Still scratching my head ; why no cover on fuel fill??

[dloughrey]

My truck came with a red cap or plastic plug maybe a better description. Like mpaulson described, looks like something you would use on a hydraulic system as a temporary plug. I think any 1 1/2 diameter plug will do even a sink plug. Just something to keep debris out.

 

[Bill]

I buy DEF in the gallon jugs. Each jug has a blue, plastic, flexible screw on funnel. Just bend the plastic funnel, stick it in the DEF hole and fill 'er up. I threw away the OEM plastic funnel that came with the truck. To hard to get the darn thing out from under the passengers seat.

Maybe it's just me but I really don't understand how anybody can mistaken which hole to put DEF fluid in.

I screamed about no fuel filter cap. Was told I couldn't order one. So went online and found a few pages where you can buy the fuel caps ~ lockable or non-lockable.

Heard that the little red cap for the fuel was put on because to many farmers were complaining about dirt/dust getting into the fuel system. So cheap chrysler put their .10 cent red cap on.

BTW, on an average, how many miles are guys getting who are running with the DEF. I realize you will lose mileage while pulling heavy loads and other variables are to be considered. But a friend of mine said a guy only went just a little over 286.28 miles and he had to fill the DEF tank. Didn't say if the guy was pulling heavy.

 

[RikDavis]

I


BTW, on an average, how many miles are guys getting who are running with the DEF. I realize you will lose mileage while pulling heavy loads and other variables are to be considered. But a friend of mine said a guy only went just a little over 286.28 miles and he had to fill the DEF tank. Didn't say if the guy was pulling heavy.

I filled my DEF tank at 2050 miles, took 3.5 gallons. Apparently the factory does not fill it all the way.
Yesterday I reached 2500 miles on that fill, gauge still above 3/4
I tried to fill it with the 2.5 gallon bottle I had been carrying since September. When it was full I still had a quart left so that is something over 1000 mpg. Most of it was towing a 5000 lb Airstream around TN and then to FL. Not working it all that hard. Fuel mileage, hand calc. is about 15.6 for the same 2500 miles

 

[JLandry]

The other day I stumbled upon a Q&A brochure from Cummins which stated the "average" consumption of DEF should be about 2% of the diesel fuel quantity consumed. Put another way, the average ratio of diesel to DEF consumption is about 50:1.

That works out as follows:

At 20 mpg, 1 gallon of DEF should last 1000 miles.
At 15 mpg, 1 gallon of DEF should last 750 miles.
At 10 mpg, 1 gallon of DEF should last 500 miles.
At 5 mpg, 1 gallon of DEF should last 250 miles.

I haven't owned my truck long enough to verify any of this, but from user reports I've read, it sounds like it's in the ballpark.

I have a question for you guys filling your DEF tank from those disposable plastic jugs (and cubes) with the little flexible filler tube:

What happens when the DEF tank is full? Does the DEF simply stop flowing from the jug, or does it gush from around the flexible filler tube?

I ask because I don't want to spill DEF all down the side of my truck when the DEF tank tops out. How DO you keep from spilling it?

Thanks,

John L.

 

[Wingate]

I read somewhere the DEF tank can hold a 2.5 gal jug if the DEF fuel gauge is below 50% without overflowing.
Thats the method im going to use, just run it down to 1/4 tank and add a 2.5 gal jug.
At the rate of consumption, I really dont see a need to try and top the tank off.
Just be thankful ya'll aren't running the 6.7L Ford C&C truck. If you get down to the "1000 miles to empty" message on DEF and add a 2.5Gal jug, that stupid thing wont recognize that you added 2.5gal. and will STILL shut you down in 999 miles. It only recognizes abover 50% and below 50%. Everything else is a ECM calculation to determine level.

 

[RikDavis]

it will splash a bit when full. If you don't wipe it away it leaves a white residue

 

[JLandry]

it will splash a bit when full. If you don't wipe it away it leaves a white residue

That's what I was afraid of.

I think I'll stick with adding a 2.5 gallon jug at or below 1/2 tank to avoid the drips.

John L.

 

[Larry Willard]

I let mine get down to at least 1/4 then when you 2 1/2 gallon it will be about 3/4 full. I have used 20 gallon of DEF in the last 6000 miles, close to 5000 miles of that were towing.
Larry

 

[Sticks]

May Madness, they ought to line up all the engineers along a wall and let us have at 'em with a crate of eggs.

"Which one of you jackwagons came up with this idea?"

If they had done that at Ford in '03, the 6.0 may have had a better second year.

Working on the newer trucks, one can almost tell when and how many Ford engineers jumped ship and moved over to Ram.

Back to the OP - the Diesel '14s supposedly have a double flapper in each fill neck along with the seal around the fuel door to keep the water and debris out. Looked good on paper. Reality is that anything that gets into the first opening is going to make it to the tank - especially liquid.

Once again, the owners are the beta testers and have to come up with our own game plan to solve an issue.

 

[Kirwin]

My truck's DEF gauge was just above 3/4 tank when I picked it up at the dealer with just 14 miles on it. On Oct 8 at 1,993 miles with my gauge showing just below the empty line, I added 3.930 gallons of DEF. I'm now at 5,200 miles and I'm at about 1/8 of a tank. I will top off both tanks next weekend and get another data point then I will do a hand calculation and see what its giving. It did run over a little as the tank isn't vented very well, but I just used a little of the windshield cleaner they had on the pump and wiped the truck side down. It's a water soluble product so cleans up easily. Ken Irwin

 

[ARedmon]

I've got a lathe in the garage, so I made my own cap for the fuel filler. It's made from a chunk of polyethylene and is a fairly loose fitting plug that goes down into the fuel filler to the flap. The top of the cap goes out just past the outer edge of the stainless filler flange. I attached a tether to the top of the cap and anchored it at the same place as the DEF cap. I, too, feel that the omission of a fuel cap on the new diesels is ridiculous. I had owned mine only a couple of weeks when I looked into the fuel filler recess and saw grit and dirt. I hadn't even had it off road or anything. Somebody at RAM needs to be scolded for this omission!

 

[DonFitzwater]

I know it doesn't apply to diesels (at least I think it doesn't) but aren't the cap less systems on gasoline powered cars do reduce evaporative emissions? I suspect it was a govt thing. As soon as you pull the nozzle out, it seals up. It's still a poor design that allows contamination into the tank.

 

[Joseph Donnelly]

The white residue is urea, and rinses off. However, I am glad I have re-worked an ABS plumbing cap for the fuel fill so no DEF can get in there if the nozzle slips, etc. I recently filled some 2.5 gallon jugs at a truck stop and the nozzle was crusted with urea. Sloppy truckers!

Sticks, are you coming to May Madness? We will have Ram reps there for you to blast, but just stick to the facts, as Sgt. Friday said. They have been willing to field any complaints in the past, but hope you will listen to the solution as well. Are you going to complain about your heavily modified 2002, or about using DEF in your '14 Hemi, lol?

 

[MLee]

Sticks, does your new truck (gaser) have the open fill neck like the diesels do? My neighbor has an 11 and his is open like the 12-14 diesels. So gave him the recommendation of the Geno's cap, but might to the Joe D plug.

 

[Sticks]

Won't be going to May Madness. You kids have fun.

Nope, mine has a cap, and IIRC no flapper either since I can pretty easily dribble that last 2 gallons into the tank.

 

[jklturner]

check out this cap on ebay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/221433523518?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

 

[ARedmon]

jklturner, that looks like a very nice machined and o-ringed cap! Isn't it a shame, though, that someone would have to pay $38 for a fuel cap after spending nearly $70,000 for a truck?!? I made a cap for mine out of poly cap found in the plumbing dept of Tractor Supply. I had to machine it a little for a nice slip fit but it works nicely and I put a diesel sticker on the cap.

 

[gsbrockman]

Contrary to popular belief.....

#ad


I have over 42k miles on my '13 RAM 3500 and about 13k miles on my '14 RAM 3500 and have zero issues with the capless fill. One must understand that the 2nd flapper must be activated for anything to get into the diesel fuel tank....otherwise, it just hits the ground.

I buy DEF in the gallon jugs. Each jug has a blue, plastic, flexible screw on funnel. Just bend the plastic funnel, stick it in the DEF hole and fill 'er up. I threw away the OEM plastic funnel that came with the truck. To hard to get the darn thing out from under the passengers seat.

It's NOT a DEF funnel....it's a diesel fuel funnel. The funnel is needed in the event you run out of fuel along side the road somewhere, and fuel needs to be added from a five-gallon jug or such. This funnel is needed as it activates the 2nd flap so as fuel can enter the tank....

 

[MelvinPierce]

"I threw away the OEM plastic funnel that came with the truck. To hard to get the darn thing out from under the passengers seat."

"This funnel is needed as it activates the 2nd flap so as fuel can enter the tank"



Oops!

 

[JLandry]

THIS FUNNEL, available at Tractor Supply and similar stores, works great for adding fuel through the double flapper filler neck on a 2013/14. I trimmed a couple inches off the end for a better flow rate.

John L.