Loss of power on hills 1997 5.9

Sunbear · 10-11-2015, 03:44 PM

Hi folks I would like to see if I get an answer to my question I'm losing power going up hills in my 97 blue bird with a Dodge 5.9 Cummins I don't think the air filters that dirty do I do a compression test is there any other trouble shooting methods you can recommend thank you

opus · 10-11-2015, 03:52 PM

Any smoke? Have you changed fuel filters?

rvingoffgrid · 10-11-2015, 11:36 PM

Fuel pump or filters. My 5.9 lost power ended up being a clogged fuel line .

nat_ster · 10-11-2015, 11:52 PM

There is nothing "Dodge" about a Cummins in a bus.

Nat

Sunbear · 10-12-2015, 12:44 AM

I understand that lol it was a typo from my brain hahaha I was on a different thread in a completely different forum on a whole different page (dodge) just before I remembered skoolie

Sunbear · 10-12-2015, 01:13 AM

Hey so I guess you pulled the fuel line from behind the filter or it was the filter itself that was clogged is my guess and you replaced it and now its taking the hills like a champ? Can I ask you have you been able to find a repair manual ?

charles_m · 10-12-2015, 01:19 AM

you don't need a manual to check the lines and filters, which is definitely where your problem is. follow the lines from the tank--you should have 2 filters for diesel. one will be on the engine, mounted near the injection pump and the other will be under the bus mounted on the frame rail most likely and it is the filter/water separator.

id start by replacing both, then see where that gets you. it's the cheapest and easiest thing to do. every diesel owner should know how to replace their fuel filters. our engines are very sensitive to their condition and you describe a tell-tale sign of a clogged filter.

Sunbear · 10-12-2015, 01:36 AM

Thank you for your quick response ! I've never owned a diesel not to mention a 36 foot bus so I have a lot to learn to say the least. I'm looking into diesel mechanics classes at community colleges here in CA. And or.

Booyah45828 · 10-12-2015, 09:19 AM

If no smoke then it's probably the filters. You could verify it by checking fuel pressure at the injection pump but filters are cheap and they probably should be changed anyways.

You don't need diesel mechanics classes to work on the bus. They'll go into more detail about stuff that you don't need to know and would be a waste for you IMO. Any question you have should be answered somewhere on the net, and people here can help you with any ones you can't figure out.

Tango · 10-12-2015, 09:33 AM

Diesel engines tend to be make/model specific when it comes to maintenance. If you can "buddy-up" (or pay) someone who knows your motor inside & out to go over it with you, you'll be way ahead of the game. I have a friend who was a diesel tech for 20+ years, but only on Detroits. He couldn't tell me squat about Cummins beyond basic diesel theory which is all you'll get in most classes.

family wagon · 10-12-2015, 10:49 AM

Do you need any pointers on re-priming the fuel system after changing the filter(s)? Diesel injectors won't "pop off" if there's too much air in the injection line, so the system can become stubbornly stuck in a non-running state. Makes it somewhere between PITA and impossible to get the engine running again. Fortunately it's quite easy to avoid and/or fix if you know what to do.

opus · 10-12-2015, 10:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tango

I have a friend who was a diesel tech for 20+ years, but only on Detroits.

Boy howdy, do I have a riddle I'd like him to solve for me now!!

Sunbear · 10-12-2015, 09:38 PM

Attn. Family wagon:
Yes please! Of course lol I'm not very mechanically inclined and also poor so yeah I need all the help I can get.

Sunbear · 10-12-2015, 09:41 PM

Hmmmm I wonder if Cummins offers classes probably expensive if they do.

charles_m · 10-12-2015, 10:05 PM

You really dont need to take a class. Read around the net and watch youtube. Save your money

nat_ster · 10-12-2015, 11:53 PM

Any classes you find won't cover the engine you have. They will focus on the newer electronic crap on the newer crap engines.

You own the most simple engine ever made. That's why I own 4 of them.

Nat

EastCoastCB · 10-13-2015, 06:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by charles_m

You really dont need to take a class. Read around the net and watch youtube. Save your money

Winner winner chicken dinner!
Our local diesel tech program at the county tech school only teaches the most basic stuff and it takes thousands of dollars and a year or so of one's time. They only teach you enough to make you frustrated.

family wagon · 10-13-2015, 09:41 PM

OK, so you have a '97 Cummins 5.9L. It must be the mechanical injected B model. I haven't worked on a B engine.. my pickup has the electronic ISB version that came out a year after yours and my bus has the electronic ISC. But I also have in the stable construction equipment with one each of Yanmar, Deutz, and John Deere mechanical injected 3 and 4 cylinder engines. Hopefully what I've learned among these will be helpful here.

General ideas: do the job at a place and time where it'll be OK if it sits for a few days in case it proves challenging to re-start the engine. When it comes time to crank the engine, don't run the starter for long period of time (it needs to cool off) and don't run it 'til the battery is dead (that damages the battery). Have an idea in mind how you'll get the battery re-charged if necessary. Jump starting isn't likely to work out because if it were close enough to starting that a brief jump-starting crank could do the job, it would already be running before running its own battery down.. I don't know whether this truly matters or not, but it makes me feel better: run the engine a few minutes to warm it up slightly before beginning. A warm engine starts more easily than a cold engine does.

Changing the filter is pretty straightforward. Find and clean the filter area to prevent dirt getting into the fuel system. The filter might be a spin-on disposable can like an engine oil filter, or it might be replaceable media in a permanent housing. My pickup uses the housing style; my others use the spin-on style. Post pictures if you need help identifying the filter. Anyway, remove the old filter and be sure its gaskets aren't left behind, lube the gaskets on the new filter with clean fuel or engine oil, and reassemble. I'm not sure whether to recommend pre-filling the filter with fuel or not..

If the engine has an electric lift pump, or might have one, do the following. "Bump" the starter (turn the key to start, and release it back to the run position fast as you can after you hear the starter pick up). Wait 20 seconds; the lift pump will continue to run. Repeat 3 times or so. Now crank the engine. It will probably start normally, then just as you breath a sigh of relief, it'll stumble. If you're lucky it'll pull through and the idle will become smooth again, or it'll die but restart without much cranking. This is all I've ever had to do when changing the fuel filter on my pickup.

family wagon · 10-13-2015, 09:41 PM

If, however, the engine doesn't have an electric lift pump or if it doesn't just start and run nicely, then you'll have to bleed the air out of the injection system. Once you have the technique down it's not hard and takes just a few minutes, but I still remember how stressful and frustrating it was to find my way from "general idea" to "technique that works." Kind of like bleeding hydraulic brakes not realizing that you can't release the pedal first and tighten the bleeder screw second.

Loosen the nut holding the fuel tube on one injector (any one that looks easy to get to) and start cranking the engine. Eye protection is a good idea because the fuel system runs rather high pressure and can spray a small stream of fuel a good distance while that tube is loose. Crank the engine as long as maybe 10 seconds, then stop and let the starter cool a while. You'll see bubbles and fuel begin leaking out of the loose connection. Watch for it to transition to mostly fuel with few bubbles, and snug the nut while the engine is still turning (an assistant is probably necessary). If you're semi-lucky the engine will begin sputtering, stumbling, and finally kind of running during this process. As you tighten the nut the engine should smooth out. If the idle doesn't smooth out, or if the engine doesn't run at all and leakage from the one loose connection gets to be quite "squirty" with minimal air bubble content, then there's air trapped in other line(s) too. Follow the same procedure (loosen the nut, crank the engine, tighten the nut, release the starter) on each injector line in turn until finally the engine starts and idles smooth.

nat_ster · 10-13-2015, 09:59 PM

Family wagon speaks much good info.

If it says "Cummins 24 valve" on top, it's a electronic engine.

If it doesn't, it's a 12 valve fully mechanical engine.

No need to crank the engine to prime the fuel system in either engine family.

The electronic engine, simply turn the key the first click. That will energize the pump and prime the fuel system.

The mechanical engine has a primer lever on the left side of the engine, when looking from the drivers seat forward. It will take as few as 50 strokes, to 200 strokes to prime out the air.

If the engine was running before removing the filter, simply fill the new filter full of fuel before spinning it on. Most times I don't have to bleed or prime anything after. Less than 30 seconds of cranking and the engine starts right up.

Never crank the engine for more than 10 second bursts. If you do, you will be replacing the starter next. They are not cheap.

Nat

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