DEF consumption

Russ61

Russ61

Member
I now have over 6,000 miles on my Roadtrek CS. I have absolutely NO idea when the DEF warning light will come on and am apprehensive about where I'll be re DEF supply when it does. There is no level indicator as to how much remains in the DEF reservoir or how much to refill it to. I understand that once the indicator light comes on that I'll have 1.5 gallons left and "approximately 1,000 miles" of fluid before it hits the 0.8 gallon warning and its limited restarts. My manual states, referencing the OM642 V6 engine, that I have either the 3.2 or 4.9 gallon reservoir....which makes calculating to date consumption rates impossible. Since the 1.5g warning light hasn't yet come on, I've used either less than 1.7 (3.2-1.5g) or 3.4g (4.9-1.5g) of DEF.....a 200% difference!

Questions:
  1. What DEF consumption rates (mpg) do you experience?
  2. Do you find it highly variable based on type of usage?
  3. Do you replace with packaged (ie 1, 2.5, or 5 gallon) containers or bulk pumped?
  4. Do you carry a spare container? How much? I understand that you need minimally 2 gallons to "reset" the DEF level warning???
  5. Do you use only the recommended AdBlue or most any DEF product?

Thanks!
 
J

jsilver

Member
Our '14 w/ the I4 engine had the light come on about 5,8-5,900 miles. I was near enough to a WalMart and got a jug of the standard DEF. Put it in in the parking lot (it has it's own built in spout). Didn't knbow how much I'd need- the jug was about 2-1/2 gallons. Put it all in, and light went off. No issues since.

John
 
P

Pro777

Member
Search this forum for detailed advice/instructions regarding DEF refilling. If you have a tank behind the right wheel well, you have the larger tank. I get approximately 2,100 miles per gallon of DEF with my OM642. Glenn
 
1

1109

New member
I find that ours will consistently use 1 Litre per 1000 Km. So I will always fill it after two or three fuel tanks.
 
Mein Sprinter

Mein Sprinter

Known member
Russ61 said:
I now have over 6,000 miles on my Roadtrek CS. I have absolutely NO idea when the DEF warning light will come on and am apprehensive about where I'll be re DEF supply when it does. There is no level indicator as to how much remains in the DEF reservoir or how much to refill it to. I understand that once the indicator light comes on that I'll have 1.5 gallons left and "approximately 1,000 miles" of fluid before it hits the 0.8 gallon warning and its limited restarts. My manual states, referencing the OM642 V6 engine, that I have either the 3.2 or 4.9 gallon reservoir....which makes calculating to date consumption rates impossible. Since the 1.5g warning light hasn't yet come on, I've used either less than 1.7 (3.2-1.5g) or 3.4g (4.9-1.5g) of DEF.....a 200% difference!

Questions:
  1. What DEF consumption rates (mpg) do you experience? 1 gallon/2000(+-) miles
  2. Do you find it highly variable based on type of usage?Yes, excess idling; frequent stop and go
  3. Do you replace with packaged (ie 1, 2.5, or 5 gallon) containers or bulk pumped? I usually add 1 gallon to top off.
  4. Do you carry a spare container? How much? I understand that you need minimally 2 gallons to "reset" the DEF level warning??? Mine requires a minimum of 1.5 gallon to "reset"
  5. Do you use only the recommended AdBlue or most any DEF product? I use any approved DEF product

Thanks!
Click to expand...
The DEF warning light comes on when DEF is being slowly depleted; then you must add a minimum gallonage of DEF(1.5-2.5gals) to suit your vehicle before the DEF light extinguished itself.

My 2010 Roadtrek SS Agile carries 5.3 gallons DEF, enough for 7-10,000 miles depending on ones acceleration; stopping; idling style. I do not carry any spare DEF due to shelf life.

Cheers....
 
Russ61

Russ61

Member
Thanks everyone....lots of good info.

MB customer care rep is confirming whether my RV has the 4.9g reservoir (most probably) or 3.2g. Footnotes suggest either for the OM642 V6 engine whereas the OM651 4 cyl has 4.7g and cab/chassis has 5.8g. If 4.9g, that would mean that I've used LESS than 3.4g in 6100 miles, ~1g:2000 miles....on par with others above.

I also noted that DEF sells for a wide range of prices: $2.69 locally at a truck stop fuel island pump, ~ $4.75-$5.50/g in 2.5 gal jugs, and $7-the sky in 1g jugs.
 
avanti

avanti

2022 Ford Transit 3500
OK, while we are on the topic, can somebody help me interpret the following:

We were on our first long trip, out west. At about 3900 miles, the console display showed the following:

def1.jpg

Wow, that's impressive, I think. A short time later, I get the following:

def2.jpg

So, I stop at the auto parts store, buy a 2.5 gallon box of DEF fluid and pour it in. 20 seconds later, my dashboard display shows the following:

def3.jpg

This doesn't make a lot of sense to me. I have a four cylinder engine if that matters.

Any theories as to what the "Diesel exhaust fluid range" display actually means?
 
pfflyer

pfflyer

Well-known member
Questions:
1. What DEF consumption rates (mpg) do you experience? On my 2013 I average 2.5 gallons every 6k-7k miles
2. Do you find it highly variable based on type of usage? My usage is fairly consistent so I cant answer this one
3. Do you replace with packaged (ie 1, 2.5, or 5 gallon) containers or bulk pumped? 2.5 gallon ADBLUE 2 times and 1 gallon containers 1 time
4. Do you carry a spare container? How much? I understand that you need minimally 2 gallons to "reset" the DEF level warning??? Don't carry a spare because it has a shelf life. 2.5 gallons resets my light and I have gotten as much as 3 gallons in when the light came on. It is so easy to find and we get plenty of notice that I don't fret about it.
5. Do you use only the recommended AdBlue or most any DEF product? ADBLUE or any brand that meets the MB spec which should be on the reservoir cap if you loose your owners manual.

I recommend filling up with a water hose near by because it is a caustic fluid. I rinse off after I replace the cap even if I don't spill any just in case. The 2.5 container has a nice filler tube but I still rinse after I put the cap back on.
 
O

Onefin

Well-known member
I put 5 of the 1liter (or whatever the small size they sell at MB dealer actually is) MB bottles in at approx. 5,000 miles.
No light or message on screen, I just added to prevent lights and messages coming on.
I will do the same at 10,000 unless a light comes on.
4cyl that I try to limit idling with, but I do live in the hellhole of traffic called Southern California, so not always avoidable.
I find it funny to have a brand new vehicle that I am scared to drive on a road trip 2,000 miles without running out of some magic fluid in the middle of Utah. Progress is strange.
 
M

mog416

New member
Russ61
Regarding your display,
At my last service, mb's deleted the def display from my van. They said it was not working as intended so they were deleting from all the vans that come in. Maybe they'll come out with an upgrade soon and put the menu item back



2014 4cyl
 
sailquik

sailquik

Well-known member
Onefin,
There are WalMarts/Truck Stops/Travel Centers/ and auto parts stores in the middle of Utah.
If you run low on DEF, you have over 500 miles to replenish it, using > 2 gallons of DEF Fluid meeting ISO 22241.
You are over reacting here.
As far as idling goes, your 2014 OM-651 2.143 liter I4 is not affected nearly as much by idling as the OM-642 V6.
Again, you are reacting to things you've seen on this forum (and perhaps others) that do not apply to your new OM-651/7GTronic Trans equipped Sprinter.
Roger
 
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