GMC 3500 SLT Diesel coming Moday 11/10/2014

[ttsr4us]

Yea!

Just completed the paper work on a 2014 (new but a holdover) GMC 3500HD SLT Diesel short bed single rear wheels.

One question, how long does the DEF last? I think it was factory filled 8 months ago and its been in Florida all this time.

Stage one of the plan now complete. Stage two is the trailer and hitch, probably a Jayco Eagle 306 plan with a Hensley but am considering an Equalizer I will follow this up on the other forum.

We plan very long trips of several months or more and many interstate miles so favor the Hensley.

Brian and Esta

[N-Trouble]

dave17352 wrote:

Norskeman wrote:
You will enjoy the Duramax/Allison combo.


The emissions warranty is 5 years or 50,000 miles. With all of the DEF related issues with the 2011's I believe it is now 5 years or 100,000 miles.

Norskeman do you have any backup info on this. I too had to replace both nox sensors at about 25k.

Thanks
Dave

From what I recall GM extended the warranty only on the NOx sensors out to 100K mi, not the entire emissions sytem. 2011 trucks have had a lot of issues with those sensors resulting in "poor DEF quality" messages in the DIC. The sensors put on from 2012 forward are holding up much better.

[dave17352]

Norskeman wrote:
You will enjoy the Duramax/Allison combo.


The emissions warranty is 5 years or 50,000 miles. With all of the DEF related issues with the 2011's I believe it is now 5 years or 100,000 miles.

Norskeman do you have any backup info on this. I too had to replace both nox sensors at about 25k.

Thanks
Dave

[Paul_Clancy]

The edge can interfere with on star diagnostics if you are using that for the free trial

[ttsr4us]

Norskeman wrote:
You will enjoy the Duramax/Allison combo.

Additions you may want to consider adding to the truck:
* Air Lift LoadLifter 5000 air bags
* Front lower bumper billet grill (just too big of a hole for something to take out the cooler behind the bumper)
* Edge Insight CTS - good way to monitor engine parameters. It is only a monitor - not a tuner.

See what you mean about the gap in front of the cooler. I guess the billet does not interfere with air flow too much.

When I towed (a few years ago) with my Ford Diesel Ex I used airbags but was hoping to not need them with this 1 ton truck and WD bars.

Thanks also for the Edge recommendation. I'm not ready for a while to muck with the engine tuning (unless GM release an update!) so will just monitor as suggested.

[chevor]

Cheapest place to get DEF is at truck stops at pumps. From what I hear DEF is very expensive at Dealerships.

The more fuel used the more DEF that will be used.

[ttsr4us]

Thanks for all the tips.

Brian

[Norskeman]

You will enjoy the Duramax/Allison combo.

More DEF facts:

A 32.5% solution of DEF will begin to crystallize and freeze at 12 deg F (-11 deg C). At 32.5%, both the urea and water will freeze at the same rate, ensuring that as it thaws, the fluid does not become diluted, or over concentrated. Don't over fill the tank in the winter - DEF expands by approximately 7% when frozen. (This won't be a problem for you in Florida)

DEF is corrosive to copper and brass as well as other materials. Only approved materials, such as high density polyethylene (HDPE), will be used in the DEF tank, packaging and dispensing equipment. Rinse area if fluid is spilled during tank filling

Temp( deg F), life expectancy
32, Infinite
50, 75 Years
68, 11 Years
86, 23 Months
95, 10 Months
104, 4 Months
122, 1 Month
140, 1 Week.

Don't let the dealer talk you into purchasing DEF only at the dealership. I get mine at NAPA or Walmart. On the road - Flying J.

I used to add some every few months - I am now adding about 2.5 gallons when the low level warning comes on. At that first low level alarm point there should be at least enough to go 1000 miles.

If you get the dreaded DEF low quality light - in most cases it is the NOx sensors.
I had both replaced this summer - 37,834 miles sensor #2. 38,149 miles sensor #1.

The emissions warranty is 5 years or 50,000 miles. With all of the DEF related issues with the 2011's I believe it is now 5 years or 100,000 miles.

Additions you may want to consider adding to the truck:
* Air Lift LoadLifter 5000 air bags
* Front lower bumper billet grill (just too big of a hole for something to take out the cooler behind the bumper)
* Edge Insight CTS - good way to monitor engine parameters. It is only a monitor - not a tuner.

[1oldtruck]

I just had my 2014 Silverado 2500 serviced for the first time. The service advisor explained that trucks are shipped with two gallons of DEF. They also only add two gallons at each service interval under the basic service plan included with each 2014 and newer GM vehicle.

I put just shy of 5,000 miles on the truck and the indicator light never came on. About 1,000 miles of that was towing. I never thought to ask if shelf life was a concern.

[12th_Man_Fan]

Just bought 2.5 gallon bottle of DEF from a GM dealer and it says on the bottle if mfg date is over two years old do not use!

[NinerBikes]

Dayle1 wrote:

NinerBikes wrote:

goducks10 wrote:
What happens to the DEF when a new trucks sits on the lot for 6-9 months? People still test drive them with that old DEF in there.

Nothing. DEF is good for at least 2 years, or more. New diesel trucks don't sit on dealership's lots for 2 years. Consumption rate once you buy the truck will make stale DEF a non issue.

Not true, DEF shelf life decreases significantly at higher temps. It is only good for 6 months at 95 F. And while that is for an average temp., in hotter climates an average temp of 95 F is certainly likely. During summer months, night-time low temp inside my garage will be at or above 85 F. Then driving in temps around 100 F followed by a shutdown with heat off the engine for several hours so the average temp at the DEF tank is easily higher than 95 F. I average 9k miles per year and DEF lasts for around 6000 miles, so 8 months. So, when the 1000 mile range warning appears, I add 2.5 gal. and wait for the next warning.

Don't know many that buy a diesel driving less than 15k miles a year. You are in rare company.

[Dayle1]

NinerBikes wrote:

goducks10 wrote:
What happens to the DEF when a new trucks sits on the lot for 6-9 months? People still test drive them with that old DEF in there.

Nothing. DEF is good for at least 2 years, or more. New diesel trucks don't sit on dealership's lots for 2 years. Consumption rate once you buy the truck will make stale DEF a non issue.

Not true, DEF shelf life decreases significantly at higher temps. It is only good for 6 months at 95 F. And while that is for an average temp., in hotter climates an average temp of 95 F is certainly likely. During summer months, night-time low temp inside my garage will be at or above 85 F. Then driving in temps around 100 F followed by a shutdown with heat off the engine for several hours so the average temp at the DEF tank is easily higher than 95 F. I average 9k miles per year and DEF lasts for around 6000 miles, so 8 months. So, when the 1000 mile range warning appears, I add 2.5 gal. and wait for the next warning.

[NinerBikes]

goducks10 wrote:
What happens to the DEF when a new trucks sits on the lot for 6-9 months? People still test drive them with that old DEF in there.

Nothing. DEF is good for at least 2 years, or more. New diesel trucks don't sit on dealership's lots for 2 years. Consumption rate once you buy the truck will make stale DEF a non issue.

[NinerBikes]

I go through about 1.7 to 2 gallons of DEF in 200 gallons of diesel fuel in my 2.0L VW Passat TDI diesel.

I seem to go through 3.2 gallons of DEF in 454 gallons of diesel fuel in my 3.0L VW Touareg TDI diesel, and this is while towing 50% of the time.

The above are approximate fills of DEF and how much fuel I use between 10,000 mile synthetic motor oil oil changes. The Passat has a 4.5 gallon DEF tank, the Touareg has a 5.5 Gallon DEF tank.


You should be able to figure out DEF usage based on fuel consumption, gallons of diesel fuel consumed.... the more gallons of fuel consumed, the more NOX generated, and the more DEF consumed to neutralize it into NO2.

Log your gallons of diesel fuel purchased and gallons of DEF purchased. I tend to buy my DEF at Pilot Truck stops at $2.79 a gallon where the big rigs top off their diesel and DEF at the same time. Always fresh DEF and diesel at truck stops, due to high turnover rates.

[goducks10]

What happens to the DEF when a new trucks sits on the lot for 6-9 months? People still test drive them with that old DEF in there.