What is diesel exhaust fluid?

[Ken]

DEF= Just another reason not to buy a diesel.
MY question is what happens if you dont put any DEF in the tank, does it shut down the engine. That would be bad if out in the middle of nowhere and ran out.

Gary I heard it goes into a "LIMP" mode and I don't think standing on the bumper and getting your own relief will work.

ken

 

[rambler]

Is there talk of putting this on tractors of the future? This is the first I've heard of diesel exhaust fluid - thanks for the education.

Where you been, it's been required on bigger engines (in tractors, pickups, semis) for a couple years now more or less - well _some_ method has been required, and this is the one they are aiming to make required on all diesels.

Farmers and semi owners been dealing with it for a couple years now.

Diesel engines are very effiecient, but they put out some black smoke.

This bothers people, so they required the smoke to be less black.

We are on version 4 of this emissions stuff now on diesel engines. The DEF package adds about $5000 to a bigger engine, and it regains some of the efficiency that was lost by past emissions contraptions on diesel engines. So.... it's not _more_ effiecent than a raw diesel engine, but the DEF stuff is not as bad for efficiencies as past emissions stuff - some of which involved injecting diesel fuel into the muffler every so often to heat up the muffler a lot...

Anyhow, DEF is a basically urea nitrogen fertilizer in a water solution. Urea is salty, so it's bad for your tractor finish, and well - you can imagine how well the setup will look in 20 years of dealing with salt in the system.....

So, if you wonder why your food bill goes up, we are now burning fertilizer in the tractors and semis; we are losing efficency with the anti smog systems.

Sorry for the rant, but you asked.

Oh yea, you know your chainsaws are going electronic, because they need pollution controls on them too, and need a computer to run that stuff?

--->Paul

 

[art]

Art, maybe you can answer this, the thing that concerned me the most about DEF is the fact it freezes at 12 deg. F.. so the truck uses battery power to maintain a small heater to prevent freezing?. that seems like a big problem to me. How is that going to work for a 40 horse CUT that might sit for a month in the winter without starting? I don't understand this
Thanks

James K0UA

James I think it will take a while to see how much they will use it in the compacts. I suspect that some will go back to the pre-cup design in the injection system as it is a cleaner system in the exhaust then direct. We have been using it for two years now and I can't say I've had anyone have a problem with it although this year I suspect we will have a colder winter to bring out problems as many of our big ag tractors just sit all winter.

 

[Jay4200]

Why not just fill the DEF tank with water? That's what I would do.

JayC

 

[Bigkrank]

Why not just fill the DEF tank with water? That's what I would do.

JayC

And you will get a "DEF quality poor" message so have fun with that.

 

[JerryK]

I will have to remember to go out and give a big hug to my 2001.5 [ pre Tier ] Dodge Cummins H.O. today...

 

[rustythe4x4]

On the '12 Dodge 5500 I drive the dash starts screaming at you when you get low on DEF. I was warned not to run it out, because it uses the three strike method - two warnings, then it shuts the truck down, and DOES NOT START until you put more DEF in the tank.
I also live in a very cold climate, and my mechanic told me it does a purge of the lines when you shut down the truck. You can hear the purge motor running when you shut down, and its just so the fluid doesnt freeze in the lines. There are engine coolant lines running to the tank itself.