Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) lots of problems no solutions need help

[Mhannink]

ok so my truck is acting real funny. my lp doesnt always want to run it is an aeromotive a1000 mounted on the frame rail w/ big lines. i put a new relay in but what happens is it will start run for a second or 2 then die and the lp wont kick on. have to play w/ the wires and then its fine.



next problem truck will run fine good power and all when i get to a stop it will chug like a big pull truck and then die. starts back up right away and fuel pressure is good. it does this at random sometimes it will always do it others its more speratic and yet other times its not at all. i also notice that it flutters sometimes like it missed and injection but its real faint and still seems pretty smooth. maybe more like firing late. the ip is brand new only 2 or 3 weeks old. again fuel pressure is real good.



third problem is fuel pressure sometimes it will sit at the regulated point of 15 psi but most times its juts pregged at 30. i think this might be connected w/ the lp.



fourth problem. i get a dead pedal kinda deal though its useally when cold and its not really dead the pedal just doesnt respond fast and it acts like its missing when it does it. think reving on 3 cylinders. checked all connections and they seem fine. this problem is also speratic. sometimes its bad and goes away most times it doesnt ever show up.



ok last problem for now probably the least annoying. the very bottom injection line has takin a liking to falling off every week or so. i get it good and tight yet its still unscrewing itself at the pump. can i loctite this or will it be a problem getting into the fuel?



this is all the info i can think of on these problems right now. ill provide more when i think of it. but i wanna know whats wrong. this truck is the second dodge i have had problems w/ and am getting tired of it. even though all my buddies w/ dodges never have problems. help me guys i want this truck to drive nice. thanks ya'll in advanced.

 

[master1578]

Hopefully someone who actually knows something will help you out. Until they post, here's my un-educated guess. It sounds to me as though you have 2 problems.



1) You need to check / replace the wiring for the lp. If you have to play with the wires to get it running it's probably cutting in and out when you're driving.



2) You need to look real close at that injector line. Something must be bent, broke, or mutilated if that keeps coming loose. That's probably the cause of your poor running problems.



Good Luck

 

[AndrewGray]

You obviously have a wiring problem. Start at your pump. Check the wires there if they are mounted on posts on your pump. Clean them !! Then check your connections from there. Make sure your ground is clean of any dirt or paint. Check your wires to make sure they arent rubbing or are cut . Use di-electric grease on your connections.



I have never came across where a fuel line vibrates loose unless it wasnt tight in the first place. Double check the bolt. Make sure the threads are good on the bolt and in the pump. I would get a new bolt and washer for it and try that. If you have that much vibration on the pump that its lossening the fuel line, it leads me to think your pump mounting bracket is loose or broken and /or pump bolts are loose. Check them!! That alone will kill your pump!!



As for your missing and dead pedal. Go have it checked for codes. The way you stated seems to me with the loss of fuel and the dedal pedal on numerous times has killed your injection pump. Get your LP wiring figured out ASAP and then try it but I think you may have taken out your IP.



Hope I have given you some help. Others will chime in with better ideas.

 

[Mhannink]

well i checked all the connections to the pump and they are good. the problem is when the truck starts it runs for a second or 2 and then shuts off like i turned the truck off. i dont know if i made that part clear before buts it fires right up the idle sounds a little high when it does it but the tach says its idling fine. it will run for 1 to 2 seconds and shuts off.



ive noticed that the chugging is becoming more freguent and more random. before when it was coming off a hard run now its takes less and less. am i getting air in the lines? like i mentioned it chugs like a pull truck and can go from 700 to 1000 rpms doing it.



the injector line has yet to come off again wich it is about due but i know the threads are clean and good and the nut was tight belive me i crancked down on it.



something i should clarify on the lp is when i say i play w/ the wires i meant im unplugging and replugging the relay and then it works again

 

[Mhannink]

the other thing im noticing is the stalls a lot more then before i put the pump on. whats happening is say im manuvering around slow speed little throttle. ill pull up put it in reverse throttle it to move in the sand that im in let off after it moves and it dies. acts like i dumped the clutch. restarts just fine like nothing is wrong. im not so worried about this as my buddies truck does it to since he put his sun coast transmission in but its not done it like easily or often before my hot rod pump. any ideas?

 

[PRout]

Almost sounds like the crankshaft position sensor may be intermittent which can cause your lift pump to not run while the motor is running. That will cause a stall. Also it would cause it to chug at idle (if im interpreting your description correctly). Anyways, you need to check the codes for clues. I could be way off here, but thats the first thing I think of when it has an intermittent bad idle and the lift pump stops running when it should be going.

Have no idea why an injector line would keep coming loose except that the threads may be buggered up. Seems like there would be an air leak there at a minimum which wouldnt help matters.

Just throwing some ideas out there to think about. Am probably way off. .

Also, are you saying the lift pump quits running while the motor is running, or does it run for a few seconds and stop before the motor is started? You do know it is normal for the lift pump to stop if the motor isnt started right? The ecm is programmed to stop the pump if the motor has not started.

 

[Mhannink]

Almost sounds like the crankshaft position sensor may be intermittent which can cause your lift pump to not run while the motor is running. That will cause a stall. Also it would cause it to chug at idle (if im interpreting your description correctly). Anyways, you need to check the codes for clues. I could be way off here, but thats the first thing I think of when it has an intermittent bad idle and the lift pump stops running when it should be going.



Have no idea why an injector line would keep coming loose except that the threads may be buggered up. Seems like there would be an air leak there at a minimum which wouldnt help matters.



Just throwing some ideas out there to think about. Am probably way off. .



Also, are you saying the lift pump quits running while the motor is running, or does it run for a few seconds and stop before the motor is started? You do know it is normal for the lift pump to stop if the motor isnt started right? The ecm is programmed to stop the pump if the motor has not started.

the lp runs normal untill it dies. what happens i turn the key forward and the lp buzzes just a split second then fires off when i start the truck. the motor runs for about 2 seconds and then dies like i shut the key off. afterwards the lp wont restart w/o playing w/ the relay. then it will fire up and i have to crank the engine like it ran out of fuel. when the truck chugs and dies or stalls it fires right up w/o problem and the lp is fine.



i did pull codes a while after this all started happening and all i got was map sensor voltage was incorrect. there is a cel on now but it does this randomly and like said last time it was the map. ill see if i can pull codes this weekend but i doubt it would reveal much. is there a way of testing the cps also where is it located.



also do these trucks use crank or cam postion sensors

 

[Mhannink]

ok so i replaced the crank sensor and it ran great for like 3 days. would still chug but would keep running. starting issue went away along w/ the ''dead pedal'' today however it acted up and got worse. to top it off the truck died. took off from a stop sign and it went blah and stopped running)like i turned it off only i didnt) and now wont restart. thought it was fuel since i was very low put some in and nothing wont even hickup. now i just replaced my injection pump not very long ago and when it died it did the same blah like i shut the key off thing. im hoping this is not a bad pump again. i pulled codes earlier tonight and had j1639 i think the communtication more to come code and the map sensor low voltage code which has been there for a while off and on. help om getting tired of being left on the side of the road w/ these dodges. makes me wanna get a ford like my dads since his seems to never break. anyways i need help what do ya'll got for thoughts let me hear em. thanks in advanced

 

[FYarcho]

There is a remote possiblity that all your problems could be tied to one thing. I would suggest unplugging the wiring harness from your ECM make sure there is not any corrosion in the connections. Clean it good and put some electric grease on and put it back, and make sure its tight. Then I would follow the wiring harness and look for anything that may be damaged or coroded. Also check battery connections, and battery cables for damage and corrosion. Just my thoughts considering all your problems seem to be on the electrical side of things and not so much mechanical.

 

[FYarcho]

Just thought of something else. May possibly have a bad ignition switch. Just worn out and doesnt make the connections like it should.

 

[WestTN]

You need to get the fuel pressure down. 30 psi is way too high.

 

[PRout]

getting tired of being left on the side of the road w/ these dodges. makes me wanna get a ford like my dads since his seems to never break.

Running Jammer 5's, Drag Comp, Hot Rod VP44, and supplying 30 Psi to it arent necessarily the best mods for increasing reliability. . Makes me wonder how its been driven as well.

Have you corrected the injector line that has been coming loose? Seems like that would cause all sorts of problems.

 

[Mhannink]

the injector line is no longer coming loose. i know 30 psi is bad. the regulator i have in it seems not to be working as i keep adjusting it and its not droping. it gets drivin hard on the weekends when all my friends want to see my truck smoke and spool up like a pull truck. wich by the way it stalls out when i let off. other wise its driven gently not over 20 psi boost.



im gonna test the pump to see if its bad. if its fine ill look at the electrical connections.



one other things a buddy said my tips are bad or my fuel filter is clogged is that a possibilty. when my filter cloggs the fuel pressure drops on the guage so i dont think its that but maybe the tips.



on the ignition switch it is a little worn as the key wont come all the way out but can move when in any postion. something like a 1/4 inh or more. idk if that would be sins of wear though.

 

[Mhannink]

ok so i checked the vp and its pushing fuel though it doesnt come out w/ a lot og force like i think it would but at the same i time i remember this one not doing that when it was just installed either so i think its normal. add to that when the old one died it didnt push any fuel at all.



so what i did today was replace the filter and cracked an injector line and it is pushing fuel and getting fuel so whats next. i aslo pulled the bat cables and let the comp reset but got no change.

 

[BLively]

just curious, but have you tapped the pump wire?

 

[Mhannink]

yes the pump wire is tapped. but the chip makes no difference on or off.

 

[PRout]

Might try disconnecting the Drag comp (completely). Maybe it poofed out on you. It wouldnt be the first time.

 

[Mhannink]

well discnnected the chip and nothing still. the thing im not getting is i have fuel comming out of the vp adn its not starting. shouldnt it start if there is fuel

 

[BLively]

i was asking cuz one time i installed my pump and tapped the wire with it off the truck, and the computer on top of the pump shorted out and left me stranded after about 500 miles! sent it back and they said that somehow i must have crossed or touched the two wires together and shorted the thing out. i still had fuel coming out of the lines, but that thing wouldnt start to save its life! if you know someone that has a tool that eliminates the electronics from the pump, and see if it will start strictly by itself, that might knock out one more step... the shop i take my truck to has one of these tools, but i have no clue what its called...

 

[Mhannink]

well i there is about 1000+ miles on this pump. though what you descirbed could still happen i suppose. would this sort of problem throw any codes? i have a smarty coming later this afternoon to pull codes. so we'll see. im thinking that all thats left could anything else be the cause? is it is shorted does that mean a whole new pump or can new electronics be put in it?