Def usage

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Leebo

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I recently bought a 2013 ram diesel. It had 50383 miles and the price was good.
The DEF gauge read full when I bought it and about 1000 later still reads full. Is this normal?
I haven't towed or had any weight in the truck yet. Most of my driving has been around town.

Leebo
 

Ramnewbie

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Please take this with a grain of salt because all I know is what I've read. I think a full tank of DEF will last you 7000 to 10000 miles, the most important thing is never let it run out of DEF because an empty tank will prevent engine from starting. If all else fails take it to Ram dealer and talk to someone thats knowledgable on the Ram diesel.
 

07MegaCabRam

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Absolutely normal!

Get a box at 1/2 empty, cheapest I've found, not at a pump is Home Depot. Just $11.

Mine last almost 8K before it goes half.

I don't tow, but the more you tow, the more it will be used.
 
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Leebo

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Puck usage

Thanks, I was starting to wander if there was an issue.
 

MADDOG

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Mine kinda sat there too but then it started dropping. I don't think the measurement is entirely linear.
 

TMyers

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I know this thread is a little old but I wanted to share some info from the Diesel Tech that bought my truck new. He works at a Ram Dealership and advised me to only refill the DEF when it got to 1/4 tank of less. Then, if possible, add the DEF at a truck stop with a pump. For two reasons: 1. DEF crystalizes as it ages so use as much of the older in the tank as you can before adding more. 2. Purchasing DEF at a truck stop should be fresh and you buy what you need. Less mess and no need to store extra. Don't stock up on DEF and check the dates on any container you buy.
 

superjoe83

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It depends on how you use the truck, when I'm towing my 10k fifth wheel my def usage goes way up. If I'm empty just driving back and forth to work it doesn't use much
 

Gr8bawana

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I'm wondering what might happen when I get my diesel and I live where the summer temps routinely reach 110+F. since it's not supposed to exceed 86 degrees F. Will it effect the stability of the DEF in the truck?
 

WY-Dave

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I have 7600miles on mine. 3rd fillup. At bout 2500-3000miles its at 1/4. take a 2.5 container and fill it back up to 3/4
 

JMod45

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I read this thread before pulling my travel trailer across the state. Bought my truck two weeks ago, and it is a 2014, that supposedly got lost in paperwork, and sat on the lot for a long time before being put up for sale.

After hearing about DEF, and reading some of your input, I decided to run the DEF out as far as possible, as I have no idea how old the stuff in the tank was.

Tank wasn't completely full, but probably close. I drove 1600 miles (1200 was with a travel trailer, and exhaust brake on full) before the "low DEF" light came on

Reading the manual, I should get a "low def" message when there is about 300 miles left. At some point a mileage countdown pops up, then you are limited to 5mph, and have "see dealer" messages.

I got the "low def" message, and within 15 miles, a see dealer message popped up. I was hoping to use a little more before filling it, but got worried when I saw the dealer message, so I pulled over poured the 2.5 gallon box in.

Does the "see dealer" message always come up at that point, or is something else wrong? All messages went away after I poured the box in.
 
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