Proper Maintenance of DEF Systems

Proper Maintenance of DEF Systems

The Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) System on your truck’s engine is a critical component for reducing emissions and meeting environmental regulations. Ensuring that your DEF System is properly maintained can lead to many benefits, including:

• Ensuring Emissions Compliance
• Improving Engine Performance
• Maintaining Fuel Efficiency
• Helping Prevent Damage
• Reducing Downtime
• Contributing To Overall Engine Health/Prolonging Vehicle Longevity
• Increasing Cost Savings

To keep your DEF system in top shape, make sure to use high-quality DEF, monitor DEF levels regularly, and address any system alerts or issues promptly.

The following tips can help improve the overall health of your DEF System, keeping your truck running at optimal performance.

Observe DEF Shelf Life. Be careful not to store your DEF too long. There is a shelf life. Check the dates before use and replace any expired DEF.

Don’t Refill Jugs. Be sure to use all contents in the container and dispose of old jugs properly. Never refill and reuse old jugs.

Cleanliness Is Key. If you’re at a filling at station, be sure to clean the nozzle before dispensing DEF into the tank. This should always be observed as a best practice. If contaminates are introduced (such as dirt, diesel, etc.), full tank flushes are required. This can often lead to costly and unwanted downtime.

Contamination Causes Failures. Contamination is the biggest cause of failures we see in the DEF Systems that we service. In a normal working system, regular maintenance on the DEF System still needs to be performed at regular intervals. It is recommended that every 3 years/300k miles, the DEF pump filter and prescreens, along with the dosing valve prescreen, should be replaced by your professional service shop.

Have any questions or need to have your truck serviced? Trust your local Kenworth of Pennsylvania branch to get the job done. Schedule a service with us today!