Why will my 2011 F350 4x4 6.7L only take 2gallons of DEF when it hit the 800 mile warning???? it overflows out the filler.... I did get it to take the rest of the 2.5 gallon jug today but spilled a bunch last night..


anybody had this problem? is there an easy fix????


don't feel like paying dealer hundreds in diag to tell me nothing wrong...

 

The million dollar question is: when do you fill your DEF?

If you keep topping it off, you will eventually run into this very problem.

If you read the owners manual and follow the instructions on the dash for DEF refill, you're far less likely to have an issue with the countdown miles.

 

OK.. I don't top it off...


I have owned the truck 4 months 31,500 miles on the odometer...( I bought it with 28,000 miles on it)


Dash said OK for DEF been checking it a lot as I have not seen the cleaning exhaust filter message... I never saw it say DEF 1/2...


just the chime and warning saying 800miles left.....


Now... if it said half... theoretically If I waited a week or so, I should be able to fit a 2.5 gallon jug of DEF in the tank..... so at the 800 mile warning I should easily be able to fit 2.5 gallons in.


and today it let me fit the rest of the jug in.... without overflowing

 

I've had my MTE for DEF all the way down to 80 miles and it only took 3 gallons...

 

Did you recently have the emissions recall done on your truck? If so, is this the first time you added DEF since then?

As soon as I left the dealer after having my recall done I got the 800 mile warning. I ran it down to the 100 mile mark before adding any and it only took less than 4 gallons to fill it.
I believe part of the re-flash calibrates the DEF quantity system. I have been running it down to get back to the 800 mile warning again to see how much it takes this time.

 

Common problem, Don't sweat it. Put in what you can and drive it a day and you can probably get the rest in. I suspect the DEF crystalizes and it just takes a day or two of driving to slosh around and dissolve the crystals and make space.

I usually top mine off at 1/2 tank where 2 gallons is enough to fill it. I just wait a week or so after I notice the 1/2 full reading then dump in a 2.5 gallon jug.

Not a big deal and doesn't require a dealer visit

 

You need to let it run down ..there is plenty of warning so you won't run out. I let mine get down to less than 200 miles before filling. It will take almost the 5 gal that way.


I also have not had any def issues.


There are only 3 sensors in the system. It is easy for it to get confused. Run it down and there is less confusion.

 

Maybe you haven't, but you've only put 3,500 miles on it since you bought it. Possible the previous owner or dealership topped it off before you got your hands on it.

 

Only reason to see the dealer is if you add DEF until it is full and the message doesn't reset. What Painted Horse said I believe to be true as well with the crystallization. It is one of the reasons I like to keep mine full... Whatever method floats your boat.

And FWIW, my 2011 that I had or 4 years I used to top off all the time. Occasionally I wouldn't catch it until the 1/2 full message hit, but I had a pattern of when I saw bulk DEF at the pump when I got diesel, I added DEF and refilled my Ford DEF gal. jugs. Never had an issue.

With my current rig, I saw the 1/2 full message, drove it a few hundred more miles and 2.5 gal. JUST fit... Which is perfect.

 

I usually wait for the less 1/2 warning then stop by the dealer at my convenience and pick up a jug.. somewhere along the way I'll pour it in and if it all goes in... good... if not...


I screw the cap back on the jug and set it in the garage... in a couple of weeks I'll pour the rest in..


This stuff ain't a big deal..

 

I understand it is not a big deal... I used to have a 2012 and if it got below the 1/2 warning I would let it go for a week and top it with a 2.5 gallon jug no problem no overflow... so I am figuring there is something pinched, blocked, crystalized causing the overflow to occur.. at 2gallons--- when the 800 mile warning is on....


was hoping someone else had this issue and was able to tell me what and where they found the problem and what fixed it..


I am guessing it is a venting issue but don't know enough to know what to clean or mess with.

 

I get this issue all the time. I was able to get the full 5 gal in but it took about 20 minutes. The first 4 gal were easy, the rest took very slow pouring, when the fluid crept up to the edge of the fill neck I would stop, wait a few seconds, then repeat. I only spilled maybe 4oz.

I'm convinced that it just doesn't vent worth a darn, some kind of vapor lock with a vent back flow device due to the chemical vapors that I'm sure the epa won't allow to freely vent.

 

This is more or less what I was trying to say.. 'cept I just don't get all het-up about it.. If all the bottle won't go in... I wait a few days until I remember it and pour the rest in..