Diesel exauset fluid?

[therevjay]

Can anyone tell me WHAT diesel exaust fluid is? I heard on the radio a local auto parts place had it in sale for half price. Wow great, but what is it? I've driven diesels but I've never heard of the stuff.

Yeah I know exaust is spelled wrong. But my wife doesn't know the right way either.

 

[arjay]

Urea [emoji33]http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diesel_exhaust_fluid

 

[therevjay]

OK thanks. Now I know. Also I now know how to spell exhaust. (Like Bullwinkle Moose, "I never claimed to be Thmart"?)

 

[NeoBuckeye]

When I started seeing signs at turnpike gas stops for "Blue DEF", i was not sure what that was.
Technology and regulations huh?

 

[arjay]

Id never heard of it before [emoji4]

 

[bricker]

Almost went the whole day without learning anything. Whew! That was close!

 

[leswad]

It is the system the EPA forced automakers use that has put my truck into the shop twice at a cost to me of around $1000. Thanks EPA!

 

[GaryS]

It played hell with our ambulance exhaust systems. Our fleet guys finally resorted to buying spare catalytic converters so they could swap them out and send the clogged ones for "regen". The school department reportedly bought a regen machine for thieir buses, but I never saw it.

Ambulances spend a lot of time idling, and that clogs the converters.

Yep, the EPA exists to mandate expensive emissions systems of dubious need and reliability.

It is the system the EPA forced automakers use that has put my truck into the shop twice at a cost to me of around $1000. Thanks EPA!

 

[LostintheOzone]

I think the newer Duramax engines use it. Thank god mine just dumps diesel into the hot exhaust system and burns the stored pollutants. I know when it happens cause my mileage takes a hit.

 

[GaryS]

When I was getting ready to retire, we started switching to International chassis that I heard didn't need fluid. Crews and patients hated the ride and the last I heard the department was moving back to GMC and Chevy 4500 series chassis. Which probably means back to exhaust fluid.

I think the newer Duramax engines use it. Thank god mine just dumps diesel into the hot exhaust system and burns the stored pollutants. I know when it happens cause my mileage takes a hit.

 

[jdh]

Duramax started using it on the 2013 models. Mine has a 5 gallon tank which last about 5 tanks of fuel the way I drive.

If you let the tank get too low the ECU limits you to 50 mph. Go past a certain point lower and you are limited to 5 mph. When the "Exhaust Fluid Low" message comes on you better consider adding some.

BTW, this is one of the reasons you don't see many 2013 Ram Diesels, they kept building 2012 model for an extra year because they had gotten the system working well enough to meet the new emissions standards.

 

[Mcwsky09]

I was sure that it was going to end up being like blinker fluid

Blinker Fluid - $18.95 : KaleCoAuto.com, Your home for the rare, unusual, and hard to find auto parts.

 

[yaktamer]

De-ionized water and urea? I wonder if you can just drink a lot of distilled H2O and....

 

[jdh]

De-ionized water and urea? I wonder if you can just drink a lot of distilled H2O and....

One of my idiot friends said it is too dangerous. He keeps falling off the ladder trying to fill the tank.

 

[shouldazagged]

De-ionized water and urea? I wonder if you can just drink a lot of distilled H2O and....

It's worked for me so far.

 

[steamloco76]

The mechanics at my local Chevy garage said they could use two bays, seven days a week just to keep up with swapping catalytic converters and reprogramming ECU's on Duramax equipped ambulances and Comcast/Xfinity service vans.

 

[hoc9sw]

I drove diesels for years in Europe. Never heard of DEF until I got back here. See mention of it in passing, but until today had not looked in up in context of the type of vehicle I drive. Won't be buying the diesel version of it based on the comments I've seen.

Guess I could have skipped learning something today, but then I looked at a thread ....

 

[jdh]

In Europe they are more concerned with CO2 than NOx emissions. They have some very clean diesels that still don't meet EPA standards for NOx preventing them from being imported.