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Antara 2.2 DPF Regen Cycle Info

2K views 5 replies 4 participants last post by  smith100s 
#1 ·
Dear all, I have a 2.2 CDti which has caused me grief. Sorry for the long post, but important for owners.

Someone removed the dpf internals before I bought it and it failed the mot during lockdown 1.

I purchased an aftermarket dpf and that blocked. Egr issue.

Finally the non vx dealer agreed to fit a second hand refurbished dpf.

Since that and being nervous I brought an odb reader and started monitoring. Watching the soot levels rise and driving like mad to reduce them, I struggled.

Reading on here some suggest it regens at around 500 miles. I now know this is correct see later..

I lost my nerve, reading tales of above 80% blocked will need a forced regen so I had it forced and started a fresh.

Usual driving (4th @ 60-70) seemed to give a 220 to 300 degrees temp in the dpf (higher the gear less temp).

I noted small reductions in the dpf content (passive regens) from this but to be honest I usually added more in than I took off during the drive.

I tried 50 in 4th, driving in 3rd screeming it, nothing would create a regen or decrease the soot level substantially unless you drive at 80 + in 4th (cough)..

This time round lockdown 2 helped, couldn’t force a regen, nervously watching the soot level rise again and after it got to 85% full I noted some higher temperatures in the dpf for short instances. These decreased by up to 20% but no regen.

Reading on here again I started driving at 60 in 4th holding as close to 2 -2500 revs as I could.

There were short spikes of 450 degrees occurring at around 400 miles since the last regen. These dropped the soot by 10 - 20 % and gave me hope. I think this temp is an effect of the back pressure of the blocked dpf (not a mechanic but makes sense).

Today I drove again, hoping for a regen and it happened.

The log showed the same small spikes and my soot level went from 90% to 60. Temp 400 but nothing like the 650 degrees. On the way back the car suddenly started a regen (17 mpg etc as described elsewhere). I looked and the soot was up at 100%! Strange I thaught, was only 65 a minute ago.

The odb read out on review shows that at exactly 500 miles the soot went from 65 to 100 and the Dpf temp rocketed to 650 degrees.

So, it seems that there are two triggers for a regen:
100% soot content
500 miles since regen (this may differ in software or versions)

Until either of these are fulfilled you won’t get a regen which is why some people have shorter distances between regens.

The ECU must override the soot context level or pressure sensor to force a regen cycle. I wonder if you can do that via odb?

Seems daft to wait until 100% I’d rather regen at 75 myself than risk a blockage. If anyone knows how to change this please let me know.

I’m hoping this helps someone and maybe stops them wasting fuel in vain.

It may also help in marital relations, wife was not happy until now.

Mike
 
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#2 ·
The dpf topic is covered quite in depth on the forum.

I think once you get to understand the intervals its not a bad thing, having a regular regen means it fairly predictable so you can drive around this. I tend to use the instant mpg as a guide, but also the trip computer too to gauge the miles. Its worth noting the 500 miles is just a guide, some.people get less.

Its also worth a mention ifthe car might have been on a road trip does not guarantee a regen. Much to my annoyance in the summer having driven from Cornwall the car decided to regen as I pulled into my village (in Yorkshire!) Just since it met the requirements of the ecu algorithm.

Good work though.
 
#3 ·
Hi Looks like you have gone a bit OCD on the subject which is understandable if your confidence level is low because the car has been tampered with I would be the same. I similar to smith100s use the instantaneous fuel readout to determine if the car is doing a regen and yes the difference is significant, I find it easier to check the readout when stationary at idle, normally .1-.2 gallons per hour but when regenerating this increases to around .7-.8 gallons per hour, so its easy to tell.

I'm having problems with my start stop not working and so have just replaced the battery, it seems to be working a lot more often now but still not fully consistent, anyway whilst taking the car for a short run, it started its regen, I just ran it around 3 circuits of a local short bypass and after approx 15 mins it finished. I didn't need to gun the car, 50-60mph is sufficient, they do recommend minimum of 2000rpm but I have often successfully completed a regen at a lower rpm on a 20 mile run. I think you need a specific code reader to start a regen its not something you can do from the car alone. The other thing is, and i'm guessing here, 100% soot level I don't think represents the filter being totally blocked because the car wouldn't run, it may be that that represents the point when the car thinks it is sufficiently saturated with soot to generate a regen as you suggest. So you may be getting over concerned with the 100% value. Richy.
 
#4 ·
The regen process is the one criticism I have of the Antara, having driven Peugeot diesels previously for years without being aware of a regen. As far as I am concerned, there are some simple rules to follow: 1. Don't stop a regen mid-way - keep driving until it finishes. 2. Use good quality fuel (e.g. Shell or Texaco) and fill up with their high grade diesel every now and again. 3. Only drive the car if you know that the engine will reach its required running temperature (a two-mile trip to the supermarket, or school, is no good). 4. Turn off the start/stop feature - what is it meant to achieve? 5. Give the car an Italian tune-up on a motorway when you get the opportunity.

The cycle is programmed for approx 500 mile intervals - set your trip meter when it starts or finishes. When a regen is in progress the fuel consumption will drop alarmingly and the 999.9 instant fuel consumption (which you get on a down slope with no throttle) does not appear. You often smell burning (there is a small furnace raging in the DPF). Keep clear of long, dry grass! During a regen I have found that driving style doesn't make a lot of difference; it completes when you are on a motorway or a country lane, but there is no quick fix for it and you have to drive for at least 15 miles without turning the engine off. You cannot force the process to start yourself - it will happen when it is due.

I cannot understand how setting fire to the interior of the filter by deliberately wasting precious fuel saves the planet. What happens to the fuel that has been burnt? Until scientists start doing whole cycle analysis of these 'green' whims (and take ships and aircraft into account) we will all continue to suffer the consequences and bear the financial cost. The latest news on gas boilers is a particular case in point - think it through from start to finish and include everything - everything - and suddenly it doesn't quite save the planet.
 
#6 ·
Some great feedback here. Other things I would add to this is the dpf system isn't the best but it can get bad press unnecessarily. EGR issues will often cause dpf problems and often air leaks around the air filter and airfilter pipework causes the turbo to work harder to meet driver demand creating excessive soot. This will also cause dpf issues.

497 miles is the absolute maximum you will achieve in between re gen and often less depending on driving style and abuse by ignoring dpf regens.
I noted the same engine fitted in some chevrolet models will go to just over 700 miles, I think the limitation is the size of the dpf filter which is a shame Vauxhall never considered this when facelifting the car in 2012, in fairness they addressed most of the issies with the prefacelift car.

In my experience the issues with Antara dpf is more to do with the ignorance of the owner and poor decisions re servicing. Incorrect oil on such a sensitive motor will inevitably causes issues and owners consequently blame the vehicle. It is essential to use 5w30C3 low ash oil that meets GM Dexos2 specification.

Other factors for regen is the ambient temp, the coolant temp and also temp sensors pre dpf and post dpf achieving the desired targets, short journeys will often fail to achieve these targets. At the same time excessive soot readings of over 170% and the car will not regen automatically and dealers cannot force regen. In this event it needs to be removed, cleaned and the reset once refitted.
 
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