dodgeguy71

So I left out of Buffalo, NY this morning at 4am(central time) got about 50 or so miles out of Buffalo and then happened to look at my gauges.....HOLY S!!!!!!!!!!!TTTTT!!!!! Why does my fuel pressure gauge say zero??? Spent 3 days up there driving around and now.....??? So I pull off to the side of the road remembering what the guy at Cummins said, crack open the valve on the fuel filter drain, if it keeps running your pump is good, if it starts to dye or dies.....pump is bad. So I crack the water drain valve on the fuel filter. I would not say it was gushing fuel out, but it was not dribbling, it was pouring out a stream as big as the hose. So I think, well it must be that gauge(three months old). So I drive to the other side of Cleveland and stop at a choke and puke to feed my yardapes. Next stop to top off the fuel. Crack the line loose at the injection pump from fuel filter and diesel sprays all over from the pressure. So convinced that it must be a gauge I keep on.

Thought about a fuel filter....the one that is in there is only 2 months old?? Maybe......can't find a darn parts house anywhere, get off exits, drive around get mad and jump on the interstate, did that 4 times and figured after 500 miles the damage would have been done. I think when you first start it after sitting at a gas station, it would move up to around 3-4 then nothing. After a 100 miles it would be resting against the gauge peg. When it was at the 3-4 range and you romped on it the gauge would do nothing, I would expect it to drop, but it did nothing, not even the slightest wobble. The performance of the truck was the same as usual. Pull up hills great, everytime I shut it off and came back it would start right up.

I am going to check fuel pressure with my guage at work tomorrow but I am betting on a crappy guage......your thoughts?? 800 miles with no fuel pressure that is kinda hard to believe, plus several pit stops, breaks etc for the kids and started perfectly everytime. Only problem I had with the truck in 1800 miles was some aftermarket mumbo jumbo....what the F_______!!!

greasemonki

I had a problem with my gauge not too long ago as well.
When I'd start it, pressure would come up and read 14 psi. Then as i ran the truck, the pressure would slowly drop, and continue till the needle was resting on the peg. I'd shut the truck off and depending on the amount of time, when I started it, the pressure would come up, if it only sat for an hr or so, pressure would read 5-9 lbs, if it sat for a few hrs, it would read 12-14.

I have a fuel isolator, the hose on the non-fuel side had a pinhole leak at one of the fittings, and would slowly lose pressure. Since the diaphram only moves so much in the isolator, as it lost "material" on one side, the pressure on that side(gauge) would drop. After letting it sit, it would draw air back into the gauge side, and be able to build pressure. I have no idea if it helps, I'm just throwing it out there.

Homestead

In most cases, the truck will run just fine without as lift pump. It will take the VP out down the road.

I had a lift pump barf sometime ago and the only reason I know it died is the pressure guage went south in a hurry. Truck ran just fine during that time. VP died about a week later and I only drove the truck about 30 miles without a lift pump.

Hopefully it's just the guage in your case.

Jeff

dodgeguy71

After 800 miles I would have expected the vp to turn belly up, especially at 70-80mph for 13-14 hours.

P.J

You have an isolator set up right? Trash the isolator and run straight mechanical from now on, problem solved.

dodgeguy71

checked fuel pressure off the bottom of the filter, 15psi at idle......gauge says.......0!! Did find a small leak at the back of the gauge however. Gonna fix that and see what happens...off course go through the bleeding air crapola again...

P.J

Refer to my last post.

There should be no air bleeding process, air reads pressure to the gauge the same as some liquid, all liquid or NO liquid at all. Is your line from the isolator filled with anti-freeze?

dodgeguy71

yep, it's filled with antifreeze....guy at work asked if I filled it with GM's dexcool....he said, "well theres the problem, that's why it is leaking coolant!". He said I should have used Dodge coolant or Toyota....anything but GM. I'm gonna try and fix the leak this week...it's weird, worked great. I hate to dump the isolator, then I would have leaking diesel fuel on my dash instead off coolant....plus the warranty on my gauge. I have heard many times...dump the isolator.....maybe one day I'll wise up

P.J

It's whatever you are comfortable with. Correct, if you had been straight fuel to the gauge you would have had yourself a fuel spill.