DEF for Sprinter?

[Knit]

Avanti - I got what you were saying the first time. And I agree that changing the oil when not necessary is inefficient both in terms of cost and to the environment. People post complaints about what service cost yet go on to explain that they change their oil twice or even more times than needed. Some of them even after testing the oil that shows it has plenty of life left.

[Rok]

O.K. I have a couple of questions/comments for this thread.

(1) When my warning light comes on, I think the unit is 1.6 gallons low--not enough for a full 2.5 gallon box. it sounds like others can wait until it will take 5 gallons (!) ? Am I missing something here?

(2) Everyone says it is not a problem to add the stuff, but I can't seem to add DEF without spilling it and it is very very corrosive from what I've heard. So filling it comes with a routine of spraying everything off with a hose, or if I'm on the road, dumping at least a 1 gallon bottle of water to rinse it off. I must be missing something here, too, no?

On this last trip I used one of those DEF pumps at a truck stop and it shut off when the rig was full (yep, at 1.6 gallons). Only a couple of drips got on the rig and the was easy to take care of. I presume that is the same stuff? I was told it was, and others here seem to imply that it is.

Thanks in advance for any information.

[avanti]

Originally Posted by Rok

O.K. I have a couple of questions/comments for this thread.

(1) When my warning light comes on, I think the unit is 1.6 gallons low--not enough for a full 2.5 gallon box. it sounds like others can wait until it will take 5 gallons (!) ? Am I missing something here?

(2) Everyone says it is not a problem to add the stuff, but I can't seem to add DEF without spilling it and it is very very corrosive from what I've heard. So filling it comes with a routine of spraying everything off with a hose, or if I'm on the road, dumping at least a 1 gallon bottle of water to rinse it off. I must be missing something here, too, no?

On this last trip I used one of those DEF pumps at a truck stop and it shut off when the rig was full (yep, at 1.6 gallons). Only a couple of drips got on the rig and the was easy to take care of. I presume that is the same stuff? I was told it was, and others here seem to imply that it is.

Thanks in advance for any information.

Well, Sprinters come with four differently-sized DEF tanks:

3.2 gallon for OM642 (6 cyl)
4.7 gallon for OM651 (4 cyl)
4.9 gallon for OM642 (6 cyl)
5.8 gallon for cab chassis

The "add DEF" warning is supposed to come on when you have 1.5 gal left. So, it sounds like you have the 3.2 gal tank. I have the OM651 with the 4.7 gal tank, so I can easily wait until I am down 2.5 gal and still avoid the warning.

As for filling, there are all kinds of containers with different kinds of spouts and hoses. You should try different ones till you find one you like. Lots of folks swear by the official MB 1 gallon container as being particularly easy. Some people recommend buying one (relatively expensive, obviously) and refilling it from a larger container. I have never tried one, so I am just passing on advice.