DEF nozzle, rusted nuts

[scubaman15]

Has anyone experienced the DEF injector fasteners rusted ? My 2015 needs the nozzle cleaned but the nuts on the studs have almost completely disintegrated , has anyone had any luck with replacement studs or nuts , I'm a bit worried to attempt removal ,and not have what I need to reattach . The replacement nozzles I have looked at don't appear to come with new fasteners. I now have the dreaded service DEF see dealer message.

 

[bcbender]

I have not worked on the exhaust system on one of these yet but our 2012 is super rusty on the DEF and points rearward. Maybe spray the crap out of it with PB blaster ?.... then warm slightly with a heat gun.. and repeat.. Are they bolts or studs with nuts? I had a rusty Bronco I restored that was from OHIO and every bolt was like what I imagine you are talking about.. PB, heat, and Deep Creep (by seafoam) were my friend. I broke a few but mostly was able to get things apart on the body without a torch and Sawzall. Wire brush to clean up the scale so you don't gall the threads coming out.. Maybe some else can chime in who's been there done that, good luck sir!

 

[scubaman15]

There are no flat spots left on the nuts and the size of the nuts have got to the point that you could not call them nuts at all ,the studs seem to be made of a different metal ,and "seem" to be in somewhat serviceable condition ,but even a fingernail will peel away some of the metal of the nuts no wrench will be able to make a good contact and remove them ,I guess I was asking if anyone else had run into this ? And how did they solve the issue without damaging studs , The threads of studs metric? Size? Surely someone has seen this before? I did do a search and come up empty , Ill take some pictures and maybe attempt to remove rusted nuts ,by Chisel,or angle grinder. I also thought if I was able to remove the injector I could maybe replace the studs as well ? Thanks for reply !

 

[JR]

EZ out sockets will get them off. Every shade tree mechanic in the rust belt has a set in his box.

 

[sag2]

You might try a nut buster. But before you do I would heat them as hot as you can with a torch to try and get them to release from the stud. FYI on my 18 they are bolts.

 

[Cummins12V98]

On the 21 they are studs with nuts.

 

[scubaman15]

not that it matters at this point ,

tried to remove they just snapped almost flush... drilled and tapped . wasn't much left of ether the nuts or the studs . PIA

 

[scubaman15]

 

[Andy_dirt]

I can’t offer anything on getting the bolts out but I wonder if you all that live in the northern states could pay special attention to those bolts in preventative maintenance.
Maybe covering them in a high temp silicone or similar. The ones on my 15 are stainless steel I believe. I ordered a second set to replace them if they get rusty.
If everyone removes and cleans the injector nozzle annually maybe it won’t be a problem? I also ordered several extra gaskets for the def injector nozzle. When I removed mine, the gasket broke into a few pieces and it was building up crystals where it was seeping out when I looked at it the next time.

 

[Kirwin]

I took each sensor and the DEF injector off and used anti seize on them when my truck was new just for this reason!