DPF Question

[neil w]

I am about to buy a CDTI 150 vectra (either new or no more than a year old) and am reading and hearing some bad reports about inlet maniflods, swirl valves and DPFs, so I was wondering

1/ Has the inlet manifold/swirl valve problem been cured on later cars ?

2/ is it possible to remove the DPF altogether from the exhaust system (in the way a de cat pipe would work)?

3/ I would want to go for a remap up to 180 ish BHP and greater torque, is the gearbox man enough for the additional Torque ?

Thanks Neil

[Big-Pete]

Hi Neil,
I think You'll only get a dpf if you buy an estate or signum.. The gearbox will handle the increase from a remap with ease and i think the dpf has sensors on it, so if you remove it you may need to short out the sensor in some way or install the sensor into the new pipe.. as for the swirlpot / manifold i have no idea, but it didn't stop me ordering a new car or remapping it even though its now only done 514 miles... thats what warranty is for

[Duncan]

If it's an auto 1.9, it'll have a DPF - even in the Vectra.

As for removing it, as Pete said it's linked up to sensors so you can't remove the DPF without being able to tell the car that it hasn't got a DPF any more.

Now this could be something that's possible. You can actually retro-fit a DPF (why you would want to is beyond me), as long as the car is specced to have the attaching points from new. So you can obviously tell the car that it has had a DPF attached, so you must be able to do the reverse. The DPF is part of the cat assembly, so not sure if you can just remove the DPF, or if you'd need to decat it too, or just get the front section from a 1.9 that didn't have the cat - i.e. what's on a manual Vec.

[neil w]

So the manual cars do not have the DPF fited then?, it is a manual car I want to buy anyway so hopefully this will not be an issue for me

[Duncan]

Not the manual 1.9 hatchback/saloon. If it's a manual 1.9 estate or Signum, then yes it will, as will the auto 1.9 on the hatch/saloon.

[shan]

i think even if you did remove the DPF and got the car to accept it.
It will give you emissions issue's at MOT time.
A remap or tuning box will achive 180 bhp no problem and i'm sure the gearbox will take it.

[Ste]

It will give you emissions issue's at MOT time.

Unlikely, as the MOT test for diesels is to free accelerate the engine from low to high idle, and see if you can still see the other side of the workshop through the smoke.


Ethics of removing an emission cleaning device? now that's a different story.

[neil w]

Ethics of removing an emission cleaning device? now that's a different story.

When all the smokey old buses, lorries and local authority vehicle are off the roads, I will start to fell a pang of concience for thinking about removing a device that is costly to replace, increases fuel consumption,strangles perfomance and engine efficiency, seems to give problems for ownwers, and is there as a result of an EU directive made to satisfy a bunch of "greenies" who want to tax us off the roads

But there again I mourned the demise of two stroke motor bikes a few years ago


As an aside is the vectra Galvanised ? just wondered because VX are only offering a 6 year anti perforation warranty

[scottyd]

smokey old buses where? lol you'll love your 150cdt mate

[Ste]

Our own little bit adds up if everyone does it.