Just found out how much a single drop of DEF can contaminate a whole tank

I was reading an old technical bulletin from Detroit Diesel the other day. It said that just one gallon of diesel exhaust fluid in a 100-gallon diesel fuel tank can ruin the entire batch. That's a 1% contamination level causing major injector and pump damage. I always knew to keep them separate, but seeing that exact number really drove it home. Makes you double-check your transfer hoses, right? Has anyone actually dealt with a full system flush from a DEF mix-up?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_emma20d ago

That seems like a really low tolerance.

mia_baker20d ago

Oh totally, I get what you mean. I was reading this article last week that broke down how these limits are actually based on some pretty old science. They basically said the whole model doesn't account for how people actually process things day to day, you know? It feels like it was set for a different time and they just never bothered to update it, even with all the new info we have now.

brian_taylor1520d ago

Check the actual rules for your area, they're often way out of date. I just found out mine were based on a study from the 80s.