DEF systems experience

mmfan55

Member
What kind of experience are folks having with the newer pickups equipped with the DEF pollution systems? The semi I drive: it is prone to failure and expense to repair. Our diesel shop tells me it's not just my unit, but, wide spread throughout the fleet. What about pickup trucks. My dually pre dates all that pollution garbage. I bought a gas last time. Curious?!?!
 
I have a 2013 RAM 2500, DEF system was a nuisance from the beginning, injection nozzle would plug and I would remove it and clean and it would be good for about 6 months, right after the warranty expired the pump in the DEF tank failed.

My younger brother drives 18 wheelers for a living, and between DEF and the DPF the truck has left him stranded along the road and at the dealership several times.

I am not against clean air, but these systems are not robust enough yet.
 
We have 2 International semis at work and they have been nothing but trouble from the first day with them. The DEF sensors have been replaced under warranty many times and keeps failing. The first day it didn't even make it from the dealer to our shop before it quit on the side of the road. And the other made it 2 days. We finally got a Mack and knock on wood it hasn't had any problems. We also have a Doosan trackhoe and a Case backhoe that have been giving us trouble as well. They just go into (limp mode) idle only. Not a good thing when all these machines are needed for emergency situations at a public utility company.
 
Good ol def one of the hardest screwings equipment owners ever took all thanks to someone’s idea to save the planet by burning more fuel not counting the energy needed to just haul it to stores and truck stops .
 
And the first step towards it was just as bad with the DPF that seems to always be in "auto rgen" mode with degraded power during the process and smokes like you've blown a head gasket not to mention the worst smelling exhaust
 
There is confusion between DEF and DPF. DEF is for NOx reduction (acid rain), DPF is soot. There are two ways to reduce NOx, either EGR which uses more fuel or DEF with uses less fuel.
 
Well our school bought 8 new gas jobs cuz we are sick of def! And those are full size buses!!!! We will see how they hold up!!!!!
 
David: not getting technical. I view DEF, DPF, SCR, EGR, etc.... all as part of the failure prone, high maintenance, expensive, undependable, pollution systems forced on the public. Just wondering if it's as much of a nightmare on pickup trucks as it is on semi
 
My Son had a '14 Ram 2500 from brand new. Put 35,000 miles on it, mostly the seven mile to/from work, few trips of several hundred miles too. It was less than a year old when he got a "contaminated DEF" warning, which derated power, and started a clock to limiting speed to 5 mph. He took it to his dealer. Got scolded for not using MOPAR Def, it's ALL made by the same company in a plant in Iowa. He buys his DEF, PEAK brand at Blain's Farm & Fleet in Davenport, Iowa. But the dealer flashes the computer, resets something, and in less than an hour is on his way.
Couple months later he gets the contaminated DEF message again. Calls his dealer, they sneak his truck in the next afternoon, couple hours later he gets the call, scolded again for using PEAK def, not MOPAR, and is told he can pick his truck up anytime.
Couple more months later gets the contaminated DEF message, calls his dealer, is told it would be a couple weeks before they could look at his truck. Gets scolded again for using PEAK def from Farm & Fleet. He calls his buddy, his buddy calls his repair shop, SON calls the repair shop, truck goes in for a day and gets deleted, no more Def, no regen, no egr, gets new stainless 4" stainless exhaust, and a 6 position chip that bumped the 370 hp to 500 maximum. He drove the truck for almost two years with no problems. The Ram Cummins forums had numerous topics about the contaminated DEF warning, evidently deleting was the only fix. The warning itself was bad, but the increasing bad attitude of his dealer was what really irritated him.
 
I had a 2011 Freightliner,Cumins no DEF.It was down two or three times a year with emissions stuff. 2020 Kenworth now, with a DEF system. so far it has hod no problems at all. Just went past the one year mark,35,000 miles. 100 mile radius route truck.
 
What I found really interesting, with ALL that pollution stuff working, SON could get 25 mpg highway driving on trips. Truck cruises about 1500-1600 rpm at 70-75 mph. The inside of the tailpipe stayed CLEANER than the outside, inside still looked like new pipe.
After deleting all the pollution hardware the best highway mpg he could get was around 18-20 at 65-70 mpg, and the inside of the brand new tailpipe was coal black in the 4 mile drive home. But no more DEF and no more trouble lights for contaminate DEF. And no more smart-alic service manager with a bad attitude smarting off about using Bad Def fluid. I bet Farm & Fleet sells more DEF in a month than the Mopar, oh, Fiat-Chrysler Dealer, sells in a YEAR. Farm & Fleet sets the pallet on the sales floor by the automotive dept., less distance to move the heavy skid. I imagine they get it by the semi load.
 
once you develop allergy to the diesel fumes you will change your attitude,you will over time on the units you run
 
Not a pickup truck, but it is a diesel with DEF. 2015 VW Jetta TDI with DEF. About 65,000 miles on it. No problems so far. Hope it stays that way.
 

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