I'm not sure about the number of miles, but here is some info for you:

Displayed when the Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) is full of particles (exhaust soot) and the vehicle is not being operated in a manner to allow normal cleaning. This message will stay on until the exhaust filter cleaning has begun, at which time the CLEANING EXHAUST FILTER message will be displayed. It is recommended the vehicle operator drive the vehicle above 30 mph (48 km/h) until the CLEANING EXHAUST FILTER message turns off. This message is NORMAL. Refer to your diesel supplement for more information.
Note: If this message is ignored, your vehicle will continue to fill the Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) with particles (exhaust soot). If cleaning is not permitted, the  light will illuminate and engine power may be limited. If the vehicle is still not operated in a manner to allow cleaning, the service engine soon light will illuminate and engine power will be further limited. Dealer service will then be required to restore your vehicle to full-power operation.

 

The sending unit fault seems logical now. I would definitely look at doing it myself for $2000+.

 

Well he had a 1100 mile drive and still has 330 miles to go. The unknown is how far he can go before it goes into a more severe limp mode. I gave him the number of a Ford dealer that he has to pass in two hours that is open today. He's going to call and see if they have the sender in stock. The sender is $130 and I guess no more that 1.5 hrs labor. Is the sender going bad common on these newer trucks?

 

Fuel level senders are not all that common. Be aware that there are other causes such as wiring and the cluster itself though much less common. If I were to bet, it's likely the sender. I would be interested in knowing all the codes retrieved from the PCM.

 

Another thought is the fuel injectors are dumping fuel. Although I have not heard of anyone having these problems with the 6.7

 

Joe,

That is a lot cheaper. If the sender is it, then it is not active regenerating and it may go into limp mode after one of those 50 mile warnings. Does anyone know if that shutdown mode is reset every time the engine cools off below operating temperature? This would mean stopping every hour or so for an hour or so.

Driving in 5th may get him the passive regen, particularly if after a good cool off period. He would know pretty quick if the warning did not come on after 30 minutes. 5th gear at 2000-2100 rpms should do it. This is where F450's run in 6th at 60-62 mph.

If a dealer is open, I would not want to risk it on the open road where towing can cost a bundle.

I bought a sender for my 08 and the part was only $270.
But it had to be ordered.

If the sender is bad can the dealer force a regen at idle so he can get home to WI? If not, sounds like will be stuck someplace until Monday.

This is early Saturday. Find a dealer that is open today asap.

 

I gave him the info about the dealer forcing the regen if they don't have the part or time. Something is better than nothing. Can AE do the regen? Thanks for all your help and I will let you know how he made out. He has 3 hrs to go.

 

My truck was doing the same thing on my last trip. I would reset the code and the truck would run worse. If I let the engine light stay on, it would run a little better. I was also towing my trailer (15,000 pounds) and put on over 2500 miles in this condition. It ran below full power but not enough to really slow me down, I generally do not drive over 60 miles per hour. And this was also through the Rockies.

DEF tank is 4 bolts and it drops down, make sure to disconnect the filler in the door first. Not sure if you can exchange the part under the truck. I had to jack mine up to get the whole assembly out. Unplug the harnesses and hoses and it comes right out. I am just waiting on a replacement and will change mine out. (Bought an entire assembly out of a 2012 truck that the owner removed the DEF from)

My truck has 132k miles on it. Not sure if any of this will help your son out, but that was my latest experience.

 

Roland - I believe they are talking about the fuel sender not the DEF sender.

 

Ok, I have dealt with that as well. It is easier to replace than the DEF assembly. Although you always seem to end up covered in Diesel.

4 bolts hold it onto the frame rail, Driver side, just behind the driver's door. There are 2 blue clips and 2 yellow clips on top for the in/out fuel. Be careful with them, as they can break. Unplug the rest, You will also want to change the filter under the hood at the same time.

When mine went out, I was in Ontario and the Ford dealer got me for over $500 on the parts alone. I did the work on the side of the road. I now carry a spare, fuel pump and filter. Along with other sensors and tools.

Anyways, there is my 4 cents.

 

The fuel tank has only a fuel pickup, fuel return, and a float/sending unit to indicate fuel level. The fuel pump is where others describe. The DEF tank is a completely different tank and pump assembly.

Roland adds another possibility - the def system is not functioning properly. This would send codes into memory and cause the check engine light to come on. Def is used to control NOX, not soot. Even if pump or sensors in the def tank failed, this should not lead to a "drive to clean" message. Yes, a "shutdown" or "reduced power" message.

It is a lot easier to replace the fuel level sending unit (lower the tank and lift it back into place) if the tank is a lot less than half full.

If the fuel tank is always reading empty, the sender or wiring is bad and must be fixed so no harm will be done. However, have the tech check the codes and wiring before jumping into sender replacement. (my 2008 was intermittent, wild fuel level swings. Tech felt certain, but not positive wiring was ok as he did all of the Ford pin point diags for wiring. Replacing the sender fixed it.). Maybe previous owner had a large aftermarket fuel tank, and swapped the oem back into the truck before selling it; and failed to properly connect the wiring, or inserted the sender into the oem tank incorrectly. If the latter, the sender is now probably bent and I would replace it. Both are easy diagnostics.

 

Sorry it didn't help, I assumed that it was something to try at 2am. I also forgot that the dealerships are open on a Saturday in the USA.

Please keep us up to date.

 

Hey we appreciate any and all help. He stopped to watch some snowmobile races and then has a three hour drive home, so far so good. We have AE at home and he said he screwed up not taking his laptop with the AE with him. Lesson learned.