I have heard a myriad of things about why they die including:

Pressure pules from VP44.
Restrictive lines and fittings.
Poor construction.
Engine vibratuion.
Physical location away from the tank.

But what actually kills them?

 

Answer D: All the above

 

Is the location of the lift pump on a dodge a rare place to put it??? All the different cars I have had, the fuel pump has been in the tank(but they have been chevy trucks). If this is a rarity(sp) why did dodge wait 7 yrs to change it?

 

The way it was explained to me is that DC wanted a "complete" engine package to drop in the truck. That included mounting a LP on the engine somewhere. This lead to the problem in that this pump was designed to push, not pull. IMHO it is vibration that kills it by destroying the internal pressure check valve. Also, it is PRE filter meaning it sees any junk in the fuel tank.

 

using them

 

Unfiltered fuel

Air

Cheap design with sub par materials

Three more for 'D' all of the above.

Scotty

 

Everybody on here is under the impression that only CTD's with lift pumps have failures and fortunately I have only changed one in 207,000 km. If we look at gas vehicles their failure rate of in tank fuel pumps is not much better despite gasoline's properties and most of them were already in the tank. CAT and Detroit diesel used transfer/lift pumps for years mounted to the engine and had their share of breakdowns but these engines operate differently than ours generally. Most big diesels are started at the beginning of the day and run at operating temperature until the day is over, there is a larger fuel supply and the fuel lines are less restrictive. The average CTD owner starts and stops frequently, the fuel system is adequate to supply the pump at best, automotive applications are engineered for "good enough" specs and DC like the others had to mess with existing systems for these power plants. So why do they fail- you take a system adequate at best and stress it with a fuel that changes viscocity continually, we try to force it through small lines and around sharp corners, we try to pump impurities from our tanks and other sources continuously including condensation and are manufactured by share holder companies profit driven in which parts are their biggest profit line. This however promotes aftermarket backyard engineers to analyze and create products that reduce/remove these deficiencies, educate our friends on poorly maintained facilities and products(diesel suppliers), and get folks together for common goals. Theoretically the Ford/Chevy diesel groups should be much bigger than ours looking at it this way-lift pumps vs injectors,fuel pumps, cooling problems, tranny problems etc. etc.!!!! Air=cavitation is the number one fluid pump killer, lubrication or lack there of, overstress- inadequate fuel supply or excess pressure and impurities. Poor workmanship, a by product of cheap labor and contracting out for profit line is increasing yearly- we are succeptable to all these conditions daily as we drive, which one or combination of things killed your lift pump. PK

 

I really don't know exactly what kills them. I do know that I replaced the lift pump in my 99 3 times after I intalled the fuel pressure gauge. Of course this was all after ny VP44 died. The 3 replacements were all about 6 months apart. In my case, I do not believe they could all have been poor construction of the pump. I had no BOMBS, did not tow heavy, nothing. On my last replacement I figured it had to do with the wiring. Maybe I had a restriction in the fuel system before the pump? Maybe the connection was bad? Maybe my FP gauge was faulty? I used fuel additive. I avoided certain fuel stations. I watched my FP gauge. I did park on an incline evry night, maybe it lost prime and cavitated? I dunno.

It's a mystery.

Another vote for all of the above.

I own a 12V now. Sunday, I'm going to make sure the KDP is taken care of. Then, I won't have anything to be paranoid about.

 

When fuel injected gassers first came out many of the electric fuel pumps were mounted under the hood or on the frame and had a high rate of failure.
Engineers figured out heat was causing the problem, solution was to move the pump into tank where the fuel would keep them cool.