I have a 2016 F350 that has been throwing the P20BA code for several weeks now. After researching the problem, I realized there was a recall from Ford on this very same issue. I called my local dealer and they agreed my truck should be covered, as it has less than the 110,000 miles on it. Dropped the truck off Monday morning. That afternoon the dealer called me and told me they couldn't accomplish the recall because the DEF system was contaminated. But he says, and here it comes, they could replace all the contaminated parts in the system for $2800. I asked them what the contamination was and he replied, he didn't know without sending it out to a lab to be analyzed. He claimed it was more than likely petroleum based, as to blame me in no uncertain words. I told them to put the truck back together and I would come pick it up. They called me at closing time and told me the truck was put back together and would be on their lot ready for me to pick up. I drove the truck home with no CEL on and started researching EGR and DPF deletes. The next morning, while on my way to work the dealer called and said they FORGOT to install the rubber piece/gasket that seals the reductant heater to the tank when its installed. We went round and round for their incompetence, with no avail.

I have several questions I hope to get answered here, so bear with me.

Can I drive the truck without any further damage until I can get the deletes done? My buddy has a delete kit that he purchased for his 2014 but didn't install and has since sold the truck. He is going to sell it to me for $1200. Is this a fair price? It includes a LiveWire TS+ tuner, EGR delete kit and the full exhaust. I'm pretty sure I can use the exhaust. I've been told that the 14 EGR delete kit is missing a coolant quick disconnect hose that is required on the 16. If this is factual, can I purchase said hose individually? I've also been told by the same mechanic that the LiveWire tuner will not facilitate the EGR or Exhaust delete. Is this information accurate?

It has been very difficult finding a shop or individual willing to do the deletes, which is understandable. I am by no means a diesel mechanic but I'll tackle the deletes and install myself and save $1500. I just hope those two M6 bolts from hell don't make me regret the decision.

Any knowledge, info, hints or tips is much appreciated. Thx and Sorry for the long post.

 

Ford blame it on the customer tactics never stops amazing me.

about the contamination…when I did meth injection if I didn’t use a check valve I would get “petroleum “ back into my meth tank. The cuase was the compress air that entered the intake would push its way back up the system. This compressed air would have petroleum from the ccv intake etc.

the point as it relates to the def system…I would not be surprised if exhaust gases (which had petroleum ) are pushing their way up the def injectors, pump, and back into the take.


it would be interesting to hear the dealers explanation of how the customer poured exhaust fumes into the def tank.



i guess we need to figure out how to do a periodic flush of the def take to get the exhuast petroleum products out of the tank.

 

Speakerfritz you bring a question I’ve had for awhile. When cleaning up Def they say use water, it desolves the Def Chrystals. What would it wreck if you added a small amount of water to each Def fill. Just a question that passes my mind.

 

dont add water to def during fill...it dilutes the mix...the indicator uses light to determine how much is left...if you thin it out with water..the system will think you have less def.

the only "claimed" way of keeping the def system clean is to use "premium " def. it has a secret sauce that is supposed to keep things clean.....but..im on my 3 both of the stuff and the problem I am trying to solve is not fixed yet. so not sure if the "premium" def is worth the money or not.

dont put anything into the def system but pure def.

 

Thanks, I use Def premium and my problem went away. Was just curious about “cleaning” the system.

 

Based on the price, all DEF is premium nowadays.

 

FWIW, my Chemist brother says the only thing cheaper to produce than DEF is dirt and water.
If I had a truck that used DEF I'd be checking the DEF with a refractometer before putting it in the tank

 

Thanks for posting. That's interesting to be sure.

 

so moral of the story is before taking your truck in for def related warranty and or recall....drain and refill your def

 

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...g-own-def.html

back when def was less than 3 a gallon

 

I appreciate all the info on DEF but that's not really a concern for me at this point. I never caused the contamination and don't know how it got contaminated. I am not going to spend 3 grand to change out these parts and take a chance that it could happen again. My only option, in my opinion is to delete the whole system. My concerns now are finding out if the LiveWire TS+ tuner will facilitate the deletes and if the EGR delete for the 2014 6.7 Powerstroke will work on my 2016. It appears from the pictures I've seen that the 16 requires an extra hose but I'm not certain. Can this extra hose be purchased separately if it's required?

 

I’m not sure about the EGR delete kit hose. Worst case scenario if you need a different hose you can have an auto parts store or a hydraulic shop make you the correct hose. I’m not sure about the other well known tuners but the one I use stopped writing tunes for SCT devices the first of the year. I use a SCT BDX to load my tunes. You could sell the live wire to offset the cost of an ezlynk.

 

Who would you expect the dealership to blame if they find a petroleum like substance in the DEF tank? I must live in the right place because over the course of 10 Ford vehicles I have never had an issue with the Ford dealers in my area.

 

ford should blame ford. The petroleum products in the def tank is caused by exhaust back pressure pushing exhaust gases back up the def injection nozzle and into the tank.