Help no power to climb a hill

[CoachStreamr]

Originally Posted by smlranger

Treat with BioboreJF.

Is this the diesel biocide additive you are posting about?


https://www.amazon.com/Biobor-JF-Die.../dp/B06XYTR8JW


How does that compare to Power Service Bio Kleen biocide (which seems to be much more expensive)?


.

[DryCreek]

Are you sure that you've changed every fuel filter? There are some folks positing in the past about finding a filter they'd never seen before. It is the one provide by the engine manufacturer and is typically located right on the side of the engine itself.

May be worth spending some time tracing the fuel line from the frame-mounted filter(s) all the way to the injector pump or lift pump.

[smlranger]

Originally Posted by CoachStreamr

Is this the diesel biocide additive you are posting about?


https://www.amazon.com/Biobor-JF-Die.../dp/B06XYTR8JW


How does that compare to Power Service Bio Kleen biocide (which seems to be much more expensive)?


.

That (Biobore JF) is what I have always used. I also use Power Service fuel additive (gray can in summer, white in winter) but have never used Power Service Bio Kleen. Either likely works.

[heatherdawnc]

Has anyone suggested a YouTube search for "Cummins 400 no power". I don't have an abundance of interest in such things so I haven't read the whole thread but when our Power Stroke 7.3 gives us concerns we usually find solutions on YouTube. It's all video so that's a huge plus!

Good luck!
Heather

[maddogrdhg]

Our Cat 400 C9 did similar on trip to AK this year. I added fuel conditioners, cleaners. Replaced both fuel filters. It seemed to get a bit better then south again. It had climbed mountains like a goat till that point. Turned out it had a defective injector #5. Replaced and all back to normal. Weird part was motor seemed smooth even running on 5 cylinders. Never suspected a cylinder was not hitting.

[greg4net]

I have had the same issue twice and can sympathize with you!
The first time was the crankshaft sensor which caused the turbo to go completely out and was diagnosed and repaired by Cummins of Nashville!
The second time was the lift pump had gone bad and Cummins told me it was not unusual to have this happen without throwing a code until after the damage was already done! The lift pump caused the injector pump to run dry and self deetructed it as an after effect!
I hope neither of these are your issues as the first one was 1k and the second one was 5k to repair!
Good luck and hope the filters are the issue as it is the cheapest out!

[NeilV]

Originally Posted by Alan24601

Make sure you fill the new filters with clean fuel or starting can be a problem.

I strongly advocate adding some DieselClean or Dexron I or Dexron II ATF (do not use higher due to the friction modifiers) to the fuel you fill the new filters with. On a very small filter I will just add the Dexron. This will help clean and lube the injector pump and injectors.


Us old codgers have been doing this for decades using the Dexron and find it eliminates many problems down the road.


I only have a diesel car now however at about 500,000 miles I still have not needed to replace an Injector Pump or Injector.

[Ssgritton]

I was told there is only two fuel filter, I have added cleaner to the fuel. I will have the lines replaced to the injectors Wednesday and see if that fixes the problem. I will let everybody know thanks for the input. They shop is a truck shop that only works on big rig trucks and motor homes and are cummins repair facility.

[Cody497]

Have you checked your engine oil level? If there’s no fuel leaking on the ground and the injector is leaking internally your engine oil level will be high. Did they check fuel pressure coming out of the transfer pump? It seems odd that they didn’t hook up a computer first to check for faults or any sensors not reading correctly...

[Jchemie]

Had a similar problem with my ISB 300 Cummins, 2004 model. It has a Holset turbo with first gen varible vane turbo & electric actuator which is prone to early failure. Seems the vane gets sticky and the actuator finally gave up the ghost after 44k miles. Mine got stuck in the boost position. Burned up lots of fuel trying to get up slowly to speed (60 mph) but ran good once it got going (pushing 24,000 lbs of rolling RV) past 1800 rpm. Hills would slow me down and I had to sweat it out getting back up to speed again. Funny thing was, it did not set a code or turn on a service engine light (MIL light). Of course I didn’t own a diesel compatable scan tool then but I do now.
So $3,000 got me a rebuilt turbo & actuator unit which I installed. Runs like a champ, just had to take it to a Cummins shop afterwards and have them fine tune it with a laptop to get the turbo in sync with the engine and I’m off and running happily again.
Another 2 items to check - the exhaust pressure sensor and MAP sensor. They should set a code when going bad but sometimes you’ll need a scan tool to really find out. MAP sensor test - compare what the scan tool is saying the sensor is reading for barometric pressure vs what is actually the pressure outside using a quality barometer. Should read the same with the engine off, ignition on. Both gas & diesel engines have this sensor and it can go bad and not set a code since the MAP sensor has nothing to check itself for accuracy. As to the exhaust pressure sensor, check the tiny metal line leading up to it for a plugged line (carbon built up) or an air leak in the line (cracked line, fitting broke). This sensor monitors exhaust pressure and this info is used by both the turbo actuator & Allison tranny control module.

[Dave the mnw]

I had an 05 Fleetwood Bounder that acted something like that after a long stay. That rig had a strainer before the filter that was up next to the frame behind the rear axle it was a pain to change, but cheaper than the filter. I wound up having a guy at an RV rally use a pump rig to circulate and filter the fuel tank for about 2 hours to clear out the gunk. he did several filter changes while doing it. after he did that I have used Bio Bor and the fuel tank full any time I leave the rig sitting for any amount of time. I do that with my current RV too. problem happened in fall 2011 thru June 2012. no other fuel issues til I traded it in June 2016.

I did lose some power when the exhaust system rusted out and leaked, but not as bad as that gunk.
I actually built my own filter pump with the .5 micron goldenrod filters, but I have never had to use it except to fuel my RV using the 50 gallon aux tank in the bed of my pickup truck. Easier than taking the RV to the gas station.
By the way Bio Bor JF is the biocide the nuclear power plant I worked at uses to prevent the same problem in their main underground diesel storage tanks.( tens of thousands of gallons per tank) I does nothing but kill anything that tries to grow in the fuel. Noting but filtration removes the stuff once it grows. Filtering it out with the engine fuel system can do a lot of damage to injection pump and injectors and the filters are expensive.

[wimpy]

Originally Posted by Dave the mnw

I wound up having a guy at an RV rally use a pump rig to circulate and filter the fuel tank for about 2 hours to clear out the gunk. he did several filter changes while doing it. after he did that I have used Bio Bor and the fuel tank full any time I leave the rig sitting for any amount of time.

By the way Bio Bor JF is the biocide the nuclear power plant I worked at uses to prevent the same problem in their main underground diesel storage tanks.( tens of thousands of gallons per tank) It does nothing but kill anything that tries to grow in the fuel. Noting but filtration removes the stuff once it grows.

"Today’s diesel fuel is ultra-low sulfur (15 parts per million) which allows bacteria and fungi to grow rapidly if any moisture is in the fuel storage tank. Modern diesel engines use high pressure, 27,000 to 35,000 psi fuel injectors with tiny fuel passages which are easily clogged with dirty fuel and damaged by water.

The days of using grandpa’s old style boat or tractor filters on your diesel fuel tank are over. The old style filters and water separators that remove 75% to 99% of the contamination are not good enough for today’s diesel engines. Magnets and filterless devices won't clean fuel to ISO 18/16/13 or remove water to 0.05%"

Have a friend who started a business polishing diesel fuel tanks for fleets. His business is booming, he's explained how nasty most diesel tanks are. As many have explained, microbes and debris is a common diesel issue. Here's a link to doing your own tank polishing + a tip on adding a Racor fuel-water separator.
https://theboatgalley.com/diy-fuel-polishing/

[BazEnglander]

Originally Posted by Ssgritton

I have no power to get up a hill. I have my foot to the floor and I move 1 mile an hour. I checked the transmission and full on oil. I went down the highway and it takes 4 minutes to get to 60 and it only goes 60 if I hit a hill I slow way down.

What happened I was up at the lake parked for 6 months drove home just fine then went to the gas station today and no power. My rpm at ideal does not go over 2.5 rpm?

Cummings 400. Alison transmissionan

Simple things first, check the filler cap & make sure it vents OK. try running it with the cap off just for a short distance, also check the water separator. If you can, have a diagnoses check it should point the way to a fault, but as I've said simple things first.

Bazzer

[botiemad]

Originally Posted by Ssgritton

I have no power to get up a hill. I have my foot to the floor and I move 1 mile an hour. I checked the transmission and full on oil. I went down the highway and it takes 4 minutes to get to 60 and it only goes 60 if I hit a hill I slow way down.

What happened I was up at the lake parked for 6 months drove home just fine then went to the gas station today and no power. My rpm at ideal does not go over 2.5 rpm?

Cummings 400. Alison transmissionan

I had the same issue with a similar Cummins. Turned out to be the manifold pressure sensor (senses boost). The fitting had broken. Quick fix, inexpensive. It could also be a fuel pressure issue. The cheapest to start with is to change out all the fuel filters. Next would be the air cleaner.