[Richard]

Mr Ole,

I hope I am helping and not sending you down the wrong path. From your posting history, I see the coach is relatively new to you. I am going to suggest a few things in detail that you may or may not be aware of.

Let’s start with your reply “tried it 15 or 20 times” till the batteries are going down. So keeping in mind, because I am SO guilty of this myself, the armchair mechanics ONLY know what you write. Sometimes the devil is in the fine print. So forgive me for asking a dumb question, did you use the primer pump to reprime on EACH attempt?

Second, about the batteries. I don’t know if the coach is plugged in, and even if it is plugged in if there is an echo charger to charge the cranking batteries. Newell equips the coaches with a MERGE switch which combines the house batteries and the cranking batteries. If you are plugged in, I would make sure the inverter is charging the house batteries, and then activate the merge switch. To verify that the chassis batteries are indeed charging, I would use my voltmeter before and after merging. Obviously the voltage should be a bit higher by a tenth or two when the batteries are being charged. Now, if the coach is not plugged in, crank the generator. Again, ensure the inverter is charging the house batteries. Since it isn’t plugged in, give the gen about an hour to bring the house batteries up, and then activate the MERGE. Use the voltmeter to ensure that you are indeed charging the chassis batteries. Why do all this, diesel engines need to turn over at a minimum RPM to generate enough compression to make the engine fire off.

Third thing, when you are trying to crank the engine, you said you get the check and stop lights to come on and then go off. That’s good. At the time you are trying to crank the engine, leave the key in the ON position and look at the Prodriver to see if you have any error codes. Please let us know if you have codes and confirm that you do not have codes.

I am happy that Jeff may be able to help you, if we were still in Florida, I would also wander down and see if I could confuse the issue even more.

Fourth thing, there is a very simple but messy way to determine if the fuel pump is indeed pumping fuel. Loosen the output line on the pump, cover the area with rags, lot’s of rags, and turn the engine over for 15 seconds. If the pump is pumping fuel, you will have some diesel soaked rags.


If you do not have diesel soak rags, then you are going to have to force prime the system. I keep forgetting that most folks are not ex plumbers like me. You can get everything you need to force prime the system at an ACE hardware or Lowes/Home Depot. First obtain a new pump up bug sprayer, two gallon would be perfect. Remove the spray end from the hose and go to the plumbing section. You are looking for a hose barb fitting that will snugly slip into the hose. The next thing you need is a FLARED fitting to mate to the fitting on the intake side of the fuel filter. Don’t get caught up in the fact that the flared fitting is not automotive grade. This is a temporary setup. Both the automotive grade and the ACE variety are 37 degree JIC fittings and it will seal. Now all you have to do is mate the pipe thread of the hose barb to the flared fitting. Tighten it all up, and pump up the sprayer to force fuel into the filter. If you do indeed have a lost prime issue, this will either crank the engine or confirm that the problem is something else.

Why am I harping on the lost prime?
1. Sputter and stall sound like a fuel issue
2. Tried to crank but sputtered and stalled after a new filter.
3. The number one cause of any diesel engine not running.

In my way of going about this problem, I have to absolutely eliminate fuel before I go after more unlikely causes.