[[email protected]]

Less than 5000 miles ago we had our 335d in for a first maintenance and a refill of the Diesel Exhaust Fluid (AdBlue). So you can imagine our surprise when the warning light appeared on the dash a couple days ago warning us the car had only 1000 miles left before it would no longer start, unless of course we add more exhaust fluid.
We're still in the process of working out the math with the dealer who did the service, since the car should go at least 10,000 (though closer to 15,000 is expected) out of a fillup. We suspect they may have topped up only a portion of the tank since we were early for service. But hey, the light was on, and we had no choice.
With yet another weekend trip to Michigan planned for the young, soon-to-be-wed Mr. Fowle, we decided to fill'er up ourselves this time. A stop at our local BMW dealer (not the one who serviced it, as luck would have it) netted one half-gallon bottle of crystal-clear factory exhaust fluid for the sum of $39.99 plus tax.
Adding the fluid to the car was no problem as you can see below. It's a simple matter of popping the cap on the bumper, removing the two filler caps beneath it, and screwing the no-spill bottle into the lower port until it drains. The whole process took about a minute and a half.

 

[deadguy]

Re: MWerks Project 335d- Topping Up the Diesel Exhaust Fluid ([email protected])

make sure you top off the blinker fluid too, and the muffler bearing.

 

[pwm]

Re: MWerks Project 335d- Topping Up the Diesel Exhaust Fluid ([email protected])

Got any more sweet fill-up action shots?

 

[ATL_Av8r]

FV-QR

so what is the top port for?

 

[[email protected]]

Re: MWerks Project 335d- Topping Up the Diesel Exhaust Fluid (gintaras)

Quote, originally posted by gintaras »

make sure you top off the blinker fluid too, and the muffler bearing.

Believe me, even muttering the phrase "Exhaust Fluid" is like nails on a chalkboard to my ears.

 

[[email protected]]

Re: FV-QR (ATL_Av8r)

Quote, originally posted by ATL_Av8r »

so what is the top port for?

Ventilation, presumably.

 

[KARMANN_20V]

Re: MWerks Project 335d- Topping Up the Diesel Exhaust Fluid (pwm)

Wasn't this supposed to be a dealer performed operation - as per some tcl gurus?
As a sidenote, if that filler cap was placed any lower, it would be impossible to stick your peepee in there without a funnel

 

[deadguy]

Re: MWerks Project 335d- Topping Up the Diesel Exhaust Fluid (KARMANN_20V)

Quote, originally posted by KARMANN_20V »

Wasn't this supposed to be a dealer performed operation - as per some tcl gurus? As a sidenote, if that filler cap was placed any lower, it would be impossible to stick your peepee in there without a funnel

made me chuckle...
so, seriously, are there any ill-effects of running the "exhaust fluid" dry? would it just release more pollution? or is there a sensor which makes the car inoperble with no fluid? And a 100% serious question.. can you use urine in a pinch?

 

[nickthaskater]

Re: MWerks Project 335d- Topping Up the Diesel Exhaust Fluid (KARMANN_20V)

Do Euro diesels have this as well? I recall there being differences in the diesel we get vs theirs at one point, and thus the need for things like this to sanitize the gasses, so I was just curious if the Europeans were afflicted with this annoyance, too.

 

[chrisj428]

Re: MWerks Project 335d- Topping Up the Diesel Exhaust Fluid (gintaras)

Quote, originally posted by gintaras »

is there a sensor which makes the car inoperble with no fluid? And a 100% serious question.. can you use urine in a pinch?

"Yes" and "No", respectively.

 

[Shomegrown]

$39.95 for a Kruse bottle?!?!?!
That's highway robbery. A VW/Audi dealer stocks the same thing for about a quarter of that price.

 

[Grip Driver]

Re: MWerks Project 335d- Topping Up the Diesel Exhaust Fluid (gintaras)

Quote, originally posted by gintaras »

made me chuckle... or is there a sensor which makes the car inoperble with no fluid?

There is and the car will not start with no fluid in the tank.

 

[Subwoofers]

Re: (Shomegrown)

Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF)
Q & A
SCR: The Leading Technology to Meet 2010 Emission Regulations
Q. What is Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR)?
A. SCR is a technology that uses a urea based diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) and a
catalytic converter to significantly reduce oxides of nitrogen (NOx) emissions. SCR is
the leading technology being used to meet 2010 emission regulations.
Q. How does an SCR system work?
A. The purpose of the SCR system is to reduce levels of NOx (oxides of nitrogen
emitted from engines) that are harmful to our health and the environment. SCR is the
aftertreatment technology that treats exhaust gas downstream of the engine. Small
quantities of diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) are injected into the exhaust upstream of a
catalyst, where it vaporizes and decomposes to form ammonia and carbon dioxide.
The ammonia (NH3) is the desired product which in conjunction to the SCR catalyst,
converts the NOx to harmless nitrogen (N2) and water (H2O).
BULLETIN

 

[Shomegrown]

Re: FV-QR (ATL_Av8r)

Quote, originally posted by ATL_Av8r »

so what is the top port for?

I believe the 335d has two urea tanks, one passive and one active. They are not connected so they should be refilled separately.

 

[onebadbug]

Can the sensor tell what type of fluid?

 

[29_MALE_SOCAL_SPICY]

Re: (onebadbug)

Quote, originally posted by onebadbug »

Can the sensor tell what type of fluid?

prolly not but the ECU should be able to know if the motor is running "clean" and under normal specs.

 

[bleedblue]

Re: (29_MALE_SOCAL_SPICY)

Not that 40 bucks is all that much, but shouldn't this be covered under BMW scheduled maint. plan? If so why are they charging you for it?

 

[Shomegrown]

Re: (onebadbug)

Quote, originally posted by onebadbug »

Can the sensor tell what type of fluid?

No, but the NOx sensors in the exhaust stream can.

 

[FUZHEAD]

Re: (Shomegrown)

335d has two tanks for the def, one passive and one active, the active is the smaller tank and the passive is larger tank. The active tank where the def fluid that get pump into the exhaust. The kruse bottle only fills the active tank.
BMW maintence only covers items when they are a schedule due. Since this is no scheduled service, he had to pay for it. But since it such a low mileage since you topped it off maybe you might have a faulty sensor in the active or passive tank and throwing the system off. Your driving profile also affects the def fluid

 

[[email protected]]

Re: (FUZHEAD)

Quote, originally posted by FUZHEAD »

335d has two tanks for the def, one passive and one active, the active is the smaller tank and the passive is larger tank. The active tank where the def fluid that get pump into the exhaust. The kruse bottle only fills the active tank. BMW maintence only covers items when they are a schedule due. Since this is no scheduled service, he had to pay for it. But since it such a low mileage since you topped it off maybe you might have a faulty sensor in the active or passive tank and throwing the system off. Your driving profile also affects the def fluid

We actually have an appointment tomorrow to double check. The warning light hasn't gone off yet.