DPF Issue

[Surj1t]

I have a 2007 BMW E60 which has done 116k miles.

The DPF light keeps coming on after around 3 miles even though it has been regenerated twice, had the glow plugs changed and the pipes cleaned out (they were blocked).

I tend to do motorway driving with my car.

The mechanics at my garage are completely stumped.

Can anyone suggest what could be causing this or have any suggestions?

Thanks for any advice given.

[LivLL]

You need to look for a local DPF specialist, they can check if the DPF itself is clogged and needs cleaning or if it’s some other fault like a pressure sensor.

DPF can get damaged beyond repair if the car just keeps trying to regen so it’s worth getting on top of it soon as you can.

[helix403]

Maybe faulty thermostats. If the coolant doesn’t get hot enough the car won’t regen.

[couzens]

As above. Coolant temps need to be hot enough before it will Regen. Takes about 30mins on a motorway for the coolant to get up to the ideal temperature for me.

Also, if the car is aware that it needs a regen, it throws a code and it will not regen with a code registered on the system.

Get an Icarly, you can clear the codes, read water temperatures and force the car into doing a regen on it.

I found using Wynn's dpf cleaner also helped. Lowers the exhaust temperature needed for regeneration also.

[Drmarkf]

A couple of ex-BMW engineers have advised me that around 15 minutes at above 2000rpm at motorway speeds is a reliable and rapid way to get the system hot enough.
My F31 runs at around 2200 if I knock the box into Sport around 70mph, which I find a convenient way to do it.

[Surj1t]

helix403 said:

Maybe faulty thermostats. If the coolant doesn’t get hot enough the car won’t regen.

I will ask them to look into this.

[Surj1t]

Drmarkf said:

A couple of ex-BMW engineers have advised me that around 15 minutes at above 2000rpm at motorway speeds is a reliable and rapid way to get the system hot enough.
My F31 runs at around 2200 if I knock the box into Sport around 70mph, which I find a convenient way to do it.

I have tried this at 3000rpm but unfortunately it didnt work.

[helix403]

Surj1t said:

I have tried this at 3000rpm but unfortunately it didnt work.

As mentioned by another poster, once a DPF fault code is stored it won’t regen till the code is cleared.

[Rowe]

Thermostats are very common on the E6X diesels (there's also 2 of them).
You can access the hidden menu on the dash to monitor the coolant temps here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IB4vtoiFy7c

If it's not getting to temp, it wont regenerate.

[Surj1t]

Rowe said:

Thermostats are very common on the E6X diesels (there's also 2 of them).
You can access the hidden menu on the dash to monitor the coolant temps here:

If it's not getting to temp, it wont regenerate.

I followed the instructions in the video to bring up the temperature display.

I then took the car onto the motorway for 10 miles driving it at around 2500rpm (I also drove around 8 miles on smaller roads leading up to the motorway) and the temperature remained around 63 degrees.

When I got home, I let the car idle for 15 minutes until it eventually reached 90 degrees.

I then took it out again for a 10 minute drive on an 'A' road and the temperature dropped to around 65 again.

It seems the car only reaches the correct temperature when it is static.

I'm going to tell the mechanics to replace the thermostats. Is there anything else to make them aware of to save me going back and forth?

[Rowe]

Surj1t said:

I followed the instructions in the video to bring up the temperature display.

I then took the car onto the motorway for 10 miles driving it at around 2500rpm (I also drove around 8 miles on smaller roads leading up to the motorway) and the temperature remained around 63 degrees.

When I got home, I let the car idle for 15 minutes until it eventually reached 90 degrees.

I then took it out again for a 10 minute drive on an 'A' road and the temperature dropped to around 65 again.

It seems the car only reaches the correct temperature when it is static.

I'm going to tell the mechanics to replace the thermostats. Is there anything else to make them aware of to save me going back and forth?

Well I'd say it's pretty clear that they're the issue if it's reaching temp when static.
There's nothing more to tell the garage really, other than reminding them that there are 2 thermostats (the 2nd is for the EGR).

One thing you may be presented with once the work is done, is the DPF being that full that the car still won't regenerate (this is very unlikely though).

I'd go for a long hard drive afterwards. It'll give the car a good clearout - there will likely be some exhaust fumes/smoke, but don't be concerned. When I did the thermostats on my last 5 series, it filled the road behind me with smoke the first proper regeneration, so much so I thought it was on fire.

[joropug]

Yup definitely thermostat - I had an E60 530d and checked the stats using the hidden menu when I bought it and realised it wouldn't go above 70 (great idea from BMW not to include a gauge).

I had them both replaced and the car instantly started doing an aggressive regeneration when I got up to speed - You notice it on those cars a lot as it revs much higher before changing gear if an automatic.

I now have a G30 520d which has in one year, had 1 NoX sensor, 2 different DPF sensors and a terra clean on a blocked DPF (on 68k!). Should be good now though...