Dpf Removal Problem Of Failed Turbo?

[Stroller133]

Hi

Just wondering if there are any Diesel experts who may have an idea on my current DPF/Turbo problems?

I must be completely crazy - late last week my 52 plate 2.0 Focus Estate (petrol) started to be stiff selecting and changing out of 5th - over the weekend it start to occassionally jump out of 5th and have trouble selecting 1st, So far 3rd seem ok, but the gear lever does not seem to go as far upwards as it was doing. Therefore I think that the problem is with the linkage somewhere.

Anyway that's a bit off topic - the crazy part is that my car is developing a fault so I have bought another non working car - a C-max, "unseen" on an eBay auction where the ad stated that the turbo needs replacing!

I sort of justify the purchase as the seller works at the same company for me and I know they have had the car 5 years and before that it was a company car at our firm (we buy not lease) and the early maintenance would have been done no worries and the current owners have had all work done at a local garage that seem to be really good and honest.

However since purchasing and paying I remember that the seller was talking in the office about a DPF problem a few months ago and removal was being touted as the best option (I agree with this approach personally). This has set me thinking that the turbo may not need replacing and the DPF removal maybe the cause of lack of boost. Before remembering about the DPF I has spoken to the local garage before bidding for the car to ask about the replacement of the turbo. They had priced up the job for the seller, but she decided not to have it done - she has a brand new Audi now, so I think she just wanted shot of this car with minimal expense. They said labour wise it would only be about 3 hours as the current turbo has not fallen apart so it would be a fairly straight-forward swap over. A sensor for the turbo would not be needed as this has just been changed in a cheaper attempt to fix the problem, the car has no current engine light on and the turbo still spools but performance is not as expected (this is from garage and seller - not yet collected)

My query is whether the garage may have just physically removed the DPF and not done a remap on the ECU - and the "confusion" of the DPF not being there is causing the turbo not to boost correctly.

I am going to phone garage again and try and work out how they removed DPF and if it sounds a bit suspect may drive the car for a few days, wait to see if EML comes back on and have codes read by another garage to help decide what to do next.

[jeebowhite]

What year is the motor? DPF wasnt really introduced to the Focus CMAX range, however if its just a CMAX (MK1.5) then you may have the DPF.

If the DPF is present, this may be playing a part, however if you have the Focus CMAX, you may have the same issue I had, which is a cracked intercooler intake pipe.

Whats the reg of the car? have you put it into ford etis? this will tell you what engine you have and specs, and can tell you if the car is euro IV or V compliant, or if it just meets the 2000 standards.

[Stroller133]

Thanks for the reply. It is a 54reg Focus C-Max ghia TDCi 2.0. It did have a DPF which was an optional extra as in 2004 there was company car tax reduction if engine met Euro 4 or 5 regs. I have already bought the car this week, it was sold declared as needing a new turbo and that the DPF had been physically removed, but not remapped.

[jeebowhite]

that ties in with what I was told by Ford (exceptional extra - makes sense I guess!)

so its possible the back pressure caused by the faulty / clogged DPF that could have caused turbo problems before the DPF was removed. The EML is most likely due to the sensors not picking up the right reading. The error should be visible through the trip computer, but if not it would otherwise be with an OBDII code reader. As such the car wont boost correctly as you say, its getting confused by the readings, and enters a reduced state to protect damage from occurring. You may find that a remap to remove the DPF and that might resolve all the issues.

A DPF removal / remap would normally cost up to £500, but if the innards have been removed, then you could get it for less as a remap alone, for around £250 - £350 maybe less with the right company.