Busboy

As has already been stated, change the fuel filter, add fuel additive, do a VOLUME check not a pressure check, reset all codes and drive it until the check engine light comes on. THEN check for codes. I think the dealer is pulling the wool over someones eyes.

mountainman

Agree - that's good advice, thanks all.
James

supr

My IP went at 53k. Why VP44's fail beyound bad LP issues, is a highly debated subject. Mine went, even though the LP was good, P216. Even had a big line kit with the LP by the tank.
Some say it is the heat cycles on the computer. Time, as well as mileage takes a toll, even with the IP.
All that being said, it is not your problem.
The other advice on here is spot on. get a second opion from an independent shop. Alert him to this site for advice on LP's, VP44's.

HOHN

My VP failed at 40K.

mountainman

Has filing a class action suit against Cummins, Bosh or Chrysler ever been discussed on this forum!? It just seems appalling to me that such vital (and very expensive) components should have such a high failure rate and so early in their service life.....

I have an MB 1985 300D with 208K and the IP is still original and still ticking (thank God)... On these Cummins engines 33K, 40K, even 100K, 200K - that should be nothing to achieve trouble free - seems to me that this is a kind of built-in obsolescence that we as consumers should not tolerate... It makes me mad.

Beast2B

I can give you three local Sacramento area diesel shops to refer him to.
-Imler Diesel, great experiences personally and a diesel performance shop
-Orangevale Diesel, no service personally but well respected local shop
-Diesel Nut Motorsports, newer shop but leans towards performance, great guys

mountainman

Thanks, appreciate it -

D2 Cat

Mountainman, I'd let the owner of the truck solve the problem. The more you get involved, as in referring names, the more you're going to be contacted and involved deeper.

Send him to this forum, or others. Suggest the dealer may not be as skilled at diagnosing the particular problem as the truck owner may believe. Tell him about a lift pump and it's cost. Then back away. Have him do a search for himself and become responsible for his decisions.

If you feel guilty, or have a "gotta make him feel good attitude" you're going to have more headaches then you can imagine.

People gotta learn critical thinking, decision making, and take responsibility. The sooner the pain is felt the sooner it's considered next time. Might sound tough, but man, we gotta grow up!

tankeryanker

I would not only point him to this site, but also to this thread.

retirednak

Any privately owned vehicle sold by law is "as is" unless you offered him a warranty of some kind. Don't worry about it. Its up to the buyer to have said vehicle checked out before purchase.

JasonblkZ06

I bet the injection pump is fine. Have him install a FASS or an Airdog replacement lift pump, clear the codes and as suggested by someone, run lots of fuel system cleaner through it. He must be clueless if he is taking it to a dealership in the first place, so sounds like he will need to find a shop to install the lift pump. The pump is $500 for a 100 or 150 and is far superior to the stock setup. It also replaces the fuel filter stuff. You could have him do all of this and see what happens with the code.

I am guessing it will be fine after doing this, so depending on your conscience and what will let you sleep at night, you could offer to pay 1/2 or nothing at all - it is his problem now, but at the same time if you were in his shoes you would be pretty upset I imagine.

JasonblkZ06

What was the cause? Did you have good fuel pressure?

I replaced my lift pump when it used to be around 13-14 psi it slowly dropped down to 11-12 psi. The day it dropped down that 1-2 psi is when I added an AD. I always run 2 stroke oil in my fuel and I just hit 124K on my original VP.

Do HO VPs have better reliability or track records than the SO?

mountainman

I don't have any idea what the fuel pressure was - the truck was bone-stock with no guages. I thought about installing a fuel pressure monitoring guages but I never did.

texan15

As others have thoroughly mentioned, it's most likely the LP that's gone hay-wire. An easy fix, mention to the fellow to look at FASS or AIRDOG and then wish him luck. Other than that, if you try to help him out more than that you're in for some mighty headaches. Don't get too involved 'cause then he'll be sayin' you told him to do things he didn't want to do, and in the end prolly screw you over. I had the same problem with mine, was the LP, thank goodness, fixed it and now runs perfect with 560,xxx mi.

JasonblkZ06

It seems like most people that have had to replace a VP was before they added gauges, so your lift pump was bad which caused the VP to go out. You are helping give the VP a bad rep when it was your fault for not having a fuel pressure gauge installed and replacing the lift pump. These should be the first 2 things done to any 98.5-02 Cummins.