More new truck ?

[Turbo Terry]

Been reading the operators Manuel but ?? When I got home yesterday and parked in garage I walked around behind it and it smelled a bit hot. Cold outside. I noticed the def gauge was down a bit this morning. Did I have a regen event. Doesn’t the truck tell you when it’s happening and how long does it take etc. Also I really like the tow haul mode. But does the exhaust brake come on by itself in th mode or not. I think not. But it’s hard to tell. Just firm down shifts I think. Now the gear limit. Plus or minus Where would that be useful? Coming down a windy steep road with a load on or behind and locking it into 2 nd or third to get full exhaust braking is my guess. Got to watch the rpms too I’m assuming it locks the torque converter ? My exhaust brake seems to go to about 12-13 mph before it goes off. Also when do you add def Like when the gauge says half full. Would that be a good time to top off. The service brakes are very nice on this truck. Driving on slick snow empty they stop you straight and steady. I’m inpressed. I have been slamming them on try to get it to go sideways and it won’t do it. Very stable truck all in all 3500 doesn’t ride has rough as my old 99 2500 with firestones and ranchos on it

 

[Turbo Terry]

Stock Firestone tires not to bad in the snow.

 

[Cummins12V98]

Start truck, turn on Exhaust Brake and Tow Haul. Now enjoy the ride!!!

 

[lpennock]

You were probably doing a regen. EGT goes up quite a bit during regen.

Unless they changed the programming the Exhaust brake doesn't come on by itself just because you are in TOW all. I will maintain the shutoff state at start if a trailer is detected.

I use the manual gear selection in too cases.
1. When I'm climbing a grade and the transmission is seeking between two gears. (higher gear won't hold the speed but lower gear will accelerate to the point the trans wants to upshift.) While it won't hurt the transmission I just find it annoying so lock it into the lower gear to better maintain speed.
2. When I'm going down a grade and want more exhaust brake than the current gear provides because the current gear is letting me gain speed.

 

[AH64ID]

DEF is not used for regen, it's used to reduce NOx emissions. DEF is used almost all the time, except when cold and in a regen.

 

[Turbo Terry]

Good to know. So def half full on the gauge to top off

 

[AH64ID]

Good to know. So def half full on the gauge to top off

I run mine down to 1/4 or less, unless I’m going on a long trip. I also deal with higher summer temps than you do.


I guess one other time you won’t use DEF is below 12° since it freezes.

 

[lpennock]

Good to know. So def half full on the gauge to top off

I let mine go down to the point it starts counting down to 5mph before adding to keep it as fresh as possible. If I'm below half and taking a trip I may add a box early so I don't have to hassle with it on the trip. Like AH64ID, I have hot summer temperatures (110+) to deal with.

 

[Wiredawg]

It doesn't get very cold down here in TX, but the few times it has, my C&C started itself after preheating without additional action with me inside the cab. Also, recently my DEF gauge reached the edge of the red zone which took a tad over 7 gallons to fill. It's a 9-gallon tank. Never had problems with DEF going bad, knock-on wood. Truck is garaged and the inside of my shop never shows over 90 degrees. Had DEF in the truck over a year and a half when I had surgery, but no problems with it being old. Truck sat on the lot almost a full year also with whatever DEF factory/dealer installed in it. They delivered it with DEF and full tank of fuel (52 gallons).

EDIT: Forgot, I asked my service writer of 20 years what he recommended WRT filling DEF tank, and he said keep it full, which I mostly do. It had been several months I hadn't added any, which I guess proves letting it run low doesn't hurt either.

Anyhoo, it's interesting to read info and experiences with new trucks and their owners. Enjoy the truck!

Cheers, Ron

 

[gsbrockman]

I guess one other time you won’t use DEF is below 12° since it freezes.

But......the DEF pump has a heater......so, it may be <12°F outside, and the pump work as DEF begins thawing. Correct?

 

[Turbo Terry]

So you really don’t know your doing a regen except if you had the exhaust temps egt on the screen

 

[Turbo Terry]

And def is used all the time. I have been driving around on hard snow some ice in tow haul full exhaust brake and cant get truck to go sideways. Only thing I’m worried about is someone not getting stopped and hitting me from behind.

 

[AH64ID]

But......the DEF pump has a heater......so, it may be <12°F outside, and the pump work as DEF begins thawing. Correct?

Yes it has a heater, but it also has parameters to keep it from using frozen DEF. I’m not sure what it uses to know if the DEF is frozen or thawed.

So you really don’t know your doing a regen except if you had the exhaust temps egt on the screen

If you monitor the regen page it should tell you when it’s in a regen. It should regen every 24 hours of run time, at a minimum. Unless you do a lot of idling or city driving it should reach the 24 hour interval every time.

 

[Cummins12V98]

88k and no idea if or when a regen has occurred.

 

[bcbender]

I quit looking, I can never seem to catch it unless I smell it when I shut it off... Im sure its fine,

 

[AH64ID]

It’s not too hard to follow if you pay attention to engine hours, but if you don’t watch those it’s hard to catch.

 

[Turbo Terry]

I really like how someone Dodge ? Put the head bolt heater cord on and ran it to just under the front bumper on a clip. Unclipped it rather neatly goes right behind the corner of the license place. Out of the way protected and easy to find with cold fingers excellent job well done

 

[Turbo Terry]

And the cold front was a easy put on. If it stays on. We shall see

 

[AH64ID]

And the cold front was a easy put on. If it stays on. We shall see

If it’s put on correctly it will stay on without issue.

 

[Ozymandias]

But......the DEF pump has a heater......so, it may be <12°F outside, and the pump work as DEF begins thawing. Correct?

So it is, it's a time delay built into the system. Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe it is a ten minute time window that is legal by the emissions laws to run the engine without DEF at freezing temperatures.
If that window expires and there is no DEF injected by then, the truck will go into limp mode.

Edit: the sensors in the exhaust tell the ECM if DEF is used and at the pre-determined volume.