Cleaning the Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) is a necessary job to keep heavy-duty trucks and even light-duty vehicles on the road. The DPF is designed to remove the diesel particulate matter and soot from the exhaust of your truck.

The ash that is left behind in the filter eventually builds up and reduces the effectiveness, thus requiring filter cleaning. Here are 5 tips to follow to ensure that your DPF is continually doing its job:

Most heavy-duty DPFs require cleaning every 200,000 to 250,000 miles. Effectively cleaning a DPF increases the life of the filter, keeps the engine running smooth, and minimizes future breakdown risks.

A DPF must operate at 100 percent to be effective. If your DPF is damaged or not operating correctly, it must be replaced. DPFs should be “inspected and verified suitable for re-use” before cleaning. A well-kept DPF can last through several cleanings. Inadequate cleaning and maintenance of the DPF can lead to more frequent system regenerations, which may lead to a shortened life of the DPF as well as the after-treatment system as a whole.

Few Filters Tips
Maintaining a clean DPF is not just a one time job. But you also have to keep cleaning it all the time. Not just keeping it clean, but as well as keeping in check when to clean it and when it should need replacing.

With that, here are a few tips you should keep in mind in cleaning your DPF filters.

Tip 1
Use only the correct oil and fuel. DPF-equipped engines require low-sulfur diesel and low or medium-SAPS engine oil, according to the manufacturer’s recommendation. Oils high in SAPS (sulfated ash, phosphorous, and sulfur) can ash-up a filter very quickly.

Tip 2
If possible, rotate vehicles between slow, congested, urban routes and faster, longer ones. This encourages passive regeneration of the filters. For instance, trucks on short-haul work will typically require routine filter cleans at 200,000km, but this interval may be doubled on long-haul work.

Tip 3
Active filter regenerations occurring at decreasing intervals may indicate that the filter is becoming blocked with ash. Typically, when a filter is 40% blocked, it triggers the light on the dash for an active regen. If the filter is permanently 20% filled with ash, then the interval between active regens will be halved.

Tip 4
Active regens are bad for fuel economy. An engine may burn seven times as much fuel during regen as it does in normal use.

Tip 5
Never interrupt an active regen. The excess unburned fuel may drain into the sump, where it will cause further problems. If a filter change has been required, then it is wise to change the engine oil as a precaution.

Tip 6
Major engine problems such as EGR issues, turbo failures, and blown head gaskets are likely to contaminate the DPF. In these instances, the DPF should be cleaned and checked as a precaution as part of the repair. However, in some cases, it may be too late to recover the poisoning effect that has occurred to the chemical wash coat on the filter itself.