I will definitely make sure and ask. I'm hoping being the Ford dealership would use the Ford spout. I would also hope that if they didn't and it happened to freeze and break wouldn't they be at fault to replace it?

 

I'd think so if the document they filled it.

 

It depends on your technique. I use the Wal-Mart DEF 2.5 gallon jug that has a basic spout. I fill my DEF tank whenever it hits about 1/2 empty. With that approach I'll never overfill because the capacity of the tank is a bit over 7 gallons. It works for me and my truck. Your mileage may vary.

Forum member Karl4Kat had an issue with his truck when the DEF got low. He added DEF but the computer didn't didn't recognize it. He came close to going into limp mode because of that. His experience is why I fill my DEF tank when it's half empty.

 

 

Just to clarify, the truck has an on-board, electric heater for the pump, tank, and hose line over to the injector itself on the exhaust. Once the truck is running, power from the truck is supplied to those heaters. During the initial startup and driving, no DEF is injected until the heaters have thawed the frozen DEF.

As a strategy, each time you shut your truck down, the DEF pump turns on for a few seconds in reverse...sucking as much DEF out of the line and back into the tank as possible. This prevents the line from swelling or breaking with frozen DEF, and makes the heating process shorter.

I think most Ford dealers pump DEF in bulk into your truck. They are not using the 2.5 gallon jugs. Many dealers are careless, too. I've had my pil changed and DEF refilled by the dealer and find a lot of white crystals all around the DEF fill cap. That annoys me. I just do oil changes and DEF top offs myself at this point. Buying at the pump is by far the easiest way to go.

 

Plugging in the truck only heats the coolant...that's it. You may see a little radiant heat make its way to the oil but zero effect on the DEF tank or lines since most of that is away from the engine. Remember the DEF tank is right next to the gas tank which is closer to the rear axle than the front axle.

Think of the engine block heater as just a metal rod that runs at a similar temp as your wife or girlfriends curling iron...nothing fancy or high tech about it at all.

 

The DEF system is remarkably complex given it's sole purpose is to spray water mixed with ammonia into the exhaust pipe...when you notice optioning for the 6.7L Powerstroke now costs $9,000...the DEF system accounts for a chunk of that. You have a tank, filler, and cap; you have a DEF level sensing system that used to be electrodes in the side of the tank and is now an ultrasonic device in the tank. You have the tank heater and pump heater which are just electrical resistance elements. They are controlled by the Glow Plug Control Module under the hood. You have the electric pump which as I mentioned can run in both directions. You have heated plumbing from the DEF tank (mounted right at the rear of the fuel tank) which goes above the driveshaft and over the exhaust system on the passenger side. You have the dosing module (injector) which is quite complex itself and includes a heat sink. This injector needs to be able to operate under extremely cold conditions and obviously deal with the extreme heat of the exhaust system. Finally, you have the ECU which takes input from a variety of sensors...including NOx sensors to determine if the DEF is doing its job. The sensors can also log faults with the heaters, the pump, or the sender...or the injector. Quite fascinating, really. The DPF itself also adds a lot of cost and is certainly complex...but is not electronic at all.

 

I have a block heater question that someone here might be able to assist me with.. I'm curious what temp on average would a block heater heat the antifreeze to? If it's 40-ish in my garage, what temp would the antifreeze be at? I just moved from a warm climate to Maine, and I'm trying to decide if I should install a block heater since mine didn't come with one from the factory. My daily drive is 35-45 miles and today the truck only warmed up to 165 by the time I got to work. It was 16 outside and about 40 in my garage this morning.

 

My search says 60° F to 90° F is what you can expect, depending upon ambient temperatures.

 

Thanks. That just might be worth it. Maybe get some heat through the vents before I get within a block of work.

 

 

Welcome to New England! If your garage is going to stay 40F ish I wouldn't even bother. Too bad your truck didn't have the electric aux cabin heater. But at 165 degrees, you should have plenty of heat, especially with that commute.

I plug my truck in when the temps are going to be 0F or less.

 

I always plug in my truck at 32F (0C). I like getting the cab warmer quick. Plus its better for your engine...there is a lot of oil in that oil pan and warming it up quicker will get everything lubed and be less wear and tear on engine components. I live in the Great White North and we get weather at 0F (-17C) most nights in January in Southern Ontario. I have forgotten to plug in before and at 0F (-17c) and it starts up without any hesitation. I would bring some PM23 and put it in for the time your up there just in case but its overkill. Ive never used it and never had an issue starting up.

DEF does freeze ...I wouldn't worry about it either. Once your engine is warm enough to go into regen your DEF tank will be thawed with the on board heater.

Don't worry.. It will start up on departure day just let it warm up for 10mins before you leave. Happy hunting!!

 

So no issues with the closing weather with the hunts. The truck did awesome starting when I needed it to start. I lucked out that one of my neighbors wanted to go with us so the women could hangout at camp while the men hunted it worked great, nothing like returning to warm meals. With the wind chill and snow the temps were probably well belbelow 0. Especially during my hunts the truck doesn't take wind chill into account on the temp it displays inside but once the sun went down it would be between 0-5. And I only knew that because for my hunts I would try and make it to get cell service to keep in touch with family because of weather. My son killed his first a young cow at 10 years old. I'm so proud of him for his great shot, all those days of of tatarget practice payed off. Instant kill shot blowing out both lungs, dropped when hit and only ran about 10 feet, no suffering. I also got a small cow this year a little bigger than my son's. At least we have a freezer full of great meat. When I took the pic with mine it was 0 degrees.