DEF fluid in heavy equipment !!

[arf1201]

Mine fell off ( with lots of help) on my 5500 and I picked up 2.5 mpg, our tractors are a nightmare with all the new emission stuff, always codes and derating.

[hammer]

DEF SUCKS,
I have that system on my roll off and if you dont keep your eye on the fluid level and it runs out you are screwed. That stuff stinks and if you spill it on the outside of tank and dont wipe it off it crystalizes...We have it also on our pick ups and the tank fill is next to diesel fill and guess what they poured DEF into the diesel tank 18,000 dollars later and new engine. That is why alot of guys are ordering glider kits that is the only way around not having to put a DEF system in a big rig.....

TONY

[DieselKid]

Originally Posted by hammer

DEF SUCKS,
That is why alot of guys are ordering glider kits that is the only way around not having to put a DEF system in a big rig.....

TONY

Yep! There were a ton of vendors/dealers at MATS in Louisville this year advertising that approach because people are realizing how futile it is to run with all of the emissions BS!

Knock on wood our '14, '15, and now incoming '16 Cascadias with the DD13s and DEF have been pretty reliable units............almost 500,000 on one of the first '14s we took delivery of with a team in it..........engine light here and there for something non 'life threatening'. As long as the drivers keep an eye on that DEF gauge it's been smooth sailing. AND I CAN'T STRESS ENOUGH: STORAGE OF DEF IS THE KEY!......Don't Re-fill/reuse jugs of DEF......Go bulk for storage if at all possible in 250 gallon totes, etc. and pump direct. I've heard horror stories of owner opeators who refilled old washer fluid jugs, etc. with DEF and it bit them in the butt as far as contamination issues and picky sensors that noticed the difference, and derated power before completely shutting the unit down!

I do know this from the little we've had to do on them..............clean water will rinse any fittings/etc. that have crystalized DEF on them with relative ease, followed up with a blow gun.

Yeah I'm not a fan of DEF anymore than the next guy..........but having ripped my hair out and used the F-bomb in every way, shape, and form imaginable from being under the hood (actually behind the firewall on those bastards!) of the Maxxforce engines (also painted yellow depending on application but the same 6 cylinder scrap heap)...............I'll say I'm enjoying my days in the shop much better now, and so are the office girls with sensitive ears!!! I've got 18 2012 Prostars sitting out front right now that are being taken one by one out to Newark where they are getting put on a boat and heading to Vietnam!!! And those poor guys thought they won the war!!! Although they'll probably peel the EGR Valve, coolers, and the rest of the 'dead weight' off and maybe be left with a decent truck!

Just my .02,

-Alex

[BRICKNICK]

Gotta love it Alex.... I just ran across a guy who hauls seafood out of Maine. He has 4 peterbilts 2 2013 and 2 2015. His buddy is a wiz with cars, running, and computer mapping and they figured out how to delete the egr valve, and def system put the step and exhaust back together to look like the scr filter is there but it isn't. And they sent the computers out to Europe to have them flashed to run with out the egr n regen system. So it looks stock but runs like a pre 2007 non emissions truck. He has 725k on one of the 2013 and just over 600k on the other 2013 and almost 300k on both 2015s all have had the systems deleted and he's had no problem. He learned his lessone after he replaced on regent system on one of the 2013 trucks with less then 250k on it. Constant trips to the dealer and constant tow bills. That's what cause him to eliminate that garbage and he loves life.

[DieselKid]

Originally Posted by BRICKNICK

Gotta love it Alex.... I just ran across a guy who hauls seafood out of Maine. He has 4 peterbilts 2 2013 and 2 2015. His buddy is a wiz with cars, running, and computer mapping and they figured out how to delete the egr valve, and def system put the step and exhaust back together to look like the scr filter is there but it isn't. And they sent the computers out to Europe to have them flashed to run with out the egr n regen system. So it looks stock but runs like a pre 2007 non emissions truck. He has 725k on one of the 2013 and just over 600k on the other 2013 and almost 300k on both 2015s all have had the systems deleted and he's had no problem. He learned his lessone after he replaced on regent system on one of the 2013 trucks with less then 250k on it. Constant trips to the dealer and constant tow bills. That's what cause him to eliminate that garbage and he loves life.

Haha, heard a lot of similar stories Nick! There's a guy in southern Ohio who did some 'tweaking' on a few Kenworths that belong to a power only carrier that yanks our trailers when we broker loads.....he also was able to configure the parameters in such a way that fooled the ECU and Aftertreatment Control Module into believing that everything was still hooked up and keeping Obama happy! Night and day difference in the overall power, and leaps and bounds better when it comes to fuel economy without all that dead weight!

And in other news Navistar showed up late last week to start looking at the 2012 Maxxforce-Powered Prostars we are getting rid of so they could gather data from the ECUs/VIN history to figure out how many times each truck has had its EGR coolers/valve replaced both under warranty and in our shop after the warranty expired......this along with all of the other popular failures, some of which were not entirely Harvester's fault.....eg. air compressors, starters, alternators, etc. Their visit was not voluntary as Navistar is in the midst of a class-action lawsuit involving several fleets such as ours around the country who fell victim to the same nightmare we found ourselves living for a couple years! Our problem with 70 Prostars seems minimal when compared to the big fleets who purchase 2000+ tractors at the drop of a hat!

-Alex

[Izzy]

Seen a newer f350 on a used lot with a Def tank

[BRICKNICK]

That's insanity Alex I couldn't imagine buying 2000+ internationals especially since I hate internationals LoL. I wouldn't buy one of the those junk boxes, but that's just my opinion. I can't imagine the loss they faced with 2000+ internationals all new and constantly issues...