1996 t444e low power troubleshooting

[HenrysCat]

My 1996 am tram RE t444e/at545 has been giving me issues lately

Starts up great but doesn’t have much power and when won’t climb a grade at more then 10mph

I have done some research and found that my suspected issues are
Injectors

Hpop

Ebpv
Can anyone point me in a the direction of testing these without a scan tool?

[La Camioneta]

Would start cheap with fuel filters, maybe fuel pump.

7.3 will run poorly with inop fuel pump, once you break siphon by changing filter it will not refill filter housing and will not restart.

[joeblack5]

As camioneta said,. Check fuel pressure. Not sure about te444 but the 7.3 has a Schrader valve on the side of the fuel filter housing. If pressure is good then fuel filters.

Good luck
Johan

[cadillackid]

fuel filters first for sure.. if the HPOP cant keep up with desired pressure, it will set a code 333 and turn on the WARN light.. there are no monitors for fuel pressure in the computer nor are there monitors for engine power output..



it will simply run a 100% engine load factor all day long and run fuel starved if the filters are dirty or fuel is old and bad..

[HenrysCat]

Cool will start there I did change the filter in the bowl thing will look for an in-line and test pressure

[Booyah45828]

Like christopher said, it will throw codes and set a light for low hpo pressure. Fuel filters are always a good recommendation, as is checking the air filter. Those both can this issue and can be fixed without a scan tool. Fuel pressure can be checked also be checked without a scanner, but it's best to check it while driving, which can be difficult in an RE bus.

You wouldn't be the first here to miss seeing the water separator/primary filter, and neglect it in the process.

As far as anything else goes, you'll almost need a scan tool or computer of some sort to perform diagnostics, otherwise you're just firing the parts cannon at it.

[WiredForStereo]

If it were me, I would start with cam position sensor and ICP sensor.

Those are very common sensors to need replace and they cause a myriad of issues. If that doesn't solve it, no loss, and was easy to do.

[HamSkoolie]

Originally Posted by WiredForStereo

If it were me, I would start with cam position sensor and ICP sensor.

Those are very common sensors to need replace and they cause a myriad of issues. If that doesn't solve it, no loss, and was easy to do.

That is the aforementioned "parts cannon" style of troubleshooting. A very expensive method most times.

[Dbacks2k4]

Originally Posted by HamSkoolie

That is the aforementioned "parts cannon" style of troubleshooting. A very expensive method most times.

Its easy to fall into that trap. I've caught myself doing it a few times even after getting "schooled" by mechanic to look at diagnostics before just blindly ordering parts.

[WiredForStereo]

Or don't, whatever, not my money, I don't care. Lotta people out here have a lot of experience with this engine.

[cadillackid]

CPS is easy and not too expensive.. ICP is even easier.. a bad ICP can be simply unplugged and the computer will run at a default value.. so if you suspect ICP causing a no start, just unplug it if it still doesnt start, the ICP isnt your root cause..

[Flying I 365]

Originally Posted by WiredForStereo

If it were me, I would start with cam position sensor and ICP sensor.

Those are very common sensors to need replace and they cause a myriad of issues. If that doesn't solve it, no loss, and was easy to do.

Indeed I’d do the same with replacing the cam position sensor and ICP sensor if I had a T444E. I’d do that however as preventative maintenance as they are known to fail. Or keep a few spares on hand in case one fails.

As for what may be causing this issue, there could be quite a few causes, and a diagnostic tool would help in narrowing things down cause “parts cannon” troubleshooting isn’t really advisable and would make repairs fairly expensive.

That being said, fuel or restrictions would be my two best hunches for your particular issue. A fuel delivery problem or restriction or a restriction on the inlet or exhaust (an EBP sensor would trip a code if there is an exhaust restriction.)

[HamSkoolie]

Hey WiredForStereo


Check your settings as I can't reply to your private message.

[brokedown]

if your EBPV is stuck open, you will be blowing a bunch of smoke and making twice as much noise as normal. It's relatively easy to disable the EBPV if you have access to the turbo, a lot of folks do that before issues arise. When I had a T444E that was one of the problems I ran into and figured it out on my own rather quickly. A little wire unplug and a bit of utility wire and that thing was never a problem again.

[LittleBusBigDreams]

Without a scan tool you can still pull the active and inactive flash codes via the dashboard and diagnostics button.


To view active and inactive codes:
- Turn key on but do not start engine
- press engine diag. button
- After several seconds oil/water light will flash once,
- then the warn engine light will flash a series of flashes seperated by pauses for instance 1 flash pause 2 flashes pause 3 flashes would be code 123 if there is more than one active code the oil/water light will flash once between codes
- After active codes are displayed oil/water light will flash twice then inactive codes will be displayed
- after all codes are read oil/water light will flash 3 times
- active codes cannot be cleared until the faulty condition is corrected.

To clear inactive codes:
- Press engine diag. button and hold down
- turn key on but do not start
- depress accelerator pedal all the way to the floor 3 times
- turn key off
- release engine diag. button
- wait 20 or 30 seconds to allow ECM time to clear codes


Codes from a 1998-2004 T444E, but may be similar on yours. They are on my 1997.



FLASH CODE PID SID FMI FAULT DESCRIPTION CIRCUIT







111 No Errors Detected - Flash code only ECM






112 168 0 3 Electrical System B+ Voltage Out of Range HIGH ECM_PWR


113 168 0 4 Electrical System B+ Voltage Out of Range LOW ECM_PWR


114* 110 0 4 Engine Coolant Temperature Signal Out of Range LOW ECT


115* 110 0 3 Engine Coolant Temperature Signal Out of Range HIGH ECT


121* 102 0 3 Intake Manifold Absolute Pressure Signal Out of Range HIGH MAP

122* 102 0 4 Intake Manifold Absolute Pressure Signal Out of Range LOW MAP

123* 102 0 2 Intake Manifold Absolute Pressure In Range Fault MAP



124* 164 0 4 Injection Control Pressure Signal Out of Range LOW ICP


125* 164 0 3 Injection Control Pressure Signal Out of Range HIGH ICP


131* 91 0 4 Accelerator Pedal Position Signal Out of Range LOW APS/IVS


132* 91 0 3 Accelerator Pedal Position Signal Out of Range HIGH APS/IVS


133* 91 0 2 Accelerator Pedal Position Signal In Range Fault *M* APS/IVS


134* 91 0 7 Accelerator Pedal Position and Idle Validation Switch Disagree APS/IVS


135* 0 230 11 Idle Validation Switch Circuit Fault APS/IVS





141 84 0 4 Vehicle Speed Signal Out of Range LOW VSS



142 84 0 3 Vehicle Speed Signal Out of Range HIGH VSS



143 0 21 2 Incorrect number of CMP signal transitions per cam revolution CMP

144 0 21 8 CMP Signal Noise Detected CMP






145* 0 21 12 CMP Signal Inactive While ICP has increased CMP



151 108 0 3 Barometric Pressure Signal Out of Range HIGH BARO



152 108 0 4 Barometric Pressure Signal Out of Range LOW BARO



154 171 0 4 Air Inlet Temperature Signal Out of Range LOW IAT


155 171 0 3 Air Inlet Temperature Signal Out of Range HIGH IAT


211* 100 0 4 Engine Oil Pressure Signal Out of Range LOW EOP


212* 100 0 3 Engine Oil Pressure Signal Out of Range HIGH EOP


213 0 29 4 Remote Throttle Signal Out of Range LOW RPS



214 0 29 3 Remote Throttle Signal Out of Range HIGH RPS



215 84 0 8 Vehicle Speed Signal Frequency Out of Range HIGH VSS


216 73 0 4 Hydraulic Pressure Signal Out of Range LOW HPG



221 0 244 2 Cruise-PTO Control Switch Circuit Fault SCCS





222 0 247 2 Brake Switch Circuit Fault BRAKE






225 100 0 0 Engine Oil Pressure Sensor Signal In-Range Fault EOP



226 73 0 3 Hydraulic Pressure Sensor Signal Out of Range HIGH HPG


231 0 250 2 ATA Data Communication Link Error ATA





236 111 0 2 ECL Switch Circuit Fault ECL






241 0 42 11 Injection Control Pressure Regulator OCC Self Test Failed IPR


244 0 248 11 Engine to Transmission Data Line OCC Self Test Failed EDL

245 0 35 11 Exhaust Pressure Regulator OCC Self Test Failed EPR



246 0 56 11 Engine Fan-OCC Self Test Fault EFAN





251 0 38 11 Glow Plug Control OCC Self Test Fault GPC



252 0 36 11 Glow Plug Lamp OCC Self Test Fault GPC



256 0 55 11 Radiator Shutter Enable OCC Fault RSE





262 0 54 11 Change Oil Lamp OCC Fault COL





263 0 238 11 Oil Water Lamp OCC Fault OWL





265 62 0 11 Vehicle Retarder Relay OCC Fault VRE





266 0 239 11 Engine Warning Lamp OCC Fault WARN





311* 175 0 4 Engine Oil Temperature Signal Out of Range Low EOT


312* 175 0 3 Engine Oil Temperature Signal Out of Range High EOT


313 100 0 1 Engine Oil Pressure Below Warning Level EOP**




314 100 0 7 Engine Oil Pressure Below Critical Level EOP**




315* 190 0 0 Engine Speed Above Warning Level CMP





316 110 0 1 Engine Coolant Temperature unable to reach commanded set point ECT

321 110 0 0 Engine Coolant Temperature Above Warning Level ECT**




322 110 0 7 Engine Coolant Temperature Above Critical Level ECT**




323 111 0 1 Engine Coolant Level Below Warning/Critical Level ECL




324 71 0 14 Idle Shutdown Timer Enabled Engine Shutdown IST




325 110 0 14 Power Reduced, Matched to Cooling System Performance ECT



331* 164 0 0 Injection Control Pressure Above System Working Range IPR



332* 164 0 13 Injection Control Pressure Above Spec. With Engine Off ICP


333* 164 0 10 Injection Control Pressure Above/Below Desired Level IPR_SYS




334 164 0 7 ICP Unable to achieve setpoint in time (poor performance) IPR_SYS

335 164 0 1 ICP Unable to build pressure during cranking IPR_SYS



336 73 0 10 Hydraulic Pressure unable to achieve commanded set point HPG


341 0 34 20 Exhaust Back Pressure Signal Out of Range Low EBP


342 0 34 19 Exhaust Back Pressure Signal Out of Range High EBP


343 0 34 0 Excessive Exhaust Back Pressure (gauge) EPR





344 0 34 29 Exhaust Back Pressure Above spec. when engine off or being cranked EBP 351 0 34 7 Change in exhaust back pressure did not occur when expected EPR
352 0 34 10 Exhaust Back Pressure unable to achieve commanded setpoint EPR


421 0 1 5 Cylinder 1:00 High Side to Low Side Open INJ


422 0 2 5 Cylinder 2:00 High Side to Low Side Open INJ


423 0 3 5 Cylinder 3:00 High Side to Low Side Open INJ


424 0 4 5 Cylinder 4:00 High Side to Low Side Open INJ


425 0 5 5 Cylinder 5:00 High Side to Low Side Open INJ


426 0 6 5 Cylinder 6:00 High Side to Low Side Open INJ


427 0 7 5 Cylinder 7:00 High Side to Low Side Open INJ


428 0 8 5 Cylinder 8:00 High Side to Low Side Open INJ


431 0 1 4 Cylinder 1:00 High Side Shorted to Low Side INJ


432 0 2 4 Cylinder 2:00 High Side Shorted to Low Side INJ


433 0 3 4 Cylinder 3:00 High Side Shorted to Low Side INJ


434 0 4 4 Cylinder 4:00 High Side Shorted to Low Side INJ


435 0 5 4 Cylinder 5:00 High Side Shorted to Low Side INJ


436 0 6 4 Cylinder 6:00 High Side Shorted to Low Side INJ


437 0 7 4 Cylinder 7:00 High Side Shorted to Low Side INJ


438 0 8 4 Cylinder 8:00 High Side Shorted to Low Side INJ


451 0 1 6 Cylinder 1:00 High Side Shorted to Ground or VBAT INJ

452 0 2 6 Cylinder 2:00 High Side Shorted to Ground or VBAT INJ

453 0 3 6 Cylinder 3:00 High Side Shorted to Ground or VBAT INJ

454 0 4 6 Cylinder 4:00 High Side Shorted to Ground or VBAT INJ

455 0 5 6 Cylinder 5:00 High Side Shorted to Ground or VBAT INJ

456 0 6 6 Cylinder 6:00 High Side Shorted to Ground or VBAT INJ

457 0 7 6 Cylinder 7:00 High Side Shorted to Ground or VBAT INJ

458 0 8 6 Cylinder 8:00 High Side Shorted to Ground or VBAT INJ

461 0 1 7 Cylinder 1:00 Cylinder Contribution Test Failed Perf Diag.



462 0 2 7 Cylinder 2:00 Cylinder Contribution Test Failed Perf Diag.



463 0 3 7 Cylinder 3:00 Cylinder Contribution Test Failed Perf Diag.



464 0 4 7 Cylinder 4:00 Cylinder Contribution Test Failed Perf Diag.



465 0 5 7 Cylinder 5:00 Cylinder Contribution Test Failed Perf Diag.



466 0 6 7 Cylinder 6:00 Cylinder Contribution Test Failed Perf Diag.



467 0 7 7 Cylinder 7:00 Cylinder Contribution Test Failed Perf Diag.



468 0 8 7 Cylinder 8:00 Cylinder Contribution Test Failed Perf Diag.



513* 0 151 5 Low Side to Bank 1 Open INJ




514* 0 152 5 Low Side to Bank 2 Open INJ




515* 0 151 6 Bank 1 Low Side Short to Ground or B+ INJ

521* 0 152 6 Bank 2 Low Side Short to Ground or B+ INJ

514* 0 152 5 Low Side to Bank 2 Open INJ




525* 254 0 6 Injector Driver Circuit Fault ECM






612* 0 21 7 Incorrect ECM installed for CMP timing wheel CMP



614* 0 252 13 EFRC/EECM ING configuration mismatch ECM






621* 0 253 1 Engine using Mfg. Default Rating Program Engine ECM



622* 0 253 0 Engine using Field Default Rating ECM





623* 0 253 13 Invalid Engine Rating Code; Check ECM programming ECM



624 0 240 14 Field default active ECM







626 0 254 8 Unexpected reset fault ECM_PWR







631* 0 240 2 ROM (Read Only Memory) Self Test Fault ECM



632 0 254 12 RAM Memory-CPU Self Test Fault ECM





655 0 240 13 Programmable Parameter list level incompatible ECM





661 0 240 11 RAM Programmable Parameter list corrupt ECM





664 0 253 14 Calibration level incompatible ECM







665 0 252 14 Programmable Parameter memory content corrupt ECM





* - Indicates WARN ENGINE LAMP on when fault is set.




** - Faults only available if Engine Protection is enabled.

[HenrysCat]

I figured out my issue
Just a bit confused how it happened
I live In San Diego so the weather never gets to cold but my fuel filter was plugged with wax crystals
Does anyone know what would cause this in high temp

Also recommended fuel line cleaning Process

[Booyah45828]

Biodiesel can do some goofy stuff. Did you happen to run any? I'm talking b80 or b100, your b20 and below is typically trouble free.

To clean the system, look up fuel system polishing. I built a unit to do something similar using a spare lift pump off a cummins isb and a spare water seperator.

Add an appropriate amount of clear diesel from powerservice to the tank as well. https://powerservice.com/psp_product...-tank-cleaner/

Add the additive, then run the polishing rig for 12 hours. Then put the system back together and add fresh fuel and more additive. Or use the additive, buy a case of fuel filters and water separators, and then drive a tank full of fuel through it, replacing filters as they plug. You might not need the whole case, but you'll go through a bunch of them catching the junk in the system, and it's better to return what wasn't used then to try and fetch one on the side of the road.

Also, in the off chance your bus doesn't have a primary filter/water separator, now is a good time/excuse to install one. You can find racor and davco units cheap enough on ebay. There was a thread by ross recently about them you can search for.

[magnakansas]

those "wax crystals ". stuff like that is why changing filters is part of maintenance for your diesel. the nature of the fuel and the kind of stuff that can grow in diesel fuel is not like gasoline fuels.

happy to hear you resolved your problem.

william

[Dill]

There is a prefilter screen before the fuel filter housing. Check that. Mine was full of rust. To the point I’m surprised it even ran.