The car was taken yesterday to my local BMW specialist.He was unable to regen the dpf as he suspects it is badly blocked.
I am unwilling to buy a new dpf and the mechanic says he can take the dpf off and clean it.He says it is a big job to remove the dpf as the engine mountings will need to be dropped., etc and has quoted me 6 hrs to do the job.

Is it a big job to remove the dpf from an E61 ?

Is there a thread showing how to remove it ?

 

Hi Tourer23
Sorry to hear you are having problems with your DPF.
Anzafin is extremey knowlegable on this subject and his thread may help you DIY maintenance for DPF. Good Luck.

 

Hi Tourer23.

According to the time estimation and the need to remove engine mounts, it seems that you have the newer DPF model, which locates in a same can with the catalytic converter right after the turbo.
In this case more job is actually needed than for the older big DPF can that locates on the bottom of a car. I'm not sure if it is really a six hour job, maybe 2-4 hours to remove it is closer.

- Antti -

 

Thanks for the last post.

I am also unable to open the thread on the previous post !!!

 

Anzafin
Is there a thread on dpf removal for my car ?

Is a dpf clean likely to solve the problem.I have heard that steam cleaning/pressure washing the dpf causes moisture insi de it and when put back on the car basically the dpf casing cracks because of the trapped moisture inside !!!!

 

It seems the link is bad.
This should work: https://5series.net/forums/topic/947...e-for-the-dpf/

That thread doesn't give you the advice how to remove the DPF model that you have, only the older one. But there is quite a lot other useful info.

- Antti -

edit: Washing the DPF doesn't make it crack. If any moisture is left inside, it will be vaporized in minutes after a startup.

 

I can search the instructions to remove the newer DPF from a TIS program. If I remember it right they're weren't very good though...

edit: Here's the instructions that TIS gives...

RA Removing and installing complete exhaust system (M57T2).pdf
RA Removing and installing_replacing diesel particulate filter (M57T2).pdf

The instructions tell to remove the whole exhaust, but I believe that you don't have to completely unmount it. Things just have to be loose enough to reach the DPF I think.
I hope these guides would help you or your mechanic.

- Antti -

 

Thanks for the replies.

Is cleaning the dpf a permanent fix or a temporary one ???

 

It depends on few things, like:
- how well you manage to clean it
- how you are able to keep it in condition in the future
--> short trips with a cold engine will get it blocked again
--> does the engine get hot enough to let the ECU start the DPF cleaning process (the condition of the thermostats)

It is impossible to say if the fix is a permanent fix or not. It's a filter, and all filters have a life cycle. With a wash you certainly can make the DPF live longer.

- Antti -