can i put water in my def tank?

Ease up, Dude, just a rookie mistake reinforced by his dispatcher. He does state that he did ask, before going into L.I.
Now, if it was his second or third time, it would be a different story.

 

LOL. Being a wannbe, I was trying to figure out what the heck DEF is. Never heard of it. So, I googled it and did some reading. Basically DEF is 33% urea and 67% deionized water. So, in an emergency you could use a mixture of 1/3 pee and 2/3 distilled water. Naturally, I wouldn't recommend that. But, I'd believe that using that would be better than trying to use simply water. Urine is mostly urea, with some other impurities thrown in and distilled water is the closest commonly available water product which is fairly close to deionized water. If you are around a place that sells salt-water fish and/or aquarium supplies, they may have deionized water because it is the prefered water to use in salt water aquariums (they take the deionized water and add a 'salt' compound) and they most likely have the filtration system that makes it (it is basically a reverse osmosis filtration system with an extra filtration stage or two added after the basic reverse osmosis filtration.). But, distilled water is very common and the fairly close to deionized water.
BTW, I am not serious about my suggestion to actually use pee and distilled water. But, I thought it interesting and insightfull to learn that DEF is basically pee and water that has been filtered to remove impurities.

 

and exactly what is the shelf life I see nothing on the one box of it that has been in my side box since I got the truck a year ago

 

You guys thinking you could out urine or water in the tank: stop being stupid. But the jug, out it in the sidebox. Stop trying to come up with crazy ideas. You're going to put yourself in a worse situation than you were initially in.

 

heh, going a little further with this urine thing. . . . . what if you had a jug in the sun and let a large portion of the water evaporate out of it? is it the ammonia content from the urine that is what a sensor recognizes?

 

Some company's won't let u carry def bottles.. and once they are open throw em away dot don't like seeing em open bottles of def. It's unsafe... There more then pee n water. If they spill they can eat throw ur side box...

 

This is EXACTLY why my boss will only buy glider kits for the time being...Like the pete 389 he just ordered wired for a 3406e cat...

 

so your saying he will order glider kits because drivers are too stupid to fill the def tank?

 

Not the first time I have heard this thought. And Peterbilt does not "factory wire' for a non-electronic engine. The only factory choices are "Cat or Cummins" and all gliders are set up for an electronic engine.....anything else is the buyers responsibility/ingenuity/creativity.

Yeah, I didn't cut the OP any slack...He certainly didn't look at the guage before he headed out on Long Island. And NAPA and most all parts stores carry DEF in 2.5 jugs. Many gas stations that sell diesel as well. 2.5 Gallons will get you a long way even at 5% useage, all you need is a splash and dash to be good to go.

 

What is the shelf life of Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF)?

DEF has a shelf life of two years. However, this can be reduced if the fluid is exposed to direct sunlight for a long time or if the temperature of the DEF remains above 77°F (25°C) for sustained periods. All DEF packaging should be labeled with the expiry date.



http://www.discoverdef.com/def-overview/faq/#shelflife