Why Do Diesels Need a Particulate Filter?

Owners of other vehicles often derisively call diesel trucks "tractors" and their drivers "tractor operators." However, unlike actual tractors, which typically work in fields where only birds and hares suffer from their engine soot, trucks and buses share the same roads as everyone else, including city streets. The issue of harmful emissions has become more pressing each year as the number of vehicles steadily increases. Successive Euro standards were introduced, becoming stricter each time. Since 2005, Euro-4 regulations have mandated DPFs on all diesel engines.
Diesel fuel ignites through compression rather than a spark, meaning it does not require high temperatures. While this improves diesel efficiency by conserving energy, it also prevents hydrocarbons from burning completely. While hydrogen, being more chemically reactive, burns fully, carbon faces challenges, forming bonds to create soot crystals.
Although soot constitutes only about 1% of diesel emissions, it has significant consequences. Firstly, it creates a striking visual effect—the "black cloud" that makes a truck resemble a tractor. Secondly, it severely pollutes the air, causing various health issues, including cancer. Environmentalists could not ignore the problem, leading to the development of the Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF).
Unlike other filters designed for vehicles, the DPF not only cleans emissions as they exit the engine, but it does so in a unique way. The catalytic converter, for example, also neutralizes gases, but it does so continuously and evenly. The DPF, on the other hand, first accumulates soot in its cells and only later burns it off. It is precisely with this final procedure that problems often arise.

DPF System Problems

Despite the thoughtfulness of DPF regeneration systems, activation is not always feasible due to unfavorable conditions. When the engine control unit (ECU) detects the need for self-cleaning, it increases fuel delivery, leading to additional costs and potential contamination of engine oil.For commercial transport, this situation results not only in inconvenience but also in lost revenue, especially if the DPF becomes completely clogged and immobilizes the vehicle. Owners are left with three options:1. Replace the DPF with a new one.2. Remove the DPF and reprogram the vehicle to meet lower Euro standards.3. Clean the DPF.
The first option is often prohibitively expensive, with new filters costing $20,000 or more—much higher than the DPF cleaning machine price of systems like the MS900. Using substitutes or second-hand DPFs is not cost-effective as they offer no guarantees.
Removing the filter may only be a solution if the vehicle does not require technical inspections or is not used for international transportation. However, under European laws, reducing environmental standards is a crime. Although the EU temporarily allows Euro-3 trucks registered in Ukraine to operate during the war, this applies only to vehicles manufactured before 2005. Furthermore, certain countries and regions restrict access for vehicles below Euro-4 or Euro-5 standards, with Austria even requiring Euro-6 compliance in some areas. Violators face fines and mandatory corrective measures or must tow the vehicle home.This leaves cleaning as the only viable option.

How to Properly Clean Truck DPFs

Passenger vehicles often use chemical solutions for DPF cleaning without removing the filter. However, for large commercial engines, determining the correct quantity of such agents is challenging, and the process may resemble a minor environmental disaster. Moreover, chemical cleaning results are difficult to verify, increasing the risk of vehicle downtime and financial losses.
Fortunately, there is professional DPF cleaning equipment for sale, such as the MS900, offering reliable solutions. For example, the MS900 stand is specifically designed to clean various filter types—DPF, FAP, GPF—as well as catalytic converters. This equipment performs effective DPF hydro cleaning using compressed air and water (or other methods if oil residues are present), ensuring minimal environmental impact.
The MS900 is designed for heavy-duty use, capable of cleaning thousands of DPFs, making it an ideal solution for commercial garages.
The MS900 system consists of three modules that:● Diagnose the problem and determine the level of DPF blockage.● Thoroughly clean all filter cells and channels.● Inspect the filter's final condition.● Dry and prepare the filter for reinstallation.
The MS900 stands out for its efficiency as a fast cleaning DPF machine, offering a streamlined cleaning process that completes within 2–3 hours, depending on the vehicle model.This system not only helps commercial vehicle owners avoid downtime and unnecessary expenses on new filters but also enables transportation companies to start a profitable DPF cleaning business. Installing a reliable DPF machine like the MS900 in their garages enables operators to clean their own vehicles' DPFs while also offering diesel particulate filter cleaning services as a business. Such a high-quality and fast procedure is always in demand.

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