May have just destroyed my TV engine :-(

TucsonJim wrote:
OP here. I'm not going to try and hide anything from Ford at all. I may or may not have dodged a very expensive bullet, but that remains to be seen.

I had a couple of cups of DEF in a bottle I'd used last week. I put it in, and drove 2.5 miles to a local store. On the way back, the WIF fuel light came on about 100 yards from my driveway. I pulled into the drive and shut it down. I drained the separator, and saw about 1 cup of liquid other than diesel come out before I saw clean diesel. Right about that time, it dawned on me what I'd done. I should note that the truck was running fine, and there was plenty of power.

So, after reading this forum and several others, I've decided to try a less costly approach to see if the fuel system is hosed or not.

- I've already drained, removed and flushed the tank.
- both filters are being replaced.
- As suggested above, I've cut the engine filter in half and I'm letting it dry out to look for DEF crystal formation).
- I'm flushing the fuel lines with clean diesel fuel
- The DFCM will be replaced.
- Upon refueling, I'll add a triple dose of Ford Cetane Booster PM-22A to the next two tanks.
- After running two tanks, I'll replace the filters again.

If all runs well, I'll keep my fingers crossed that there is no permanent damage. If I have a fuel related failure, I'll own up to it with Ford, and pay the $10-12K. If so, I'll file a comprehensive insurance claim with my insurance company.

I know in a lot of forums, people blame Ford (and Dodge) for putting the two fill holes right next to each other. It is not their fault. I take full responsibility for my brain fart. One cap is green (diesel), the other is blue (DEF). Would it have been nice if the manufacturers made it impossible to make this error? Yes, but they aren't the guys that took off the wrong cap and poured in the wrong fluid. Looking back to last night, my guess is that I was too familiar with refueling, and used the wrong filler hole because of it. I'll guarantee you I never make that mistake again, and hope that all you diesel owners learn from my mistake.

Jim

An excellent plan...I am praying you find no DEF crystallization in the secondary filter...keep in mind that when I was fighting the Blue Oval, I actually measured the water capacity of the DFCM before the WIF light comes on...just under 8 ounces and room above that before it will contaminate fuel...you may have dodged the bullet...

Regards