jeffrey 2 Posted December 19, 2022 Share Posted December 19, 2022 Hello - I'm new here. Bought a new 2022 F250 in December last year to pull fifth wheel. Really like the truck overall. My DEF gauge did show 5000 miles before empty and would go down as I drove it. In the last few days in went up to 8000 and hasn't budged after driving about 100 miles. Is that normal? My gut tells me it should be at like 3/4 of a tank but yet it's full. Dealership says I have to drive it until it regens, and it could take awhile as this is not my daily driver. Does that sound normal? We drive it with a fifth wheel, but I do have fun driving it on the weekends to run errands. Does the truck gauge simply not show an accurate amount of DEF during these times? It is odd that when full it was showing 5000 and now it is showing 8000 miles left on the tank of DEF. It has about 8500 miles on it. Appreciate any wisdom of others that experience this. Don't want to run out obviously. I carry some with me for that reason. Just new at owning at real truck...:-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forderorder Posted December 19, 2022 Share Posted December 19, 2022 59 minutes ago, jeffrey 2 said: Hello - I'm new here. Bought a new 2022 F250 in December last year to pull fifth wheel. Really like the truck overall. My DEF gauge did show 5000 miles before empty and would go down as I drove it. In the last few days in went up to 8000 and hasn't budged after driving about 100 miles. Is that normal? My gut tells me it should be at like 3/4 of a tank but yet it's full. Dealership says I have to drive it until it regens, and it could take awhile as this is not my daily driver. Does that sound normal? We drive it with a fifth wheel, but I do have fun driving it on the weekends to run errands. Does the truck gauge simply not show an accurate amount of DEF during these times? It is odd that when full it was showing 5000 and now it is showing 8000 miles left on the tank of DEF. It has about 8500 miles on it. Appreciate any wisdom of others that experience this. Don't want to run out obviously. I carry some with me for that reason. Just new at owning at real truck...:-) Regen has nothing to do with DEF; regen is burning soot out of the diesel particulate filter whereas DEF is used in the selective catalytic reduction system. dealship answer is bs. I don’t know what the answer is though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
road turtle Posted December 20, 2022 Share Posted December 20, 2022 I've given up tracking DEF fluid levels. I did make the mistake at one fuel stop, seeing it was showing 1,500 miles left, and literally 100 miles down the road, I got an alert that I was down to 500 miles. Now, if I'm fueling up in a truck lane, and have less than 1/2 tank, I go ahead and refill DEF. It goes through a lot while towing, and virtually none when not towing. Secondary issue that DEF does go bad, so I don't try and keep it full when not towing. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
le engineer Posted December 20, 2022 Share Posted December 20, 2022 Your DEF consumption isn’t a steady burn. The computer is deciding how much fluid to dump into the exhaust system based on what it’s seeing. Changing usage and exhaust conditions can lead to a change in predicted range. Top her off whenever you’re going on a long road trip. For all other uses, go off the gauge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boss Hog Posted January 5, 2023 Share Posted January 5, 2023 I have zero trust in the gauge or range. I’m at 8k and it still shows 4500 to empty. I’m just waiting for it to fall off drastically. I would think anytime now ?♂️ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffrey 2 Posted January 5, 2023 Author Share Posted January 5, 2023 Thanks for all the good feedback. Seems that it's the gauge and driving habits I suspect. I'm just going to carry extra DEF and watch it. I use mine for pulling a fifth wheel and only a small amount of driving it when not using it this way. It is fun to drive and more comfortable than my wife's acura or my jeep... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rottekatz1 Posted January 5, 2023 Share Posted January 5, 2023 31 minutes ago, jeffrey 2 said: Thanks for all the good feedback. Seems that it's the gauge and driving habits I suspect. I'm just going to carry extra DEF and watch it. I use mine for pulling a fifth wheel and only a small amount of driving it when not using it this way. It is fun to drive and more comfortable than my wife's acura or my jeep... Be aware that DEF expires and the truck will recognize old DEF and go into limp mode if old DEF is detected. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NevadaMike Posted January 16, 2023 Share Posted January 16, 2023 What happens when you do let the def get too low? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rottekatz1 Posted January 16, 2023 Share Posted January 16, 2023 35 minutes ago, NevadaMike said: What happens when you do let the def get too low? It will go into limp mode. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
le engineer Posted January 16, 2023 Share Posted January 16, 2023 1 hour ago, NevadaMike said: What happens when you do let the def get too low? Not sure if it still functions the same way, but my last super duty would put you into limp mode (extremely limited speed) and eventually force you to idle only, even if you have a full tank of fuel. The system is designed to prevent you from driving unless all emissions controls are functioning properly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rangers09 Posted January 16, 2023 Share Posted January 16, 2023 14 hours ago, NevadaMike said: What happens when you do let the def get too low? It is fully explained in the owner's manual, with the relevant distance to go. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ford truck guy Posted January 31, 2023 Share Posted January 31, 2023 If I am going on a trip towing my RV, I fill before going.... If taking a several thousand mile trip ( PA to FL and back ) I buy a 2.5 gallon jug and toss it in before returning.... Don't need limp mode... Better safe than sorry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rangers09 Posted January 31, 2023 Share Posted January 31, 2023 4 hours ago, Ford truck guy said: If I am going on a trip towing my RV, I fill before going.... If taking a several thousand mile trip ( PA to FL and back ) I buy a 2.5 gallon jug and toss it in before returning.... Don't need limp mode... Better safe than sorry Same here, when towing I always have a spare jug in the back. We don't want to be towing our Redwoods in limp mode. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ford truck guy Posted February 23, 2023 Share Posted February 23, 2023 On 1/31/2023 at 3:27 PM, Rangers09 said: Same here, when towing I always have a spare jug in the back. We don't want to be towing our Redwoods in limp mode. I had my "04" go into limp mode dragging my older 08 KZ Montego Bay... It was NOT fun... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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