You think so?? 3 times a week now filter cleaning vs once a week mine did not do it but ever 800 miles or so and never longer then 15 minutes at best

 

I finally got the first regen strategy for the 2015's to work well... Not sure I want to get a reflash and go through that again...

Regarding DEF usage, many things affect how fast you use it. From the quality of the DEF (how old it is and what temps it has seen) to how much fuel you burn (MPG), to the quality of the fuel you burn. I get anywhere between 700 - 1200 miles per gal. of DEF. Usually I am right around 1000 MPG for DEF. I quit tracking now though.

For filling, usually I wait to see the under 1/2 tank message and the next convenient time I fill-up. And times on my long drives, I have topped off, just because I was at a station with a bulk DEF dispenser. (like a Love's or a Pilot)

For the OP, sometimes the system sometimes doesn't quickly reset the counter, it takes some time. I've filled up with a countdown to empty showing and the next restart it cleared. The last time it took a couple of drive cycles to clear and maybe 50 miles of driving. I was getting worried, but since I topped off with 400 miles to empty, I had some time to make sure I didn't confuse it.

 

Now, I am understanding much more how the system works. I grabbed one of the blue def jugs and partially filled mine a week or so before we left and i dont drive it during the week. So I am sure after putting 1500 or more miles on and the system not seeing a drop, then it gave me the warning. It did reset after I started a few times after filling. Hate to say it but it seems a little archaic for this system to operate that way and i hate the idea I need to carry fluid with me but i at least i can see what to expect.

 

It might seem archaic, but DEF does freeze. Can't have a typical level gauge on something that ices up. So the way Ford has it set up does work very well IF, and that's an IF... the refill strategy is followed as outlined: wait until the truck tells you to fill up, then fill the tank completely.


If that's done, you minimize the number of times you have to refill the tank, and help keep the system from becoming confused on those rare occasions.

 

Really very simple imho, run it down, fill it completely. Use the ford spout in the winter to avoid overfilling.

Carry two jugs if traveling to parts unknown.

Remember even in heavy towing you should have a range of 4-5K per complete fill.

 

Or you can do just what another member and I do wait till the half a tank below warning for me every 3000 miles and just top it off with 2.5 gallons I like the idea of the system never going down low and condensation collecting on the inside just like the diesel fuel I could be totally wrong, but the mechanic at my shop seem to agree better than having it dry out and form crystals which it will do take care

 

Once the warning miles to empty light comes on, the tank has to filled to reset the warning. Filled. No partial filling.
Partial filling prior to the warning light will prevent it from coming on unless the def falls low enough to trigger the warning.

 

Not sure how your system works? My system lets me know that I'm at a half a tank and below. I know how sticklers around here for exact information so the next time it comes up I'll take a picture it flashes for a brief second letting you know you're at half a tank or under I believe it says don't hold me to court on that one, don't want to start another argument. As I stated earlier my mechanic agrees it's not good to let it get dry in the summer time forming crystals inside they had to clean a few out from people letting them run low I'll keep mine full every 3000 Miles like clockwork so far at 16000 miles in 4 months do to my high mileage learn to do a lot of things different when driving that much everyday take care

 

There is no such thing as an issue with "condensation" regarding DEF. Remember that DEF is 67% water. There is an issue with evaporation, and that issue is explained further below.

There is a menu within the driver's information display that allows you to somewhat see the DEF "level". It will tell you if the tank is full (meaning anything above half full), or if it's less than half full (DEF fluid has dropped below the first level indicator bar), or once it gets low enough it will display the miles to empty.

Crystals forming is an indication of evaporation, known as "creeping". When the crystals are submerged in DEF, they dissolve quickly. Crystals in the tank are not harmful and do not cause issues. What your tech had to clean out was contamination. That's different.

In a technical sense, there can be an issue when it comes to evaporation. The water evaporates, but the urea does not. If you constantly top off the tank while experiencing evaporation, you can in extremely rare instances increase the urea concentration far enough out of spec to trigger a problem. Hence it's better to run the tank down regularly and fill when the truck tells you, in order to maintain the correct water/urea concentration. But like I said, this would be a rare occurrence and would take the right amount of topping off along with evaporation to make this happen.

 

And this is exactly what I mean by confrontational LOL you should talk to a mechanic at my shop he had to clean out two of them due to the fact that the crystallization does not perfectly reabsorbed into the solution you can argue with him. One other thing I've noticed no problem at all especially using the Ford filler of overfilling the tank at sixteen Thousand Miles I continue doing what I'm doing with any new issues I'm sure your way is correct to I just like not having to worry about finding it or carrying it around with me take care

 

Not sure how that is at all confrontational. The simple answer is that the tech you speak of isn't following procedures the Ford Workshop Manual. As quoted from the manual:

"NOTICE: As DEF dries, crystals will form as the water evaporates. This is not contamination but is a normal characteristic of DEF. DEF crystals will dissolve in clean DEF or water. Warm water will dissolve the crystals more quickly than DEF. Even very large crystals will dissolve in water or clean DEF."

There's even pictures and a video about characteristics and servicing the DEF system, including information about crystal formation in the DEF.


Also overfilling, and letting the tank run down and then refilling, are two different scenarios. The DEF tank is designed to not be topped off because DEF freezes. This extra room allows for the DEF to expand when frozen without causing damage.

Letting the tank run down and then filling it completely allows the system to recognize what is called a "fill event". If the tank is continuously topped off, it could possibly become confused and not recognize a fill event, causing the system to require a refill activation using IDS.... which of course that means a trip to the dealer to have that done. Some people could go a long time constantly topping off the tank, while others have issues quickly. There's a lot of factors that go into why a truck won't recognize a fill event, but to minimize the possibility of running into a problem, it's always best to fill the tank only once the truck says so on the driver's information display, and fill it completely.


For many people, the DEF/SCR system is a learning curve. But the best approach is the most simple... just do what the truck tells you to do.

 

Well once again not to argue with you stop at my dealers tonight on the way home from work showed it to the mechanic what we're discussing. He basically told me you can fill the tank anytime you want with the ford appropriate filler especially in the winter as we all know it will freeze and you don't want to break the tank. He basically told me to tell you and I quote don't believe videos don't believe what you're told trust someone who works on them everyday the crystals you're speaking can get in the very top of the tank and then when you fill it they will dissolve he agrees there's the problem where you get a higher concentrate of the particular matter that can cause all kinds of issues with the system he knows what Ford says he likes my idea better we'll just have to wait and see what happens like I said at 3000 Miles my truck uses two and a half gallons take care

 

I suppose in the end if your system works good for you and you have had no issues that is fine. If you start to have issues then you may want to follow the owners manual.

I follow the owners manual and at 34K I have been fine.

I don't feel that I need to constantly monitor the level for the just under half mark and then fill it up. That would just be all the time.

 

I'm of the same opinion.

Except in this case the videos and information I'm speaking of are from Ford and the Ford Workshop manual. So this information is coming from the very people who engineered and built the system in the first place.


Not all mechanics understand what Ford engineered, and why.

Ok, but there's nothing at the top of the tank for the crystals to interfere with. And they will form regardless of whether or not you fill at half tank or at empty tank. Your tech probably might not realize this, but the crystals don't grow over a long period of time. They form extremely quickly, and dissolve even faster.

As mentioned, if how you maintain it works for you and you don't have problems, then it's all fine. However, any time you modify what the system is designed to do, you introduce an increased chance of failure. That's really the only important point I'm trying to drive home here.

 

I'm the same way. Just never understood why some folks would willingly create additional maintenance for themselves that doesn't accomplish anything other than taking up extra time. To me, maintenance must have a benefit as an end-game. I just don't see the benefit in manually monitoring DEF levels and then filling up when it runs below half tank, especially when there's still thousands of miles remaining on that tank.


To me that's like filling up with diesel every day, even though you only drive 30 miles a day.