[biodiesel]

If, and I hope it becomes "when," we are traveling and towing more in the truck, I expect I'll use truck stop DEF some. I think in the first 8500 miles, I've gotten fuel outside my home county once.

The 2014 - 2019 trucks have a nice large 8-gallon DEF tank, so that makes it nice. The 2020+ trucks have a smaller 5-gallon DEF tank. Last summer I carried a 2.5-gallon box of Platinum with me when we were towing with the 2020+ EcoDiesel and had to use it.

 

[TSL]

To add a question to this discussion. I recently topped off my DEF tank for the first time. Truck had ~ 1000 miles on it, so it didn't come with a full tank. ( I was pleased enough it came with a full tank of diesel, given the price of the stuff ! )
It was getting close to the "red" zone on the gauge and I was about to head out on camping trip into the mountains and wasn't sure what range I had left ( side question, is there anywhere in the various info screens on the truck it gives you estimated DEF range left ? I haven't seen one but may have missed it ). I know from the manual there's a warning when it gets down to some level, I'm forgetting what that is right now.
Anyway, I bought 2 jugs of Platinum and poured all of one into it, and about half of the second one.
I'm thinking it'll be a good while before I need to add more as I don't do a whole lot of driving in the truck. Will this opened jug last a while ( months ? a year ? ) or should I just throw it out ? If so, where? On the manure pile ( I have some animals, and DEF is mostly Urea + DI water I believe, so seems like it might be just fine on the manure pile )

 

[John Jensen]

To add a question to this discussion. I recently topped off my DEF tank for the first time. Truck had ~ 1000 miles on it, so it didn't come with a full tank. ( I was pleased enough it came with a full tank of diesel, given the price of the stuff ! )
It was getting close to the "red" zone on the gauge and I was about to head out on camping trip into the mountains and wasn't sure what range I had left ( side question, is there anywhere in the various info screens on the truck it gives you estimated DEF range left ? I haven't seen one but may have missed it ). I know from the manual there's a warning when it gets down to some level, I'm forgetting what that is right now.
Anyway, I bought 2 jugs of Platinum and poured all of one into it, and about half of the second one.
I'm thinking it'll be a good while before I need to add more as I don't do a whole lot of driving in the truck. Will this opened jug last a while ( months ? a year ? ) or should I just throw it out ? If so, where? On the manure pile ( I have some animals, and DEF is mostly Urea + DI water I believe, so seems like it might be just fine on the manure pile )

API ISO on DEF is 32.5% UREA and 67.5% deionized water.
Specification life for DEF is 2 years at 23°F - 68°F.
DEF stored at 85F only lasts 12 months.
Storage above 95F is limited to 1 month or so. The urea in DEF decomposes and creates ammonia liquid and vapor in the jug, reducing the amount of urea in the DEF when it is used in the vehicle.
Storage above 95F requires a retest of the DEF prior to use.
Current RAM trucks will alert when the DEF quality drops to 22% urea

 

[biodiesel]

Will this opened jug last a while ( months ? a year ? )

You don't want to leave a jug open due to evaporation. Too much evaporation will cause the DEF to come out of spec. It is best to only fill when you know you can put the entire jug into the tank. For example, I wait until the DEF tank is close to 1/2 full before adding a 2.5 jug.

or should I just throw it out ? If so, where? On the manure pile ( I have some animals, and DEF is mostly Urea + DI water I believe, so seems like it might be just fine on the manure pile )

DEF is similar to 32% urea liquid fertilizer (high nitrogen content).

 

[SlowRoller]

API ISO on DEF is 32.5% UREA and 67.5% deionized water.
Specification life for DEF is 2 years at 23°F - 68°F.
DEF stored at 85F only lasts 12 months.
Storage above 95F is limited to 1 month or so. The urea in DEF decomposes and creates ammonia liquid and vapor in the jug, reducing the amount of urea in the DEF when it is used in the vehicle.
Storage above 95F requires a retest of the DEF prior to use.
Current RAM trucks will alert when the DEF quality drops to 22% urea

My cousin has some which is over a year old, but perhaps it's worth testing. Would a tester like this determine if it was safe to use?

 

[biodiesel]

My cousin has some which is over a year old, but perhaps it's worth testing. Would a tester like this determine if it was safe to use?

The accuracy of some of those tools, especially the cheaper ones is dicey, but yes, you can see if the DEF is still in spec by using a DEF refractometer. The best thing you can do is check the manufacturing date on the DEF box/container and use it within 3 - 4 months to be safe. If you store it in a cool place, then 8 - 10 months is probably fine. These are conservative storage timeline estimations, but those the guidelines that I follow.

 

[rfwalchli]

My cousin has some which is over a year old, but perhaps it's worth testing. Would a tester like this determine if it was safe to use?
View attachment 92595

I use this one, works fine as long as you remember to flush it out with clean water after a test. If you don't, the little pucks inside will/could hang, something to watch out for when testing.

 

[Ecorumble]

I have used the premium for approx. 1 year and checked for crystals yesterday with zero buildups. I am going to use it for another year and see what happens. Like many, it was almost completely clogged around the 5 yr mark.

 

[DrStevil]

“Specification life for DEF is 2 years at 23°F - 68°F.
DEF stored at 85F only lasts 12 months.
Storage above 95F is limited to 1 month or so.”

This brings up an interesting point for those of us who live in a summertime furnace. Would it be better to keep the DEF tank at 1/2?

I used to drive 2500-3000 miles per month, but have dropped to 500 since I started working remotely. I’m imagining my DEF degrading while sitting in the driveway in the 100+ degree weather (June-Sept).

 

[biodiesel]

“Specification life for DEF is 2 years at 23°F - 68°F.
DEF stored at 85F only lasts 12 months.
Storage above 95F is limited to 1 month or so.”

I have a friend who lives in Phoenix. The inside of his garage is sometimes over 95*F. Based on his testing, the stored DEF is good for about 10 months before it starts to degrade.

 

[Ransom]

I live in the Phoenix area, where we see 95+ about half the year. Since I got my Eco in 2015, I've filled def at pump when no start warning comes on and drive it until next time warning comes on. I have 190,000 miles on it, truck sits in driveway, never had any problems related to def. Don't know how true the 1 month shelf live is or if the quality is not as important as some would have us believe.

 

[Rafclopez]

Hey everyone, I just went from a 2019 1500 hemi to a 2022 eco diesel. I run a dash cam and the 12v plug on the dash in the 2019 was powered through the ignition. The 2022 seems to be powered from the battery. I’ve read that on older models you moved the fuse from position 90 to 91. I am assuming that is at the box under the front console and not in the engine. Either way I can’t make out the positions in the fuse box. Can anyone help point me in the right direction? Thanks for any help.

 

[black3.0]

Try this and see if it helps. I used this as reference earlier this year while installing my dashcam although I chose to direct wire instead.

 

[Dieseldragon]

Well I suppose you can add 3 crystals of unobtainium or nonreactium and then claim it's got a proprietary product that makes it "better" I put Helium in my tires, it lowers my GVW by 10%. Just pulling legs.

Hi: Patroller8D... I used a "Gas" blend to air up my first trailer tires for a lighter tow.
Dieseldragon North shore of Lake Erie.