In order to reduce the effects of harmful diesel emissions on the environment diesel particulate filters are due to be fitted to cars in 2009. This is part of new emissions legislation, which aims to make these filters as common in diesel cars as catalytic converters are in petrol cars. The diesel particulate filters have been designed to reduce diesel soot emissions by up to eighty percent, which if effective would have a very positive impact on the environment. The filters work by trapping soot particles as they come through the exhaust, and collecting them so they are not released into the environment.
Similar to other types of filter the diesel particulate filters will work best when cleaned out regularly. With these filters the caught soot needs to be burnt off at a high temperature so that only a small amount of ash is left. This process can be carried out in two ways. The first is a passive process whereby the soot is burnt off due to the high temperatures in the exhaust when the car is driving at high speeds over a period of time. This would occur for example if the car were driven on the motorway for some time.
However because not all cars are driven in this manner there is also a process whereby the car’s engine management computer can handle the process. It has been designed so that when the filter is around 45 percent full the computer will send a signal to adjust the fuel injection timing so that temperature in the exhaust increases and the soot particles are burnt off. However if the car is being driving in a stop / start fashion for example through a town, then the exhaust may not reach temperatures hot enough to reduce the soot and that is when the warning light will become illuminated to indicate a partial blockage. When the light comes on, drivers should be able to fix the problem by driving their car at speeds of more than 40mph for around ten minutes or so, which would allow the exhaust to reach the temperatures necessary to burn off the soot.
If this process does not take place and the soot will continue to build up n the filter until it is around 75 percent full. At this point other warning lights will appear and the car will need to go back to the dealer’s garage to be fixed. This is because at around 75 percent full, increasing driving speed will not be sufficient to burn off the soot in the filter. If subsequent warning lights are ignored then the soot filter will become overloaded and could result in the need for a new diesel particulate filter, which is expensive. Considering how this process works drivers should think carefully about whether their style of driving is better suited to a diesel or petrol car. Luckily the diesel particulate filters should have not effects on other aspects of driving such as
Motor Insurance although if you car is producing fewer emissions you may be eligible for reduced car tax.
Rochelle Martinez, Freelance Web Content Article Writer for three years. Some of her articles are about
http://www.quinn-direct.com.
