DEF - - WTF - - Melted Fender

[bnordlund]

I bought two boxes of Blue DEF at Costco last night, and put one of them in my Gladiator. The spout leaked a couple of drops onto my fender.

This morning, I see that my fender is melted down to the fiberglass where the two drips were.

Has anyone else had this happen? I am going to call Peak and see what they have to say.

I did notice a slight odor that I didn’t remember from previous batches, but didn’t think much of that. This seems like a bad thing- not too happy about it for sure.

Brian

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[Lost1wing]

There are usually notices all over the jugs of DEF. This stuff is corrosive! When I make a mess, I'm searching for a hose to rinse off the splatter.

 

[aFatBird]

That stuff on your fender is just the def fluid that's crystallized. It didn't melt your fender. Just hose it down with water.

 

[ChrisNLA]

DEF needs to be wiped off of painted surfaces as soon as the spill happens.

On the big trucks we build if the DEF access has a painted surface around it we tend to include a rubber flap to help divert the DEF away from the paint when the door is open or include a brushed stainless panel over the nearby paint - cause it will ruin just about anything it touches if you leave it long enough.

 

[rharr]

Fenders are plastic, not fiberglass.

 

[bnordlund]

Bingo!

Thanks for the comment, as that is exactly what it was and it washed right off. Thinking about it a bit more, the fenders are plastic, not fiberglass, so they are basically made from the same material that the tank is made of.

When I filled it, I smelled an odor that I had not noticed before, so I had that in the back of my mind. Probably just my B.O.

thanks again,
Brian

 

[Chris A]

It has been said by a mechanic YouTuber if it as an ammonia smell it is old and not to use it. I recently used some I bought at Walmart and it had a bit of a smell and also crystallized on the side of my Promaster, a week later I am now having an issue with my SCR system. Coincidental- maybe.

 

[AmishMike]

It ALL smells like ammonia. We go through 150 gallons a week. It will crystalize from drying out, from UV rays, and seems like a fly farting nearby.

@Chris A I do not have any Promasters, we run buses. If there are not any known common issues, check the sock at the bottom of the DEF tank, there can be a build up on that and no sensors will pick that up. Next is build up in the tubes, then corroded wires due to DEF splashing etc..
Fuel quality and oil quality also make a huge difference in soot and ash levels. Yep, air filters, EGR filters, crank case filters etc..
And no, school buses that stop 200 times a day just for student loading/unloading do not like these systems. We run an average of 125 miles/day at 20 mph, and do a lot of parked re-gens.

 

[Chris A]

It ALL smells like ammonia. We go through 150 gallons a week. It will crystalize from drying out, from UV rays, and seems like a fly farting nearby.

@Chris A I do not have any Promasters, we run buses. If there are not any known common issues, check the sock at the bottom of the DEF tank, there can be a build up on that and no sensors will pick that up. Next is build up in the tubes, then corroded wires due to DEF splashing etc..
Fuel quality and oil quality also make a huge difference in soot and ash levels. Yep, air filters, EGR filters, crank case filters etc..
And no, school buses that stop 200 times a day just for student loading/unloading do not like these systems. We run an average of 125 miles/day at 20 mph, and do a lot of parked re-gens.

I appreciate the information.
There are a lot of complaints about the Promaster diesel but these problems seem common on these systems. I’m getting a P22A1 bank1 sensor 2 high P20EE not meeting threshold. My scanner live data is showing inlet nox fluctuation between 0-500 sometimes higher and outlet close to double that. I’m thinking I’m not treating the exhaust with DEF. In the past I got a bank 1 sensor 1 stuck low and then bank 1 sensor 1 stuck high after getting it back from service but that’s been a few thousand miles ago.

 

[kb5zcr]

I saw this, may be handy for your issue.

 

[GladiatorPilot23]

Run Platinum. It will prevent other problems from forming.

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