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Well, I finally got the trailer out for a good run today. I had to get it inspected (Texas), so I figured I would take a small run with it to see how it handled without airbags (my last two trucks really benefited from the airbags). Good news. It pulled wonderfully. It still has a bit of the bounce, but recovers easy enough. And with the camper package on the truck adding an extra leaf, the truck actually levels out perfect. This was a trip of only about 40 miles (a quick trip up the road), but it gave me good roads (mix of concrete and pavement). So as of right now, I cannot justify the cost or need for airbags. Which is a good thing. I of course will get a better feel on a real trip, so wish me luck.
At the inspection place, waiting for the guy to come check my lights (the sum total of the "inspection).
Looks like a nice setup. Yep, the TX trailer 'inspection' is a farce, just a money grab. Have had it done on two fivers, total of 4 times--only once did the inspector drive forward and apply the brakes to be sure they worked.
Check Engine Light at 3400 Miles Due To Trailer Connection Faults
I have a 2019 F350 4x4 6.7l Lariat. I got a CHECK ENGINE light last week at 3400 miles with a message flashing up on my center screen saying HILL DESCENT CONTROL NOT AVAILABLE. Fortunately I was headed to a dealership in Yuma, AZ to get my DEF tank filled; I have the Premium Maintenance Plan which includes DEF. They took my truck in immediately ahead of people already in line (I was impressed). It took them 3 hours to figure out that the truck had stacked up a LONG list of faults associated with my trailer lights, the large number of faults culminating in a CHECK ENGINE code. I have had problems with my 7-pin connector since beginning to pull the trailer 3-1/2 years ago. My tow vehicle was a Tundra until replacing it with the Suoer Duty this past winter. This story is told not to detail the 7-pin issue but to alert trailer towers about the potential for a Check Engine light to come on when there was actually nothing wrong with the truck. I was very happy when the service advisor told me that last piece of information.
Lastly, I had a different experience with a Texas trailer inspection, one that was positive. He discovered that one of my tail lights was defective. It was due to water intrusion. It was when I was towing with the 2014 Tundra which had no system to check the trailer lights. I’m guessing my new Super Duty will tell me if I have a defective trailer light based on the tale in the previous paragraph.
Here is one more piece of information that 2019 Super Duty owners might find valuable. The DEF tank on these trucks has a capacity of 10 gallons. At least mine does. I couldn’t find any information on this in my manual, nor could a Ford mechanic who spent about 10 minutes searching for the data online when I asked how big the tank was. My DEF guage was at about 1/4 remaining, and they put 7 gallons in. Ergo, it must be a 10 gallon tank. So my truck used 7 gallons of DEF in 3400 miles or about 1 gallon per 485 miles. I was hoping the DEF would last 5000 miles because that’s the oil change interval I’m using. I bought the 5000 mile interval maintenance plan because I tow a heavy travel trailer about 3/4 of the time.
Here is one more piece of information that 2019 Super Duty owners might find valuable. The DEF tank on these trucks has a capacity of 10 gallons. At least mine does. I couldn’t find any information on this in my manual, nor could a Ford mechanic who spent about 10 minutes searching for the data online when I asked how big the tank was. My DEF guage was at about 1/4 remaining, and they put 7 gallons in. Ergo, it must be a 10 gallon tank. So my truck used 7 gallons of DEF in 3400 miles or about 1 gallon per 485 miles. I was hoping the DEF would last 5000 miles because that’s the oil change interval I’m using. I bought the 5000 mile interval maintenance plan because I tow a heavy travel trailer about 3/4 of the time.
The owner's manual lists the dry capacity of the DEF system at 7.4 gallons for a complete vehicle. The DEF gauge is somewhat flaky and can be a little "off" at times. So you were probably just about dry when they put a full 7 gallons in. They may have overfilled it. Up north you wouldn't want to overfill the DEF tank due to freezing.
The owner's manual lists the dry capacity of the DEF system at 7.4 gallons for a complete vehicle. The DEF gauge is somewhat flaky and can be a little "off" at times. So you were probably just about dry when they put a full 7 gallons in. They may have overfilled it. Up north you wouldn't want to overfill the DEF tank due to freezing.
What Jim said. 7.4 gallons. I add a 2.5 gallon jug of Walmart DEF when my gauge reads 1/2.
The owner's manual lists the dry capacity of the DEF system at 7.4 gallons for a complete vehicle. The DEF gauge is somewhat flaky and can be a little "off" at times. So you were probably just about dry when they put a full 7 gallons in. They may have overfilled it. Up north you wouldn't want to overfill the DEF tank due to freezing.
The volume of 7.4 gallons for the DEF tank is data in the 2017 and 2018 manuals as shown to me by the Ford mechanic. He could not find a capacity listing for the DEF tank in the 2019 manual, nor can I. The service advisor asked several mechanics while I was at the dealership, and he said, “The 2019 has a volume of 10-12 gallons. I replied, “That’s quite a range.”
On my truck there are two separate DEF volume indicators, the guage which is just like a fuel guage, and another under TRUCK INFORMATION that simply says “DEF OK”. I don’t know if these are independent of one another, but I suspect not. I truly doubt that my DEF guage is faulty. Since I’ve seen no one commenting on an actual DEF guage on this forum, I suspect that Ford added a real guage in 2019. I also believe that my DEF tank is 10 gallons because of the 1/4 remaining reading, the addition of 7 gallons to fill it and the information provided by the service people. I certainly hope that my guage isn’t that far off or faulty. Also based on what I’ve seen written on this forum and elsewhere about a low DEF level and the affect on the performance of the truck, I suspect that my truck would have been giving me some indication of a low DEF level had I been that close to empty.
I will admit that I have to trust the dealership about the volume of DEF that they added to my truck. They filled it from a bulk tank. But I don’t believe that the dealership is in the business of not measuring the volume of product used. You all can believe what you want in that regard. I intend to keep an eye on this going forward; however I do believe that they put 7 gallons of DEF in my tank.
So I believe that Ford made two improvements to the DEF system in the 2019 Super Duty, at least the F350 Lariat model. They added a real guage like a fuel guage, and they increased the volume of the tank to 10 gallons. Given what I’ve seen other people have written about the use of DEF by the emission system, I also suspect that the 2019 uses more DEF which might be an improvement to reduce nitrous oxides in the exhaust gases.
The volume of 7.4 gallons for the DEF tank is data in the 2017 and 2018 manuals as shown to me by the Ford mechanic. He could not find a capacity listing for the DEF tank in the 2019 manual, nor can I. The service advisor asked several mechanics while I was at the dealership, and he said, “The 2019 has a volume of 10-12 gallons. I replied, “That’s quite a range.”
On my truck there are two separate DEF volume indicators, the guage which is just like a fuel guage, and another under TRUCK INFORMATION that simply says “DEF OK”. I don’t know if these are independent of one another, but I suspect not. I truly doubt that my DEF guage is faulty. Since I’ve seen no one commenting on an actual DEF guage on this forum, I suspect that Ford added a real guage in 2019. I also believe that my DEF tank is 10 gallons because of the 1/4 remaining reading, the addition of 7 gallons to fill it and the information provided by the service people. I certainly hope that my guage isn’t that far off or faulty. Also based on what I’ve seen written on this forum and elsewhere about a low DEF level and the affect on the performance of the truck, I suspect that my truck would have been giving me some indication of a low DEF level had I been that close to empty.
So I believe that Ford made two improvements to the DEF system in the 2019 Super Duty, at least the F350 Lariat model. They added a real guage like a fuel guage, and they increased the volume of the tank to 10 gallons. Given what I’ve seen other people have written about the use of DEF by the emission system, I also suspect that the 2019 uses more DEF which might be an improvement to reduce nitrous oxides in the exhaust gases.
There were no changes to the DEF capacity in 2019 vs 2018-2018. My 2017 had the exact same gauge as my 2019 and capacity is the same.
According to the most recent 2019 manual page 429,
Capacities and Specifications, Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) (complete 7.4 gal (28 L) vehicle)
So I believe that Ford made two improvements to the DEF system in the 2019 Super Duty, at least the F350 Lariat model. They added a real guage like a fuel guage, and they increased the volume of the tank to 10 gallons. Given what I’ve seen other people have written about the use of DEF by the emission system, I also suspect that the 2019 uses more DEF which might be an improvement to reduce nitrous oxides in the exhaust gases.
If Ford had made such a major change to the 2019 there would have been a number of forum members that had ferreted out that information already. As Flyct said, we already have both those gauges. Mine is a 2017 with those gauges.
and I question the 7.4 gal volume... i got a notice, 500 miles to go.. added 2.5 gal, now at 60%, added 2.5 and was full at 2 gals.. same as in my 2012.. so, it THINK the capacity is still just under 5 gals.
i typically get 3000-3500 miles per 2.5 gal, truck was half full when I bought it new.. now at 4300 miles.. (past 1st warning and 1/2 refill)
and I question the 7.4 gal volume... i got a notice, 500 miles to go.. added 2.5 gal, now at 60%, added 2.5 and was full at 2 gals.. same as in my 2012.. so, it THINK the capacity is still just under 5 gals.
i typically get 3000-3500 miles per 2.5 gal, truck was half full when I bought it new.. now at 4300 miles.. (past 1st warning and 1/2 refill)
7.4 is for a DRY system. As in, nothing there at all, including lines from the tank to the nozzle in the exhaust. I usually will add a 2.5 gallon jug to mine at just below the 1/2 full point. The gauge then goes to about 7/8th full. The gauge isn't exact and it isn't always timely. My gauge takes a few minutes to register the additional fluid.
Hey, I was simply reporting what Ford service technicians told me. It seemed to make sense given what my DEF guage was indicating prior to them filling the DEF tank with what they claimed was 7 gallons. The service advisor also told me that the charge for the DEF would have been $34.93 had I not had the PMP. He was only corroborating the volume with the charge.
By the way, I did check my manual after the page number was pointed out. The DEF capacity is on page 430 in my manual, so I admit missing this and incorrectly reporting that the information was not there. MY BAD.
In all honesty and sincerity, it will not surprise me one bit if it turns out that my DEF tank volume is 7.4 gallons as indicated in the manual. This of course means that the service advisor was lying to me, which again is not a big surprise. And it will also mean that it was a DAMN GOOD THING I had the DEF refilled. Had my truck started misbehaving and only going 5mph when my truck told me “all was OK with the DEF, I would have been exceptionally pissed. It will also indicate that Ford engineers are incapable of building an accurate guage and float system for the DEF tank. This is a sad testament since gauges and float systems for liquid vessels (e.g. fuel tanks) have been around for an awful long time and work quite accurately in my 49 years of experience using them.
I will figure out which scenario is correct, what the volume of my DEF tank is and whether my DEF guage is accurate or unreliable. That you can count on. This is my FIRST Ford vehicle and my first go around with a Ford dealership service department. So far, the jury remains out. I do truly hope that the manual is wrong and the DEF guage on “my” truck is accurate and reliable. I will find out.
02-16-2019, 10:07 PM
That front landing gear looks like its pretty low. Any clearance issues?
