New to Me 4th Gen

[Newsa]

Ideally the crystals will redissolve before they hit the injector. But in a few cases, that might not happen?

 

[BIGNASTY]

Sorry I was on my phone with this question is why it sucks so bad


I was wondering if there is a way to drain the DEF tank if the truck should sit for awhile? Need to get me a Service Manual.

Went to Urbana IL today to pick up some decent alfa hay for the livestock. The truck is actually starting to grow on me EXECPT FOR THE EMPTY RIDE Loaded trailer to MAX with 90# bales of hay it rode pretty nice

 

[Wayne M.]

Sorry to be a downer, BIG, but two NO’s
-You can’t buy shop manuals anymore, you can buy a brief “Service Information” disc on Tech Authority website that is like a manual, but has broken up information.
-You can’t drain that DEF tank. If it ever gets contaminated, remove and wash it out.

 

[AH64ID]

I’ll be going out of my way to fill at the DEF pumps. We have a couple here in Boise and to me it just makes sense. Less mess, cheaper, faster, and no need to worry about freshness.

I added 2 gallons today in prep for some highway miles. Took me from 3/8 to 7/8 of a tank. Should burn that down by Labar Day and fill it full for winter.

 

[TFucili]

Don't know if this applies, or is correct, but here is one way.

 

[BIGNASTY]

In the Video he suggested 6 months depending on temp as being time limit of going sour. Well that won't be a problem then, I thought maybe a much shorter lifespan in the tank than that. I think that I'm still going to use the container I can buy as my fill up source. I guess this thinking comes from many years in the petroleum industry and how products are handled and I see this as being no different.

 

[Newsa]

https://www.cummins.com/news/2016/01/04/5-answers-about-diesel-exhaust-fluid

See this link

Ours may not actually have a full filter-blown but might have a cheese cloth or gauze. Not sure about that.

I think maybe the cab and chassis may have a filter?

 

[TFucili]

 

[JR]

The comments about not needing to worry about freshness at the DEF pump assumes that there is enough DEF volume being used to keep it as such. And that it is being handled and stored during transport and at the final destination properly every single time.
Obviously only a fraction of people that buy diesel fuel also need and buy DEF at the same time of purchase. And an even smaller percentage will use it vs a sealed container. Both should honor a warranty if a receipt can be provided AND it can be proved that bad DEF was a problem.

Personally, I am doing well to accrue 20k miles a year so neither way is a large investment. The difference is so negligible it would be hard to justify from a cost perspective alone. I'd rather pay a little more for a jug that is sealed from the manufacturer vs a bulk dispensery with unknown # of hands changed, handling and storage procedures, etc. It is hard to argue there can be better control than a sealed container from the manufacturer.

That being said, the fact that bulk DEF apparently works so seamlessly is proof that it is not AS critical as some make it out to be. We've had cranes equipped with SCR show up on the job site with zero inspection papers aside from transport for 12-15 months. Hard saying how much older than that the DEF is but I can tell you draining the tanks are not S.O.P. when equipment is idle. Never had a DEF related problem to date and all but a handful are CTD.

 

[AH64ID]

A sealed jug that got too hot during transport or storage concerns me more than an open underground tank with a very constant storage temp.

I’m willing to bet that turnover is pretty high at truck stops with pumps. Many OTR trucks use SCR, and I don’t see them using the jugs to fill their much larger tanks.

It would be interesting to see the sales numbers between jug and pump thou.

 

[Wiredawg]

The comments about not needing to worry about freshness at the DEF pump assumes that there is enough DEF volume being used to keep it as such. And that it is being handled and stored during transport and at the final destination properly every single time.
Obviously only a fraction of people that buy diesel fuel also need and buy DEF at the same time of purchase. And an even smaller percentage will use it vs a sealed container. Both should honor a warranty if a receipt can be provided AND it can be proved that bad DEF was a problem.

Personally, I am doing well to accrue 20k miles a year so neither way is a large investment. The difference is so negligible it would be hard to justify from a cost perspective alone. I'd rather pay a little more for a jug that is sealed from the manufacturer vs a bulk dispensery with unknown # of hands changed, handling and storage procedures, etc. It is hard to argue there can be better control than a sealed container from the manufacturer.

That being said, the fact that bulk DEF apparently works so seamlessly is proof that it is not AS critical as some make it out to be. We've had cranes equipped with SCR show up on the job site with zero inspection papers aside from transport for 12-15 months. Hard saying how much older than that the DEF is but I can tell you draining the tanks are not S.O.P. when equipment is idle. Never had a DEF related problem to date and all but a handful are CTD.

I agree. same here. I'm putting around 16K miles a year. I hope I'm not stick a lightning rod in it during a thunderstorm, but I'm less concerned about the DEF thing than I was when I bought my truck. Approximately 4 gallons of my DEF is 6 months old and just before my surgery in April, topped it off with 5 gallons.

None of my local friends here have had any problems with DEF hre in TX, and they don't pay close attention to dates like I do. Honestly, don't see that many issues here on the TDR either.

Cheers, Ron



Kinda like being careful where you buy your diesel.

 

[gsbrockman]

Some updated DEF stats from my 2018 RAM 4500.....

• 142,891.2 miles logged
• 331.841 gallons of DEF purchased
• $928.12 dollars
• 430.602 avg mpg DEF
• 10.33 avg mpg over lifetime of truck
• $0.00649529 per mile in DEF costs
• Or.....easier to understand...$6.49 per 1,000 miles driven in DEF costs
• 100% of DEF has been bulk at the pump

 

[AH64ID]

Some updated DEF stats from my 2018 RAM 4500.....

• 142,891.2 miles logged
• 331.841 gallons of DEF purchased
• $928.12 dollars
• 430.602 avg mpg DEF
• 10.33 avg mpg over lifetime of truck
• $0.00649529 per mile in DEF costs
• Or.....easier to understand...$6.49 per 1,000 miles driven in DEF costs
• 100% of DEF has been bulk at the pump

2.4% DEF to fuel. Right in the 2-3% range I’ve read about. Not too bad at all.

 

[Wayne M.]

Some updated DEF stats from my 2018 RAM 4500.....

• 142,891.2 miles logged
• 331.841 gallons of DEF purchased
• $928.12 dollars
• 430.602 avg mpg DEF
• 10.33 avg mpg over lifetime of truck
• $0.00649529 per mile in DEF costs
• Or.....easier to understand...$6.49 per 1,000 miles driven in DEF costs
• 100% of DEF has been bulk at the pump

How’s your downtime (not including regular maintenance) been with this rig?
Not to get off topic, but I just have to ask!

 

[TFucili]

2.4% DEF to fuel. Right in the 2-3% range I’ve read about. Not too bad at all.

I have been told the new 1K Cummins uses A LOT more DEF. I guess turning up the wick means more cleanup.

 

[gsbrockman]

How’s your downtime (not including regular maintenance) been with this rig?
Not to get off topic, but I just have to ask!

I have not had any down time. I did have an issue once with excessive regens, but a TMAP sensor took care of it.

Otherwise.....strictly maintenance by the book. I’m coming up on 150k miles soon, so in addition to the cooling system drain & fill, I think I’ll do a preemptive water pump replacement and keep on rockin’.....

 

[Wayne M.]

Fanfriggntastic, gs!

 

[BIGNASTY]

Another concern of buying bulk at stations is product contamination which happens a lot!! Not so much by hooking up the unloading hose to the wrong product tank (I believe they are different size hoses to prevent this) but from what was hauled in the truck tank before DEF was loaded. I don't know for sure but I would almost bet that the truck isn't exclusively DEF product only? During my driving career we had charts that were STRICTLY adheared to, to prevent product contamination especially Jet fuel. I have a call in to a friend thats still in the industry to address this question.

 

[JR]

I've seen containers exactly like this at a Cenex station.
They also have what was named slimline? Pumps that are right in the island.
I'm sure the above ground containers are well insulated and definitely have to be heated somehow, but what do they do for climate control in the summer? I honestly don't know.
Either way it doesn't seem to be a problem.

 

[BIGNASTY]

A sealed jug that got too hot during transport or storage concerns me more than an open underground tank with a very constant storage temp.

I’m willing to bet that turnover is pretty high at truck stops with pumps. Many OTR trucks use SCR, and I don’t see them using the jugs to fill their much larger tanks.

It would be interesting to see the sales numbers between jug and pump thou.

Company trucks would use the pump to make it easier for themselves & the bean counters in the office to track fuel use. The VERY limited amount that I actually went with someone to drop fuel in Indiana I was amazed at the amount of condensation in the tanks I would imagine ALL product fills were like this. Every fill opened when dropping fuel was the worst I'd seen in my years of passing gas with debris, water? probably fuel mixed in and grit like sand, sure the pumps have filters but 30 Mic filters aren't the best for catching anything but the BIG CHUNKS.