[djdrivek]

hi guys, i bought my mazda6 143bhp at 62000 miles with the DPF light flashing fast. rookie error which i regret big time.
having said that we've got to 92450 miles now over just over 2 years later, had 2 trips to mazda garage for oil change and sefvice, and DPF reset, and the car runs great. BUT...only 2000 miles since last £130 trip to mazda...coming back from birmingham to portsmouth last night, it went into limp mode with no warning lights on dash, with 100 miles to go :-( wouldnt go in 6th due to lack of power, tried running in 4th to increase revs and clear out DPF, to no avail.

At M40/A34 junction, she came back to life just as i was getting off m40, great. then after 3 mins on A34 she went into limp again, DPF light started flashing medium speed compared to service warning fast flash, and engine warning light came on also.

limped home and now have the painful thought of calling mazda tomorrow morning to get it sorted. no other garage can touch the mazda ECU and DPF. it all stinks, i love our mazda6 when shes running great, but this is the last time it *ucks with me like this. at 9pm on a saturday night with my son on board...i dont want a car thats gonna let me down like this has.

What are your thoughts guys? what do you make of companies claiming DPF removal altogether? sounds too good to be true.

 

[slidey]

Plenty of normal garages have the software to work on Mazdas, my local garage does all the resets for me, you just need to ask them if they've got IDS/WDS Ford.Mazda based software.
You can new DPF units from ebay with a 2 year warranty for around £300 compared to Mazdas which will set you back £1200ish!!
You can have you DPF removed, but be careful, some firms claim they can delete files to stop the regen process, that will only work for a short time until your next service when the car has to be plugged in for the resets, when this happens the software will rewrite the missing files and your back to square one. The only way it can be done at the moment is with emulators which fool the ECU into thinking the DPF is fine.

Dave

 

[djdrivek]

Fed up.

thanks dave, although i gotta say i'm sick of a car that i cant fix or work on cheaply. my other car is a 1991 nova and i know i could take that to pieces, put it back together and not have to set foot inside a dealership or even garage!

Ebay DPF sounds good, do you have a picture of what it looks like under the car, cause i am an able home mechanic so if i can save fitting cost then i will. then i guess it'll just be a run to the mazda shop for a DPF reset.?.

i intend to fix it, them find a nice low mileage ford sierra or something!!! thank you for your advice though mate my mazda challenge isnt over just yet. marty.

 

[slidey]

Marty,like you this is my first car that i actually can't do all the work on, the only issue with the Mazda 6 is the software really, DPF problems are common on every diesel, non of them like short trips or low revs !!
You can't miss the DPF unit under the car, it's the long box with wires coming out of it,iirc it has 4 plugs on it.
I would ask a few of your local garages if they've got the software to reset the DPF system, my local non Mazda garage can do mine for me, saves me the silly labour charges at Mazda main dealers.

Dave

 

[djdrivek]

Legend Slidey.

ok dave many thanks for that.i'm not a massive fan of getting under the car, but needs must this time round. so in haynes manual "no. of spanners" terms, how easy is it to unplug this thing, unbolt it and check its pyhsical state please?and what about the oil strainer, is it worth checking that if DPF appears ok?had booked mazda into dealer today but think i'm gonna cancel that cause i think there appears to be cheaper options available at this point in time. many thanks to you for that.marty.

 

[slidey]

Marty it's fairly simple if you've got some ramps, it's just like replacing part of the exhaust, the DPF is bolted at either end to the exhaust, think you'll need some plus gas to help free the rusty bolts, might be worth heating them up if they're not for moving, and just unplug the sensors.
You can now buy DPF cleaning products, something like this should do the trick
DPF Cleaner Service Kit- 2 X DPF Flush 1000ml 1 X DPF Power Clean 375ml | eBay

You will need to get the system reset after the cleaning, again worth talking to your local garage.
The strainer is fairly simple job and always worth checking on higher mileage models, one of the first indications that you've got a pick up problem is the oil light flickers, but when you check the oil the level it's fine.
You'll need to remove the undertray, simple matter of undueing the bolts, then undue the 2 bolts that hold the 2 pipes that go under the sump, they can then be moved to one side ready for taking the sump off.The sump is bolted on and does'nt use a gasket, so you'll need some instant oil resistant gasket sealer.
When refitting the sump make sure the sealing lip is flat,if not it'll leak and you'll have to start over again!

Dave

 

[djdrivek]

slidey thats amazing info mate thanks. i will say that we've never had oil light illumination, and i really dont wanna be draining the oil i have to drop the sump, so will leave that job. But i do intend to have a go at removing the DPF from the exhaust, if needs be at my mates garage, and buying that cleaning agent and leave it to soak at home. then go back to the car on my drive, or mates garage and refit the original one. I really dont wanna set foot inside another mazda dealership ever...so am frantically searching the local garages for a DPF reset outside of mazda.
many thanks mate, feel a bit happier about the thing now.
marty.

 

[PaulR17]

Hello Marty,
I've added a thread yesterday describing pretty much the same problem as yours on the same model of Mazda 6, with 86,000 miles on. Only I've not had the warning lights on (yet!?).

Are you convinced it's the DPF? If you were coming back from Birmingham and had 100 miles to go, you must've already been on the motorway for an hour or so. Usually that should passively regenerate the DPF. If you have significant ash build up (the non combustable material rather than just soot) on the DPF that would be a permanent gas flow restriction and you'd probably have noticed the car trying to actively regenerate the DPF much more often recently if that's the case. You'd usually see this by higher fuel consumption for a while.

I've had the mass air flow sensor changed (due to error code indicating an intermittant fault) and had the fuel filter changed to no avail. We also carried out a static DPF regeneration to be sure. The car apparently runs perfectly well unless I do 30 mins on the motorway.

I'll be interested to know how you get on. I'll keep you updated with mine.
Paul

 

[djdrivek]

Deffo DPF

Hi paul, thanks for your input.
yea i'm fairly sure its DPF, and i had forgotten to mention, somewhat importantly, that my wife only got 34 mpg out of the last tank of fuel when she normally gets 38-40mpg ish. So my attention was raised last week. then friday it briefly went into limp then came back, drove 120 miles faultlessly to birmingham, but only about 20 miles coming home until the long drag down the M40. Got off at A34 and it came back to me for the roundabout, and first 3 mins of A34 before the DPF and engine lights came on.
I guess like any filter, it has been a gradual thing, it hadnt gone slow for months before last fri, but i guess that was a warning, and then d-day coming home with my 3 year old on board saturday night. bad times.
i'm gonna have a little look under the car tonight but with the damp weather as it is, it may not suit my back. had emails from Sinspeed and Avon Tuning both saying they can do a DPF removal if all else fails. Basically at this early stage, a trip to mazda dealership seems to be a massively expensive but not essential option.

marty over and out for now. cheers.

 

[djdrivek]

Latest

Hi guys, just a quick update, as i feared, i bottled out of jacking the car up and climbing underneath it last night. Did shine a torch under though and saw that the DPF assembly is pretty corroded, so if the inside is in as bad shape as the outside (but for a different reason obviously), the DPF has seen better days.
However, phoned a local garage this morning, asked if they dealt with DPF and they said yes, theyve had mixed success with them in the past but is becomming a more common problem theyre seeing come in. They have the diagnostics that will read and reset the ECU errors if necessary including the Ash one.
So i'm gonna drop it off there tonight. Best case, they find a dodgy sensor or something and replace that for all under £200. Worst case, they fit a DPF assembly that i supply them (£300), reset the pooter (£50), and charge me a days labour or something (£350).

My best DPF removal option has been Avon Tuning in Bristol, very helpful guy there on the email, but that option would involve me driving the car 100 miles more in limp mode to bristol. further risk of further damage.

Will keep you all posted. Marty.

 

[slidey]

Marty, i can help you and the garage on the resets, the info you need is on the link below

https://euroesi.mazda.co.jp/esicont/eu_eng/mazda3/20060311105619/html/id0116f1805100.html


also SYMPTOM DIAGNOSTIC INDEX

https://euroesi.mazda.co.jp/esicont/eu_eng/mazda3/20060311105619/html/id0103f1805100.html

some light reading for you lol

Dave

 

[djdrivek]

Todays latest 20/12/12.

Todays latest, garage rang me at 8.40am asking when the cambelt was changed last. 30,000 miles ago.
Cause theyre gonna plug it into bluetooth to their laptop in the workshop, and perform a forced regen. this will involve the engine running at 3000 revs for 15-20 mins i think.
no word since then though...very nervous :-( Is no news good news or bad, or have just not bothered to ring me at all???

 

[slidey]

Depending on how blocked the DPF is it can take upto 94 mins according to Mazdas service information, some info on the first link i posted above.

Dave

 

[djdrivek]

ok slidey and all, heres the latest...
the car is now DPF free and running like a rocket ship!!!
Now i know there are mixed opinions on this subject, so try not to beat me up if i'm explaining something you dont agree with. I looked under the car from my mates garage pitt, and didnt fancy attempting anything myself in a garage a mile away from my tools and garage. So i limped the car another 50 miles, and saw the guy.

He "seemed" to know his stuff, he took my DPF out the exhaust, and has fitted "Emulators" where necessary on temperature sensors and fuel feed sensor. I watched him plug in his laptop and was amazed at how much came up on the screen! Dear god, even our faulty elec windows were rectified by the pressing of a button on the laptop!! Its a bit further advanced than my 1982 mini thats for sure!!!

Drove the car home, 60 miles, and it drove faultlessly, and oh my god...so fast!!! I guess with that almighty brick of ceramic out of the exhaust...the engine is so much more efficient.

So net result, i got the best nights sleep i've had in weeks, and we are gonna keep the mazda as we do love it (when its running right!), and people say its a strong car once the DPF is removed.
Anyone wanna buy a 306 TD, as thats what i bought and sorted for my wife whilst the mazda been off the road! Crazy times.

Thanks for all your info guy, figured i oughta share my experience on the forum for people. I'm not gonna broadcast who did the job for me until i've given it a couple of weeks incase it goes pearshaped. But the guy assured me there will be no further elec DPF related issues with the car.

Happy days...for now.
Marty/Goose.

 

[hyperbole]

Congrats! I managed to get mine sorted today whilst keeping DPF unit (see other thread). But if this comes back again, I will be getting it removed.
I see what you mean by having the best nights sleep

 

[djdrivek]

DPF Removed Update

Hi all, just a quickie for you to say everything still running sweeeeeeeeeeeeeet with the mazda. if you wanna PM me i'll let you know who did the removal for me. A month, and 1500 miles later, and the car is still sweeeeeeeeeet.

cheers.
marty.

 

[stevedude]

DPF

Hiya, wont ya car fail the MOT with it removed?

 

[slidey]

No steve it won't as the DPF is'nt part of the test.

Dave

 

[stevedude]

No steve it won't as the DPF is'nt part of the test.

Dave

Oooooh now thats interesting
i must look into this

 

[wellsy]

hi slidey,
your a man who seems to know his stuff about DPF's. I have tried the resetting tips recommended on cdn.dk for my 57plate 6diesel estate as currently in limp mode.
A brief history; went to scotland fortnight ago after having service at local garage. Dpf and eml came on after running on cruise control for an hour. Took to dealer who put on diagnostics and 2 regens carried out (£150). But also identified 2 injectors needed re calibrating. On way home dpf and eml came on again after been on cruise for about an hour.

As said above have tried using rec'd tips to starting regen using wire to fuse box 3 or 4 times but nothing starts. Is this a matter of perseverence until process starts or is it time for a new dpf?

Heres hoping you or A N other can offer some helpful advice.

Wellsy