[SSBL]

Hello. I am traveling 11 hours several times a month in my 2018 F150 3.0. I’m doing some light hauling but nothing major. At several of my natural fuel up locations there are separate pumps used for truckers and heavy equipment that say DEF included. Are these suitable for my truck? And are the fueling parts compatible? How does cost compare? I love my truck but those sudden DEF alarms and constant refilling get old on long trips. TIA. - Stacey

 

[jmperlik]

Hi Stacey - I ran into this recently on my trip to Charlotte in July. I was due for an oil change and DEF top-off, but I only had ~3000 mile since last oil change and DEF top-off. About an hour into my trip, the DEF Low alarm went off and profanity ensued. I knew I needed to stop and found a large diesel truck stop outside of Scranton which had one set of diesel pumps (for the big-boys) and another set gasoline and diesel pumps for cars & light duty trucks by the Welcome Center.

I drove down to the big-boy pumps (which advertised DEF at-the-pump) to find a single LARGE diameter nozzle = I didn't see a 2nd small nozzle with a blue handle for the DEF. Thinking maybe it was just the pump I stopped at, I walked over to a few other pumps and found every pump only had a single LARGE diameter nozzle.

Knowing that the LARGE diameter nozzle doesn't fit in our capless system, I couldn't use the big-boy pumps for:

• Diesel Fuel
• DEF

I guess what surprised me is that the big boy pumps dispensed both diesel fuel and DEF thru the same nozzle? This doesn't seem quite right to me as DEF is like 66% water and everyone knows that any sort of fuel and water don't mix. I would think this sort of dispensing would contaminate the small 5.5 gallon DEF tank in our trucks. Maybe someone who fills at-the-pump can chime in with their experiences...

After learning my lesson, I put my-tail-between-my-legs and skulked up to the Welcome Center to purchase a 2.5 gallon jug of DEF from the convenience store part of the complex. Filling my DEF tank from the 2.5 gallon jug was actually a lot easier than I thought it would be, and I was back on the road about a half hour later.

If you do plan to fill your DEF at-the-pump, you will need to find a service center with a separate DEF pump with a small diameter nozzle with a blue handle to fit the filler-neck setup on our trucks. I did notice a new Mobil gas station recently built near me had dedicated DEF pumps with blue handled nozzles.

Lesson Learned: Plan out where you are going to fill your DEF at-the-pump

 

[Dunrollin]

That is funny! They have the def pump hidden and it is very different from the diesel pump. I have a motorhome and sometimes fuel both the F150 and the home from the same pump as I modified the cap (also known as destructicated) so it would take fuel from the large nozzles. They will never use the same nozzle for fuel and def. Below is a photo of a typical set up, and you have to lift up a black plastic panel to find the def nozzle. Once you finish fueling you can then add def. I bit the bullet and got a TSD Logistics account to use the large pumps. Otherwise it won't take credit cards, you have to go inside.

Price doesn't seem to be that much better, I think the walmart bottles are just fine.

 

[jmperlik]

I only wish the diesel pumps were this clear/obvious at the service center I stopped at! What you show in your pics is what I was expecting to find: a 2nd hose/nozzle with a blue handle. Instead I found pumps with single hose/single nozzle.

I literally stared at the pump for 5 minutes: single hose/single nozzle and nothing Blue and no DEF signage anywhere, so my mind starts racing how do I this without making a mess... Walked over to another pump = same setup. Walked to a 3rd pump, same setup. Since all had the big-boy diameter nozzle, I abandoned my plan of playing with the big-boys and headed up to the "normal kids" pumps.

Wish I snapped a picture because I was baffled. Maybe there was another island around the corner that was DEF-only pump but all of the Diesel pumps at this travel plaza had one hose/one nozzle. It was this Petro Travel Center by the Wilkes-Barre/Scanton Airport in Avoca, PA: Petro Stopping Center - Google Maps

Like I said in a previous post, the 2.5 Gallon jugs come with a funnel and I was able to fill-up without spilling a drop, so I now know that the jugs are a simple alternative when you are in-a-pinch.

@Dunrollin - thanks for clearing up, as I was truly baffled being my first (and last!) time attempting DEF at-the-pump.

 

[STIAJW]

I prefer getting DEF at the diesel pumps. It has been around $3 per gallon at the truck stop DEF pumps. And, no empty containers to dispose of.
DEF can freeze if it gets too cold (DEF freeze point is 12F / -11C) so the DEF dispensing nozzles is hidden in a cabinet in the northern parts of the U.S.
The 1st pic below shows one of the big boys diesel pumps in Iowa - notice the DEF dispensing nozzle cabinet on the right. The 2nd pic is with the rubber flap lifted out of the way to get to the DEF dispensing nozzle.

 

[jmperlik]

@STIAJW - OK, maybe there was something there at Petro and I just didn't know the secret of the "hidden" door. If they did have DEF there it wasn't obvious, and like I said, I stared for quite a while trying to figure out how they accomplished both with a single nozzle... Call me Forest Gump!

Assuming due to the high water content in DEF, that the "hidden' cabinet is heated or protected-from-the-elements due to the fear of freezing? I'll have to take a closer look at the DEF pumps at the new Mobil station, as the blue handles are visible and not in "hiding..."

Thanks for the education = I was already wound-up due to the DEF alarm going off an hour into a 10 hour drive, so I probably wasn't in any condition to figuring it out the "hidden" door in the state I was in...

 

[STIAJW]

@jmperlik - I have to admit the first time I looked for "DEF at the pump" at a truck stop, I, too, was unable to figure out how to get the DEF at the pump. Fortunately, I was not in a must-have situation so I drove away and scratched my head a bit. Several days later, I went to a different truck stop which had labeled DEF cabinets. I wanted to find out how much the DEF at the pump cost to be able to compare costs to the 2.5 gallon containers. DEF at the pump has been significantly lower cost than 2.5 gallon containers other than when a Home Depot had 2.5 gallon containers for $5. I only bought 3 of those $5 Home Depot 2.5 gallon containers because DEF does degrade over time in storage, especially if stored where it can get warm.
Perhaps this thread may help others . . . .