DEF, oil life gauge, and oil filter life gauge not working.

[Rubesly]

Driving from FL to MN in my 2017 Ram 2500 diesel, I noticed that my DEF gauge was not going down. I had filled it in FL prior to the long road trip. Realizing that it wasn't working, I was calculating my fuel consumption per mile to have an approximate idea of how much DEF had been used and when I should add some. Once in MN, I realized that my oil life gauge and fuel filter life gauge had also not moved since I left FL. This is a 1500 mile trip so I would think I would have used about 50% of the oil life and fuel filter life. Are these three gauges possibly on the same fuse where maybe I just need to get a new fuse? I had also changed my engine air filter and the air filter behind the glove compartment. Could that have done something? I wouldn't think so but seems coincidental that they aren't working after the air filter changes.

Lynne

 

[mtnrider]

With no load your DEF consumption will be minimal, also the gauge isn't linear so it will stay on full for a long time. Also, oil and fuel filters changes are 15k miles so you have barely used 10% of the life.

So in short, nothing is wrong with your truck.


.

 

[Rubesly]

Thanks for the response DAW14 but I am typically driving my truck with no load and it does use DEF. I always have DEF on hand to make sure I never run it out. Also, I had the oil filter and fuel filters changed last fall before I drove to FL from MN. At that point it was 100%. I didn't do much driving in FL, just to the grocery stores and around town locally there. That brought those filters down to about 50% life left. I knew I would make it back to MN before the gauges showed 0 life but they didn't budge at all.

 

[crash68]

When just driving it's nothing to get better than 1000 mpg of DEF.
Short trip driving is harder on a diesel than cruising down the freeway as the emissions system and oil is not up to operating temperatures. When cold more DEF will be used and the oil life is a calculation based on engine rpm and temperature, so short trips will shorten the "oil life"