muddin_mavric

My truck is a 2001 2500 with a 5 speed with 134,000 miles and i bought it a little over a month ago and it was smashed. It looked like the PO had t-boned a car but it was not hard enough for the air bags to go off. At one time it looked like it had a chip on it and the pump wire was taped.

The first thing me and my dad did when i got it was try and get it running which took forever. it had been sitting for a while and we both figured it had to have been runnig when it crashed so it must still run right? well eventully we got it goin.

well now its all fixed and back on the road and i put a edge juice with att. on it and when i first installed it about one and a half weeks ago it would read 1 psi of fuel pres. with the key on before i cranked it over at all and 0 psi once it was running.

so i called edge and the guy had me bleed the return line again to make sure all the air was out. still read 0 so he had me unplug it and then it read 33 so he said the chip is fine. he sent me a new sending unit that i just installed and it reads the exact same as before.

this is my first diesel and it seems to rev way faster than i thought possible and it seems to drive great as long as i dont put my chip on 5x5 when i just roll it on in second then my engine cuts out about half way through 3rd gear about the time my turbo spools all the way up.

I just bumped the key and went and tryed to listen for a fuel pump sound and i did hear a very faint sound like that of an electric motor on its last legs. Does the fuel pump on these sound the same as one in the tank on a gasser?? Is it possible for my truck to run this good with 0 psi? my dad drove semi for a long time and he told me there no way it could be running with 0 psi. what do you guys think???

should i just go and get a new pump or should i be looking for a gauge to get a second opinion from??

thanks for any help you can give


Justin

Geico266

Welcome to DTR

Yes, it can run with zero FP, but not for long. The injection pump ($2,000 VP-44) needs excess fuel to flow though it, cool & lube it, and be returned to the fuel tank.

1. Get a new lift pump, FASS II is good, Walbro is good.
2. Get an in cab fuel pressure guage.
3. Post often to DTR and become a contributing member.

cejrunner

mine ran fine on 0psi. limped it home and replaced stock lift pump. went out again about 10,000 mi later and took the VP44 with it. $2000.00 later and about a week ago, had VP44 replaced and had FASS HPFP installed and it never ran better. some say the stock lift pumps are ok if they are moved to the frame rail by the tank, which makes them a pusher. best advice is to go with an after market delivery system. i am well pleased with my setup. would recommend the HPFP to anyone! And yes your VP44 will run on 0psi just not for long and will be very expensive.

Rabbit

oh yes it can. Mine ran great. I wouldnt have even know about the pump being bad if i hadent decided to listen to all the guys on here saying how important a fuel pressure guage was.

Ram1999

Am I the only one that finds it odd that Dodge gave us a light on the dash along with a "dinging" sound to tell us the washer fluid is low....but not a thing to tell us "low fuel pressure"!!! ??

I know when I'm out of washer fluid...it stops coming out!

A fuel pressure guage is a MUST! I really think that I ran my truck with a bad or dead LP for many months before the VP died. I didn't know any better, but learned fast that hard way of course.

sacnvr2l8

Plan on a new LP and VP now sound like you've been driving with the 0 fuel pressure...If the VP isnt dead yet It certainly isn't as healthy as it was before you ran it with no pressure.

"this is my first diesel and it seems to rev way faster than i thought possible and it seems to drive great as long as i dont put my chip on 5x5 when i just roll it on in second then my engine cuts out about half way through 3rd gear about the time my turbo spools all the way up."

Truck cuts out is good sign of dying VP "dead pedal" Check for codes, replace LP and Pray cause VP is probably close behind!

scottsjeeprolet

You can get a Campaign pump from your local Cummins shop with the low pressure CEL wiring kit for about $70.

RAFTEN

I have checked the fuel pressure for two friends in that last four years that were 0. My guess is that they both had been that way for six to 12 months as both people told me there was a "miss" while climbing hills for at least that long.

muddin_mavric

thanks for all the help. i put about 500 miles on it about half that was city driving with my lead foot. I orderd a new carter lift pump and it will be here tomarow. With how good it ran with my chip set to stock or 1 i thought there had to be at least some FP.

I hope the VP is ok. i think it was changed at least once all ready in the life of the truck judging from how much cleaner looking it is than the rest of the egnine. Is there any way to make sure the VP is ok other than just wait 10,000 miles and see if it still runs???

OUTDOORSMAN

You can check for codes with a scanner or you can try checking the codes in your odometer. fyi! turn the key on and off 2 times and on the third time leave it on and watch the odometer. It should cycle through 2 sets of codes. each time it will say "done" wait till the mileage comes back on. good luck

muddin_mavric

well i got the new pump put on and at idle i have about 13 psi and at WOT i have about 3-4 psi with my chip on 5 of course. I saw on here some place that a guy replaced all the banjo bolts with differnt fittings so i will try that and see if that helps. i was trying to avoid getting all new fuel line and moving my pump to the rear and i had to get my truck running again. Maybe ill end up doing that any ways.


while i was back there i unhooked the MAP sensor to get a better view and the PO had those dumb connectors installed on all 3 wires and the orange wire came apart where that conector was so i put it back together with some wire nuts for now. it must not have had a good conection before maybe i should check the rest of them too and now i have poor thorottle response. Kinda like what i was expecting from a diesel lol. now when i nail the gas to the floor as fast as possible it only revs to about 1300 rpm instead of redline.


thanks for all the help


Justin