ok so far as what ford is doing.. i have that info. there are 3 level sensors in the def tank, 100%,50% and 0%. at 0% you will be reduced to idle only mode. the truck also has the ability to tell the quality of the def via the nox module, so any attemp to fill the tank with anything other then def of the correct quality will put the truck in to derate status im not looking at my note but 30% derate is what comes to mind. Now for the kicker is as of right now we were told contamination of the system is non warrantable and would require complete system replacement.... this means def pump,src injector tank and lines. Im thinking not to cheep.
It will set dtc's for nox above expected and the like.

 

Makes sense if you think about it. If you put bad fuel in your vehicle and it trashes your fuel pump, injectors, ect., they are not going to warranty that either.

 

If your going down the highway bumper to bumper traffic and it runs out, do ya'll really think its going to shut the truck down or even slow it down? There will be alot of lawsuits if that truck shuts down or strands people on the highway. I would not own any truck that would do this. It's nothing but a EPA racket.

 

You're right. Good thing cars & trucks don't shut down when they run out of gas or fuel......

 

Wait, fuel isn’t required? I could have been saving a truck load of money over the years!

Anyways, back to topic. It’s simply to fill it up soon after when you are warned the first time or fill it regardless of the current amount if you plan to travel a long distance. This way you don’t end up on the side of the road. Sure it’s a pain but not much that can be done about it so we have to be responsible. The EPA isn’t going away unfortunately. Plus the maintenance manual states to fill it with the oil change interval.

 

The fertilizer grade urea has too many impuritities to work in the SCR system. Undoubtedly people will try it to save a few bucks, but the impurities will accumulate rapidly in the system and cause irreversible damage.

It really makes a mess.

Also, you can't simply run water in the system because the emission sensors will monitor NOx conversion efficiency as the urea is injected. Water will throw codes and send the control system into progressive derate.

Alan

 

the truck will give you aple warnings. now if you dont listen to your truck and you get stuck in IVD mode then you get what you get.

 

I don't mean to come off harsh or anything, but educate yourself before you post. And if you are going to find yourself in this situation, pull off the road shut the truck off if it is possible and wait for traffic to clear up then get to wherever you can that has DEF and fill it up. It is not rocket science to keep it topped up. It is essentially the same as keeping your oil level up where it should be.

 

i wouldn't try mixing your own. Automotive DEF is designed to convert from liquid to ammonia gas as it travels thru the decomposition tube before entering the SCR chambers. There, in concert with the catalyst in the SCR chamber, a simple chemical reaction happens and the ammonia gases convert the NOx to nitrogen and water vapor. There's a NOx sensor prior and after the SCR chamber to compare values and if NOx is still present after, the system will go in limp mode (a Ford tech can chime in better knowledge of the actual Ford process).

DEF will be consumed at a 2-4% rate of fuel, so this is really a non-event. Fill your tank and drive......it's that simple.

You could probably mix your own 10-30 oil by combining 5-20 and straight 50 oil, but why bother?

I work in the heavy truck industry (Mack & Volvo) and the whole SCR deal is fairly confusing at first and invokes a lot of fear and myths. Once you understand what happens, it's pretty simple. I for one and glad to see it. Reducing the amount of EGR and letting the engine breathe more oxygen is a good thing. I'll be trading in my '09 for a SCR truck as soon as they hit the lot!

 

You hit on something very important here. Less EGR. I am also hopefully less regens and then of course less fuel in the oil as well. I think this will be a good step in the right direction once it has been thru the intial growing pains.

 

only one nox sensor. not really sure how they are doing it with one reading.... unless they use the sensor to read durring and before dosing the system wich would seem logical.

 

And how worried are you that your fuel gauge will tell you that you have more diesel then you actually have in the tank?

 

Great info guys. I just have a couple questions on DEF. What is the freezing point of DEF? Is there any type of anti freeze for it? And second what is the shelf life of this stuff like?? Thanks

 

PowerStrokeHD discussed this in a different topic here:
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/9...ml#post8572241
Adding anti-gel would be altering the fluid so that wouldn't work. Which is why there is two types.

I've read that DEF can last up to a year in 10-90 degree F or keep it under 75 degrees F and maybe up to two years.
But I'm not a DEF expert so best to wait for someone who is because I could use an answer to the shelf life question also!

 

Thanks I had no idea on that.