cummins hesitating

[Ryan_V]

Took family out tonite. On the way to town the truck hesitated on my way out of the driveway. country house, trying to get up to highway speed. let off, stepped back down, no further issues. dropped off kids at grandpas, went out with wife for dinner, got kids again, back twards home. once on the road, there was a car going 20 mph. tried stepping on it to get around, and there was nothing. it whined a little, rpm went up a little, but no throttle.. slid back in line. once I hit 40 or so, it cleared out and i got up to highway speed. Next stop sign, same thing, zero power at start, had to feather it to get up speed, then again at about 40, she cleared out and I accelerated. when at highway speed I tested it and stepped her down, and same reaction. any ideas?? fuel filter?? fuel pump???? it's an 08 dodge 6.7 cummins. only 35k miles. I also noticed that when Iturned on the exhaust brake, it didn't make the same noise it usually does. going to call the dealer next week, but thought I would check with you fellas first. Valv??? anyone else???

[highlife4me]

Sounds like you need to change the fuel filter.

[PurpleFloyd]

Hopefully it isn't the EGR valve or the DPF filter being plugged.

I would start looking at the fuel filter as stated above if you haven't changed that. Next the Accelerator Pedal Position Sensor, the lift pump and the injector pump and go from there.

[Ryan_V]

is the fuel filter something I can do myself? where can I find it on the truck? are they usually along the frame? it is under warranty yet, so I'm stuck planning on bringing it to the dealer

[highlife4me]

I doubt this would be covered under warranty. If you can change oil, you can change a fuel filter. The filter is inside a canister behind the drivers side front wheel. Need to remove an access panel to get to it. I am sure there would be a decent video online to show you how to do it step by step. If this is the original fuel filter in your truck it is long overdue.

[PurpleFloyd]

I change my fuel filter every other oil change or 10,000 miles. It is not a warranty item and is as easy to change as the oil filter. You need to remove the inner fender liner on the drivers side and it is right there next to the engine. Many parts stores try to sell you the plastic housing for over a hundred dollars but unless you break something you only need the pleated filter that goes inside and the red o ring that seals the cover to the housing. There are utube videos that show you how to do it and if you go to any of the many Ram Cummins forums you can generally find info there if you need it. As I said if you can change the oil filter this is only a tad more involved than that and certainly a DIY project if you have the time. If you have your oil changed by someone else they can change the filter.

[PurpleFloyd]

HL4M- Ha! beat me to it lol.

[Ryan_V]

how is the housing removed to get to the filter? unscrew?

[Ryan_V]

my next question.... when I change the filter, do i need to fill up the housing with fuel? Or can I prime it by turning the key a couple times?

[highlife4me]

Just turn the key on a few times. It is self priming.

[Ryan_V]

Got it installed. had no issues. drove it a few miles, no problems. now I drove to town and I got the " water in fuel" light alert. is this normal? do I need to drain the housing when I get home? any other ideas?

[highlife4me]

Try unplugging the sensor and plug it back in. Might be a bad contact, you could also put a little dielectric grease on the plug in too.