the 'def' signal means that the thermistor is not returning a valid signal to the control board. It's either an open circuit or a dead short. Since it falls outside of the acceptable range, the board shuts down the heater circuit to prevent runaway thermal damage.

Note that if either the hot end thermistor OR the heated bed thermistor have a problem, both heaters will be shut down. This can cause you to believe that you have two bad thermistors, when in fact only one is troublesome.

One common problem occurs at the hot end thermistor, particularly on e3dv6 heads. The thermistor is inserted into a hole in the aluminum hot end, the legs bent at 90 degrees, and a screw tightened down to hold the thermistor in place. The leads are typically insulated with a thermal protection sleeve. If this sleeve has slid out of place or become damaged, the thermistor lead can ground through the aluminum hot end, thus providing a bad reading. Alternately, enthusiastic overtightening of the screw can break a lead.

To troubleshoot the problem, check the resistance on the two thermistors with an ohm meter. If either one is reading infinite or near zero, you've found the troublesome thermistor. Check it for signs of visible damage, and repair or replace according to what you find. Hope that helps - Charlie1