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DEF Level - Gauge Messed Up?

12K views 30 replies 17 participants last post by  1973Commando 
#1 ·
So far granted it's been 3 days) my '14 CRD has been a joy to drive...but one thing has already popped up.

When I picked it up at the dealer they said they only had one, 2.5G jug, of DEF in the shop. The gauge was showing 50% and this brought it up to 80%. They said just to run it back by sometime to top it off. That was on Saturday.

I've been messing with the gauges while driving around for the last 180miles since then and on Saturday/Sunday it was showing 80% DEF.

Monday morning it was showing 100%. After work Monday it was showing 0% but not giving any other messages. I took it to the dealer and on re-start it was showing 100%.

This morning it is back to 0%.

Anyone else have anything strange happening.


The dealer was saying something about it maybe having sat at 1/2 a tank for awhile before delivery and the float sticking. I have my doubts because it's not giving me a "Low DEF" message when it goes to 0%. Basically the dealer's advice was to drive it for a couple of days and see what it does.
 
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#3 ·
I picked up two jugs at Autozone last night (about $11/per 2.5gal) because I'm super busy this week and I'd have to hop on the interstate for about 10 miles to get to a truck stop that sells it in bulk from the pump. I didn't get around to it last night but I'm going to top it off tonight and see how much is really in there right now.
 
#4 ·
Just a note if you are a details oriented guy: There may be a shelf life of 12 months for the DEF fluid. You may have to look at the expiration date on the bottle. I doubt though that is significant at all.
 

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#5 ·
I just topped it off - it took roughly 1gal.

I guess I'll watch the gauge and see what it does. I am going on a road trip this weekend so I'll be at 800-1000 miles by Sunday.
 
#6 ·
I topped off my DEF tank last night when I got home from work and the gauge did not move from the 1/4 tank it was previously showing. This morning on my way to work the gauge was still reading 1/4 full. About 10 minutes in to my drive to work it finally moved and now shows the DEF tank full. Is this normal??
 
#7 ·
I don't know if it's normal - but after my initial odd readings....


Mine went to full shortly after I filled it by hand with jugs.

I'm at about 1650miles now. It went to about 3/4 pretty fast...and now is getting close to half. Seems odd to me that it's showing it going down so fast.

Mixed city/highway, only some minimal light towing so far.
 
#8 ·
Over 2000 miles, and still at ¾ full. Wondering with the first builds if there was a crystal buildup from just sitting there. The crystals will dissolve when the tank is refilled full with fresh DEF. Have heard of a few leaks, but they would be easy to spot - just look for a buildup of white crystals under the rear of the Jeep. It sound like it was an isolated incident, but on the initial orders, the DEF tanks were installed in the parking lots just before release. Guessing the QC may have been down, as they were not installed on the factory floor. All new builds have the tanks installed on the production line.
 
#10 ·
I'm experiencing some strange DEF gauge readings myself. I've had the vehicle for a week, and it left with a low DEF level (all I know is it wasn't full, and the dealer said they would top it off for me when I come in for my first service).

Today I looked at the gauge, and it was about 35%. So I added about 1.5 gallons, turned the car on, and saw it immediately increment up to about 50%. I figured I still had room, so I turned it off, added 1 gallon, and turned it on again. The gauge didn't move at all, just stayed at 50%.

I thought maybe it's the incline, or maybe it'll take some time, so I drove to the gas station and filled up some diesel, and drove back home. I didn't see the DEF reading change at all during that time. Since it changed so fast the first time, this didn't seem right.

I'm wondering if there's a problem with the DEF sensor, the EVIC gauge software, or the DEF tank.

Are there any signs I can look for that would indicate a DEF tank leak?
 
#11 ·
When DEF dries, it leaves clear crystals. If you have a leak, you should be able to crawl under the back of the Jeep (that is where the DEF tank is) and look for a line of white crystals. By the way, when you add DEF, you have to add a significant amount before you will see movement on the DEF gauge. Look at the owners manual, it will tell you more info.
 
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#12 ·
Just a quick update, but 3 days after my DEF fluid addition, I noticed the gauge has now updated from 50% to 75%. Not sure when it actually registered the change, or why there was a delay. Maybe there's some software throttling of the reading to avoid having it change every time the car tilts up or down a hill.
 
#14 ·
I picked up my CRD last night. The sales person filled the DEF tank with 6.5 gallons. The gauge has sat at 25% since. I drove the Jeep about 190 miles today and throughout the gauge did not move. For people who have had this issue, does it resolve itself? What did you do? I have not used the remote start yet. Everything is with the vehicle has been perfect.
 
#16 · (Edited)
DEF freezes below water freezing temp at about 12F (-11C). The Jeep has DEF tank heating system and temperature sensors to make sure this doesn't happen. Some users with a stuck DEF level indicated it released after a while and assumed it was a dry sensor that had DEF crystals around it. You might want to drive a bit before reporting it to the dealer.
 
#17 ·
hey guys! new owner here! after reading this thread i went back to the dealer today...i picked up the new ride yesterday. they put 4 gallons in...the level didnt change....drove 115 miles today, still didnt change...pulled into the dealer..he put another 2.5 gallons in...drove another 50 miles..still no change....The service manager is dumbfounded by it and wants to call me tomorrow to see if it changed......very odd if you ask me!
 
#19 ·
DEF crystalizes as it dries. Give it a day or two for the new DEF to melt the crystals then you should be fine.
 
#21 ·
good news...level went to 100 percent today! while i was at the dealer a Chrysler fuel systems engineer happened to be there and took a huge interest in this DEF issue. He had the service manager follow up with me about what i have read and experienced with the DEF..Sounds like a memo might be being sent to all dealers soon about it..
They told me that the levels show 0 when remote started because with the remote start all of the self vehicle checks do not activate, hence the showing of zero.
hope this helps!
 
#24 ·
First I heard of a blue bar and I've never seen it. All I have is the arc but I'm now going to assume I should be seeing something like the economy display.

I'm going to have to change my position on this one. My gauge has shown empty all along. Lol
 
#26 ·
Just an FYI, my gauge has now gone down to 90% and there is no blue bar. A white arc that goes from 0 to 100 is displayed and the arc itself goes down. Why I'm at 2k with only 10% consumed is another mystery but I'm wondering if I wont see another adjustment soon now that I've got movement.
 
#28 ·
I'm wondering if there is a running change there? I thought maybe based on what was said that it might be like the mpg gauge where you have two arcs shown and I wasn't getting one of them. I don't have a percentage either, just the white arc starting at 0 and going to 100. Mine stayed on 100 till just yesterday when it dropped down so that the arc stops at 90%. Could be 88% or 92% I just made an estimate of where the arc stops being now shy of 100. I'm going to try and remember to remote start it later today and see if I get zip showing like others have reported now that its got off its lazy butt and decided to move.
 
#29 ·
Just put 5gallons of DEF into my 2014 gc. I have a single arc that does not give a number %. I had 1.5 of 4 bars showing on my arc. So with 8 gallon capacity i took that to mean i had about 3 gallons left.

the gauge did not go up at all after adding 5 gallons and starting the car. I drove it down the street steering from side to side to slosh it around. Turned off car at the end of the street. Turned it back on and drove home, still no change in the def gauge.

DEF blue from pep boys worked nicely. It has the proper 22241 rating, comes in 2.5 gallon jugs and has a nice long screw on spout with a vent that allows you to keep the jug away from the car. Only a few drops out of 5 gallons spilled and it dripped out of the jug/spout joint away from the car and onto the cement. Not a single drop got on the vehicle and only 5-10 drops spilled at all.
 
#31 ·
At Pilot FJ stations nationwide the BULK DEF price is $2.80 - $3.00 per gallon. This is DEF at the Pump in the truck lanes. In Canada, I read the price was 80¢ per gallon. Maybe the government subsidizes the cost in Canada. LINK: Pilot Flying J
 
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