W204 C250 - DPF Pressure Sensor Fault

[dj0nes]

Hi Guys,

I'm new here
I've been lurking for a bit but I am in need of a bit of advice so I thought I'd drop a quick post.

My Car: 2010 Mercedes C250 W204 - 75k FMBSH - Mainly do short trips as of late (Which I know it not good for a diesel)

So, I've done a quick search through old posts and I saw a couple of threads relating to my issue but no where near as many as I thought I would as apparently it's quite a common problem. And none which actually tells me where the sensor is.

Basically my issue is my car will put itself into safe mode it done it once about four months ago I restarted the car and it was fine ever since so I classed it as a one off however as of yesterday it's a reoccurring problem.
I took it to a local indie who scanned it with a Snapon tool and it's come up with P2454 which is the DPF sensor.

From research I understand it could be the pipes connecting to it which are either broken or clogged or of course the sensor itself, at a cost of just £50 I might as well just replace the sensor.

I was wondering if anyone could kindly point me in the right direction as to where it would be on my car? I've heard lots of different locations which I am guessing is down to people having different engine variants.

Also, the indie quoted me £160 to fit and 'calibrate' it.. Is he trying to go in without lube on me with this one as from what I understand it's a simple case of plugging in and clearing the fault codes - which I can do with my basic OBD2 scanner.

Thanks!

 

[CowleyStJames]

In my case, 2010 W204 C220, it was replaced along with pipes being cleaned through.
The car was then set on a forced regen using Star.
Also had oil change, £185 all in using genuine Mercedes parts.

 

[dj0nes]

I'm definitely getting shafted then seeing as that £160 doesn't include either the part or oil and filter.
I've found the sensor, bit of a tight squeeze though due to my Fred Flintstone like hands but it looks relatively straight forward.

My DPF regenerated itself 300 miles ago so for me hopefully it should be just a case of swapping the sensor.

 

[paul73mt]

where are you based dj0nes??

 

[dj0nes]

Hiya, I'm based in Kingston upon Thames. SW London.

 

[paul73mt]

Hiya, I'm based in Kingston upon Thames. SW London.

shame I'm in Essex if you was local you could of used my star equipment

 

[BlackC55]

It is best to calibrate the DPF system after fitting. Not essential though.

 

[Haven't a clue!]

Hi, can you advise how to gain info on when DPF has last regenerated? Within disinformation?
I'd assumed system automatically assessed whenever car has run over 30 miles at operating temperature?
Cheers, Tony

 

[mj1857]

In my case, 2010 W204 C220, it was replaced along with pipes being cleaned through.
The car was then set on a forced regen using Star.
Also had oil change, £185 all in using genuine Mercedes parts.

Where did you get this done from? Merc or someone else?

 

[Misu]

In my case, 2010 W204 C220, it was replaced along with pipes being cleaned through.
The car was then set on a forced regen using Star.
Also had oil change, £185 all in using genuine Mercedes parts.

Hi James,
I am a MB C 200 CDI W204 owner, and also have this issue with the DPF particulate filter and pressure sensor. Can you please help me identify where is the pressure sensor positioned under the hood? I put a Star tester on the car and find out that I have problems with the DPF, I tried to force a regeneration of the filter but it didn't start so I am guessing that it was either because of the faulty sensor or because of the big values of the soot inside the filter. Changing the DPF is out of discussion based on the price. Cleaning it is also not really viable because I heard that it can get easily full with soot fast, so I hope that changing the sensor will allow the car to try a regeneration and hopefully I will solve this issue in a cheaper and fast way.
Thanks in advance.

 

[grober]

You are looking for two metal pipes leading up from the DPF towards the top of the engine changing to two flexible black hoses leading to the differential pressure sensor unit

yo

 

[Misu]

You are looking for two metal pipes leading up from the DPF towards the top of the engine changing to two flexible black hoses leading to the differential pressure sensor unit

yo

Hi grober,
Thanks a lot for the fast reply. I opened the hood last night and I think I found the sensor. I didn't had battery on my phone to use the flash and take a picture. Is somehow right between the engine and the chassis.
But I see that you have the same engine as mine. I don't know your year (mine is 2009) but I will tell you my story maybe you can help me with a more precise advice.

I changed the air/diesel/oil/cabin filters, engine oil, and the 3 mounts (2 for the engine and one for the transmission) because of a disturbing vibration. I was happy after the job. This happened on friday before easter. I made a 600 km trip during that weekend and then returned home. Nothing suspicious. On the next thursday, I took the car to go for shopping, and when I started the engine, "Check engine" warning light appeared in my dashboard. I went to a friend with some aftermarket tester, and read the errors from the car. It seems I have the following: "P244B - Diesel particulate filter differential pressure" and "P2463 - Soot content of diese particulate filter, too high". My friend cleared the alarms and went for a run with the car. The warning light stayed off but the car acted as if it is in limp mode: car's throttle was dead, it barely accelerates and the gears are shifted at less than 2000 rmp, if I choose comfort/sport option for the gearbox there is no difference. I got panicked and my friend sent me to another guy with a Star testing equipment, specific for Mercedes autos. He tried to force the car into making a regeneration but it couldn't and he told me that it's either a problem of the pressure sensor, or that the DPF is clogged in which case I need to take it out and clean it in some specialized shops, eliminate the filter (I don't want to do it) or replace the filter with a new or second hand one, option that I eliminate because of the huge prices of them. First thought was to buy a new sensor and see if the car will perform the regeneration process. But last night after reading lots of forums and other persons experiences, I also found a better explanation of the P244B error which says: P244B - Diesel Particulate Filter Differential Pressure Too High Bank 1. Based on this I understand that the pressure sensor is not faulty at all but stating that the second error code is also correct and because of the fact that the DPF is clogged with soot, the sensor detects a high pressure in the filter. Now I changed my mind on buying a new sensor and found out that I might be able to force a regeneration of the filter if I raised the engine to 90 degrees (I guess that this means the temperature of the water on dashboard) and go for a 20-30 minutes ride with the acceleration between 80 - 112 km/h (50-70 mph). Others say to also keep the rpms up to 2500-3000 in 3rd gear... I don't know which is the correct way to do it.

Do you grober, or anybody else knows how to do this? Force a regeneration for the DPF?
Thanks a lot guys.

 

[grober]

Forced DPF Regeneration
I believe an experienced MB Tech with Star in developer mode can force a static regeneration of the DPF. That said its only going to work if there are no other faults on the car or the DPF isn't too far gone. [ Basically the DPF is brought up to operating temperature and extra fuel injected to burn off the accumulated soot] The 600Km trip you describe should have easily met the normal criteria for a DPF regen while driving. However if there is an underlying fault it won't happen. The cheapest approach is still to renew that differential pressure sensor and to check those tubes connecting it to the DPF are clear-particularly the flexibles.

 

[Misu]

I will search for a differential pressure sensor and go to a service with it, to change it and inspect the tubes connecting it to the DPF. Maybe indeed even if the symptoms are clear that the DPF is clogged, the sensor is also faulty and it's renewal will allow a regeneration of the DPF and solve this issue as cheap as possible.
Thanks a lot Grober.

 

[gandalf64dave]

You are looking for two metal pipes leading up from the DPF towards the top of the engine changing to two flexible black hoses leading to the differential pressure sensor unit

yo

Was the sensor under air filter box

 

[HITECH]

Just to clarify guys. Stop pissing about asking about calibrations etc etc and complicating the matter. More often than not your car will not re-generate the DPF if there is a single error of any sort in the ECU. When you get a DPF high content fault i have found that the reason for it is that because the DPF sensor has gone faulty it kicks up the error code which in turn also stops any re-generation process. You do not have to calibrate a new DPF sensor. As far as the hoses go going to the dpf sensor being clogged.... Most likely they will have soot in them ofcourse from the DPF but majority of the time it does not restrict a pressure reading to the DPF sensor.

My advice is simply change your DPF sensor and have a forced re-generation done. It can only be done AFTER deleting all error codes so if you get a garage saying its too full and that it can not do a re-gen thats rubbish. Even if it is full you can still do a re-gen and if an indie garage cant its because they dont have the hardware/software to do it. Do you need the infamous STAR to do it ?? NOOOOOOOOOOOOO !!! To stop your DPF sensor going faulty again have your DPF force re-genned at least twice a year. I do it for a few customers since they had hassles with the dealers and they come back to me regularly every year to get it done and i do a full check on the emmisions side of things for them. These pesky DPF's and sensors are every motorists nightmare !

 

[gandalf64dave]

Just to clarify guys. Stop pissing about asking about calibrations etc etc and complicating the matter. More often than not your car will not re-generate the DPF if there is a single error of any sort in the ECU. When you get a DPF high content fault i have found that the reason for it is that because the DPF sensor has gone faulty it kicks up the error code which in turn also stops any re-generation process. You do not have to calibrate a new DPF sensor. As far as the hoses go going to the dpf sensor being clogged.... Most likely they will have soot in them ofcourse from the DPF but majority of the time it does not restrict a pressure reading to the DPF sensor.

My advice is simply change your DPF sensor and have a forced re-generation done. It can only be done AFTER deleting all error codes so if you get a garage saying its too full and that it can not do a re-gen thats rubbish. Even if it is full you can still do a re-gen and if an indie garage cant its because they dont have the hardware/software to do it. Do you need the infamous STAR to do it ?? NOOOOOOOOOOOOO !!! To stop your DPF sensor going faulty again have your DPF force re-genned at least twice a year. I do it for a few customers since they had hassles with the dealers and they come back to me regularly every year to get it done and i do a full check on the emmisions side of things for them. These pesky DPF's and sensors are every motorists nightmare !

Cheers

 

[Pels13]

Hi guys, just a quick one. I own a c220 cdi 2011. I came back from holidays and the car is throwing fault p245414, differential pressure sensor.
shall i just order one from Merc as I have located and found the part number or there is something else that I can check prior?
Part cost £65 but I’ve seen a Merc video that it says might be the wiring harness?
Any ideas more than welcome.
Cheers

 

[Pels13]

And last question, does this fault result no rev limitation jus after 3k?
that is really strange on.

 

[HITECH]

are you saying the revs ARE not limited to 3000 and you can rev as normal up past it during driving? But it has major loss of power?

And last question, does this fault result no rev limitation jus after 3k?
that is really strange on.