Another member of the broken down brigade...

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We're broken down in Custer SD.  It all started when we left Millen GA 3 weeks ago.  A few hours into the trip we started losing power and the engine felt like it was missing.  The check engine light would come on and then go off.  It really had problems on any incline. I could feel the loss of power & "bucking" from my seat. We made it to Camping World in Chattanooga.  It never acted up for them, so we thought maybe bad fuel.  They added an additive, and we headed out.  It ran great for the next two trips (Paducah & St. Louis).  It started acting up again and we made it to Nebraska City on a prayer.  We went to a Cummins shop in Omaha and spent all day Monday there (plus a room that night).  They never definitively found the problem, did some computer updates, and we left.  It drove great to Mitchell SD (4 hrs.), our next stop.  About 2 hrs. into our trip today, it started acting up again and got worse.  We prayed for a descent so we could build up speed in order to make the next ascent.  A 5 1/2 hr. trip took 10 hrs.  It quit in downtown Custer.  We were able to get it started after letting it sit and made it to the campground.  We're going to bed and will deal with it tomorrow.
 
Gene,

It sure sounds like our problem but you made it further than we did. Similar symptoms which turned out to be a bad fuel pump. I'd have them check that out right away. If it is the problem you don't want to get caught out in the boonies!

If you have a Cummins engine, it's going to sting!  :(
 
Dance Chick, did somebody check the fuel filter? I think that there may be a fuel strainer on the inside rail as well, but I'm not positive. It sure sounds like a fuel starvation issue, or a bad pump like Jim said. 
 
Dance Chick said:
It quit in downtown Custer.  We were able to get it started after letting it sit and made it to the campground.  We're going to bed and will deal with it tomorrow.
Similar problem a month so ago. After a tow, had a complete tune up, changed fuel filter, and so forth. It drove back to the park smooth as silk. The next time out, after driving a ways - it started acting up again and I barely made it back to the park. The next AM it ran like a kitten again.

The fellow that had tuned it noticed that when taking the gas cap off (it's a gas model ford) a swoosh sounded like a vacuum being relieved. He suggested the fuel cap may not be breathing as it should. The theory being that if the cap cannot let air in as the tank empties, a vacuum will result. That in turn will suck air and gas from the pump. After sitting for a long enough period, the vacuum will relieve and it will run OK again.

So on my next longer trek opened and closed the cap before starting and drove about 150 miles, stopped for a stretch, and it began to miss again. I opened the cap, then put it back on and left it less then screwed down tight. The engine continued to miss, but slowly began running OK. Then pulled back on the freeway and drove another 150.

Since then it hasn't missed a beat and I continue to relieve the pressure on the cap manually until I can buy a new one.

This may not be my problem but it appears that it might very well be . ..

FWIW 
 
Bob:


IIIRC our 460 had a check engine light that would come on IF I didn't get the gas cap tight enough.


Go figure. ;D
 
I would replace both fuel and air filters with those symptoms.  May not be it, but it's simple and not real expensive and needs to be ruled out before moving on to more expensive possibilities, e.g. a fuel pump.  I would also consider have the lift pump removed and checked for a partially clogged inlet.

 
We left Cummins Spokane yesterday, got on the road  and drove 120 miles.  We  are happily back at cabin in Idaho, a bit  lighter in the wallet but hey any problem that can be fixed with money is not such a bad problem!

And we have 4 brand spanking new air bags in the rear!  Just what I wanted  for my almost  birthday!

Only 2 had failed but  since we were "up on the rack" we had them all  replaced as tech said they looked weather checked.  So a bit of preventative maintenance here!  Life is good.
 
I guess I can't post here YET.  We tried to get everything fixed before we went anywhere.  2000 miles and no breakdown, aggravating AC issue when it got beyond hot but we can fix that.

Hubby suggested I get 2 new steer tires and have the front end aligned.  We have a Michelin and a Goodyear on the front and we don't like that, they are also 7 years old so I hope to do that sometime this fall, I too keep reminding myself of how to stop a front tire blowout.  I think all the time, work, and money we spent will pay off.  But I'm sure I will be on this post one day, just hope its not soon. :eek:
 
Thanks for all the replies.  Cummins in Omaha put it on their diagnostic computer and it showed a fuel problem.  They then went through their 43 pt. procedure to find the problem, but couldn't find anything.  I know the filters have been checked both in Chattanooga & Omaha, and we had had everything serviced before leaving on July 5.  We're thinking it must be pump related, so we'll see.  I guess we'll call our roadside service and see about a mobile mechanic.  Is that the procedure at this point?  Are they a lot more expensive?  I don't think there's much in Custer, and the drive to Rapid City is too hilly to chance.  Maybe we could try the fuel cap trick posted by Bob & Jeff, but I'd hate for that not to be it and then not make the drive.  We found out in Omaha we are still under Cummins warranty until Oct.  Does anyone know how that works if we can't go to a Cummins shop or use a mobile guy?
 
Betty Brewer said:
Just what I wanted  for my almost  birthday! 

Isn't it funny that as we age the birthday presents get much more practical!?  Glad you are back rolling again.

Dance Chick said:
Does anyone know how that works if we can't go to a Cummins shop or use a mobile guy?

I am  pretty sure that Cummins is going to want you to get it taken to a Cummins shop for the warranty work.  Either driven, or on the back of a tow truck. I seriously doubt they will want to pay to have someone else work on the vehicle. Either way I would call their warranty # and ask them. 
 
Well picked up my motor home this morning. To the tune of $5500.00. It was the turbo.turbo rebuilt $3200.00

Shipping, fluids, nuts bolts, and labor.  Called Choice Care to find out what was covered.. And the guy on the phone said; "you had it repaired without authorization?"

The adjuster already took pictures and sent in the report so what happens if they don't authorize the shop  to fixit?  It is torned down on the work bench what do I do?

Put the pieces in a box and look for another shop? 

The Saga goes on.  I have faith in my fellow man.. The claims adjuster does not answer the phone..
 
Every extended service contract I ever saw REQUIRED that you get authorization before the repair is done. No authorization, no pay.

But if there was a claims adjuster present, you must have submitted a claim before the repair work started? If so, the risk is that the claim will be denied for some reason and now you have no way to have the adjuster come back and review it again.

I did something similar with a generator repair. To save time, I told the shop to go ahead with the repair (a broken connector on the governor module) once an adjuster had reviewed the problem and submitted his report.  I was confident it would be approved and didn't want to wait an additional 2-3 days to get a confirmation back from the insurer. It was a gamble, but in my case the nature of the failed part was pretty much cut & dried.  Yours is perhaps a bit more subjective.

Good luck!
 
Gary

Been a week called every other day no call back.  The adjuster must of been busy.. I called today and was informed the work was approved..

Just do not know for how much.. Once again I have faith in my fellow man..

Hey my door locks are working again..

Jim
 
I thought we might end up a part of the broken down brigade ourselves.  We're in Sturgis, SD now, enjoying the bike rally, but on the trip coming we had a little bit of a scare.  Come to find out one of the spark plug wires had worked loose.  I snapped in back on and we were good to go after that, but the hill that had us at 25 mph in 2nd gear told me something was wrong.  Luckilly all it was, was the spark plug wire.
 
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