P242F00 Ash content of diesel particulate filter is not OK

Had a regular service on my sprinter (2010 model with OM-651 engine) done, running fine. Van has 170K miles and has spent its life on long journeys, the freeway mainly.

The paperwork from the dealer shows:

P242F00 Ash content of diesel particulate filter is not OK

the more detailed reports form Control Unit:CRD2_NFZ shows the following:

3100 Fill level of diesel particulate filter 18.8%
3100 Soot content of diesel particulate filter 0.8 g/l (the specification calls for <8.0)
3105 Ash content of diesel particulate filter 8.7 g/l (the specification calls for <9.0)

From what I understand the regeneration of DPF is working fine as the soot level is low, but the ash level is nearly full, and this means a new DPF soon. The fact that regeneration is working well mean trying force a regeneration/cleaning wont make any differeance, as the ash will remain. This makes sense as the van lives on the freeway.

Have I understood this right?

If I have, how will I know, the DPF really needs changing? Will my van go into limp mode, when I am thousands of miles from home... Or will I get some warning that it is time to replace the DPF.

thanks!

racerx,
Are you sure you have the OM-651 2.143 liter 4 cylinder engine (2 stage turbocharged) in your 2010 Sprinter?
The OM-651 engine was not approve and not imported into the USA until 2014 (I have one of the first).
Perhaps you meant the OM-642 3.0 liter turbo V6?
I would have an authorized MB Sprinter commercial dealer force a regeneration and then have a look at the
levels in the DPF.
It could be filling up, but then again it could be a false positive due to how they ran the test or calibration of the
test setup.
Also, how often do you run your OM-642 3.0 liter V6 engine up in the most efficient and best fuel mileage (when
pulling hard uphill) of 2700-3200 RPM?
If you run around @ < 2400 RPM most of the time, and never climb any hills your DPF may not be running hot
enough on the regenerations to really clean it out.
You need lots of temperature and lots of flow to really clean out the ash and burn off the soot.
Might want to look into a ScanGauge II or similar OBD-II performance monitoring device so you can monitor
a number or engine parameters and learn to drive your Sprinter in a more efficient and fuel saving mode that
will help the longevity of your DPF/SCR system and other emissions controls.
If your run a too low RPM and too high % engine Load, you get neither the temperature or the flow needed to
keep your DPF/SCR system working optimally.
Roger

Racerx,

Send Sailquik a PM with your VIN and an email address and ask him to pull your build card which will give the full spec of your Sprinter as it was built. It gives a lot of very useful info.

Keith.

sailquik said:

racerx,
Are you sure you have the OM-651 2.143 liter 4 cylinder engine (2 stage turbocharged) in your 2010 Sprinter?
The OM-651 engine was not approve and not imported into the USA until 2014 (I have one of the first).

....

I would have an authorized MB Sprinter commercial dealer force a regeneration and then have a look at the
levels in the DPF.

Click to expand...

It's an OM-651 its not been to USA yet, its still in the europe.

The regeneration is working well, the report from the dealer shows the last regeneration was 60miles prior to the service, it shows the overall fill level at 18.8%, and soot level very low, less than 10% of specified limit. But it of course shows the code about the ash limit. The dealer suggested just keep driving it.

I understood the soot is turned into other gasses and some residual ash when a regeneration occurs, leaving a small amount of ash behind. This ash builds up overtime and hence the filter needs to be replaced when the ash level gets to a certain limit. That's my understanding anyway which could be a bit out...

The van runs like a freight train, so I am loathe to fix something that ain't broke...

I would like to know what happens to van when the ash level goes over a certain point? Will it go into limp mode, refuse to start, will I get a warning, especially given that regeneration and removal of soot seems to be working?

racerx said:

The van runs like a freight train, so I am loathe to fix something that ain't broke...

Click to expand...

That is the way I would look at it. If the vehicle runs well and there are no other problems or codes I wouldn't replace the DPF solely on the basis of the ash computation. My expectation is that when or if there arrives a real problem you'll get other indications (perhaps codes related to excessive backpressure) that should clue you to an actual vs. theoretical problem, and I doubt these would strand you unless you ignored them for an extended period of time. The ash reading may be a leading indicator of a future problem but one that could still be quite a ways away in terms of miles.


.

Guys, I have a similer problem . I have a 08 2500 . Last summer drove into western Wyo.
1300 mile rt As we were leaving Wyo. the van went into LHM I finally pulled off the road . My wife got out to look at exhaust. I reved engine up and down for a min. then this giant cloud of black smoke came out to the extent that a firefighter pulled over and thought the van was on fire . About that time it belched out this cloud of White smoke and then it ran clear, I got out and examined the tail pipe and it was coated with this white cottage cheese like goop. Does anybody know what this is ?? Van ran fine for a while then another LHM . Runs good again when I pull over , shut down and restart. The codes it dissplayed on a borrowed scanner were :
PO420 ( cat sys efficiancy below threshold )
101 ( mass air circuit range perform prob.)
299
P 2430
When I checked with my new ScanGauge 2 I don't get any codes.
Can anybody help me with this mess ? Frank Mc

Smiller,

I see in an earlier thread you have Autel MD802, and from that post this would allow me to keep an eye on the ash and soot level, and the regen cycle perhaps giving me some idea?

racerx said:

I see in an earlier thread you have Autel MD802, and from that post this would allow me to keep an eye on the ash and soot level, and the regen cycle perhaps giving me some idea?

Click to expand...

Yes, an Autel MD802 will display DPF parameters including soot and ash loading. It is not bidirectional so it is not able to command a manual DPF regeneration (that would require a more sophisticated and expensive tool), but for $250 it's a bargain for a unidirectional tool that covers most MB proprietary PIDs/codes and modules.

Another thing you can do is purchase a Scanguage or Ultragauge. These are real-time programmable displays that can indicate any number of operating parameters, including whether a regen is in progress so you can see how often they are occurring and also allows you to avoid stopping a regen in progress.

racerx said:

Smiller,

I see in an earlier thread you have Autel MD802, and from that post this would allow me to keep an eye on the ash and soot level, and the regen cycle perhaps giving me some idea?

Click to expand...

The MD802 will show the distance traveled since the last successful regen, and it will show whether a regen is active while driving if you have it plugged in while driving. The "handheld" shape, though, is not very convenient for use while driving, unless you have a copilot to hold the unit. You could plug in it periodically after driving and confirm that regens are still getting done, by checking the mileage since last regen.

It will also show the % of ash fill, which presumably will be the same or slightly more than what the dealer told you.

BobLLL said:

The MD802 will show the distance traveled since the last successful regen, and it will show whether a regen is active while driving if you have it plugged in while driving. The "handheld" shape, though, is not very convenient for use while driving, unless you have a copilot to hold the unit. You could plug in it periodically after driving and confirm that regens are still getting done, by checking the mileage since last regen.

It will also show the % of ash fill, which presumably will be the same or slightly more than what the dealer told you.

Click to expand...

Yes indeed, an MD802 or other scan tool wouldn't be very practical (or even safe) for constant use while driving. That's what the Scangauge is for.

I also have a scangauge. I was just providing info about the MD802 to answer his question of what that tool would show, so he can make his own decision as to what he wants to get.

Thank's all very helpful. Still interested to know if the ash content is just a WARNING, or if its an ERROR. i.e. if the ash content is above a certain level (enough to trigger the code), yet the soot level low and the filter is only 20% full (i.e. my sprinter) will the vehicle go into limp mode or refuse to start etc.