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F233381

Loss Of Power: Cummins ISB 5.9

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I purchased a 2003 Winnebago Journey 36C with Cummins ISB300 5.9 liter earlier this year.  The coach has very low mileage (17K) and has not been used very much over the past few years.  I originally had fuel contamination issues which after 2,000 trouble free miles I thought were solved.  While climbing a steep grade yesterday both the "stop engine" and "check engine" lights cam on and power was reduced greatly. The road was a two lane with no room to pull over, so I continued climbing.  Before reaching the summit both lights went out and power was restored.  Anybody have any ideas as to the cause?

 

Thank you,

Tom Trimble

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Tom, Welcome to the Forum ! 

What was the Engine RPM's as you went up the grade, Did the transmission down shift just before you noticed the temperature decrease and the return of power?

The first item of concern is fuel pressure at the input to the injector pump. with the contamination issues, I'm sure the fuel filters have been changed more then once.

Now the question is, with the year of the coach being 2003; there should be a third fuel filter in the fuel line,(This filter was only used on the ISB-02) and is located in the frame rail on the drivers side just behind the rear axle. Do You know it it has been replaced ?

Second item that can come into play is dirt and oil build up in the Radiator and the CAC. Have they been cleaned ? If not the best solution to get them cleaned is to have the engine service center steam clean them. This will increase air flow cooling both the coolant and the air input temperature from the Turbo.

Rich.

 

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4 hours ago, F233381 said:

I purchased a 2003 Winnebago Journey 36C with Cummins ISB300 5.9 liter earlier this year.  The coach has very low mileage (17K) and has not been used very much over the past few years.  I originally had fuel contamination issues which after 2,000 trouble free miles I thought were solved.  While climbing a steep grade yesterday both the "stop engine" and "check engine" lights cam on and power was reduced greatly. The road was a two lane with no room to pull over, so I continued climbing.  Before reaching the summit both lights went out and power was restored.  Anybody have any ideas as to the cause?

 

Thank you,

Tom Trimble

Tom, welcome to the forum. Kind of hard to tell without seeing if there were any codes stored about the event. Did you notice the water temperature during the event? Were there any other symptoms like bucking?

I have basically the same engine. I think my coach sat for a long time before I got it. I didn't have a major contaminated fuel problem but I ran several tanks of fuel with a double dose of Diesel Kleen additive. You may still have some deposits in the system that caused a temporary derate.

Let us know what you find.

Bill   

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Another thought is what percentage of bio diesel if any was in the tank at the time of the loss of power, bio has a tendency to cut any crud loose in a system and could have caused a starving fuel condition then passed on through and returned back to a more normal condition. Only speculation but another thought since it seems to have cleared up after the incident, as wildbill308 said Diesel Kleen additive can't hurt anything, I personally like Sea Foam, but that's a personal thing.

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1 minute ago, kaypsmith said:

Another thought is what percentage of bio diesel if any was in the tank at the time of the loss of power, bio has a tendency to cut any crud loose in a system and could have caused a starving fuel condition then passed on through and returned back to a more normal condition. Only speculation but another thought since it seems to have cleared up after the incident, as wildbill308 said Diesel Kleen additive can't hurt anything, I personally like Sea Foam, but that's a personal thing.

I like Sea Foam to but the Diesel Kleen additive improves Cetane numbers as well.

Bill 

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Tom, "Check engine" and "Stop engine" lights are usually contributed to serious problem or the ECM (engine computer) thought there was a serious problem from data it saw on a particular sensor. The best solution would be have the fault codes pulled from the computer. Usually "Stop engine" is a result of high coolant temp, low coolant level, low oil pressure. While all of this was going on did you notice and irregularities on any of the gauges i.e. low oil pressure, high coolant temp?

Check the fluid levels first, then have it scanned. It could be just a poor connection on the low coolant sensor, since it cleared up before you reached the top of the hill I suspect a sensor, is starting to fail or the connection to it is corroded. If it were anything but that it would have not cleared up until the descend side of the hill i.e. when the engine wasn't pulling so much fuel or the engine temps reached normal operating levels as the load from the powertrain was greatly reduced. 

The third filter Rich mentioned would be a great idea to check and see if it was replaced, those will leave you stuck and with an expensive repair bill when they clog and it is often missed while in for service.

 

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Thank you all for your assistance.  The temperature and oil pressure gauges were all normal during the entire episode.  I am told this coach has two fuel filters.  One is a "spin off" in the rear of the coach, the other is located inside the fuel rail on the passenger side over the rear axle near the airbag.  I have an appointment with Cummins to leave it with them.  Since it ran fine the last 25 miles of the trip I assume it will run well enough to get it to the Cummins facility, about 90 miles away.  Thanks again!

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Give Freightliner Gaffney a call with your VIN.  They can tell you whether you have 2 or three fuel filters.  Would sure do that before driving 180 miles roundtrip!

Freightliner 800 385-4357

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I spoke with Freightliner this morning, and was told my coach has two fuel filters.  I have an appointment with Freightliner.

Thanks for all of your assistance, and Merry Christmas to all!

Tom

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I had the same loss of power.  Started at WOT and got worse with no throttle response.  Replaced both fuel filters and it now runs great.  Cruise control now works properly also!

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3 minutes ago, Corona4me said:

The engine will derate if the EGT is high....

Was not aware that there was even a sensor for EGT on a 2003 ISB.

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