I have a `98 Mazda B3000 (3.0L for those who don`t know the nomenclature), Automatic, 51K miles. A couple of weeks ago I noticed it was starting to ping on hard acceleration, up hill, etc. I did a search on this forum and a very common thread seems to be the DPFE. At 51K would it be plausible that this is my problem too? The truck, other than that runs fine. Gets average fuel mileage for the 3.0L, 17-18 around town. And could someone please tell me exactly where on the 3.0L the DPFE is? I pretty much know what it looks like, just not sure where to look!! The Hayne`s Manual is big on pictures of the 2.3 and 4.0, but leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to the 3.0. Thanks in advance for any and all responses.

 

It's mounted on the front of the upper intake manifold, two vacuum lines and an electrical connector. When you open the hood it's right in front of you.

 

Hey larpa,

Here are a couple of sights that might give you some useful info. Rockledge shared them with me earlier.

http://www.smpcorp.com/download/view/Tt2Q00.PDF
http://rockledge.home.comcast.net/Ra...dEGRSystem.htm

cscottyr

 

ok a question about this, do u need the egr system? i've been told on your enging u want new cold air that is dense to be going through your intake giving you more power, but if u have this it sounds like it's taking warm air and putting that in there, sry im still kinda new to the engine thing lol, and just want to learn more, i have a friend that was telling me about this and how he took it off his truck and he's running almost 600 HP so i was just wondering if it's necessary, and would i gain power if i took this off, or whatnot, and im sure it'd probably drop the gas milleage but im just curious bout everything

 

600 HP? Tell your friend he has a wonderful imagination.

Don't remove the EGR system. First of all, it's not something that just bolts on. Aside from the actual removal of the components, you will have to craft block-off plates and cap port holes.

Second, and more importantly, the EGR system is an integral part of the engine management system to the extent that your PCM expects it to be there and expects it to function a certain way at certain times under certain conditions. For example, when the EGR system is open and exhaust gas is flowing back into the upper intake and cylinders, the PCM is programed to change the fuel injection pulse times in order to accomodate the corresponding change in the a/f mixture caused by the exhaust gases.

Third, your 3.0L "vulcan" engine is fairly notorious for pinging, which is a result of high combustion chamber temperatures. The EGR system's primary purpose just happens to be reducing combustion chamber temps (since high temps = high NOx). So, without an EGR system on your truck, the liklihood of pinging will be increased substantially.

Fourth, your truck will never pass a Smog Test without an EGR system.

Fifth, and finally, consider also that you will have the nuisance of a constant CEL staring you in the face while you drive, since no EGR system will throw a code.


FWIW, this thread from the 3.0L V6 Forum might help better describe the connection between a DPFE and pinging:

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/s...hreadid=123403

 

i was just wondering what would happen if it was removed, and his imagination is what made it almost 600 HP he's at 594 HP i went with him to get it dyno tested, he has a 92 f-150 and he put in a v-8 and has nothing left stock on it, i've seen under the hood and it's full of mostly engine, i'll have to find out more about it, as i said im new to the engine thing but he's basically just made it a race truck, in which it gets about 1.5 miles to the gallon when tuned for economy, and gets about 2 gallons to the mile when tuned for race, he has only one racing seat with a full roll cage, due to safety and weight reduction, all together he's put in about $20k in it.. i know what im talking about there

 

I replaced the DPFE today. Got it at a local parts store (not affiliated with any chain-have known the owners for several years) for $50. It`s the plastic version. I`ll keep you posted whether this stops my pinging. One quick question, though. I disconnected the negative battery terminal for 20 minutes. (replacement only took 10) I have an appointment for state inspection on Monday, which in Pa. now includes emissions via OBDII. Will having disconnected the battery affect any readouts of the computer or should everything have reset? Do I need to drive a certain # of miles before then?? Thanks for any input. By the way, the only thing I had to do was reset the clock. All presets on the radio were still there!!

 

Check out this site and look under OBD II drive cycles,this should explain the procedure. http://www.obdii.com/drivecycleford.html But if you dont have a scanner or the time for all of this just drive the truck for a few days and it will learn on its own.but use the steady foot method like it says and it will learn faster.

 

BTW,most of these systems will keep there memory,but any time you unhook the battery its a good idea to start the truck and let it idle for 2 minutes WITHOUT touching the throttle,this will relearn the idle circuit.

 

I called my mechanic today and explained the situation and he said I needed to drive at least 100 miles before I bring it in next week but 200 or 300 would be better. He said if it`s not driven enough the computer will not come online when he plugs it in for the emissions test. Guess I shoulda waited until after inspection, but it didn`t occur to me until I had already done it!!! I don`t have a scanner, nor would I have the patience to do all that stuff anyway!!! Well, my wife`s a big Civil War fan (I am too, but she`s a fanatic) so I guess a trip to Gettysburg this weekend will help. It`s about 70 miles one way. Thanks for your response. By the way, I didn`t know about the 2 minutes @ idle after reconnecting the battery, but she seems fine!! (the truck, not my wife, although she`s fine, too). Thanks again. I`ll let you know about the ping in a few days.