Stop sale on new diesels in cold climates? DEF freezing

[the.tru.albertan]

Fill up before the truck hits 0 or it will NOT be able to be filled up at any time when the count down hits 0 no mater what the fuel level is before attempting to ad any fuel

Ok. Thanks for your help. Much appreciated. There was a previous post in this thread about the ultrasonic sensor being messed up from previous freeze/thaw. We’re hoping that the level comes back on the drive home tomorrow. He knows to refuel today before countdown hits zero.

 

[H3LZSN1P3R]

Ok. Thanks for your help. Much appreciated. There was a previous post in this thread about the ultrasonic sensor being messed up from previous freeze/thaw. We’re hoping that the level comes back on the drive home tomorrow. He knows to refuel today before countdown hits zero.

Mine never reset without having to drop the tank and clean it unfortunately

 

[the.tru.albertan]

Update: we got the level back! We pulled the truck out of the heated shop and just went forward and backwards a few times. The DEF gauge suddenly sprang to life.

 

[H3LZSN1P3R]

Update: we got the level back! We pulled the truck out of the heated shop and just went forward and backwards a few times. The DEF gauge suddenly sprang to life.

Lets hope the countdown goes away after a few miles

 

[fuchsroehre]

We need to find an option to get a "first responder" calibration.
Such calibrations leave emissions hardware intact but in case there is some issue, they do not go into 5mph mode.
I wish a tuner would come up with such option.

I am not a big fan of tunes which modify boost pressure or fuelling. There are way too many potential issues which could arise with such changes.
The power and torque and mpg of my truck is great in stock configuration.
The only weak spot is the EPA forced 5mph limp mode. Not sure what they were thinking when they demanded that..........

 

[M376X6]

Always good to comeback to this forum and read the outstanding comments and contributions. I live at 8,550 feet and our temps regularly get down to the low single digits. I believe it's 7 degrees out there right now.
I'll leave for Pinedale, Wyoming in the morning and it is a little colder than here but my Son has an enormous shop I can park the truck and trailer in with no problem. My looking at the earlier comments about -30 to -45 Celsius
is -22 to -49 Fahrenheit and that is extremely cold. Has anyone had experience with driving at highway speeds of up to 75 mph at around the freezing point for DEF at 12 degrees F? Will the DEF tank heater keep the fluid from freezing
running on the highway at or near zero degrees while the truck is cruising along? If the temperature is just above 0 degrees is it best or wise to let the truck idle for awhile to try and heat the DEF a little ? I usually plug the heater in and
the truck starts without a warm up period. My truck is a 2022 3500 with the HO Cummins. My previous four Dodge/Rams with Cummins were all without DEF. Thanks folks.

 

[H3LZSN1P3R]

We need to find an option to get a "first responder" calibration.
Such calibrations leave emissions hardware intact but in case there is some issue, they do not go into 5mph mode.
I wish a tuner would come up with such option.

I am not a big fan of tunes which modify boost pressure or fuelling. There are way too many potential issues which could arise with such changes.
The power and torque and mpg of my truck is great in stock configuration.
The only weak spot is the EPA forced 5mph limp mode. Not sure what they were thinking when they demanded that..........

Im not sure first responders would even have the DEF issues as they are almost always stored in heated garages when they are not running

Always good to comeback to this forum and read the outstanding comments and contributions. I live at 8,550 feet and our temps regularly get down to the low single digits. I believe it's 7 degrees out there right now.
I'll leave for Pinedale, Wyoming in the morning and it is a little colder than here but my Son has an enormous shop I can park the truck and trailer in with no problem. My looking at the earlier comments about -30 to -45 Celsius
is -22 to -49 Fahrenheit and that is extremely cold. Has anyone had experience with driving at highway speeds of up to 75 mph at around the freezing point for DEF at 12 degrees F? Will the DEF tank heater keep the fluid from freezing
running on the highway at or near zero degrees while the truck is cruising along? If the temperature is just above 0 degrees is it best or wise to let the truck idle for awhile to try and heat the DEF a little ? I usually plug the heater in and
the truck starts without a warm up period. My truck is a 2022 3500 with the HO Cummins. My previous four Dodge/Rams with Cummins were all without DEF. Thanks folks.

If the truck will start without a grid heater then you wont have any DEF issues the heater will work fine for those temps

 

[fuchsroehre]

Im not sure first responders would even have the DEF issues as they are almost always stored in heated garages when they are not running



If the truck will start without a grid heater then you wont have any DEF issues the heater will work fine for those temps

honestly I do not care how the truck goes into 5mph limp mode. There is more to it then just frozen DEF.
The first responder calibration takes care of all issues causing the 5mph restrictions.
Low def, no def, broken pump, broken sensor, injector bad........there are probably 324 reasons, I do not want any of them get me stuck with a 5mph limit.
Such 5mph limit is disabled for the 1st responder vehicles. The reason is obvious why these vehicles do have that calibration.
I want it!

 

[flan]

I wonder if everyone experiencing def issues filing a nhsta report would force ram into coming out with a reliable way to keep the def thawed without limp mode concerns (Read recall). It could be a life safety issue depending on climate. The owners manual makes it sound like it should be a seamless transition from frozen to thawed but in reality that system does not seem to work as intended.

 

[jebruns]

I wonder if everyone experiencing def issues filing a nhsta report would force ram into coming out with a reliable way to keep the def thawed without limp mode concerns (Read recall). It could be a life safety issue depending on climate. The owners manual makes it sound like it should be a seamless transition from frozen to thawed but in reality that system does not seem to work as intended.

Well said. Hard to believe there is not a recall for this. I know they updated some sensor or software, but it does not seem to be the fix.

 

[H3LZSN1P3R]

Well said. Hard to believe there is not a recall for this. I know they updated some sensor or software, but it does not seem to be the fix.

There is no recall because that would prove the DEF system on all brands does not work safely and it would make the EPA look bad for mandating it and we all know thats never going to fly

 

[M376X6]

We went up over Berthoud Pass and as we dropped down it got colder. From Winter Park out past Granby it stayed around -24 degrees Fahrenheit. No issues with the truck at all. The truck sure is powerful and comfortable.

 

[406Linetrash]

Is it a heater malfunction? It was -24 the other day and I drove mine 800 miles down the interstate with no problems. Granted it’s 33 now. But it sub zero for a week.

 

[Clarence007]

We just went through a week or so sustained -35C to -40C without and DEF issues. The batteries died once and required charging mind you...

 

[Fishbait812]

My son-in-law had his 2019 3500 DEF tank freeze in MT this week. Dealer had to flash the ECM. Dealer told him to store truck in heated garage. Not all can afford that luxury. He has a block heater but as noted the DEF tank is only heated when truck is running. Mopar needs a fix. Not sure if other issues will come forward yet.

I know on commercial rigs they have blanket heaters on the DEF tanks that can be plugged in like a block heater.

 

[M376X6]

Just a wild thought here. An after market accessory or perhaps even a kit available from Ram that would include a DEF tank blanket, a heater that ties in with the block heater that maintains a minimum heat but doesn't
flash the DEF to crystalize on the heating element in conjunction with the existing heating element or in place of, or just a auxiliary connection that comes from the truck when not plugged in as it is now but also comes
into play when the block heater is plugged in. How difficult would it be to tie in the DEF tank heater to the block heater?

 

[AH64ID]

A stick on pad heater, like those commonly used on oil pans for arctic operation, would likely work on the DEF tank as long as it sticks to plastic.

But freezing DEF isn’t really the issue, it’s a software error that won’t reset itself following a thaw or fresh fluid that seems to be the issue.