Hi guys
after some advice please.
recently purchased a chevrolet captiva to tow our caravan.
the chevy has two exhaust pipes but we find when towing the van we get a lot of soot residue left all over the A frame and on the front of the van. Any suggestions what we can do to stop this.
never had a 4 wheel drive before so not sure if this is normal. I can spend £150 on a front cover for the van whilst towing but this wont stop in getting on the A frame.
the soot has splatter marks as if water also in the soot
any suggestions would be welcome.
thanks in advance
Well firstly l would say check with the dealer who sold you the car if this is 'Normal' and if there is anything he can do to help rectify the problem.
Then if all else fails, you may be able to buy some exhaust deflector trims as were a popular fad in the 1960s, when the more ornate they were the better!
Although in your case, a simple pair that just diffuse the exhaust fumes in a downward direction maywell solve the problem for you.
They have a simple push on fitting that fits snugly over the existing pipe, the ones that l have seen were made from stainless steel, and some of the old ones where finished with polished chrome plate, but because they are not so popular today as they used to be, you may need to find a metal fabrication firm to make you a pair to measure
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I have twin exhausts on my car but have never had this problem, but in saying that it is probably because it's an estate car and the exhaust pipes are nearer to the ground so the emissions are going directly under the caravan 'A' frame. However, if I did encounter any sort of sooty residue on the caravan from the vehicle exhausts then my first approach would be to try a pair of exhaust deflectors as mentioned as I think that this would be a permanent solution for the long term rather than put additives in the fuel tank merely as a temporary measure. I do add fuel injection cleaner to the tank annually but only use the 'Forte' brand as recommended by my local service garage as I have been told that it works more efficiently than 'Red-X' and other cheaper brands.
Hi guys the devflectors certainly sound like the trick.
will look into furthrt as have funny shaped back pipes although may be able to take off and replace
thank you everyone
Jason
If the car has a dpf which modern diesels do there should be no soot, the end of the exhaust pipe should be clean with no soot deposits unlike older diesels that blew out soot & smoke when you put your foot down. If you bought car secondhand, dpf may have been removed & new MoT rules now in force require tester to check for dpf removal.
I wonder if its regenerating when towing? So flushing the built up soot out and covering the van.
It shouldnt get that dirty. But if its only a problem when towing. Get some extension pieces made for the tailpipes to deflect the exhaust downwards.
One of the exhaust places that custom make exhausts should be able to make you something that slips over your tailpipe without causing any damage and easy to remove.
My exhaust points down to the ground and didnd cover the van with soot even after a turbo pipe popped off and it was very smokey.
We tow with a Captiva, this has not been a problem, I would suggest getting the engine emissions checked.
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Dpf's do not blow out soot when regenerating, that is the whole point of them. The soot is burnt in the regeneration process & only fumes come out of the tailpipe not particles, which is the soot. A modern diesel car should not have sooty exhaust fumes. If you read the Captiva forum, dpf removal is popular because apparently they can cause problems on this car, but possibly now with the new MoT rules introduced last month, dpf removal is no longer an option on any car.
We bought the car knowing that the dpf had been removed before the bombshell about mot failure if removed so dropped a right clanger.
car was of interest because dpf had been removed as wife does a lot of stop start with her job on small journey's.
Goodness knows what I will have to do when due for mot. Car was also remapped at the same time.
car going in the garage to be checked over next week so will see what can be done then
thanks again for the replies, havent found any reflectors for the car as I have sqaure end pipes on so can anyone suggest a manufacturer I can speak with
Its claimed(by some dpf removers)that the new MoT rules rely only on a visual check to see if the casing is still there, ie if just the guts of the dpf have been removed & not the whole section replaced with custom made straight pipe as on some conversions, you should be ok.
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Topic: exhaust soot covering front of caravan
