[nicklockard]

Hello,

my '09 has a failed DPF.

Has anyone successfully transplanted a lightly used DPF, and if so, how hard was it?

I am unable to do the 'alphabet delete' method since

• I live in Phoenix AZ which has emissions testing

[BB_cuda]

Talk to Greck. He had a situation where soot was getting past his old DPF. He got a used one and it seemed to fix his problem.

[335stoner]

dont know what they cost new... but this does not seem too bad??

http://www.ebay.com/itm/BMW-OEM-E90-...dYD6wF&vxp=mtr

[TDIwyse]

Originally Posted by nicklockard

...
Has anyone successfully transplanted a lightly used DPF, and if so, how hard was it?
...

Oh boy. You'll get to experience the joy of removing all those sensors, removing the passanger motor mount, and pulling that pig out of the birthing canal. And then putting it back :-)

This is a time consuming and unpleasant experience (at least it was for me, and I pulled it twice and re-installed once).

I'd suggest reading some of the DPF delete threads for advice/techniques. And plan on some frustration and road blocks and plenty of time.

I think BB_Cuda is fresh from this task. Maybe he has some contributions/links he can post to help?

[caraudio1]

I've got a good used one that came off of a 2011 w/50K miles. Let me know if you are interested.

[blowinsmoke]

I have one with 45k off an 09. I would need your old one

[BB_cuda]

I got a used one from a forum member for $300. He did the deletes and didn't need it.
The legendary DPF delete thread is where we all sort of figured it out together. I'll paste that in but you can search by the thread originator (Puerto Rican 335d) and find it pretty easily.
http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=904968

Here goes:
I have to say if you're not up to this, please pay a professional. Also, please don't crush yourself with the engine. You (not I) have to own how you support the engine as well as how you jack it up. I'm not responsible for injury if you follow my entry below. This is only considered advice. Please be safe!!!

Take pictures of things before disassembly if you don't think you can recall how things fit together. I mention special tools from time to time and the need to replace the bolts that are stretch bolts holding the motor mount bracket to engine block.
Before putting car on stands or lift, loosen the right front lug bolts as this tire will need to come off.
On stands and up a pretty good height, pull the RF tire
Remove the main bottom belly pan and the one covering the mid pipe too.
There are 4 screws that require a set of torx security bits. Same as a normal set of torx but with a hole in the tip too. You also need a set or E torx sockets for the motor mount bracket and v band clamp.
Support the engine on the passenger side. I use a piece of 2x2 steel tubing and wedge up between the ac compressor bracket and engine. The tubing has a 45 deg cut on it. I put another support under the oil pan with a piece of wood. Don't put it under the oil pan drain bolt. Ask me how I know.
Remove a plastic access panel on inside of wheel well that blocks access to the passenger side motor mount. Take out a screw on the side of this mount from the wheel well.
Remove engine cover, air box and related duct. Put a rag inside the duct that leads to the turbo inlet to keep from dropping something in there. Don't forget to take rag out later. Ask me how I know.
Remove the nut from top of mount. It is within the outer end of motor mount bracket.
I used about 3 or 4 extensions and did this from top side.
Now I wasn't clear that I use scissor jacks at the two motor support points. I start jacking the engine up to get the bracket to clear the motor mount stud from the bracket. We will come back to this.
I would suggest loosening the mid pipes connection to a rod/mount thing that's bolted to back of transmission. This will allow midpipe to be able to be wiggled relative to back of DPF.
At this point several of us are different. I remove all sensors from DPF. Some prefer to disconnect opposite end of sensor cables. I seem to be an expert at breaking those small connectors so I avoid them when I can. I use a 22 mm open end to remove the ox sensor from forward portion of DPF body.
Next remove the two EGT sensors from same area. I learned a new trick this time. A line wrench is what is used to remove the EGTs. I think it's a 10 mm. It typically slips and tries to round off the corner. I found if you use a slightly smaller American std size which is 3/8".if I'm quoting wrong sizes, you get my point. I believe 10 mm is .393" and 3/8 is .375" so it grips better and didn't slip or try to round off the hex.
On the bottom of DPF, more things to remove. NOx sensor needs a 22 mm wrench but use an O2 sensor tool with a cut in its side to slip over the cable. Another EGT sensor there too.
Remove the urea metering valve now. Torx screws I recall but might be Allen heads.
Jack up engine until the motor mount stud descends through bracket. The bottom of mount has an aluminum access plate remove it. Unplug the vacuum line from the mount but note the route that the vacuum line runs for reassembly later. Don't break the nipple as it is fragile.
unbolt mount from chassis if you haven't already and pull it out. You may find you need to jack more to get stud to clear.
Now for the pain in the ass part. Use appropriate E torx socket size and remove the motor mount bracket. There are 4 screws. The bottom rear one will extremely test your patience. I have found the telescopic mirror tool to quite helpful here. Trying to line the socket up on this is hard without the mirror. I can do it without looking now. You think this is fun, wait until you have to put these screws back in :-)
Make sure everything is out of the way before you remove the turbo's v-band clamp. You do not want to fight the DPF and motor mount bracket together. This is why you get bracket out of way first.
Use another etorx socket that fits the vband clamps screw head.
Crank on this thing for a long while. You'll get tired and it will still need more turning.
Finally. it will unclasp from a the opposite side of itself. At this point, the PIG of the DPF will either fall or be ready to. I think i forgot to say, undo the midpipe from back of the DPF as in slide out the studs that are at back of the DPF from the midpipe mating flange holes. It shoud be ready to fall out.

When you get another DPF, here are a couple things to help in getting it back in there. I use a vibrant 1458 gasket. I got a couple from summit. My motto is get two as it sucks to pay shipping twice when you can buy 2 and will possibly need the second one later (when you get a downpipe perhaps). I got my gaskets from summit racing.
I use 4 new screws for reconnecting the motor mount bracket. I'm a fan of using antiseaze on the threads of these bolts.
To get the new/used DPF back up in there is another medevil torture within itself. I played a game with a small hydraulic jack with a 1 foot long 2x4. If you have a buddy to help here that would be great. One of you hold the DPF up and aligned with the turbo flange. Other one put that vband clamp on. Some suggested to me to put one of the 2 aft fasteners in first. Whichever you can make happen. I lucked out and positioned the DPF with jack/2x4 and got vband on BY MYSELF. Talk about celebration when i got that clamp on.
Yozh mentioned something below and he is right. There are 2 aft end of DPF located brackets. I tried to do the inboard one first but just couldn't get it to line up. Perhaps I was just being stupid. Try this first before doing my method with the jack. I couldn't push the DPF up in there without the bracket being off. It was too much of a balancing act to try to but the bracket back in with the DPF held in. If you find a trick here, please let me know. This was by far the biggest frustration of whole job.
I forgot to mention another trick I learned. A week prior to the DPF install, I switched one downpipe for a different one. During the previous work, I put antiseaze inside the vband clamp along where it grips the DPF and turbo flanges. The vband is typically hard to remove and requires prying off with a flat blade screwdriver even after the screw is fully backed off and spring thing unhooked. Not so now with the use of antiseaze.
Most of the reassembly is not that bad once you know how to take it apart.
Owe yes, there is that motor mount bracket :-/
As i said, use antiseaze on the threading. I put that pain in the butt back in first. That is the bottom rear one/ i have found that if you don't put plate all the way in contact with the engine block's flank and push the bolt through, you can see the bolt come through bracket and get it started into the bolt's threaded hole. You will see what i mean. Put all 4 bolts in before you crank them down. I'm bad as i cranked the piss out of them and didn't use a torque wrench. Put the mount back in and don't forget the vacuum line.
Put all of the sensors back in. I use antiseaze on the sensors but don't go crazy with it and contaminate the OX and NOx sensors.

I have likely left things out. I will have to re read and add things in that are important. I figured most all of this out on my own except for Jess helping me with v band technique but i was fighting an after market downpipe that had sensor bungs not exactly in their right spots. Since you are putting another DPF in, you won't have any issues here. GOOD LUCK and happy wrenching!

This job is so much easier if you are putting a downpipe back in. AS TDI stated, the DPF is a big ole pig to put back in. If I ever take it back out, noooo waaaaay it's going back in.

[JOHNNYBRAVO1]

I sold mine on ebay for 300 and was spotless. You don't have a friend that has a friend that can do inspections.. Theres ways around everything.

[ASBSECU E93]

I also have a spare DPF - I'm in NC and will never need it again.

~80k on the part.

[BB_cuda]

I hear there is a guy in Albany that has many DPFs there but not sure if any are for sale. We have often referred to him as the banned one in some of the older threads.

From the entries above, sounds like $300 might be a fair price. Oops i see you are in an emissions state. You may be able to get for much cheaper as it is likely a boat anchor sitting in someone's garage/attic.

[ASBSECU E93]

heck - I'd just about give mine away.....PM me an offer.

[Yozh]

Wow, BB_cuda, you deserve a lot of respect points for writing all of that. And you are in a best position to give this advice as our old timers memories do fade fast. May be no one really wants to remember the pain in the rear of a job that DPF is.

If I may add a few things. There are two brackets that hold DPF besides the v-clamp and the midpipe connection. May help in aligning the DPF back when reinstalling, hang the DPF on those two brackets and then connect to the turbo outlet via v-clamp.

Also, I have never bothered removing the actual engine mount. Just undo the top nut for the bracket connection, support the engine and then remove the bracket.

[BB_cuda]

Originally Posted by Yozh

Wow, BB_cuda, you deserve a lot of respect points for writing all of that. And you are in a best position to give this advice as our old timers memories do fade fast. May be no one really wants to remember the pain in the rear of a job that DPF is.

If I may add a few things. There are two brackets that hold DPF besides the v-clamp and the midpipe connection. May help in aligning the DPF back when reinstalling, hang the DPF on those two brackets and then connect to the turbo outlet via v-clamp.

Also, I have never bothered removing the actual engine mount. Just undo the top nut for the bracket connection, support the engine and then remove the bracket.

Thanks Yozh. I added a comment in there with regard to the aft end brackets of DPF. Also, I think on a previous iteration of downpipe work, I left motor mount in too. That was the dreaded waste gate reaming. Wow, I've pulled the durn motor mount bracket 3 times now that I'm counting.

[WreckerX5d]

Originally Posted by BB_cuda

I hear there is a guy in Albany that has many DPFs there but not sure if any are for sale. We have often referred to him as the banned one in some of the older threads.

From the entries above, sounds like $300 might be a fair price. Oops i see you are in an emissions state. You may be able to get for much cheaper as it is likely a boat anchor sitting in someone's garage/attic.

I left mine at his location.

[HeatherM35d]

Originally Posted by nicklockard

Hello,

my '09 has a failed DPF.

Has anyone successfully transplanted a lightly used DPF, and if so, how hard was it?

I am unable to do the 'alphabet delete' method since

• I live in Phoenix AZ which has emissions testing

I can get you a DPF, I ain't that banned.

[BB_cuda]

Originally Posted by HeatherM35d

I can get you a DPF, I ain't that banned.

I un earthed him!

[Miko226]

I will have mine off my car by next week and can force regen before removal

PM in interested

[Greck]

The most important task is to determine the reason of the DPF failure... Because in that way you can guarantee that the same will not happen again with another DPF.

[nicklockard]

Originally Posted by Greck

The most important task is to determine the reason of the DPF failure... Because in that way you can guarantee that the same will not happen again with another DPF.

Agreed.

I can't go into it much yet because I'm still working with the vendor toward resolution, but have a working theory.

in Carly for BMW, the DPF shows 40.xx grams ash loading which gives 38 hPa pressure across the DPF at 63 mph on flat ground right after a regeneration. What are others with intact DPF showing for 'x' miles'?

Here's data on mine. Copy and add your data please:
Miles..............Grams ash loading (not soot)......deltaP @ 63mph level ground
130,000.........40.xx............................. ............38 hPa

[JTC1]

This is from Carly from the drive in to work this morning. Its at roughly 70 mph, but my pressure does not change with speed anyway.

Offset for particulate filter differential pressure - 0.96 hPa
Ash mass - 22.45g
67,xxx miles

[BB_cuda]

Originally Posted by nicklockard

Hello,

my '09 has a failed DPF.

Has anyone successfully transplanted a lightly used DPF, and if so, how hard was it?

I am unable to do the 'alphabet delete' method since

• I live in Phoenix AZ which has emissions testing

Did my step by step long entry help? I see that you didn't directly ask for this. Asking if something is hard is sort of difficult to give a truthful answer unless I know that you're aware of all of the aspects involved to pull and replace.

I did want to reiterate one thing. I didn't fill in all steps for reassembly. The replacement DPF has to go back in before reinstalling the motor mount bracket. This is obvious but felt it was worth mention. With an aftermarket downpipe, you can pull and reinstall without messing with bracket. This includes the catted downpipe I experimented with in early November.

Sorry the procedure didn't have pictures. When I did the recent work, I didn't realize I would be asked (really only a suggestion from TDI whom has helped me repeatedly with questions) to teach/explain how to do it.

I'm sure when you get in there, you will have more questions. Greck had a lot of difficulty disconnecting black hoses from the DPF's pressure tubes. We told him to twist but not sure how he finally overcame.

[nicklockard]

Originally Posted by BB_cuda

Did my step by step long entry help? I see that you didn't directly ask for this. Asking if something is hard is sort of difficult to give a truthful answer unless I know that you're aware of all of the aspects involved to pull and replace.

I did want to reiterate one thing. I didn't fill in all steps for reassembly. The replacement DPF has to go back in before reinstalling the motor mount bracket. This is obvious but felt it was worth mention. With an aftermarket downpipe, you can pull and reinstall without messing with bracket. This includes the catted downpipe I experimented with in early November.

Sorry the procedure didn't have pictures. When I did the recent work, I didn't realize I would be asked (really only a suggestion from TDI whom has helped me repeatedly with questions) to teach/explain how to do it.

I'm sure when you get in there, you will have more questions. Greck had a lot of difficulty disconnecting black hoses from the DPF's pressure tubes. We told him to twist but not sure how he finally overcame.

Yes, a ton! Super helpful, thanks. Since I'm working out of state and it rains like monsoon here all the time, I can only borrow my buddy's garage and use the limited tools between the two of us. This sounds like a full 12 hour day to me. But first I need more tools.