My truck will be sitting dormant for 7 months

[Scjon03]

This sucks and now getting worried. I'm in the military, got deployed for 4 months ended up turning into 7 months by the time I get back in May since October 2020. I have no one that can get to my truck which is a 2020 Limited EcoDiesel and start it. So since October 2020 my truck has been sitting dormant. I can not remember how much diesel I have in the tank but I do know the DEF is full. How long can diesel and DEF sit for? Now this isn't my first time doing this. I had a 2013 Ram 2500 and it sat for 4 months and it started like nothing happen and worked just fine. Of course I took it in to get the oil change and all that after. But this time it's different. Plus it is also not a Cummins. This is my 7th deployment but this one turned into the longest so I never had this issue with diesel.

 

[Uga40]

This sucks and now getting worried. I'm in the military, got deployed for 4 months ended up turning into 7 months by the time I get back in May since October 2020. I have no one that can get to my truck which is a 2020 Limited EcoDiesel and start it. So since October 2020 my truck has been sitting dormant. I can not remember how much diesel I have in the tank but I do know the DEF is full. How long can diesel and DEF sit for? Now this isn't my first time doing this. I had a 2013 Ram 2500 and it sat for 4 months and it started like nothing happen and worked just fine. Of course I took it in to get the oil change and all that after. But this time it's different. Plus it is also not a Cummins. This is my 7th deployment but this one turned into the longest so I never had this issue with diesel.

Maybe someone at the Base auto skills shop could help?

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

 

[ElkoNV]

I would not be too concerned. Diesel can be stored for a long time. We have generators that have to sit for 6 months and run just fine. A modern engine of course is more sensitive but again it is in a new tank with new evap filters. If you live in a super humid area maybe drain the water separator after that tank. You may need a battery, not sure what the static drain will be after that long, that's what I would be worried about. If it is a limited can you start it from your phone? Might try that once every couple of weeks, should time out after 15 minutes and keep the battery from going bad. I would expect a little Cetane degradation in the fuel, so if it were me and it sat for a long time I would take it straight to a gas station top it off and hit it with a performance dose of Hot Shots EDT, and even add some Amsoil Cetane boost on top of that or the brand of your choice. Then I would drive and not worry about it. As for DEF, it's fine too. A full tank is the best way to leave it. Unless it's parked in the Mojave Desert for a couple of years, it will not degrade at all, it can freeze and thaw and be just fine. Thanks for your service.

 

[Scjon03]

Cant.... its a long story. My truck is parked in a restriction location on base. The person who suppose to do it also got deployed lol.

 

[Scjon03]

Thank you. Yeah I try to remote start it but it give me an error. Now the app just says its in deep sleep mode. Same thing on my 2500 when I had it. I just hope no critters decided to make a home in the engine bay or whatever.

 

[ElkoNV]

I was hoping once the battery voltage dropped to a given level it would shut down altogether but was not sure. Cross your fingers on the battery and everything else should be fine.

 

[saylor]

SCJON03

itll be aight. if its not, we will take up funds and fix it when you get back.

go forth and kick *** for us big daddy.

and thanks for serving america!

 

[river rat]

First, thank you for your service! I'd suggest looking into a battery tender.

 

[theblet]

Thanks for your service brother

 

[ElkoNV]

I'm with saylor on that. If you get back and hit a snag let us know, I would totally chip in.

 

[Scjon03]

I'll let you guys know in a couple of months

 

[Aseras]

Fuel will be fine. You are going to need a jump. And its going to take 10-60 minutes of charging before you'll be able to jump the truck successfully. I couldn't even jump my ecodiesel with a 1000 amp jump box after it went dead overnight. It needed an hour on a 10 amp charger before the jump box would start it.

You might plan on having a family member or friend get you battery just before you return. The ecodiesels do have an AGM battery so they can technically take a deep discharge and recover, but you usually need to slave another battery onto them to get them to take a charge and it takes a long time before they begin accepting a charge. Hard to do on base in restricted areas with a dead mode of transportation and no easy viable way to tow it.

 

[Willwork4truck]

Try a solar panel on the cab roof, 20-30 watt with a pwm controller. That should keep his battery(ies) up. Could get a flexible one and tape it down.

Diesel fuel will last just fine. Heck on YT they start up decades old farm and construction equipment left out in the fields and woods:
"Under ideal conditions, diesel fuel can be stored between six and twelve months. To extend the life past twelve months, even under the best conditions, it needs to be treated with fuel stabilizers and biocides." May 9, 2013
Guidelines For Long Term Fuel Storage of Diesel and Storage ...
www.bellperformance.com › bell-performs-blog › guideli...

Air the tires way up, like 20 lbs over the doorjamb sticker, they will slowly deflate but won't likely be near flat even when left for 6 months.

Or, I'll come pick it up, "store it" on my driveway... just don't write down the mileage...

 

[Checkairspeed]

This sucks and now getting worried. I'm in the military, got deployed for 4 months ended up turning into 7 months by the time I get back in May since October 2020. I have no one that can get to my truck which is a 2020 Limited EcoDiesel and start it. So since October 2020 my truck has been sitting dormant. I can not remember how much diesel I have in the tank but I do know the DEF is full. How long can diesel and DEF sit for? Now this isn't my first time doing this. I had a 2013 Ram 2500 and it sat for 4 months and it started like nothing happen and worked just fine. Of course I took it in to get the oil change and all that after. But this time it's different. Plus it is also not a Cummins. This is my 7th deployment but this one turned into the longest so I never had this issue with diesel.

Thanks for your service. As others have stated, there really shouldn’t be any major issues. And remember, all that deployment money (tax free, HDP, etc.) will more than cover any costs! Keep your head on a swivel and kick that ***!

 

[Will_T]

Try a solar panel on the cab roof, 20-30 watt with a pwm controller. That should keep his battery(ies) up. Could get a flexible one and tape it down.

This is a great idea if it will work. May even be something to look into for those of us that have the truck sit even for just a week or two. I could see a flexible panel on the shell roof working well.

 

[Willwork4truck]

This is a great idea if it will work. May even be something to look into for those of us that have the truck sit even for just a week or two. I could see a flexible panel on the shell roof working well.

Works fine for rv's that are stored. My bro' has a 15 watt one on his 5ver, he only has a single group 29 marine battery so if the ecodiesel has 2 batteries, maybe two panels (1 for each) or a 25-30 watt one. The main thing is use a charge controller, even the cheap $10 ones will work.

While it's tempting to put a 20-25 watt glass framed panel on the dash, the sunlight is reduced by the glass and I don't know if that will be enough. They are cheaper than the flexible ones though...

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Here's an example, (no reviews so maybe look elsewhere.) Notice it also has the charge controller and basic wiring so it's a kit. You just need some gorilla tape, 3m hi-strength tape (don't overdo it), industrial velcro or some Sikaflex caulk in order to adhere it.

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[Aseras]

Solar is great to plan for, but it aint helping the guy if he's already parked it and shipped out. I have a solar charger from VW for cars waiting in port I use on my RV that stick onto the windshield. It works great. Was left in my Sportwagen.

 

[theblet]

I use a solar charger for my sites with diesel generators when a trickle charger goes out. Works pretty well even if n cloudy days

 

[redneck]

no worries on the diesel i had a diesel gen set that sat 12 years with diesel in it it was still good. water & algee is the worst things for diesel fuel .the dif fluid may go stale if you get a service dif system have the dealer drain the dif , refill & reset cel

 

[ElkoNV]

This sucks and now getting worried. I'm in the military, got deployed for 4 months ended up turning into 7 months by the time I get back in May since October 2020. I have no one that can get to my truck which is a 2020 Limited EcoDiesel and start it. So since October 2020 my truck has been sitting dormant. I can not remember how much diesel I have in the tank but I do know the DEF is full. How long can diesel and DEF sit for? Now this isn't my first time doing this. I had a 2013 Ram 2500 and it sat for 4 months and it started like nothing happen and worked just fine. Of course I took it in to get the oil change and all that after. But this time it's different. Plus it is also not a Cummins. This is my 7th deployment but this one turned into the longest so I never had this issue with diesel.

Scjon03 with so little driving, not sure if you are aware oil must be changed at least every 12 mo. to maintain your warranty. Would hate to see you not know that and then have an issue later.