Hi Guys. First post for me after seeing a great post here specifically about my adblue issues. What an amazing drama this system is in the name of reducing NOx. The complexity of the adblue system is awe inspiring, but at the same time, a huge pain in the bu...! And Citroen have made the system even more complex. My problem is that the level sensor in the tank says I have a low level even though the tank is 80% full. I fixed it once by draining and refilling the tank. 2 months later, same problem. UREA light comes on. No other warnings. Adblue has dropped 1 litre less than previous refill suggesting the system is still pumping the stuff into the exhaust. My iCarsoft diagnostic tool says NOx is normal. After reading many posts from many forums, the conclusion also made in this forum is that the adblue tank is not up to the task a) because the pump can fail and b) because adblue can crystallise. My pump works for the moment and so I'm concentrating on crystallization. How the heck does Citroen get away with installing a tank that carries a product that can crystallise and cause the level sensor and the injector nozzle to stop working - AND NOT HAVE A WAY TO FLUSH THE TANK OUT?? I've seen videos. Adblue crystals dissolve readily in warm water. Why can't we have an inspection hatch in the tank to see what the condition of the urea is inside and allow internal cleaning? Anyone who has spilled the stuff know how quickly it turns to a solid powder. Finally contacted Citroen Australia as others have done. They paid for diagnositcs at Brisbane City Citroen. The result? Citroen can't help because car is out of warranty. They knew that at the start but said they would consider a co-payment. So what changed? I pumped the service guy for info. What did you find? Urea is crystallised which stops the level sensor working. New tank at $5,000. I asked why they didn't just flush out the tank. It's a sealed tank. Can't do that. I said I wanted to see the diagnostic results because I didn't believe diagnostics would say I had crystallization. I wanted to know what level diagnostics said I had, or other error codes etc. The reply? No can do. It's CONFIDENTIAL! Well I lost it. The rest of the conversation would take a couple of pages - summarized by Not Happy!
Anyway, moving on to positive territory. Googling has turned up two products, newly released in UK, that claim to dissolve crystals in Adblue and clean level sensor and other components. One is Forte Exhaust Crystal Cleaner and the other is Wynns Crystal Cleaner (which I think is rebranded Forte). I've ordered some Wynn's via eBay and I'll let you know if it works. I've got 1800kms left so I'll have time. I couldn't find this product in Australia. Wynn's UK said there are no distributors here yet. And if the product doesn't work, on the basis I have to get a new tank anyway, I'm going to empty my tank, fill it with warm water, slosh it around, and see if that works.
Also, I found an Adblue product called Total Clearnox Adblue. It claims to have an additive that prevents their adblue from crystalizing at all. Again not yet readily available in Australia for passenger cars, but West Gulf imports 20L drums to Brisbane residents only. If the Wynn's cleaner or warm water works, I'll change over to this Total Clearnox Adblue.
It looks like companies other than Citroen/Peugeot are starting to recognise the issues of adblue crystallising and causing problems which dealers diagnose as "New Tank Required". So there may be hope in the near future.
Best of luck with your adblue issues.
Anyway, moving on to positive territory. Googling has turned up two products, newly released in UK, that claim to dissolve crystals in Adblue and clean level sensor and other components. One is Forte Exhaust Crystal Cleaner and the other is Wynns Crystal Cleaner (which I think is rebranded Forte). I've ordered some Wynn's via eBay and I'll let you know if it works. I've got 1800kms left so I'll have time. I couldn't find this product in Australia. Wynn's UK said there are no distributors here yet. And if the product doesn't work, on the basis I have to get a new tank anyway, I'm going to empty my tank, fill it with warm water, slosh it around, and see if that works.
Also, I found an Adblue product called Total Clearnox Adblue. It claims to have an additive that prevents their adblue from crystalizing at all. Again not yet readily available in Australia for passenger cars, but West Gulf imports 20L drums to Brisbane residents only. If the Wynn's cleaner or warm water works, I'll change over to this Total Clearnox Adblue.
It looks like companies other than Citroen/Peugeot are starting to recognise the issues of adblue crystallising and causing problems which dealers diagnose as "New Tank Required". So there may be hope in the near future.
Best of luck with your adblue issues.
