Anyone else run out of diesel ?

[LandYacht35dies]

.... what a horrorShow ! .... got all sorts of suggestions.... finally got THE RIGHT INFO from a long haul trucker on another PERFORMANCE CAR FORUM who has 3.4 million miles under his belt

[wallynm]

WE installed a manual prime pump to alleviate this problem.

[Ed_Manifold]

Where was your motorhome stored, at home or in a storage lot? My wife just came and said she just read on her Next Door Neighbor app that fuel was being stolen from vehicles in storage lots in our area. we live in Rescue Ca. and keep our motorhome in a lot near Diamond Springs.With fuel prices being so high I'm afraid that we are going to see more and more of these things. On my Cat engine I had a second filter installed that has a primer pump installed on it. You might check to see if your Cummins has a primer on it. Please keep us posted on your Repairs.

[ferndaleflyer]

I once ran out of diesel sitting at the pumps waiting for a woman to get her PU out of the way. Had no clue what to due. A trucker came over and took the air cleaner loose, sprayed WD 40 in there. It started and he kept spraying until it picked up fuel and ran on its own. A few years later ran the farm tractor out of diesel and did the same thing and it started and ran fine. Was told not to use starting fluid.

[1320Fastback]

12 Valve Cummins is my daily driver. First make sure there is diesel in the fuel tank, at least 5 gallons. Remove the fuel filter and fill with diesel and reinstall. To prime you need to find the 10mm bleed screw just above the fuel filter. It will be in the center of a 17mm bolt holding the fuel delivery pipe from the filter to the injection pump. Crack the 10mm bleed screw open and manually move the lever on the fuel pump. This will remove the last bit of air in the filter housing, then tighten the 10mm screw. Crack all 6 injector lines loose at each injector and go back to the manual prime lever and manipulate it until bubbles start leaking out at the injector lines. Once it looks like pure diesel and no air tighten the line. You may have to turn/bar the motor over by hand a little to bleed the next injector. Continue untill all are bled and tighten them as you go.

I know it sounds like a lot of work and it is but it will fire and run. I've completely rebuilt my injection pump, changed injectors and lines before and it always fires off and purrs like a kitten if you take the time to purge the air out.

[NRALIFR]

I only ran a diesel out of fuel one time, on a 1984 F250 with the IH 6.9 liter. It had two tanks, and I was driving late at night. Forgot to switch tanks before it ran the first one dry. I switched when I felt it start faltering, and it came back to life so I kept going.

I don’t think I made it another 20 miles before I was on the side of the road. New injector pump time.

Fortunately, never again.

:):)

[hohenwald48]

The goal of any method is to eliminate all air from the fuel circuit. There are several mechanisms used to achieve that goal. Attempting to pressurize the system without allowing an escape for the captured air will likely not be successful.

[wa8yxm]

The Re-prime procedure depends on the ride.. May be a button. May be a sequence. May be a major PITA (Pain In The Anatomy)

Suggestion RTFM for the Engine manual that is.

[JRscooby]

I have never read the manual on any electronic engine except 3406-E, and don't remember what it says.
My fix has always been pull and fill the filters with clean fuel. Disconnect input line from filter, blow in tank until fuel comes out line. If the 2nd filter was real low, I take the input to it and repeat. Work my way up the system, bleeding air, until I get to injector or to the point where leaked fuel would get in the oil. Then I crank it.
If the primary pump is in the tank, and you can make it run you would not need the air. But a pump is often lubed by the fuel. If run dry might damage it.

[Ava]

Assuming there is enough clean fuel in the tank, that manual push lever on the pump is there to bleed the system. Open the banjo fitting on top of the inline fuel filter, and you may have to crack open a couple injectors then pump away till the fuel spits out. Good luck.

[oldave]

Yep, that's a low-down thing to do. More than likely all they wanted was the fuel.

Since you have it running off the 5 gal can, can you go fill the tank?

I have primed before by using air pressure ( low ) at the tank fill opening.
I placed a shop rag as somewhat of a seal and applied low but constant pressure
while someone has a fuel line cracked open at the engine until fuel appears.

Good luck

[pianotuna]

How awful.

I had a dual tank on my 1987 diesel class C. The switch to change to the other tank would not always work. I had to press on a dill and schraeder valve while some one else turned the key to pump fuel into the lines.

[LandYacht35dies]

jdc1 wrote:
Tank, fuel and pump were stolen? Or just the fuel?

Just the fuel as far as I know know.... but the thief could have sabotaged the inside of the tank with debris.... don’t know yet

[LandYacht35dies]

oldave wrote:
You want someone to ask what he told ya?

Ok, what was the right info?

oleD ..... he said ... I hope you didn’t run it COMPLETELY OUT of fuel !

Well I did ... the prob as I understand it ... UNLESS you have a max suction pump to pull the new fuel out of a partially filled main tank ... you’ll PLAY HELL getting the fuel up the draw tube UNLESS you have a almost totally filled tank

[jdc1]

Tank, fuel and pump were stolen? Or just the fuel?