Hi guys. 

Not sure this is the right forum, bit new to this lol. This will be quite a read. 

 

So i bought this car last year pretty cheap for the commute to work, 60 mile round trip mainly motorways. Car run pretty well and got it fir cheap as the previous owner sold it with an eml on dash. 

After a quick scan the issue was MAF sensor, had a look under the bonnet and the maf was unplugged. Re scanned and fault gone. Car was running great back and forth work. Then i had an abs fault, changed the sensors and that sorted it. 

 

Other work i have done was new front bearings, drive shafts both side and ball joints. 

On the way back from work one day eml came on and after seeing my dad (bus mechanic) he plugged in his computer (delphi cars and trucks) and the fault was dpf. Try to do a static regen but it failed so he out some additive into the fuel and said to run it so it would do a forced regen. A few days back and forth work this wasnt happening so i got some of the spray foan cleaner, sprayed it directly into the dpf via the sensor pipe hole and followed the instructions. Car seemed to run fine and eml went off. The following day i was driving to work and there was a huge pop and loads of sparks from the rear. I pulled i to the hard shoulder and the dpf was glowing orange and all i could smell was buring along with a little smoke inside the car. I got recovered to my dads unit and the back of the dpf had blown out ots self some of the metal looked like it had melted. I continued to drive the car whilst i waited for payday as it was now running with the hole and back to original performance. Just a dtc for dpf pressure. 

 

I bought an aftermarket dpf and fitted this last week ready for the mot and reset the learned values, and then when i tried to do the static regen it failed, however the car was back to running as good as i bought it. 

 

The issue i have now is after about 10 miles of my journey i get a message in the middle of the instrument cluster saying 'engine malfunction service now' and the power falls off a cliff. When i get to work and turn the engine on and off the message go and there isnt an eml. When i get back in to drive it home, the same happens, power for about 8-10 miles, a little judder then it wont rev over 3k. 

There is no eml but i do get a few dtcs, one is relating to air flow too high, another is bank A exhaust fault and the other is dpf pressure too high or something along those lines. I delete them and the cycle starts again. 

Ive seen on forums about a reset/update regarding the MAF. I am also aware there could be a fault with the vapourizer. 

 

Is there anything else I should consider/check and dies anyone know what the reset is called. 

I really love the car. The engine does run a dream, the car its self is really nice to drive for its age and although its high milage (174k) id like to keep ot on the road. 

You have fitted a new DPF so the parameters should have been reset.
Always need to check vaporiser isn't blocked and glowplug is OK (plus fuses) and DPF pressure differential sensor for correct operation (1 kPa or less at idle and max  about 8 or so kPa at 3000 RPM?)
Also check all large diameter air inlet pipework for leaks at joints and rubber hoses etc?
Do need to report exact fault codes and read before turning off whilst faults are on as it looks like it's going into limp mode?

Also some after market DPFs never work correctly, see:

https://www.youtube.com/@ORileysAutos

 

Hi sorry for the long delay. 

 

I did reset parameters when i fitted it. 

 

As for the vaporiser the fuse sis good however I have no idea how im going to get to the vapourisor very difficult location.

Why not map out the DPF??

Got to be cheaper than keep throwing parts at it

Can you do this via fordscan? 

No, it has to be remapped out

When you look at reputable remap companies you will see they show additional options to go with your remap.

DPF delete and EGR delete are normally there

But if you just map them out, what other trouble can this cause?
If DPF mapped out without ripping out DPF core (MOT fail) it will simply clog up cos system doesn't know it is still there?
Unless I'm missing the point (genuine question)?
Jimmy, on this and other videos explains his views:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLSH9xmYasM

You can test vaporiser plug by disconnecting the pipe from pump to plug (best to plug the pipe to avoid any need to prime) and fit another pipe then blow through or use footpump/pressure pump  - it should NOT hold any pressure.
If there's any restriction, it is blocked and needs cleaning or perhaps better, if higher miles, renewing.
Glow plug resistance needs checking also (0.8-1.3 Ohms?) but if on the low end, again, change if fuse blows.
On S-MAX you have to remove a cross member to ease access but don't know about Focus, D'Oh!

 

I'm not going to tell you exactly what you do, obviously, but once it's mapped out it ignores all the sensors that are giving fault and bypasses the whole system

On 5/20/2025 at 4:17 PM, Shearers said:

But if you just map them out, what other trouble can this cause?
If DPF mapped out without ripping out DPF core (MOT fail) it will simply clog up cos system doesn't know it is still there?
Unless I'm missing the point (genuine question)?
Jimmy, on this and other videos explains his views:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLSH9xmYasM

You can test vaporiser plug by disconnecting the pipe from pump to plug (best to plug the pipe to avoid any need to prime) and fit another pipe then blow through or use footpump/pressure pump  - it should NOT hold any pressure.
If there's any restriction, it is blocked and needs cleaning or perhaps better, if higher miles, renewing.
Glow plug resistance needs checking also (0.8-1.3 Ohms?) but if on the low end, again, change if fuse blows.
On S-MAX you have to remove a cross member to ease access but don't know about Focus, D'Oh!

 

I think the idea with the dpf delete would be to take the dpf and use a tool to remove the actual filters and replace the dpf housing with all sensors and wires still attached.... Allegedly.... Not suggesting this should be done. 

 

I recently put the car in the air and it looks like its a similar process to the smax, but just seems like a bad design as it could easily have been moved 6 inches backwards done the same job and be accessible, for a part that will naturally get clogged. 

I didnt want to be removing structural parts but looks like its my only option. I may try to see if i can get in by the passenger wheel arch by removing the wheel arch plastics. 

 

Other than that... It may be daveT70s idea lol 

A DPF should only get clogged with ash once in a cars lifetime.  It doesn't need to be accessible if people drive them properly and buy the type of car that suits their needs, instead of choosing the one that looks pretty and then moaning that it won't regen on a 30 second school run.

23 minutes ago, TomsFocus said:

A DPF should only get clogged with ash once in a cars lifetime.  It doesn't need to be accessible if people drive them properly and buy the type of car that suits their needs, instead of choosing the one that looks pretty and then moaning that it won't regen on a 30 second school run.

So its the vaporiser thats the issue not the actual dpf. Which then is causing the dpf to not regen. 

 

Just so you know though, i bought the car as i travel 60+ miles a day on the motorway, not because it looks good. So in theory the car is specifically made for what I use it for..... Unfortunately parts fail and the dpf gets clogged. 

38 minutes ago, TomsFocus said:

A DPF should only get clogged with ash once in a cars lifetime. 

Agree, if properly used, maintained, being aware of fault codes and acting on them (DPF is usually victim of something else such a vaporiser, pressure sensor, clogged sensor pipes etc etc.)

If it is caught in time (I am watching for reducing mileage between regens which, to me would imply clogging with ash rather than burnable soot) it can be cleaned off the car and, unless damaged can work again.

12 minutes ago, Alex224 said:

So its the vaporiser thats the issue not the actual dpf. Which then is causing the dpf to not regen. 

YES! a very likely cause (had it at 80k) and can easily be tested as above (use Mityvac or cheap pressure/vacuum pump kit - also useful for many other things including priming fuel system)

DPF delete without removing the core (again, MOT fail in UK) IMHO will cause core to clog up causing multiple issues leading to engine failing to start due to back pressure.

Edit:

I note you had a replacement DPF and it appeared to block again soon after (should not need any forced regen - always to be avoided unless a last ditch attempt to fix due to high temperatures generated!)

All more evidence of a separate fault, vaporiser being vital to check along with pressure differential at idle and 3000 rev/min)?

Some after market DPFs  can't be made to work effectively - where did it come from?

33 minutes ago, Shearers said:

:

I note you had a replacement DPF and it appeared to block again soon after (should not need any forced regen - always to be avoided unless a last ditch attempt to fix due to high temperatures generated!)

So basically when you install a new dpf, the instructions state to run a forced regen. Which failed. 

The issue isnt that the dpf is blocked but its not allowing it to get to temperature ( the cars ecu does a cycled regen to maintain the soot load of the dpf) it just throws it into limp mode instead. 

I think its attempt to repair vaporiser and go from there. 

5 minutes ago, Alex224 said:

I think its attempt to repair vaporiser and go from there. 

Totally agree, check that first, let us know how you get on!:

Jimmy says:

You may need some heat on it and worst case scenario, if the thread gets chewed, a thread chaser (Amazon/eBay)
All mentioned on his other videos...

56 minutes ago, Alex224 said:

So its the vaporiser thats the issue not the actual dpf. Which then is causing the dpf to not regen. 

 

Just so you know though, i bought the car as i travel 60+ miles a day on the motorway, not because it looks good. So in theory the car is specifically made for what I use it for..... Unfortunately parts fail and the dpf gets clogged. 

The DPF is designed to catch soot, and then burn it at regular intervals.  Burning it leaves behind a tiny residue of ash.  Over time, that ash will build up, and mean a typical DPF needs to be removed for ash removal at around 100k-150k miles.  So only once in a cars lifetime, hence not needing to be easily accessible.  It should never need manual soot removal, that's the whole point of the regens.

I wasn't specifically meaning you there, your car has very high mileage, I would expect it to be full of ash by now.  People doing very short journeys and repeatedly failing regens will create DPF issues, but that isn't the cars fault.

10 minutes ago, TomsFocus said:

your car has very high mileage

I may be missing it but can't see where @Alex224 mentions the mileage on his 2012 (if that is correct profile info)

We are at 119k and whilst "in the zone" it still seems to be working well with acceptable pressures, soot readings, mileage between regens and performance.

2 minutes ago, Shearers said:

I may be missing it but can't see where @Alex224 mentions the mileage on his 2012 (if that is correct profile info)

We are at 119k and whilst "in the zone" it still seems to be working well with acceptable pressures, soot readings, mileage between regens and performance.

174k.  Right at the bottom of the first post...  Though I can't blame you for not making it that far!  

My own car (admittedly not a Ford) is also still on the original DPF at 113k.