toyboy1980
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Interesting. I just go through the truck lane at any truck stop when I need DEF.
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No longer any Def Date Codes?
- Thread starter Will_T
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Surf2snow1
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just purchased from Costco for $10.99
Dang almost $4.40/ gallon that's crazy high when purchased in small quantities ! We by a minimum of 100 gallons at a time since we have equipment that uses it and it's $1.45/gallon. This is our tank and brand.
Interesting that date code is a slightly different format from what I have seen in the past. If I apply what I learned to decipher Peak, maybe it still works though. The boxes I have looked at before always started with two letters for the plant code. But if you assume that the "12" at the beginning is the plant code, then I guess it comes out like this:
Code on the box: 122213571623 A
12 is the code for the plant it was manufactured at.
Digits 3 and 4 should still be the year plus one. So subtract one to get the real year: 22-1=21
Digits 5,6 and 7 subtract from 365 to get the day of the year: 365-135=230th day of 2021
So if the above process is still correct, this box was made on August 18, 2021. Very fresh.
There used to then also be digits 8, 9, 10, and 11. Boxes now also have a 12th digit. I don't know what those last digits, "71623" stand for but maybe just a identifier for the manufacturing trace process.
I wonder why such a convoluted process is used? Would it be too easy to just stamp the box" "Manufactured Date: 08-18-2021" or "August 18, 2021" or "18 AUG 2021"? Or something that made at least a little sense.
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QCHunter
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Over the last month I’ve purchased 2 jugs of the Wally World DEF and have left it in the garage. I’m in Arizona so my garage has been over 100*, especially when I park a hot car into it.
Should I be concerned with using that DEF?
sstoner911
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I also live in Southern AZ, I have stored DEF in the Tuff Shed and never had any issues with it being exposed to the summer heat. In fact I have a jug in the bed of the truck now that has been between here and South Dakota - so maybe 2 weeks back there. I will use it this weekend. I mean it sits in your trucks DEF tank at the same temperatures - its fine. I mean I don't know about you - but the DEF is turned over pretty quickly in my truck. Its my daily plus I tow with it.
sstoner911
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The truck stops here - there is only 1 Tucson Arizona - is out of my way and the price for Diesel is way to high there to justify a trip for Diesel or DEF. The Neighborhood WalMart and the QT by me have had Diesel at $2.87...average is $3.08. I can just pop in to Walmart and get DEF.
Manufacturer told me it only degrades quality if stored in the sun or hot temperature for long periods of time like a year and I'm sure you never have it sitting around that long.
H3LZSN1P3R
You're doing it wrong
Most truck stops are card lock here only one isnt but its not close
The def in the trucks tank has the same experience and is fine to run so id say yea you would be fine
1651Naismith
Active Member
I recently bought Peak DEF at Autozone and was confused by the date code. Some research turned up that Peak changed the date code starting in 2021, but I couldn’t locate a definitive “decoder ring” for the new codes. Your read of the code is very logical and may well be accurate. Would be good to know for sure.
I agree it would be best if they just put the date on the box. I’m ready to drive a bit farther to Walmart just to have a clear date on the product.
I bought a 2.5 gallon of Air1 which is a popular def fluid here made be tara in the States and Recochem in Canada. Well as it turns out I could not make a date on it so I phoned Recochem and they sent me their dating code which they said they use the same code as the Agriculture chicken egg producers and packers. Here is the PDF file they sent me. The code on my bottle was "M2123813" so according to them it means M = Fabricated in Montreal , 21 = 2021, 238 = 238th day of the year which is August 26, and the 13 = production line 13 in that plant.
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From a Chemistry perspective, DEF is nothing more than a 32.5% solution of urea in DI water. It thermally decomposes to CO2 and NH3, the latter of which reacts with nitrous oxides to form nitrogen.
So technically you can even make it yourself. Buy bulk urea (a powder) and mix it with water to 32.5% by weight.
Whether that is cost effective or not depends on your use, obviously.
The DEF urea solution may decompose over time in high heat, but as the amount injected into the catalytic converter is controlled by sensors, there will just be injected more solution if the concentration of urea is lower.
So technically you can even make it yourself. Buy bulk urea (a powder) and mix it with water to 32.5% by weight.
Whether that is cost effective or not depends on your use, obviously.
The DEF urea solution may decompose over time in high heat, but as the amount injected into the catalytic converter is controlled by sensors, there will just be injected more solution if the concentration of urea is lower.