Need some help with my Diesel Pusher....

Rich196 · 05-07-2012, 11:44 AM

Decided to start getting ready for the spring fling this pat weekend, I have a diesel pusher 35 foot motor home with a 300 cat in it. I took it for a short ride just to check everything out, well everything seemed to be OK until about 10 minutes into the ride, the check engine light came on and all of a sudden i had NO power, it would still move but just at a crawl, got it back home and changed the fuel filter thinking it might have picked up water over the winter. After I changed the filter,put in fuel treatment, and started it up, no check engine light, but after about 10 minutes, it came back on and no power again. Not sure where to turn to next, should I keep running it at idle for a while? not sure how long it takes to get water out (if it even has water). Any help would be great. Rich The Coach is a 1999 holiday Rambler

Cisco Kid · 05-07-2012, 10:00 PM

keep changing the filter make sure you use a good filter as well..buy a cat filter or something of the same quality...run some dieselkleen through it as well...with my cummins engine every oil change i change the fuel filter,and at every fill up add some dieselkleen (grey bottle)

Tim Lisson · 05-08-2012, 10:38 AM

Any white smoke when it has no power?

Tim

Mark Ruset · 05-08-2012, 10:49 AM

Rich the best advice I can give is to diagnosis the check engine light. I have seen fuel hoses or lines collaspe or leak causing the condition you are describing.

Don Himes · 05-08-2012, 03:17 PM

I had the exact same thing happen with my 300 h.p. Cat. The best advice I got came from my local mechanic: Take it to your local Cat service center. The trouble in my case was I needed a new "helper" pump, and a couple of new injectors and a couple of new "O" rings. The bill was about $3000, but it was worth it. Got it back in 3 days, and it's running like new now! The "helper" pump was $800, much better than the fuel pump that was $3500!!!

Rich196 · 05-10-2012, 12:07 PM

Thanks for the advise guy's, I did my best the last couple days, and could not come up with anything, so i dropped it off to a buddy who works on diesels. I will let you know the result.

Rich196 · 05-11-2012, 10:52 AM

Well thank you for ALL the help guy's, got the call last night that it's the PCM engine control module that went bad, not I am just waiting for a call to see what the cost is..... crossing my fingers, but it doesn't sound cheap....lol

BlueOval Ralph · 05-13-2012, 10:34 AM

Best thing you can do is to install a boost, when everything is ok record what you have when you start to loose boost is change fuel filters most times the boost will come back. Always carry a couple of spare filters. One time I drove all night with almost no boost coming home from Atlanta got to Covington Ky stopped in a little truck stop was looking at turbo and all the hoses and connection, old mechanic come up ask what the problem was told him no boost just grunted and said change fuel filters I thought obeys this is good but was tired and figured didn't have anything to loose. Was carring spares changed both start up I 75 sure enough 18 max boost and everything was fine. From then on watched boost as soon as it would drop a couple lbs from max I would change filters.

05-07-2012, 11:44 AM	#1
Rich196 Junior Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 18 Likes: 0 Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Need some help with my Diesel Pusher.... Decided to start getting ready for the spring fling this pat weekend, I have a diesel pusher 35 foot motor home with a 300 cat in it. I took it for a short ride just to check everything out, well everything seemed to be OK until about 10 minutes into the ride, the check engine light came on and all of a sudden i had NO power, it would still move but just at a crawl, got it back home and changed the fuel filter thinking it might have picked up water over the winter. After I changed the filter,put in fuel treatment, and started it up, no check engine light, but after about 10 minutes, it came back on and no power again. Not sure where to turn to next, should I keep running it at idle for a while? not sure how long it takes to get water out (if it even has water). Any help would be great. Rich The Coach is a 1999 holiday Rambler

05-07-2012, 10:00 PM	#2
Cisco Kid Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Shadyside Ohio Posts: 51 Likes: 0 Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Need some help with my Diesel Pusher.... keep changing the filter make sure you use a good filter as well..buy a cat filter or something of the same quality...run some dieselkleen through it as well...with my cummins engine every oil change i change the fuel filter,and at every fill up add some dieselkleen (grey bottle)

05-08-2012, 10:38 AM	#3
Tim Lisson Member Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Solon Springs, WI Posts: 166 Likes: 0 Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Need some help with my Diesel Pusher.... Any white smoke when it has no power? Tim

05-08-2012, 10:49 AM	#4
Mark Ruset Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Southwest Florida Posts: 250 Likes: 23 Liked 34 Times in 24 Posts	Re: Need some help with my Diesel Pusher.... Rich the best advice I can give is to diagnosis the check engine light. I have seen fuel hoses or lines collaspe or leak causing the condition you are describing. __________________ Mark Ruset 2048 STK

05-08-2012, 03:17 PM	#5
Don Himes Member Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Port Charlotte, Fla. Posts: 160 Likes: 0 Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Need some help with my Diesel Pusher.... I had the exact same thing happen with my 300 h.p. Cat. The best advice I got came from my local mechanic: Take it to your local Cat service center. The trouble in my case was I needed a new "helper" pump, and a couple of new injectors and a couple of new "O" rings. The bill was about $3000, but it was worth it. Got it back in 3 days, and it's running like new now! The "helper" pump was $800, much better than the fuel pump that was $3500!!! __________________ Don Himes 2075

05-10-2012, 12:07 PM	#6
Rich196 Junior Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 18 Likes: 0 Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Need some help with my Diesel Pusher.... Thanks for the advise guy's, I did my best the last couple days, and could not come up with anything, so i dropped it off to a buddy who works on diesels. I will let you know the result.

05-11-2012, 10:52 AM	#7
Rich196 Junior Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 18 Likes: 0 Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Need some help with my Diesel Pusher.... Well thank you for ALL the help guy's, got the call last night that it's the PCM engine control module that went bad, not I am just waiting for a call to see what the cost is..... crossing my fingers, but it doesn't sound cheap....lol

05-13-2012, 10:34 AM	#8
BlueOval Ralph Banned Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 852 Likes: 0 Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Need some help with my Diesel Pusher.... Best thing you can do is to install a boost, when everything is ok record what you have when you start to loose boost is change fuel filters most times the boost will come back. Always carry a couple of spare filters. One time I drove all night with almost no boost coming home from Atlanta got to Covington Ky stopped in a little truck stop was looking at turbo and all the hoses and connection, old mechanic come up ask what the problem was told him no boost just grunted and said change fuel filters I thought obeys this is good but was tired and figured didn't have anything to loose. Was carring spares changed both start up I 75 sure enough 18 max boost and everything was fine. From then on watched boost as soon as it would drop a couple lbs from max I would change filters.