UREA

Those of you considering a new pick up in 2011 should be aware of the new EPA guidelines. Ford, GM and Chrysler now include a five gallon [ approx ] tank of Diesel Exhaust Fluid on their diesel trucks. The DEF, called Urea is sprayed into the exhaust to lower emissions. Most trucks will travel 5000 miles on a tank. Mileage of reduced numbers to 2500 to 3000 miles when pulling trailers are now being reported. When the Urea level gets low owners are advised on the dash the speed limit is reduced to 55 mph. Next mesage will be 50 mph for 300 more miles. If the reservoir does not receive additional fluid the motors are reduced to idle speed only. The Diesel Exhaust Fluid got the name Urea due to a chemical make up similar to urine.

I understand or have been told when in a pinch you can substitute urine. guess I won't be stopping at reststops any more and the truckers bottle bombs will be a thing of the past.

Hmmm. Jdub just got a 2011, I drove it at the Hanger Fest and I don't recall any of that.

Dub?

Our new 2010 Mercedes Sprinter passnger van aka Airstream tower, has the Urea. However, Mercedes gives you 20 starts of running the engine when the Urea is low then out. On the 21st start, it won't. They say under normal non-torcherous driving one doesn't have to refill the Urea for 10,000 miles. Just fill it when you get your oil changed. Heavier service will reduce the distance. UPS says they are refilling at 7500 mile intervals.

Our 2011 X5 has Urea injection, it's a non issue. BMW refills the reservoir when we take the car for regularly scheduled maintenance, and I've seen urea available at some truck stops. Makes for a very clean running diesel! Our average mileage so far is a bit less than 30, very happy with it.

Tool Man,

Just curious, what's that diesel exhaust pee cost when it's time to refill?

Not a tool and not a man :D but the price of urea at Pilot is $2.79/gallon.

Yep the new truck has DEF and I'm pretty sure it is part of the reason it gets 3 mpg better than the 2008.

I ordered a 2011 GMC 2500 diesel pickup in December and it came in a couple of weeks ago. The sales guy said nothing about the DEF injection system back when I ordered it, if he had I would not have ordered it. Looking at a number of forums on the web about this system it is not ready for prime time. Owners, especially in colder climates, have been having a lot of trouble with this system. When the sensors in the DEF tank "think" that the tank is empty the truck goes into limp mode which essentially limits it to 4 mph. Needless to say owners are experiencing the limp mode when the tank still has fluid in it. Add to that the fluid has a 12 degree freezing temp and this has apparently been causing sensor malfunction. The system is controlled by the ECU which is also having software issues. I refused to take delivery of the truck and am going to order a gas truck until GMC sorts this out. I have also heard that GMC's placement of the DEF tank makes it susceptible to getting hit by road debris. Anyway would be interested if anyone who actually has one of these new trucks has had any issues with it. Thanks......JR

If you compare the 2 technologies EGR verses urea,it seems like the urea is better at this time.The EGR motors must be larger in cubic inches to get the same power as the urea version,as a result of being larger fuel consumption increases.At this time I am not sure that anyone has the ultimate clean diesel that doesn't have some glitches but I sure would not purchase the latest series 60 with the EGR and DPF,I hope that the Volvo D13 is as good as advertised.Having owned an EGR series 60 for over 2 years I think that late last summer the Detroit Diesel Dealer finally fixed it and I have not seen a code for several months.