Help! Advice on DEF

[vettecrazy]

We have the FR Sprinter, will turn 1,000 miles soon, we we’re just told by a owner of a Mercedes about the DEF, we have never added any. Think we have done harm?

[DaveJordan]

No.

DEF lasts a good long time. You'll get a pop-up on the dash when it's running low and, even then, you'll have a while before it gets to empty.

Just be very careful when adding the DEF. It's pretty caustic and any little spills need to be washed completely away ASAP.

My DEF container is small enough that the standard 2-1/2 gallon DEF box doesn't quite fit. Bummer. So I generally add two of the one gallon jugs when the warning comes up. But different versions/years of the Sprinter have different size DEF tanks ... so you might want to try to figure out how large yours is...

Dave

PS - After adding DEF it seems to take a few minutes of running before the idiot light goes out.

[vettecrazy]

Originally Posted by DaveJordan

No.

DEF lasts a good long time. You'll get a pop-up on the dash when it's running low and, even then, you'll have a while before it gets to empty.

Just be very careful when adding the DEF. It's pretty caustic and any little spills need to be washed completely away ASAP.

My DEF container is small enough that the standard 2-1/2 gallon DEF box doesn't quite fit. Bummer. So I generally add two of the one gallon jugs when the warning comes up. But different versions/years of the Sprinter have different size DEF tanks ... so you might want to try to figure out how large yours is...

Dave

PS - After adding DEF it seems to take a few minutes of running before the idiot light goes out.

Thank you, so just look for the light. We should have been told this with this being our first diesel. I guess we have a spot that you fill it, we are aiting for a call from the service manager for education,

[vettecrazy]

We have a 2018 Sunseeker

[Mr. Dan]

Originally Posted by vettecrazy

We have a 2018 Sunseeker

We recommend you go to User CP and add this info to your Signature so you don't have to remember to add it when necessary.

[Gonefishing1]

Originally Posted by vettecrazy

Thank you, so just look for the light. We should have been told this with this being our first diesel. I guess we have a spot that you fill it, we are aiting for a call from the service manager for education,

Don’t know about your vehicle but don’t wait till the light comes on. Reason is you may not be near someplace where you can buy deff. Most vehicle will go into what is called limp mode if deff gets real low. You don’t want to go into limp mode.

[Walholler]

I have purchase many new vehicles in the past 50 years and each and everyone of them came with an owners manual. My last purchase was my first diesel power truck, slightly used at 8860 miles. The first thing I did after driving it home was to read the owners manual, it had a wealth of information in it both written words, diagrams & pictures. This information is from the manufacturer of the vehicle, not second hand info from an individual that may or may not have your best interest in mind. My truck holds 5 gals. of DEF which will last 5000 miles if I am not towing. If I am towing that mileage is cut in half. I get a information light and a message at 1000 miles remaining before I have to add more DEF and can manually pull same info up on info screen. I drive a Chevrolet 2500HD truck. I would suggest to you that you read your owners manual, anything that you do not understand can readily be found on the internet. YouTube is an excellent source of information on just about anything that you can think of.

[TheWolfPaq82]

Originally Posted by Gonefishing1

Don’t know about your vehicle but don’t wait till the light comes on. Reason is you may not be near someplace where you can buy deff. Most vehicle will go into what is called limp mode if deff gets real low. You don’t want to go into limp mode.

Not a MH, but on my GMC 2500, when I get the warning message...29% remaining, I'll get another message if I don't fill right away and it says I had around 800 miles to go before limp mode.

[Loefflerh]

Newer sprinter have a DEF - level indicator!
And it takes a looong time from the yellow light to the red light... Last year I drove from Denver Co to Kansas City with the yellow light on - red did not come on!

[formerFR]

you'll not need to 'worry' about any concerns - the DEF indicator will let you know when it needs some, and if you still don't handle it, your vehicle will be derated and only drive about 5mph until you do.

DEF has nothing to do with your engine, only the emissions of the exhaust.

[doc73]

I think it was quite a while ago where someone found the amount the Sprinter uses for DEF per mile and it was up north of 3 or 4 thousand miles per fill up. It does last a while and is usually easy to find just about anywhere that sells auto stuff (even Walmart makes their "own" brand now). I let mine run down low then fill to keep the fluid fresh. It does last a while in the vehicle but the fluid itself does not seem to have along shelf life depending on how it is stored.

[ACE110]

Originally Posted by doc73

I think it was quite a while ago where someone found the amount the Sprinter uses for DEF per mile and it was up north of 3 or 4 thousand miles per fill up. It does last a while and is usually easy to find just about anywhere that sells auto stuff (even Walmart makes their "own" brand now). I let mine run down low then fill to keep the fluid fresh. It does last a while in the vehicle but the fluid itself does not seem to have along shelf life depending on how it is stored.

Can you explain a little more on the shelf life, ie what happens when it has reached its limit? Also, what are the good & bad storage practices?

[jackconn]

While I don't have a Chevy, I have some experience with the DEF system on our Jeep that might be of interest. DEF does have a shelf life so you don't want to buy containers too long before using. I don't agree that it's caustic, but it does crystallize. It won't permanently stain paint even if it's dried and crystallized on the surface. I have been told by several Jeep dealer service departments that they see problems with crystallization in the DEF system as a result of using Blue DEF which seems to own a majority of the market. Cynics will immediately dismiss this as dealer bias trying to scare me into spending 3x for Mopar DEF, but I spend the money anyway. (To each his own.) I have a gauge and use that to track usage, and am pretty sure consumption is dependent on several variables (load, temperature, speed?); I have not seen a pattern of xx gallons/mile though I'm sure someone claims this is true. I refill when the tank is around 1/4 full to keep it reasonably fresh. While I don't know what the engine does when running out, I do know from experience what happens when the DEF injection system fails. In my case (Jeep) it did not go into limp mode but told me I had xxx miles, starting at 150 miles, before the car would not re-start if it was shut down. It was very clear about this, with the warning messages flashing at increasingly frequent intervals. I made it to the dealer with about 30 miles to go. If I had not made it, I could have simply kept the engine going while re-fueling (not a good practice, I know!).

Hope this helps....

[rlh1957]

Many vehicles have a gauge or an status indicator that you see when you scroll through all the other things on the vehicle. The DEF should have a gauge or percentage indicator that you can pull up and see. Don't know of any that are wait and see with an idiot light. Running out of DEF won't ruin and engine right away like running out of oil. The DEF is the governments answer to cleaner burning diesel... add some unknown cat piss smelling crap in a 3 - 6 gallon tank and make the test show better emissions to keep the tree huggers happy.

[Fifth Wheelers]

On my Ram truck I have a dial that shows the status of the DEF level. Not sure if you have a dial or light. If a light, you should have a reserve so you can get to a store. You will find out that when not towing you use very little DEF. When towing you use a lot more. DEF is only good for a year so I fill at a truck stop, you never know the age you are getting in a store. Plus it's a lot cheaper. Never heard of it being caustic since it is cow piss and water. Best.

[Mtnman64]

Originally Posted by vettecrazy

We have the FR Sprinter, will turn 1,000 miles soon, we we’re just told by a owner of a Mercedes about the DEF, we have never added any. Think we have done harm?

Man , your dealer did a very poor delivery/instruction walk through with y'all. Make sure you read all the info on the MBS link on FR Forms to get a good working knowledge of your new RV.

[aceinspp]

Originally Posted by Walholler

I have purchase many new vehicles in the past 50 years and each and everyone of them came with an owners manual. My last purchase was my first diesel power truck, slightly used at 8860 miles. The first thing I did after driving it home was to read the owners manual, it had a wealth of information in it both written words, diagrams & pictures. This information is from the manufacturer of the vehicle, not second hand info from an individual that may or may not have your best interest in mind. My truck holds 5 gals. of DEF which will last 5000 miles if I am not towing. If I am towing that mileage is cut in half. I get a information light and a message at 1000 miles remaining before I have to add more DEF and can manually pull same info up on info screen. I drive a Chevrolet 2500HD truck. I would suggest to you that you read your owners manual, anything that you do not understand can readily be found on the internet. YouTube is an excellent source of information on just about anything that you can think of.

Manufacture now do not furnish manuals which I found out when I bought my new Ram. Manual is in the apps setting what a pain to have to sit in a truck to read on a screen. They are getting cheap and it will eventually flow over to all manufactures. I ended up down loading the manual from there web site only 705 pages stupid. They make enough money on these vehicles that they surly can put a manual in the vehicle. Later RJD

[koller1509]

Originally Posted by ACE110

Can you explain a little more on the shelf life, ie what happens when it has reached its limit? Also, what are the good & bad storage practices?

Best to store it at room temperature, Being stored at high temperatures shortens its shelf life.

[JOhn_R_C]

We have a 2018 Forester MBS, ca. 2016 chassis. It has a DEF gage in the multifunctional group you can toggle to. It easily takes 2 1/2 gallons when it is below 1/4 on the gauge. I've added DEF one time and now have some 6200 miles on the rig.

Hope this helps.

John C

[milkman55]

Go through all your menus which are accessed with the steering wheel controls. You will see a visual gauge in 1/4 increments. I never let mine get below half full. I have make several trips over 2,500 miles and didn’t use half the DEF tank. I get the BlueDEF they sell at Walmart and it’s easy to fill. Pay attention to the warning about caustic overflow and wash away immediately.

I have about 10,000 miles on my Sprinter and have added DEF twice.