Help!!!! Cummins 8.3 no power!!!!

[J Walker]

Quote:

Originally Posted by timex I agree checking the fuel filters first. But I had a odd thing happen once, A fitting on the air line between the intake and fuel pump broke where it attached on the back of the fuel pump. That line lets the pump know your engine is building turbo pressure and to go ahead and turn on the fuel without making a lot of smoke. No signal and your pump will restrict the amount of fuel it delivers to the engine.

An earlier thread found this air line to be the cause of a poor running engine, but they described it as running from the intake manifold to the air compressor. It isn't a high pressure line but,

[whited44]

Turns out the fuel filters were clogged and deteriorating from the inside. They are having trouble finding the filter for the water separator. Does anyone have an idea of a part number on these mid 90's motorhomes. It's a dahl baldwin water separator with the bowl at the bottom. Thanks

[GaryKD]

A call to Cummins should solve this problem quite easily. Has this been done?

[timex]

Quote:

Originally Posted by J Walker An earlier thread found this air line to be the cause of a poor running engine, but they described it as running from the intake manifold to the air compressor. It isn't a high pressure line but,

Your right, but that's a different line that goes from intake manifold to supply filtered air to the intake on the air compressor (and will cause loss of turbo pressure and low power if bad).

[deandec]

Quote:

Originally Posted by whited44 Turns out the fuel filters were clogged and deteriorating from the inside. They are having trouble finding the filter for the water separator. Does anyone have an idea of a part number on these mid 90's motorhomes. It's a dahl baldwin water separator with the bowl at the bottom. Thanks

2 x PS6829FS1242 (FS1242) = $19.76
2 x P4102AFF5052 (FF5052) = $10.04


I believe the FS1242 is the fuel filter separator body. I move the clear bowl from old to new filter body. The above was from Filter Barn.com

I do not know the brand of my Fuel/Water separator

[wb6epp]

A call to NAPA works just as well. But glad you have found the problem. NAPA carries the fleetguard filters used by Cummins.

[wb6epp]

I forgot to mention this!!! Important. On the turbo side of the turbocharger, check all hoses going to & out of the aftercooler. If they have never been changed, they can leak or blow a hole in it and you loose turbo boost due to leakage. Also check to make sure the clamps are tight.
Post you finding when found.
Ron

[nplenzick]

A few years ago I had a nightmare of a time with fuel filters clogging. To make a long story short I now use a algaecide when the motorhome sits for extended periods of time like it is now. Starting in March it's used weekly until the end of November so I use nothing during that time period. When you find out what your you filters are I would suggest buying some extras and keeping them in the MH. Even if you don't want to learn how to change them you'll have them for the tech who will.
I get mine from the Filter Barn..........good people low prices.

[J Walker]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nplenzick A few years ago I had a nightmare of a time with fuel filters clogging. To make a long story short I now use a algaecide when the motorhome sits for extended periods of time like it is now. Starting in March it's used weekly until the end of November so I use nothing during that time period. When you find out what your you filters are I would suggest buying some extras and keeping them in the MH. Even if you don't want to learn how to change them you'll have them for the tech who will. I get mine from the Filter Barn..........good people low prices.

If I could add another suggestion, keeping water out of the fuel tank is an excellent way to head off algae. There is always water condensation getting into the fuel tank so adding an emulsifier breaks it up and it passes through the fuel system. I feel that an emulsifier is cheap insurance and I have never had an algae problem in 11 years. I can't imagine algae living in diesel fuel tanks living on diesel fuel and water, no air.

[nplenzick]

Quote:

Originally Posted by J Walker If I could add another suggestion, keeping water out of the fuel tank is an excellent way to head off algae. There is always water condensation getting into the fuel tank so adding an emulsifier breaks it up and it passes through the fuel system. I feel that an emulsifier is cheap insurance and I have never had an algae problem in 11 years. I can't imagine algae living in diesel fuel tanks living on diesel fuel and water, no air.

This has been discussed to great length in previous threads that I have subscribed to. Fuel filters that have water separators are what is designed for removing water from diesel fuel. When I was using additives that removed water it caused me more problems then I could ever imagine. I would have never believed it if it wasn't for some of the people that posted on that thread. Since my fuel tank is vented to air using these additives would take moisture out of the air and into my tank. Don't believe me? Take some of your favorite additive, add some to a bottle of diesel fuel shake it up and let it sit for a few weeks without the lid on in a shed or some place where rain won't get in and see what happens.

[neilking]

The algae in diesel is anaerobic and lives on diesel fuel not water. When alive it looks like a clear jelly when it's been killed it looks like rust. I've only seen pictures of a live algae bloom, but I've had to drop my tank on my work truck 3 times to clean out dead algae. I've never used a biocide so the stuff I got was from the filling station.

[J Walker]

In mentioning water as being required for algae growth I was repeating what I have read on other threads. I looked it up on Wikipedia and got this:

"Algae, microbes, and water contamination

There has been much discussion and misunderstanding of algae in diesel fuel.[25][dead link] Algae need light to live and grow. As there is no sunlight in a closed fuel tank, no algae can survive, but some microbes can survive and feed on the diesel fuel.
These microbes form a colony that lives at the interface of fuel and water. They grow quite fast in warmer temperatures. They can even grow in cold weather when fuel tank heaters are installed. Parts of the colony can break off and clog the fuel lines and fuel filters."


It does mention the diesel-water interface as the site where the microbes grow. I learned that the microbes are not algae at all.

[sc3283]

J- the term algae has been a play on words for ages...similar to a "Cresent" wrench name used for an adjustable wrench. We know "stuff" grows in the fuel tanks, we know it causes problems, we know how to remedy or avoid it. Does it really matter the true scientific term....except it is a PIA to all of us...lol