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.
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API ISO on DEF is 32.5% UREA and 67.5% deionized water.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
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.
DEF is similar to 32% urea liquid fertilizer (high nitrogen content).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
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.
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.
