Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) Deactivation

A diesel particulate filter (DPF) is a filter that captures and stores exhaust soot to reduce emissions from diesel cars. However, because they have a finite capacity, the trapped soot must periodically be emptied or "burned off" to regenerate the DPF. During the regeneration process, the excess soot deposited in the filter is cleanly burned off, reducing harmful exhaust emissions and preventing the tell-tale black smoke that diesel vehicles used to emit, especially when accelerating. However, in some situations, it may be necessary to disable the DPF in the engine control unit, for example, to identify the exact cause of a vehicle malfunction and eliminate other possibilities.