Long "Road Trip" Results in TD running better. DPF Cleaned?

Long "Road Trip" Results in TD running better. DPF Cleaned?

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MC Bodge

Original Poster:

21,660 posts

176 months

Tuesday 24th July 2012
quotequote all
I've just been on a 2500mile trip down to the Austrian Alps. It involved a fair bit of motorway driving, tootling around alpine village and some enthusiastic driving around some high passes. In Germany there were stretches of hard acceleration and flat-out driving whenever possible and cruising at around 90mph elsewhere.

I've noticed my previous cars giving better economy after such long trips, but this car (Mk4 Mondeo TDCI 140)now seems to have improved throttle response with the turbo appearing to be spooling up much more quickly than before.

Has anybody else experienced similar?

(Of course, there could be an element of placebo effect, having spent 2 weeks driving with a bit of weight in the car, but the car does seem to have more 'zing' than it had before the foreign trip)

My thoughts are that the exhaust and the DPF in particular have been given a good blow-through clean-out, which is now allowing better gas-flow, improving responsiveness.

If this is true, then even my 12 mile motorway commute (the shortest distance the car travels) and trips of around 100miles are presumably not enough to keep the DPF 'clean', although I've never knowingly experienced a re-gen.

It could also suggest that reducing pressure drop in the fairly small standard inlet pipe and exhaust (obviously leaving the DPF in place) could improve throttle response further.



Edited by MC Bodge on Tuesday 24th July 22:37

one eyed mick

1,189 posts

162 months

Wednesday 25th July 2012
quotequote all
My personal op is that continental deisel is better spec than gb stuff have noticied similar gains over the last 20 years in France ,probably wrong as usual but still my op

vetrof

2,488 posts

174 months

Wednesday 25th July 2012
quotequote all
Not sure if the Mk4 has the same EGR setup as my Mk3, but it may well have cleaned out all the soot from the inlet maifold.

Is there a noticable lessening of the black cloud from the exhaust when you accelerate hard?

When I bought my car the first thing I did was take it off a clean it up. Ran better immediately.


MC Bodge

Original Poster:

21,660 posts

176 months

Wednesday 25th July 2012
quotequote all
Interesting idea about the French diesel. I filled up with BP in the UK, topped up with Shell in Germany, used Shell again around Austria and added a tank full of Total in France. All we standard diesel rather than super-dooper versions.

Does anybody know if there is a real difference in 'foreign' diesel?

The EGR is better in the Mk4 than in the Mk3. My Mk4 was nowhere near as dirty as my Mk3 (which I disabled after cleaning).



Edited by MC Bodge on Thursday 26th July 13:44