‘15 VNL 630 w/ D13 “Poor DEF quality”

Discussion in 'Volvo Forum' started by Trucker2211, Mar 17, 2018.

  1. Trucker2211

    Trucker2211 Light Load Member

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    2CD66CD5-5381-4DAE-85E8-D22F7D157CE3.jpeg I have a 2015 Volvo VNL 630 midroof with the D13 and 10 speed manual trans. Has 318k miles / 9630 hours on it now and has never gave me any problems whatsoever until now. It started throwing the “check” light and displaying message “Poor DEF quality, engine will derate in __ minutes”. The first time it done this I simply thought the DEF fluid was actually bad so I drained the DEF tank completely and then refilled with bottled DEF and ran a parked regen afterwards and that cleared everything off and was good to go again. Well now I get that message roughly every other time I refill my DEF tank up but I seriously doubt the chance of getting bad fluid is that common. I’ve used every big name truck stop there is and it doesn’t matter which one I use, this code will eventually pop up. My question is, does this sound like the beginning of something trying to go bad? I got the truck brand new and it has never been back to a dealer. What would cause a “Poor DEF quality” code while using good fluid? The DPF has never been cleaned yet and I do idle a lot (around 40%) but it always idles up and regens itself every few hours of long idling to clean itself out. I’m trying to just gather some thoughts or suggestions and do some research before I start dropping hard earned $$$ on a parts changing marathon that dealers like to do nowadays. I’ve also noticed my fuel mileage has dropped significantly since this started happening too but not 100% sure if they are related or not. I attached a picture of my fault code readout on my E-log device. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!
     
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  3. Sharky88

    Sharky88 Heavy Load Member

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    Did you do the 150k mile service? The def filter and doser will need to be replaced.
     
  4. nax

    nax Road Train Member

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    2 problems I see...
    • A routine maintenance item that's been neglected
    • Too much idling
    New trucks don't like to idle - even with regeneration - keep idling to a minimum and you will be more happier.

    Why do you think these trucks have a 5min idle shutdown timer?
     
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  5. Justrucking2

    Justrucking2 Road Train Member

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    You need to learn these emission systems as you are discovering. SCR/DPF/DOC/EGR need to be serviced darn near annually or every 100,000 - 150,000 miles. EGR tuneups should be annual, in your case twice a year with all of that idling. Rawze.com EGR Tune Up



    There are 6 videos in the series. Yes, it is on an older non SCR Cummins, but the same systems and sensors are on your motor or darn close.

    The EGR Tune Up is the first thing I would do, and you can do this yourself. Replace all of the emission sensors along with the Doser and SCR filter. You may need to remove the SCR box to inspect for cracks and leaks if that is possible.

    I would also head over to Rawze.com and ask for an invite. There are real mechanics over there that can help. Mechanics that actually understand these systems.
     
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  6. miszel

    miszel Light Load Member

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    Try to change def filter
     
  7. Trucker2211

    Trucker2211 Light Load Member

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    My owners manual says to clean the DPF at 250k which I know I’m over that now but my soot gauge never goes above 50% and after a regen it drops to 0% every time so I figured it’s still flowing fine. I pull a tanker and haul hazardous chemicals so most of the idling can’t be helped. I have to use a couple different PTO’s for my pump and compressor as well as my in-transit heat system and circulators. No idle shutdown timer on this truck. Plus I don’t have an APU. One thing I really like about the Volvo engine is their very low fuel consumption at idle (mine is around 0.6 gal/hr average) and the “constant warm” feature. After 5 mins of idling and if it’s below like 50° outside, it will automatically raise oil pressure to around 50 psi and dump extra fuel in the cylinders to increase combustion & coolant temps and prevents “wet stacking”. I know this helps the emission system tremendously.
    I looked up this filter and will definitely replace it. Is there a DEF quality sensor? Couldn’t seem to find one online. I was also thinking the NOx sensors might be plugged up or going bad but at $400+ each, I would like to be sure. Is there a way to have these tested? Thanks for all the input so far!
     
  8. Justrucking2

    Justrucking2 Road Train Member

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    And where is all of that soot going? The $64,000 question.
     
  9. Rob100100

    Rob100100 Light Load Member

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    Had the same message. Does not mean poor quality def it means not enough def fluid is getting to the system. This could be a plugged def filter. These need to be changed annually, for you maybe more often. It could be your def pump is failing. Is your oil looking very grey not black and sludgy as well?
     
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  10. Rob100100

    Rob100100 Light Load Member

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    Doing constant regens means there is a problem.
     
  11. Justrucking2

    Justrucking2 Road Train Member

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    There is a shelf life on DEF, and it will trip a code if the ECM sees the fluid is old and degraded. From my understanding, the manufacturers had to do this as folks were successfully running straight water H2O in place of the DEF with success.
     
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