Jfxogara

Is the car gushing oil onto your garage floor? If so, consider usual culprits, oil filter pedestal, oil cooler seals, turbo. Assuming that is not the problem, has the failure-prone PCV valve been replaced? When these fail they allow a surprisingly large amount of oil to be sucked into the intake. Replacement can be performed by an intermediate-level amateur with the right tools (including a 1/4" E-torx 10.

kajtek1

Call MB hotline and have them involved.

MudFoots

I had my emissons recall done about 5k miles ago, everything seems fine for the most part. Getting only slightly less MPG than before, but that could be the colder outside temps. I just had the indicator come on for the first time since the service to add DEF, the tank took 5 gallons and is not full. Should MB have filled it?

I am curious how much DEF should go in to fill after indication and how many miles you are getting between filling and the indicator going off again.

Cheers,
Tony

kajtek1

You did not say what car is it?
MB sedans do have big DEF tanks, designed to last between oil changes.
Sprinter has smaller tank, who needs frequent refills (about every 6000 miles) Still did not figure it out on my GLE as I don't drive it too much.
Beware of not topping of the DEF tanks, as that will fool the ultrasonic gauge, what might lead to lot of troubles.
I think adding 2.5 gallons from standard container for average owner is the best. This way DEF will not age, you will not carry "dead weight" and you will not fool the gauge.
Low level DEF warning is still giving you at least 2000 miles before empty, so plenty of time to refill.

hai00

From my experience at dealers and from reading the recall, CEL diagnostic cost is covered only if recall component caused CEL. If not you pay (which I had to 2 times ). In Northern California, this diagnosis cost >300 and long appointment wait.
It is best to be reasonable, and not **** off local dealer. You will need them at some point.

Diabolis

+1 on Kajtek's observations and suggestions. Sprinters require frequent refills. The passenger vehicles not so much as they have larger DEF tanks but I also only drive mine between 5,000 - 8,000kms between oil changes and thus DEF top-ups.

Whatever you do, refill it and use an ENTIRE jug at once - as in don't try to keep if anything is left over in the DEF jug - as the water in it can evaporate and the ammonia then starts to crystallize, which will bugger things up in the car if you then use the bad DEF fluid for a top-up. Get a jug (or two) and use it (them) at once. There's no need to fill it up to the top.

MudFoots

Whoops...it's an ML350 (W164). I was told it will hold 7.5 gallons (probably a 10 liter tank?) from empty safely... maybe?

Didn't know DEF could age! Once I figure out how far the 5 gallons I put in will take me until the indicator comes on I will put in less.

2000 miles from low warning!!! Dang, I thought it was going to start a count-down like other diesels do. Good to know. Now I am curious if it is still 2k miles AFTER the recall!

Diabolis

What CEL??? He's getting a "Low DEF fluid" message... it's like getting a "Low windshield washer fluid" message. There's no indication that it is anything other than simply low fluid.

Diabolis

On the 166, the DEF refill capacity is either 27 liters or 30.7 liters depending on the model. Technically the system does hold a little more than that from the factory, but that's the refill capacity spec. 5 gallons is about 20 liters, so your DEF tank now is somewhere between two thirds and three quarters full. If it took 5 gallons, it was indeed mostly empty. Now that you've put in a known quantity, see how far you get until the warning comes up again (and that's hopefully not going to happen for a while). If you get a refill warning relatively soon, you may have a leak - but there's absolutely nothing to indicate that at this point.

Yes, DEF goes bad after a while, so always use fresh fluid and the entire jug at once - throw away any unused fluid. Do not let it get in contact with any aluminum parts.

hai00

I was only addressing prior posts that stated any CEL diagnostic cost is covered by recall. This is not true. I don’t want people to get wrong expectation then get upset with dealer.

Diabolis

The cost of the diagnostic scan is covered by the post-recall warranty only if whatever caused the CEL to illuminate in the first place is itself covered by the post-recall warranty. If the part that filed to cause the CEL is covered by the warranty, so is the diagnostic scan. If the part that filed to cause the CEL is not covered by the warranty, you have to pay out of pocket for the diagnostic scan and the repair.

kajtek1

Not quite.
Running out of windshield fluid will not convert your car into brick.
LOW DEF will lead to countdown and no more start.
I advise buying monitoring scanner for diesels, like ScanGauge.
That sure can take lot of unknown from vehicle ownership.

kajtek1

False.
With CEL diagnostic is free regardless.
Reading the warranty terms is worth the time.

Jfxogara

I generally fill up with one 2.5 gallon box of DEF and it lasts me 6,000 miles. The "low DEF" warmings start at 5,000 miles however.

Diabolis

I am not sure I understand what you mean, but it is fairly clearly spelled out in the settlement as to whether diagnostic procedures are covered. And, no shop will perform free diagnostic testing unless you intend to service the vehicle there. They may simply scan any codes codes for free, but that's where the free diagnostic coverage ends.

MudFoots

Thanks to all on answering my DEF consumption questions, now onto the next thing!!

As stated above, I added 5gal DEF for the first time after emissons recall was completed. That was two days ago, and I still have the AdBlu indicator on my dash. I searched around for ways to reset, tried the 30 seconds in position 1 thing with no luck. Found another with gas pedal/key switch shenanigans that did not work. Called the stealership because now I have a 5 year warranty on emissons related stuff.

I am doing a bunch of driving over the next few weeks and dont want to get stranded. Anyone know a way to reset the indicator before I get the countdown?

Diabolis

Just PM'd you. If the level sender is stuck at a specific level that is still above the bottom of the tank and thinks you are low on DEF but not out of it, you won't get the countdown... ever.

When the DEF level gets below 3 liters, you'll also get a CEL - which is when the "starts remaining" countdown starts... but if the sender is stuck above that you'll never get the CEL and thus the countdown.

And, the "Add DEF" message or light doesn't go out as soon as you add more DEF... it takes a number of starts for the car's computer and sensors to update (at least that's how it works on the Sprinters). You simply may not have reached that point yet after you filled up. See what happens after you've driven it for a while... no need to panic yet.

kajtek1

You posted that the scan is not covered by the warranty, when the fault doesn't fall under it. That is false. Here is direct warranty quote

Diabolis

Right... see the section below that I underlined and is in bold letters. That's exactly what that says... if the fault it caused by a part that is warrantied, the troubleshooting procedure is also warrantied. If they spend 45 minutes digging around and determine that whatever is causing the fault is not covered by the AEM warranty, you're on the hook for the 45 minutes of their time. They'll scan for any codes free of charge, but that's as far as they'll go.

"The Extended Modification Warranty will cover the cost of any OBD Diagnostic Scan for malfunctions that trigger the MIL, regardless of whether the malfunction is attributable to a part that is covered under the Extended Modification Warranty, as well as the cost of troubleshooting to determine the reason for the malfunction, but only if the malfunction is determined to be attributable to a part that is covered under the Extended Modification Warranty."

P.S. Sorry - I think the misunderstanding may be the "diagnostic scan" part. Yes, they will scan the car for codes free of charge... but just scanning for codes is more often than not insufficient to determine what has actually failed without performing additional diagnostics. That is what I was referring to... not just the scan for codes that anyone can do in 30 seconds with a $15 code scanner.