Moving day and def problems

[Phillip w]

Well, it is moving day. The new owner is continuing his demolition work. I will include pics. However, I got a fast hard lesson about this def emission systems. I'm glad I did not let John Deere talk me into buying a tractor with the new emission system on it. I rented a Penske truck for the move. We had trouble with the truck in Kansas City. We limped to a Petro truck stop. The supposed to have fixed it. 80 miles down the road we had more trouble. Penske sent out a road service truck. They did a forced regen. That did not solve the problem. So they sent a wrecker and towed it 150 miles to St Louis. It is in the shop. One of the mechanics apparently reset the computer codes, so it is almost down to a guess and by God approach. All three mechanics, the tow truck driver and the shop foreman at Penske said this emission system is a piece of crap, not reliable and the are seeing lots and lots of trucks with def emission problems. I guess that government is mandating this crappy system. What a mess. Here are some pics:

 

[CincyFlyer]

All that tells me is that the shop cannot diagnose the actual problem (all too common these days.) Hopefully they took it to a Ford (or whatever the engine brand) dealer and didn't do it in a Penske shop. The government doesn't mandate how a manufacturer meets the emissions standards, just that they do. Diesel exhaust is nasty stuff, we are better off with "clean diesel" (and clean everything). It takes some ingenuity to do so properly, but you can buy a Toyota Camry today that is quicker than most of the so-called "muscle cars" of years past, while burning half the fuel.

 

[Phillip w]

All that tells me is that the shop cannot diagnose the actual problem (all too common these days.) Hopefully they took it to a Ford (or whatever the engine brand) dealer and didn't do it in a Penske shop. The government doesn't mandate how a manufacturer meets the emissions standards, just that they do. Diesel exhaust is nasty stuff, we are better off with "clean diesel" (and clean everything). It takes some ingenuity to do so properly, but you can buy a Toyota Camry today that is quicker than most of the so-called "muscle cars" of years past, while burning half the fuel.

I do not have an issue with reducing carbon emission. The clain def fluid is harmless, yet it is highly corrosive. They use the the same ingredients in fertilizer, which can cause high nitrate levels in well water. When they did a forced regen the stench was terrible. Yet it is supposed to be harmless. From what I know and have read, this new diesel engine emission system not reliable of dependable. It is a mess to trouble shoot and work on. Yes, they did tow the truck to a Penske hub. I have faith in Penske and their mechanics. When I drove trucks, the company would rent road tractors from Penske when we would be short of trucks. The truck I rented from Penske is a Navistar with a Cummins motor. I don't fault Penske nor Cummins. I fault the evironmentalist who are trying to force a system down our throats that is neither reliable or dependable. Truthfully I would rather breath diesel exaust rather than that terrible stench coming from the exaust now. I say suspend the new system, do more testing and get the bugs out. Then try to bring it on line. From farm tractors to road tractors, everyone seems to be having trouble with this exaust system.

 

[ericm979]

The government is not mandating DEF or any other solution. The engineers and bean counters select the solution to meet the requirements set by the government. It's their fault if the system is unreliable- they could have spent more to engineer something better.

DEF is not used on tractors under 75hp. The emissions requirements under 75hp are less stringent and can be met with DPF or DOC.