Be sure to also follow equipment owners’ manuals and recommendations from your fuel provider.Īrticle by Rhys Eastham, Director – Uptime & Technical Services We developed this Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) checklist for you and your operators to print out and reference to help avoid these mistakes. DEF tanks can build condensation, and that water can lead to contamination. It’s good practice to top off the DEF tank at the end of day.
If you have machines where the DEF and diesel tanks are near each other, another easy way to tell the difference is the size of the fill holes. If that happens, and an operator starts a machine with DEF in the fuel lines, it can potentially cause tens of thousands of dollars in damage. But fuel and DEF tanks are close in proximity on some pieces of construction equipment, so it’s not surprising this mistake occurs. The liquid, which looks like water, is sprayed into the exhaust before it exits the machine.ĭEF should never be mixed with diesel fuel, and it has its own filling port.
Here’s my advice on how to avoid them.ĭiesel exhaust fluid is an emissions control solution designed to lower the nitrogen oxide emissions in diesel engines. Inadvertently putting DEF into the diesel tankĪny one of these is a potentially major issue that can cause significant damage to your equipment.A common engine-related call involves diesel exhaust fluid (DEF). Every day, the Volvo Construction Equipment technical support team gets calls from customers covering any number of topics.