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CK Engine light, turbo boost low (was From the side of the road)

August 09, 2014, 05:58:20 pm

Need some information please.  Headed home out of Colorado, just passed the Kansas line I began to lose power, after about 15-20 minutes a yellow ck engine light and alarm came on, pulled to side of road shut it down. Silverleaf said turbo boost low .  This is a ISM 500 2009. So, what does this all mean. I have called Coach Net and they are working on it.  We are 35 miles west of Garden City KS in the middle of no where.  Will I have to be towed? 

Thanks for your help.

Roy

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Re: CK Engine light, turbo boost low (was From the side of the road)

Reply #1 – August 09, 2014, 06:20:46 pm

First suspect would be clogged fuel filter. Low pressure equals low power equals low boost. Bet it idles OK.

Pierce

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Re: CK Engine light, turbo boost low (was From the side of the road)

Reply #2 – August 09, 2014, 07:06:55 pm

Thanks Pierce,

We had fueled about a hour earlier at a truck stop. Should have been good fuel. Sat beside the road for a least an hour. Try it again and every think was normal. Drove to cummins dealer in Garden City, KS.  We will see them Monday. Thanks for your reply. 

Roy

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Re: CK Engine light, turbo boost low (was From the side of the road)

Reply #3 – August 09, 2014, 09:41:03 pm

It also sounds like the Charged Air Cooler (CAC) might have split and be leaking turbocharged air.  That would cause a loss of power and low boost pressure.  But the power loss would have still been there when you started out again.  Maybe it's just a bad boost sensor.

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Re: CK Engine light, turbo boost low (was From the side of the road)

Reply #4 – August 10, 2014, 09:31:47 pm

I would be suspect of a clogged fuel filter, especially after having just fueled up. I think That Brett Wolfe suggests, checking the water separator after about an hour after filling up with fuel, so maybe something simple like a fuel filter.

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Follow up Re: CK Engine light, turbo boost low (was From the side of the road)

Reply #5 – September 10, 2014, 03:53:19 pm

Thanks to everyone for your help.  Yes, Pierce and Red Tractor, you were correct I had a clogged fuel filter.  Now, for the "Rest of the Story" as Paul Harvey used to say.  We were east bound on highway 400 in Kansas about 35 miles east of Garden City, Kansas when our troubles started.  Loss of power and then a yellow check engine light came on.  We pulled over shut it down and called Coach Net. It was Saturday afternoon and all I really wanted was some advice as to whether or not I could drive with the yellow check engine light on.  Coach Net could not find anyone open to help.  They could have me towed, but I was not interested in that yet.  I posted on the forum.  After over an hour we tried it again.  Coach started, no engine light, so we started for Garden City and Central Power Cummins Diesel shop.  They are located at the intersection of highways 400 and 83 behind a very busy truck stop.  We pulled in late afternoon and decide to stay there until Monday and have them look at coach.  A quarter mile or so down 83 is a big feed lot.  Saturday night we had a terrific Kansas thunderstorm; we pulled the slides in and moved closer to the building. 

Monday, shortly after 7am I go into the office and ask a lady if someone could look at my coach.  Now, this is a small shop does not look busy and the first question our of the lady's mouth is "do you have an appointment"?  I'm told that late that afternoon they can look at it.  About an hour later the manager and a tech come out and check it out with a computer.  They determined that the exhaust manifold sensor is bad; we move the coach insides and they run me out.  Around 4pm they come into the waiting area and say the have it fixed.  They reloaded the software.  We go for a test drive. The service manager comments that this is the smoothest riding RV he has ever been in.  Everything is fine until I turn around about a mile down the road when the front end drops and I lose air pressure.  We limp back to the shop. It is now passed closing time. They are sure that the reeds in the compressor head are sticking. They have a simple tool to flush the head with ATF fluid, They will do that in the morning. 

We are still 480 miles from home, Springfield, MO.  We have been on vacation in Colorado.  My wife and I still work; we will retire at the end of the year.  My wife has a full day scheduled for Wednesday, so we talk about her taking the Jeep and leaving tomorrow.  Tuesday morning, when the flush did not fix the problem and we are still not building air; my wife leaves for home.  Their next step is to replace the compressor head.  When that did not fix the problem they start spraying down are lines looking for leaks. I called Enterprise Car Rental and they bring me a car.  The day ends with the manager taking me to dinner.

Wednesday there was no room in the shop for my coach so they were working on it outside by a delivery door.  This was good because they did not run be off; I was able to watch and talk to the young mechanic.  He was 24 years old and very good.  About the time he found a leak in a front HWH solenoid, I discovered that I could turn off the air suspension by pressing the stop button on the HWH control panel.  When I turn off the air suspension we immediately started building air.  So, I had a bad HWH solenoid, and not a compressor problem.  I called Foretravel and HWH, within 30 minutes James from FT called back.  He and the mechanic talked and we ordered both a raise and dump solenoid to be overnighted to Garden City, KS. Great, parts will be here in the morning.  I turn in the rental car and take the mechanic and his wife and baby out to dinner, they drive. 

Thursday morning about 9 before the UPS truck comes, I get a call from FT and I am told that my parts did not get shipped.  They apologize profusely.  I say I am disappointed but I know how that can happen; so please just get them shipped to me today.  So, I wait another day. 

Friday morning the UPS truck passes by the shop.  I call FT; get someone different and ask about my parts. He checks and tells me they were delivered and tells me who signed for them.  I tell him the person who signed is at my office in Springfield, MO and I am broke down in Garden City, KS.  FT ships new parts for Saturday delivery on UPS.  I have my office ship the miss-shipped parts to me for Saturday delivery on FEDEX.  Naturally the shop is closed on Saturday.  So I am stuck in Garden City, KS for the second weekend.  I rent another car for Enterprise and wait for my parts.  By 11am both sets of parts have arrived. 

I head out for a weekend road trip.  I head to Waynoka OK and Little Sahara State Park where there are sand dunes, think I will rent an ATV and ride the dunes.  The place is interesting but way too hot.  I head to Woodward OK and spend the night.  I drive into Texas to Canadian TX and turn north to Perryton TX and back across the panhandle of OK and to Liberal KS and back to Garden City, KS. 

Monday morning we spend about 45 minutes replacing the bad solenoid.  We find the manifold holding the solenoids to the frame has two bolts; one is broken and we cannot replace the bolt.  We wire tie the manifold to the frame and I head east.  My dash air is has not been working and is on my short list of things to have fixed next time I'm at FT.  Now my generator quits.  So no house air either.  I fuel in Dodge City, KS. About an hour out of Dodge City I loose power again and get an engine light.  Now I know that I have a clogged fuel filter.  I sit for 10 minutes and try it again; all is good.  I get about thirty miles down the road and it happen again; I call Cummins in Garden City and tell them what's going on and that I am sure I have a clogged fuel filter. We decide that I should try to make it to their sister shop in Wichita, he calls them and tells them I am coming and need a new fuel filter.  I get in a pattern; 20 to 30 miles and an engine light stop ten minutes and then continue.  I limp into the Wichita Cummins shop.  They tell me to go to the parts counter and buy the filter and they will spin it on at no charge.  Their parts counter does not have the filter; I walk next door to Kentworth and by two filters.  The next 5 hours home everything runs great.   

The silver lining to this adventure is that the solenoid went out at a Cummins shop and they were willing to help me with a non Cummins problem.  I did not have to be towed.

My mistake was to not think through the problem.  I let the Cummins people take over and follow their ideas.  At the very first I thought it was a air suspension problem.  But I'm no expert.  From about four week later it was a good experience and I learned a lot.  Right after it happened, not so much.

Roy

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Re: CK Engine light, turbo boost low (was From the side of the road)

Reply #6 – September 10, 2014, 04:16:55 pm

Roy,

I remember Paul Harvey well. We were on the opposite ends of the political spectrum but I always tried to remember to listen to his program. Good guy!

Unless you are in Europe or maybe Canada, you can never depend of getting clean diesel. We don't have inspectors traveling around dipping tanks so it's just a matter of time before you roll snake eyes. Fuel is always the first item on the check list. Either a clogged filter or air getting in somewhere. When a filter gets clogged and you don't have another, a good trick is to wait a few minutes and then take the wooden part of a hammer and bang on the side of the filter(s). This loosens the algae or dirt and it drops to the bottom of the filter. Clogged filters may idle OK but lose power going up an on ramp or grade.

Bum deal for your trip and having to get back to work. In the future (hope it never happens again), post like you did and ask for a call from one of us. Always glad to help as it could be us on the side of the road needing a little advice.

A fuel pressure gauge is a good accessory to have mounted on the discharge of your secondary filter. It lets you know that the filter is letting enough fuel through to at least idle the engine. You really need to know what the gauge reads when there is a good load on the engine. Below is a photo of the one I installed on our Detroit and also on the generator.

Some engine monitors may give you fuel pressure and fuel temperature on the laptop readout.

Better luck on your next trip,

Pierce

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Re: CK Engine light, turbo boost low (was From the side of the road)

Reply #7 – September 10, 2014, 05:18:18 pm

Roy,
 I always carry an extra filter because I have had some fuel issues in the past. I noticed once in Wisconsin that I could not accelerate up a very slight grade. Changed out the filter and it ran fine again.

Glad you got it all taken care of. Safe travels to you.

Mark

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Re: CK Engine light, turbo boost low (was From the side of the road)

Reply #8 – September 11, 2014, 12:16:08 am

We carry 3 spare fuel filter changes for engine primary & secondary and generator. Seems that if we get bad fuel, it may take more than one change go clear things up.

We mostly buy fuel at FlyingJ/Pilot truck pumps. Not only we get in & out ok, they must move a lot of fuel.

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