Stale DEF

[Cougarnewbie]

Because of Covid my F-350 6.7 diesel has been garage kept since February. The DEF tank is full. DEF has a shelf life. Should I be concerned enough to consider draining the old DEF? My first diesel.
Thanks
AL

[Hammerhead]

It kind of stinks, but our only two trips outside of town since March were a drive in the country to see the comet in the summer and to a state park about 100 miles away to look at the fall colors.

That's not including a few trips down the freeway when our ecodiesel wants to run a regen to clear the DPF.

Grit dog wrote:
Guess I gotta ask....How on earth have some of you stayed cooped up and not gone anywhere for d@mn near a year now?

[Grit_dog]

^Thats understandable, but “if” we had been stuck at home, fortunately we basically kept our normal lives except for going out to eat and kids school online and sports cancelled....
Had we been stuck at home, there would have been a lot of “pointless” road trips that involved a picnic basket and a cooler full of cold Miller Lites!

[mkirsch]

Grit dog wrote:
Guess I gotta ask....How on earth have some of you stayed cooped up and not gone anywhere for d@mn near a year now?

Easy. Shove the furniture together to make the living room about the size of the camper, and pretend.

Around here the campgrounds didn't open until late and then only at part capacity. We don't have public lands to "boondock" on. Everything is private property or a state park. State parks were booked solid once they were allowed to open.

Nowhere to go. So stay home.

[Grit_dog]

Guess I gotta ask....How on earth have some of you stayed cooped up and not gone anywhere for d@mn near a year now?

[Hammerhead]

I'm in the same boat and bought 2 2.5 gallon jugs in February when it was on sale. I keep them in the basement where it's never above 68°F and finally used one of them last month which brought my DEF level up to about half full. We've only driven 1,684 miles since the shutdowns started in March. I'm planning to wait until spring at the earliest to use the other jug since we don't plan on taking many long trips in the winter.

[NRALIFR]

Direct quotes from the Peak Commercial and Industrial website regarding DEF shelf life and contamination:

• The best temperature for storing DEF is 77°F. Higher temperatures will not affect the quality of the DEF, but will impact its shelf life. The quality of DEF also is not affected if the fluid freezes. When stored under optimal conditions — between 12°F and 86°F — DEF has a shelf life of up to two years. If stored in warmer temperatures, shelf life decreases.

• If you suspect the DEF has become contaminated, do not use it. You can use a DEF refractometer to test the purity of DEF. A refractometer is designed to measure the concentration of water-soluble fluids. It works by measuring the refractive index, which is the speed at which light passes through a liquid. To check the purity of DEF, apply a few drops to a refractometer that is capable of measuring urea concentrations. They are available in single and dual-scale models. The single scale version shows the percentage of urea by weight, while the dual-scale unit also provides a refractive index scale reading. A single scale version is fine when checking for water dilution.

IMHO, you should be more concerned with the purity of DEF than the age of it. Aged DEF will be used at a higher rate than fresh DEF. Contaminated DEF will cost you repair time and money. That was why I bought a refractometer in the first place. If DEF is diluted with pure water, how are you going to know?

:):)

[BurbMan]

How hot was the garage? Did you open the door at all during the summer? Hard to believe that you haven't driven the truck at all since Feb.

Hottest my garage got in August was 100*, but that was up in the rafters. The DEF tank on the truck sits down low, shielded from light and by the truck body, so probably never got hotter than ambient temps in the 80's.

Your DEF is still not a year old, it's probably fine. You should be driving the truck at least once a week to keep all the seals lubed and the fuel fresh. If you want to burn off some DEF, hook up the trailer and take a quick trip.

[Grit_dog]

Afraid to drive because of the Rona?

Some things are a mystery.
Almost as confusing as being afraid to camp because of the Rona....

May as well empty the tank because you won’t be driving it next year either based on current logic.

[Huntindog]

Lynnmor wrote:

rhagfo wrote:
Well why didn’t you do some day trip driving with it during the summer months?

7,000 miles of day trips may be a bit too much.

There is no drain plug for the DEF, that might cost 25 cents, instead you need to siphon it out if you want to replace the fluid.

It is probably worse than that. My 2011 Silverado had a mechanisim to prevent siphoning. Basically a spring loaded door in the fill line. The Fords are likely the same. I believe it is a Govt. anti tampering requirement.

I had to remove the tank to drain mine.

DEFs shelf life varies a LOT with temperture.

[Lynnmor]

rhagfo wrote:
Well why didn’t you do some day trip driving with it during the summer months?

7,000 miles of day trips may be a bit too much.

There is no drain plug for the DEF, that might cost 25 cents, instead you need to siphon it out if you want to replace the fluid.

[rhagfo]

Well why didn’t you do some day trip driving with it during the summer months?

[NRALIFR]

It’s probably OK, but you can get on Amazon and buy an inexpensive refractometer that will tell you if it still has the correct 32.5% urea. Some refractometers can also check multiple fluids, like antifreeze, windshield washer fluid, DEF, and battery acid.

Diesel Exhaust Fluid doesn’t degrade nearly as quickly as people assume. For example, at 86°F, DEF has a shelf life of a year. But, don’t equate shelf life to spoiling like food, as DEF will not “go bad”. It will lose some effectiveness, and the SCR will dose at a higher rate, but it won’t “go bad.” If maintained at a constant temperature, DEF manages to stay good for several months. For example, at 74°F Diesel Exhaust Fluid has the shelf life of 44 months.

:):)

[4x4ord]

I've read that the shelf life of DEF is one year, but we buy it in bulk and have stored it for years. Deisel exhaust fluid is naturally clear so if it appears cloudy or colored, it’s likely contaminated or old.
Years ago I bought some jugs of DEF from NAPA and poured it into one of my trucks. When I got to the bottom of the container there was an awful lot of crystals in the bottom of the jug ... so much so that the jug spout plugged off. I left it in the truck and ran the truck as normal without any problems. Apparently bad DEF can cause issues.

[Lwiddis]

Always treat a diesel the safe way.

[Old-Biscuit]

Shelf Life ...2 yrs in a SEALED Container

Save bet ---- drain and refill with NEW