Hi everyone.

i was wondering if anyone can help me. Basically, my car was having some dpf issues with an engine management light on and wouldn’t regenerate to the point that it went into limp mode on the m25 during an attempted regeneration. My car had to be left at a rac approved garage where they cleaned the dpf out by doing a forced regeneration after cleaning a pressure sensor etc on it. The dpf got cleared out of the soot and all was fine. I was driving home and after about an hours driving, a message popped up on my dashboard saying engine malfunction service now with an orange box with an ‘i’ Inside it, but there wasn’t an engine management light on. Would this be to do with the dpf issue or maybe a code that wasn’t deleted? Or something else? Bearing in mind the light and message came up after approximately an hours worth of driving. 

Also, I had recently changed fuel to a higher performance diesel than before and had put a dpf regenerAtor in the fuel tank. I have a 13 plate Ford Focus tdci 1.6 diesel eco boost.

many thanks

rhys

You really need to know DTC (error code) has triggered the warning light (as a starting point to diagnose it).

If you don't want to pay a garage for them to plug your car into a computer to read it off you have the option of purchasing a modified ELM cable and some free software called Forscan.  There is plenty of info regarding this option to be found within the Forum if you're interested, it also allows you to do a lot more than this so you potentially have future value out of your purchase.  @Tdci-Peter has a really useful standard "blurb" that has been used a few times regarding the above option.

21 hours ago, Rhyshewer said:

I was driving home and after about an hours driving, a message popped up on my dashboard saying engine malfunction service now with an orange box with an ‘i’ Inside it, but there wasn’t an engine management light on. Would this be to do with the dpf issue or maybe a code that wasn’t deleted? Or something else?

I see it is a Mk3 Focus, so it should have the cDPF (coated DPF), not the old one that needed the EOLYS additive. There are a lot less problems reported with the cDPF system.

However the same basic principles apply. If something goes wrong and the DPF can not get hot enough to regen, then there can be a build-up of soot in it. A forced regen (which Forscan should be able to do) can burn off the excess soot, but the underlying problem has to be located and fixed. Hoses to the DPF DP (pressure) sensor always used to be a frequent cause of trouble. I do not know if the garage properly checked these. A lot of short, slow runs is another cause, but most cars warn you, requesting a decent run, these days as the measured blockage increases.

However, ash can also bock DPFs. This can not be burnt out in any type of regen. It may be possible to wash some of it out, but usually it means the DPF has reached the end of its life. All fuel contains a trace of ash, and additives will also generate some ash. So this sets an upper limit to DPF mileage.

As Damian says, the code(s) stored might give a better clue. If a code had not been deleted, then it is likely the error would have come back almost straight away. So I suspect either a problem with the DP system (hoses, sensor and wiring), or ash build-up. However it could be an entirely unrelated problem, the code(s) would reveal that.

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My standard intro to Forscan has not appeared for a while now, so I will add it here:

Forscan is a powerful Ford specific system, Cost is about £16.00 for the interface. It needs a computer of some sort. (COM port, USB, Bluetooth or WiFi interfaces available). You will find a lot about ELM327 & Forscan on this site, which together provide a very comprehensive diagnosis & maintenance tool. James (jeebowhite) has done a nice guide:
https://www.fordownersclub.com/applications/core/interface/file/attachment.php?id=58645

The Tunnelrat ELM327s have been reported to work well by several people, and are stated to be compatible with Forscan:

https://tunnelrat-electronics.fwscart.com/

Forscan works best on a Windows laptop, with a USB ELM.  Forscan is also available for iOS & Android for some tablets & phones, using USB if available, or Bluetooth or WiFi ELMs. But there are some limitations.

Wireless ELMs are often not as reliable as the wired ones. Also they are rarer in the "modified" form which is needed to access the 2nd Ford bus system. This 2nd bus is the MS-CAN bus, and links all the car interior electronics like door modules, and the BCM (aka GEM). But a standard ELM will still work with all the Underbonnet Modules (PCM, ABS etc) and with the IC (Instrument Cluster).

The Forscan programme is free (in Windows format) and you can get it from:
http://forscan.org/download.html

Note: Simply reading the codes can do no harm, and does not change anything. Just do not reset the codes (and you would have to ask the scanner to do this) if you are going to take the car to a garage.