Service DEF system message
Hello all, I started a thread a week ago or so about the sour smell from my exhaust after starting the engine cold. After reading your comments I agree it was the DEF not flowing due to being frozen. However, I got in my truck tpday to see the check engine light is on and I then checked the message on the evic. It says "Service DEF System". Not sure how this is going to play out, I called my service center at the RAM dealership (11:05) and they said to bring it in today (15:00) so they can look at it. I'll post results when I hear back.
As an additional note, I was worried about the DEF because of its freezing point, so I never had the DEF tank over 50% since the end of October. So I have followed RAM's instructions on winter use. Also o have been plugging in the block heater below -15c all year.
As an additional note, I was worried about the DEF because of its freezing point, so I never had the DEF tank over 50% since the end of October. So I have followed RAM's instructions on winter use. Also o have been plugging in the block heater below -15c all year.
21 - 29 of 29 Posts
I'm at 7,600 miles & my def has been filled once already (less than 1/2 full at delivery, then topped off) & it's now down to 3/4. I had the exhaust leak at 5,000 miles & now I'm noticing I have the exhaust leak again, but not as severe yet. Truck is going to another dealer Wed. As much as I want to love this thing, my gut says to keep my distance because it will leave me standing somewhere. I hope I'm wrong, as I have no idea what I would buy right now. No more diesels! Maybe fix up the old Ford F-150 & get the VW Golf R (gasoline)for my daily driver, but they're not even available & dealers don't know when they will be.Filled DEF 4 times? How many KMs are on that truck. I just turned 13,000kms and I'm down to the 1/4 mark on the gauge for the first full tank of DEF that came from the dealer.
I've only towed a 3500lb boat about 1000 kms in all that. the rest is just me with about 50/50 city/highway.
Showing 11 liters / 100 kms on the evic.
I just refigured my Def useage. I'm at 6500 miles give or take and have used right at 9 gallons. I made a mistake figuring my Def use last time and thought I was around 1000 miles a gallon. The first 3-4 thousand miles were alot of highway so not sure if that's why I'm on the high end.....
Looks like highway and towing mileage burns the def up.
I think heavy load burns more def, not so much constant sustained highway speeds.
Update: Part still has not arrived, original quote was the truck would be ready before the 14th, then I was told to expect the 10th or 11th, however no part arrived. I was told to expect between the 16th to the 19th.
Regen problems
I am new to the forum; but am at the point of litigation with my 1-year-old, 12K miles Ram 1500 Ecodiesel. Let me explain and then PLEASE tell me if there is a solution. When I bought the truck NO ONE told me it was NOT SUITABLE for in town driving. By painful experience I discovered that when the exhaust system starts into regen, one must drive the truck at highway speed for the process to complete--and here is the problem--that the truck CANNOT be turned off until the regen process is complete.If one does turn the truck off, when you restart the truck it well protect itself (the dealer is calling the "limp" mode), cannot be drive more than about 5 mph and MUST BE TOWED TO THE DEALER! At least that is what the service manager and general manager at Allstar Dodge in Denham Springs, La. is telling me. Can that be correct? It must be, because it happened twice before anyone told me about turning the vehicle off when the regen alert showed up.. Call me crazy, but that is am impossible requirement. There are any number of reasons that one CANNOT IMMEDIATE proceed to a highway and drive at highway speed for 10 or 15 minutes for the exhaust system to clean itself. I have spoken with Chrysler, and been on hold while they spoke to the dealership. (get this--the rep from Chrysler politely tried to tell me the information abot the exhause regen is the in the owner's manual. And when I informed her that I didn't the owner's manual until AFTER I bought the truck, she politely said, "Oh, that's right." Any comments, questions, or suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks
I am new to the forum; but am at the point of litigation with my 1-year-old, 12K miles Ram 1500 Ecodiesel. Let me explain and then PLEASE tell me if there is a solution. When I bought the truck NO ONE told me it was NOT SUITABLE for in town driving. By painful experience I discovered that when the exhaust system starts into regen, one must drive the truck at highway speed for the process to complete--and here is the problem--that the truck CANNOT be turned off until the regen process is complete.If one does turn the truck off, when you restart the truck it well protect itself (the dealer is calling the "limp" mode), cannot be drive more than about 5 mph and MUST BE TOWED TO THE DEALER! At least that is what the service manager and general manager at Allstar Dodge in Denham Springs, La. is telling me. Can that be correct? It must be, because it happened twice before anyone told me about turning the vehicle off when the regen alert showed up.. Call me crazy, but that is am impossible requirement. There are any number of reasons that one CANNOT IMMEDIATE proceed to a highway and drive at highway speed for 10 or 15 minutes for the exhaust system to clean itself. I have spoken with Chrysler, and been on hold while they spoke to the dealership. (get this--the rep from Chrysler politely tried to tell me the information abot the exhause regen is the in the owner's manual. And when I informed her that I didn't the owner's manual until AFTER I bought the truck, she politely said, "Oh, that's right." Any comments, questions, or suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks
That is wrong. You can stop engine during regen, if it needs to it will restart regen next time you start truck. It only goes into limp mode when filter is plugged. I drive about 60 miles a day of in town stop light to stop light driving and have never had a problem. When I get where I'm going I just shut off truck and leave.
With 20k, I only added once, about 10.00 worth at Flying J, truck stop. I tow trailers 6000 lbs and my soot built up doesn't increase, in fact it improves. A hot engine slows down the soot built up and it normal to go 300 to 600 km without a REGEN. That happen often for me. REGEN in the city is about 90 km, which I do almost daily. During winter it will drop and drop a lot if you don't have winter covers.
Most of my mileage is city driving, averaging between 9 to 11 k/pr 100. Highway, I hit 9.2 several times and that driving in the rockies. Doing 10 percent over the speed limit. 120KM per hour.
The key is to warm up truck asap. (you need, it is a must, to use winter covers on the grill when 7c and colder) This decreases def use and instead of driving 20km before truck warm up, it warms up in 10km. It also improves fuel economy. FCA will give you one new winter cover for free. I got mine for free.
If the truck doesn't warm up, even when filter is at 65 percent or more, it will not do a REGEN. EGT3 and EGT4 need to hit around 1200 F and your EGC, coolant around 160 f or so. At about 80 percent, you will get a EVIC message saying the filter is 80 percent full and to drive the truck ( you can idle at 1800 rpm or so). If it hit about 90 percent, you will be force to bring it to dealer.
Neither of those are convenient, nor fuel good for fuel economy and this shouldn't ever happen. This is where having the EDGE CS2 monitor comes in handy. You can initiate a REGEN via this device, though I never used that yet. I monitor and have alarms set for EGT1, EGT2, EGT3, EGT4 and ECT. With the winter covers, I have the alarm set for 230 degrees F. Then I open up the winter covers. Soon, I be removing it, as spring is approaching.
After many km of driving with soot built-up and using cheap diesel gas, your injectors will carbon up, resulting in poor fuel economy and sluggish performance. The engine sound more diesel noise. See the video from shell on it, I do have it posted on another ecodiesel forum.
I fixed that issue, by using only Shell V-power diesel, about 8 cent more, after driving 17,000 km with the cheapest diesel, about the second fill up, when I reached almost 1/4 empty, I suddenly notice a big difference. No hesitation, more pick up and smooth acceleration and quieter sound. Starting up, in the coldest days in Calgary, it was instant. There are additives too, but I don't want to carry bottles and it cheaper to fill up with Shell V-power diesel. I think in the US, the call it Diesel FIT.
Such a big difference, I have filled up a third tank.
If you do very short drives (20km or less) and it cold and you don't have winter covers, then the soot will climb about 1 percent every 2 or 3 km. You have no option but to switch out vehicles or invest in a monitor device, so that you can time things, so that you don't get 80 percent or 90 percent EVIC message.
hope this helps, I normally not on this EcoDiesel forum.
Most of my mileage is city driving, averaging between 9 to 11 k/pr 100. Highway, I hit 9.2 several times and that driving in the rockies. Doing 10 percent over the speed limit. 120KM per hour.
The key is to warm up truck asap. (you need, it is a must, to use winter covers on the grill when 7c and colder) This decreases def use and instead of driving 20km before truck warm up, it warms up in 10km. It also improves fuel economy. FCA will give you one new winter cover for free. I got mine for free.
If the truck doesn't warm up, even when filter is at 65 percent or more, it will not do a REGEN. EGT3 and EGT4 need to hit around 1200 F and your EGC, coolant around 160 f or so. At about 80 percent, you will get a EVIC message saying the filter is 80 percent full and to drive the truck ( you can idle at 1800 rpm or so). If it hit about 90 percent, you will be force to bring it to dealer.
Neither of those are convenient, nor fuel good for fuel economy and this shouldn't ever happen. This is where having the EDGE CS2 monitor comes in handy. You can initiate a REGEN via this device, though I never used that yet. I monitor and have alarms set for EGT1, EGT2, EGT3, EGT4 and ECT. With the winter covers, I have the alarm set for 230 degrees F. Then I open up the winter covers. Soon, I be removing it, as spring is approaching.
After many km of driving with soot built-up and using cheap diesel gas, your injectors will carbon up, resulting in poor fuel economy and sluggish performance. The engine sound more diesel noise. See the video from shell on it, I do have it posted on another ecodiesel forum.
I fixed that issue, by using only Shell V-power diesel, about 8 cent more, after driving 17,000 km with the cheapest diesel, about the second fill up, when I reached almost 1/4 empty, I suddenly notice a big difference. No hesitation, more pick up and smooth acceleration and quieter sound. Starting up, in the coldest days in Calgary, it was instant. There are additives too, but I don't want to carry bottles and it cheaper to fill up with Shell V-power diesel. I think in the US, the call it Diesel FIT.
Such a big difference, I have filled up a third tank.
If you do very short drives (20km or less) and it cold and you don't have winter covers, then the soot will climb about 1 percent every 2 or 3 km. You have no option but to switch out vehicles or invest in a monitor device, so that you can time things, so that you don't get 80 percent or 90 percent EVIC message.
hope this helps, I normally not on this EcoDiesel forum.
21 - 29 of 29 Posts
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