF cleaning machine) , as the first attempt did't show great results. This time after the first normal regeneration it shows clogging at 22%.

I don't know if these numbers are normal, also I'm averaging around 300kms between regenerations. Does anyone have experience with this? Are these numbers normal for this car?

The oil degradation is now at 89% after 1100Kms.

Seems very acessive to me for any make of car.
As I mentioned on a Citroen recently after cleaning myself four years ago it worked fine until recently when I fitted a new DPF since then it has done no regens and shown no sign of any clogging.

 

[Caboz]

Just an update:

On the last 3 regenerations, mainly Highway and open road the average was 467Kms between spontaneous regenerations.

The oil level didn't increase and the car is running well.

 

[AndyRKett]

When I had my 1.6multijet, I was not aware of it running a regen once the whole time I owned it which was 2018 to 2021. But every journey I took in it was 20miles in any direction as I live in quite a rural location so it was always run and warmed up by the time I got anywhere. So no short journeys. I also tend to drive cars in a sporting way, letting it get the revs up, slowing down on the gearbox quite aggressively at times and generally making sure to push the car at times to make sure it blows out the cobwebs.

My 2.0 golf TDI is now on 90k miles and I’ve only known that to regen once when I’ve owned the car from new. So the frequency of regens you’re still reporting seems very excessive. It should really only be a rare occurrence when needed

 

[Caboz]

These regenerations are spontaneous, there is no sign in the panel that informs the driver it is regenerating. I know because I connect the car to the OBD scanner (Multiecuscan).

 

[CarlosT]

The Scudo never used the it but had to change most of the top end as they are very different. I remember?

The case in 2012 seems to suggest it is quit a rare occurrence on this engine and the post goes onto say that the car did stop itself. I looked at the 1.3 manifold and there is indeed a butterfly valve which cuts the air to the engine when it is switched off so this would all seem to suggest that in that 2012 case runaway started but the engine did stop rather than the pistons flying around the building.
That case is quite interesting. DannyBoy who posted on there was a Fiat Tech and pointed out that constant over fueling and failed regens leads to engine damage, he pointed out that the car he was involved with spun a bearing shell on the crank shaft because with all that diesel getting in the oil the oil was useless at protecting the engine.
Diesel is essentially a good cleaning solvent, so that makes sense I suppose.
He also posts about the oil condition warning coming on and the garages just resetting it without an oil change also leading to these kind of problems.

In this thread I think the car in question potentially sits in the same mechanical situation as the example dannyboy gave, sounds like it has been run a lot, with a lot of diesel in the oil. It is certainly possible that the engine is badly damaged or verging on it. The issue is does the OP was to spend a thousand euros on a DPF only to find out the engine is toast.

Conversely if the OP has now managed to perform a full regen and got the clog down to 85% the care may now be happy that it has successfully completed a regen and stop dumping gallons of fuel into the oil.

Maybe the right course of action at the moment is to change the oil again to get rid of the diesel. Then just use the car and see if any of the regen issues, or fuel accumulating in the oil occurs again. so Service the car, then just watch what happens next.

The reason I got my 500 multijet was the fact it kept doing regens and spun number 2 big end. I dropped a 1.3 Vorsa pre dpf engine in

 

[CarlosT]

When I got my car the dpf read 85%clogged on mes.I removed it and blocked one end off, filled it with traffic film remover and left it for a day. I then removed the plug and cleaned it with the steam cleaner at work. New reading was 31% clogged. I thought that was pretty good.

 

[bugsymike]

When I got my car the dpf read 85%clogged on mes.I removed it and blocked one end off, filled it with traffic film remover and left it for a day. I then removed the plug and cleaned it with the steam cleaner at work. New reading was 31% clogged. I thought that was pretty good.

As I mentioned previously, I did similar using commercial oven cleaner and steam cleaner, lasted another four years before I replaced the DPF on a C3 1.6 HDi Citroen.

 

[AndyRKett]

The engine is largely exactly the same whether it has a DPF or not so if you put a non DPF engine into a car it’s going to work in exactly the same way with the ECU still looking for an input from the DPF sensor

The Corsa ECU would not be compatible with the Fiat

 

[CarlosT]

The engine is largely exactly the same whether it has a DPF or not so if you put a non DPF engine into a car it’s going to work in exactly the same way with the ECU still looking for an input from the DPF sensor

The Corsa ECU would not be compatible with the Fiat

Correct, the basic engine is identical. The problem starts with the orientation of the fuel pump on the cam box and ends with having to change both manifolds and the injectors (fiat 75bhp, corsa 90bhp, injectors have different readings on mes even though they look identical)