New to Me 4th Gen

[BIGNASTY]

A month ago we lost my Father-in-law he will be missed by our Family. I was left a truck that was bought for my use when I was doing a lot of work for him and his cattlemen business partners a 2014 CC Laramie cab & chassis. Penny & our friend have driven it out to Pennsylvania to retrieve a new to me tractor & 4x16 gang plough.

Question!!! is all DEF the same? before they left they bought a couple of containers for the trip. They bought PEAK BLUEDEF from Walmart.

We'er leaving for home soon and I want to have what I need for the short 600 mile run home. I hate to use truck stops ( I've seen the NASTY DEF pumps) and am kind of selective as to where I fill the fuel tanks.

Thanks BIG

 

[Wayne M.]

BIG- sorry for the loss.
All DEF is the same, but it can go bad. Search around on here and you’ll learn a lot. Buy a jug on the road and top it off. You should be fine! DEF usage is equal to fuel usage. More heat in the stack= more usage.

 

[BIGNASTY]

I guess I'm going to need some 4th Gen Education

Thanks

 

[lpennock]

Save yourself a couple buck and get Super Tech from Walmart rather than Peak. Just check the seal under the cap to make sure it isn't leaking.

 

[Ozymandias]

All DEF from Factory is exactly the same because the Spec is perfectly tight.
There is simply no better or worse DEF available.

 

[Wayne M.]

Hey BIG, here is a thread I started some time ago about DEF quality concerns. I show how to use a refractometer to test the concentration of the fluid. OTC makes one calibrated for DEF, but you can also use one for coolant/ battery acid as long as it shows specific gravity.
https://www.turbodieselregister.com/threads/testing-def.258485/?p=2507935#post2507935

 

[gsbrockman]

BIG- sorry for the loss.
All DEF is the same, but it can go bad. Search around on here and you’ll learn a lot. Buy a jug on the road and top it off. You should be fine! DEF usage is equal to fuel usage. More heat in the stack= more usage.

Where did ya get that idea? Technically.....DEF consumption is approximately 2% to 3% of diesel consumption.

 

[Wayne M.]

I guess that came out wrong. I was trying to state that DEF and fuel consumption are in relation, and that the more fuel you’ll use, the more DEF you’ll use. Not that it’s gallon for gallon, hence the “heat in the stack” tag.
This trip home towing his booty will need more fuel and more DEF than if he would be bobtailing, right?

 

[mwilson]

Big, sorry for your loss...I know you will miss him.

I eyeballed some DEF pumps when buying Diesel on my recent trip to Indiana...
I think Pre-packaged would be my choice if I ever get a Diesel that requires it.
Any Walmart, truck dealer or fuel station with a decent turnover will have pretty fresh DEF on the shelf. I sell about a pallet a month just in my Bangor location alone.

 

[Wayne M.]

I sell about a pallet a month just in my Bangor location alone.

Mike, is that the little tote box size commonly seen? Have you ever had any comebacks/ complaints due to quality?

 

[mwilson]

Yes, 2 1/2 gallon size tote.

No comebacks ever.

 

[mwilson]

The truck stop DEF pumps were just nasty looking to me when the risk is a very expensive fuel system repair.

330 gallon totes give trouble when using a hand pump to dispense, I simply could not find a hand pump to sell that did not quit working after six months due to build up of crystals on the pump internals. Now I won’t sell the hand pumps.
To me the prepacked DEF is the way to roll for a pretty good overall DEF experience.

Just my opinion....

 

[jgillott]

With the low mileage use that it sees, my Sprinter uses very little DEF as you can imagine. The few times I have added it has been just boxed Peak Blue DEF from walmart or tractor supply. I worry more about the DEF going bad in the van from sitting so much.

 

[Jim W]

Big; Sorry for your loss.
Good luck on your 4th gen Odyssey. There are some very good threads to read in the 4th GEN forum so, have fun reading.

 

[lpennock]

The nasty looking DEF pumps is from spillage and not reflective of the DEF quality. I spilt some on my truck as I didn't get the nozzle in fully, at the next stop the side of my truck looked like the DEF pump. Next time you fill from a box poor a splash on something and come back a couple hours later after the water has evaporated and it will look like the DEF pumps.

 

[TFucili]

Next thing they'll have to install DEF nozzle washers on the pump islands.

 

[mwilson]

The nasty looking DEF pumps is from spillage and not reflective of the DEF quality. I spilt some on my truck as I didn't get the nozzle in fully, at the next stop the side of my truck looked like the DEF pump. Next time you fill from a box poor a splash on something and come back a couple hours later after the water has evaporated and it will look like the DEF pumps.

That may well be the case and I’m sure many are buying it that way with no issues....but I’d still stick with the Pre-pack for my own use.

 

[TFucili]

Out of pure curiosity, is anyone aware of a truck issue brought about by crystals/trash introduced by a DEF pump nozzle? My truck should arrive fairly soon, and I was thinking buying at the pump was the way to go, but this thread has me rethinking that premise.

 

[gsbrockman]

Some of you guys absolutely crack me up being so “judgmental” over bulk DEF at the pump, basing your decisions on the appearance of the DEF nozzle. Ever keep a rag handy under the seat or door pocket......or paper towels nearby?

When one runs a Cab & Chassis, often pulling long trailers, sometimes truck stops are the only place to get fuel. Additionally......rolling into a retail store for DEF just doesn’t work out as a rule, either, depending on the size of the combination you’re under.

In my situation...why would I want to buy and overpay and deal with four 2.5 gallon DEF boxes, when the DEF at the pump is convenient, less cost, equal to or better in quality, don’t have to decipher a dumbasssssss date code, and, lastly, if it’s good enough for $150,000 Peterbilts, Kenworths, etc., it should be just fine for my little 4500.

 

[Wayne M.]

if it’s good enough for $150,000 Peterbilts, Kenworths, etc., it should be just fine for my little 4500.

Really can’t compare the SCR systems that are in “Consumer grade” class 4-5 rigs with class 8 SCR systems. For starters, the class 8 DEF pumps I see have serviceable filters, Urea quality sensors (to spot bad DEF right away, and not by NOx readback when it’s too late) and engine coolant tank heater systems to better prevent ice ups.