Freightliner posts article about DEF heads in Newsletter...

[flyboy013]

Just to be clear, you actually followed the cable from the point that it came out of the top of the DEF Head? It’s pretty busy in there with the four hoses that are attached to the DEF Head, cable ties, etc. I’ve never seen a DEF head that only had an electrical cable a few inches long but this is a different chassis.

 

[Marc S]

Yes. It's strange. I've been all over the internet and the only connector I've seen like this is from pre 2016. Thanks

 

[Rich W.]

Yes. It's strange. I've been all over the internet and the only connector I've seen like this is from pre 2016. Thanks

Yes that is very similar to pre 2016 units but it plugged directly into the top of the header - no pigtail from the header.

 

[Marc S]

Thanks again for your help. I'm going to try to figure out some kind of workaround for the connector. The male side of the connector is even labeled 1,2,3,4 for the pins. I'm going to unplug it and follow the instructions for verifying the connections and check the voltage for each pin.

 

[Marc S]

Just to be clear, you actually followed the cable from the point that it came out of the top of the DEF Head? It’s pretty busy in there with the four hoses that are attached to the DEF Head, cable ties, etc. I’ve never seen a DEF head that only had an electrical cable a few inches long but this is a different chassis.

Been in touch with Matt Jeffries. He confirmed that it's a Detroit proprietary def system. He had no suggestions. If I can find the connector will the DSS work? Thx

 

[flyboy013]

No way of telling without testing it. DSS was developed for coaches wirh a Cummins ECM. Does the Detroit, with its proprietary DEF system, use the same J1939 messages? If so, there a good likelihood, but I wouldn’t place any money on that bet.

 

[Marc S]

I did a little research and it looks like Detroit uses the same failure codes. I have all the parts and the boards are programmed to make two simulators. My brother in law who is a shade tree electrical genius is on the lookout for the connector and wants to give it a go. I guess the worse thing that can happen is it doesn't work. Thanks again for your assistance. Take care

 

[Rich W.]

A good shade tree electronics genius could test the connections in the plug and figure out which is which and make an adapter (see post 12). But given that the failure rate has diminished so much, you’ll probably never need it anyway. Only took a little over a decade of failures, strandings, towings, exorbitant shop repairs, delays due to unavailable parts, and countless ruin plans and related expenses for technology to catch up with a misguided mandate.

 

[Marc S]

Yes that is very similar to pre 2016 units but it plugged directly into the top of the header - no pigtail from the header

That's what I'm hoping for. I'm pretty sure we can figure it out. It's just so tight in that area and my brother in law is a big ol boy. I will probably do the testing with his tutelage. What's your next unit gonna be? Thanks for all the help.