gregg rath

i have had my engine light come on several times going from phoenix to flagstaff at 7000 feet. when i came back down the mountain, eventually the light went off. I took it to a shop who put the computer on it to check the history which said there was a problem with the injection system. Talked to dealer who said that the injection pump might be weak and dying. They also said 3 grand to fix it. Does this sound right? i have only 69000 miles on it. Also, they told me to drive it until the light stays on and that if the pump went bad it wont cause any damage to the motor. Sound right? dunno. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks Gregg.

Crossy's son

Wrong Section, This is for 89-93 Trucks.

Moderator will move your question to the correct section for 98.5-02 trucks

gregg rath

thanks dude, first thread. sorry.

FFmike

Try and see if they didn't erase the codes and see what comes up on your odometer by cycling the key three times on/off and leave on the third time without starting. Should get a 1693 first, then see what comes from second part. Those are the codes that would shed some light on the subject. Post your findings and others will beat me to it to tell you what the codes translate to.

You also don't have any info listed about your truck to let others here on the boards know if it's a bone stock truck with no add-ons or not, with the least being any monitoring equipment as in a fuel pressure gauge, which would let you and others on here know if your injection pump is getting enough fuel or not. Did the shop with the computer hookup mention anything more specific as what kind of problems? Did they do a fuel pressure check themselves? Also, have you checked or changed your fuel filter?

As for the price, if it was from the dealer as you didn't specify them or the shop, I want to say I've heard it in that range. An injection pump will run you just a little over a grand, so the rest would be their labor. And possibly also that the dealer is going to want to install an in-tank lift pump, not sure of price, as they will tell you a new one is required for the warranty on the injection pump and that they don't do the ones on the block any more so they'll have to drop your tank and all. This all coming from a friend of mine who had a dealership work on his years ago.

Junk Man

Injection pump is $1000 + approx 4 hrs install. Check Blue Chip for more diagnosis. I got bids on a VP at dieselbombers then got a local guy to price match. You need more information before throwing a VP at it. Pull codes - borrow a scanner from the parts store.

gregg rath

I love learning new things. I turned on and off the ignition and the two codes were as follows: PCU 1693 and then ECU 216 whatever that means. If anyone can shed some light on it, that would be great. I did visit with a Dodge dude at Bullet Proof Diesel in Mesa Arizona who believed i should start off with a new lift pump from air dog. Looked it up, easy install, what do you think. The light came on again this weekend, but still no performance differences.

Junk Man

1693 = companion code which can be ignored. Search for more details.
0216 is injection timing which means VP likely bad.

AND

Do your research before buying a VP. See my previous post as I just went through the ENTIRE process including buying an installing a bad VP from the rebuilder. Search dieseldanmac vp install at youtube for install videos which match the FSM.

You also need gauges and a better fuel system if you are running stock now. Again, more info than you need in the archives.

duster75

As junk man said do research who you buy your new pump from. There are good 1's and bad 1's out there. You only want to do it once. Air dogs are good I installed mine 2 weeks before V.P went south, get a fuel pressure gauge while your at it too. Nate

gregg rath

Thanks for the info. Help me out as i'm new, not mechanically de-clined, but still new. VP is the same as injector pump correct? Lift pump is the inline which feeds the injector pump, right? With regards to the codes from the ignition trick, is that satisfactory or is there a more thorough way of determining the correct codes. I hope i dont seem to elimentary to you, just want to do it right without throwing unnecessary work into it. Thanks for your patience!

Junk Man

Pull codes. Do some searches. Look up info at Blue Chip. Check out MWFI. Get ready for VP, fuel system & gauges. All are in the archives.

duster75

V.P = injector pump main pump
lift pump= pulls fuel to v.p replace with air dog fass etc. do not put in tank pump in they are a fact. bandaid that was junk
As far as codes key thing will get you there but a code scanner is better, some places loan them for free (oreilley's) and you have ability to clear codes after fixed. Nate
http://www.bluechipdiesel.com/fassinfo.html

Midnite

Greg, one of the things I found it tough to get used to when I first started on boards like this one was trying to figure out what all the acronyms and abbreviations were. VP is short for VP44, which the model number of the injection pump. You're correct about the lift pump, which I've also seen referred to as the transfer pump.

The Airdog is good and is much, much better than both the stock lift pump and also the newer in-tank replacement any dealer would give you. Nate is right about them being junk. I personally have a FASS which is very similar to the Airdog, and I've been extremely happy with it.

On the codes, I'd do what Nate suggests and go to O'reilley's or Autozone or some place like that that will pull the codes for you for free. The key trick won't show you all the codes that may have been set. Based on the 0216 code you saw though, it's probably safe to say your injection pump is on it's last leg. I think if it were me I'd buy a Special X pump from Blue Chip Diesel. Regardless of how you get it replaced, I'd have to strongly recommend against taking it to a dealer. They'll almost certainly replace your stock lift pump with the crappy in-tank model, and charge you way too much after it's all said and done.

Good luck,
Mike

gregg rath

Mike, thanks for the info. I just spoke with Chip from Blue Chip who agrees with you. He thinks a lift pump will take care of the situation. Interesting though, i read two different codes. first the 216 which indicates the injector pump. the 1693 code, according to Chip, indicates that something else may ail the truck. He also advised to go back to the parts store and read the pcm to see if any other codes might flash. i think i will go with the fass and a fuel pressure light so i will at least "know" more. for $275, pretty cheap insurance and if the vp goes bad, already have the new lift pump. I think i'm finally heading in the right direction. thanks for all the info, will post my success. thanks Gregg

Junk Man

You may want to add mechanical fuel pressure gauge with the light else you'll be wondering if the light is correct. Gauge indicates pressure, light alerts you to pay attention to the gauge. Gauges look nice on the A pillar. Room for 3 or 4 - FP, boost, EGT, trans temp if you have an auto.

BigGreen

Does the fuel pressure gauge measure the pressure of the lift pump or the injector pump or both together?