Sprinter's DPF diesel particulate filter

Your Sprinter’s DPF or diesel particulate filter captures soot from the exhaust so you do not see black smoke puffing out of the exhaust as older diesels do. It holds onto & fills up with soot until it reaches a level where it must do a regeneration. During regeneration the engine computer causes the engine exhaust in the DPF to reach a very high temperature of around 1,200F which incinerates the soot. If incorrect engine oil is used (not 229.52), ash will build up inside the DPF and cannot be burned out. The DPF then clogs up & restricts exhaust flow. If ash content is too high, the only option is to replace the DPF. Another culprit is when a faulty temperature sensor, swirl flap motor, EGR valve or other running issue keeps the DPF from doing it’s regeneration. This causes the soot content to rise to a point that even if the original problem that kept it from doing a regeneration is fixed, it will not regenerate on it’s own. If not corrected the exhaust will have a severe restriction & will loose more & more power as it clogs up further. In those cases, we must connect diagnostic equipment up to the Sprinter & force a manual regeneration.