Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) oh crap!!!! LP problems perhaps???

[Wyomingcowboy]

On a 2. 5 hr drive today I was victim to some surging at 75mph speeds. At first I thought it was back wheels spinning on the black ice... which it sometimes was. But I then noticed it on dry spots of road also and in town at much slower speeds. I thought it might be just a bad tank of fuel so I put in 2 bottles of Stanadyne and replaced the fuel filter I had just bought yesterday (I want to extend a thanks to Checker auto in Cheyenne for the loan of a wrench) I then added 10 or so gallons of fresh fuel from Loves and headed home. I made it 2 hrs. with no problems and got then got about 6 more surges on dry road that felt just like this morning. I can't tell you fuel pressure due to my non-working POS quadzilla recon, but I plan to borrow a gauge of some sort this week and test it.

Is this what a bad LP feels like??? Man, I hope not! I know I cannot hold quad liable for anything, but having fuel pressure 6 freakin months ago when I first bought their product would have sure helped me out here!!

 

[PC12Driver]

Does it surge above or below that rpm/speed? Depending on how dramatic the surging is, maybe the APPS has developed a flat spot?



When mine was going bad, it felt like a slight, random tugging.



*edit*

I just caught that you have an ETH. Does the surge happen with cruise engaged? (cruise bypasses the APPS on a manual truck)

 

[Wyomingcowboy]

The surge occured with cruise on AND off and at 75mph and also 20-30mph through town. I am still hoping it is just bad fuel. I will try to burn off this tank this week and fill up with some different stuff. I got no water in fuel warning lights or anything though.

 

[waltk]

Ummmm... not wanting to be a fear-monger... but your symptom describes a soon-to-fail VP44... based-upon your description...

 

[Wyomingcowboy]

the funny thing is that it never once happened until yesterday, then it happened several times throughout the day.....



I managed to borrow a fuel pressure gauge today and will check it tomorrow after school. (Had Parent Teacher conferences from 12-7 today... I need rest!!!) I guess we will see what kinda pressure I am pulling. My quad gauge has never registered pressure except for a few times when it would sputter a 1. I am hoping I don't need to eat a whole murder of crows with my lambasting of quad on here lately... .



*Question* - how long would it take to kill my VP-44 with 0-1 psi?

 

[qzilla]

How do you know the gauge is not working if you have not checked it against something? Especially if you think you might be having a FP pressure problem?

 

[Wyomingcowboy]

I will test FP tomorrow in the daylight. (I need to remove FP sending unit #4 and re-install schrader valve) The first unit/sender combo read 0 psi. That is why I ask the question about life of the VP-44 with 0 psi. It has been 5. 5 months since original install. My guess is that 0 psi for that amount of time would surely have fried the VP long ago????? I had no symptoms before yesterday.

 

[bnbrown]

before I found TDR I ran my '99 with less than 0 psi for the first year I had it... there was even some plastic wrapped around the holes on the banjo coming into the LP... it was bad enough it would stutter sometimes after a long hard run... I dont know how long it was like this as I bought it at 90k miles and didnt know to check the LP until I had probably 125k miles on it, the LP was dead as a door nail. The VP made it to almost 250k miles after that... my friend '02 on the other hand, similar deal, bought it with 100k on the clock, dead LP... replaced at time of purchase. . but VP only made it to 150k...
I didnt see if you had checked codes... I would do that first thing... if it was the VP taking that final walk I would expect codes.
I had problems with fuel filters from autozone (havent tried checker)... was running bio diesel at the time and those filters for some reason would start out ok, but would go to 0 psi after maybe one tank. . napa filter now at 5k miles no change in psi from new...

 

[Wyomingcowboy]

before I found TDR I ran my '99 with less than 0 psi for the first year I had it... there was even some plastic wrapped around the holes on the banjo coming into the LP... it was bad enough it would stutter sometimes after a long hard run... I dont know how long it was like this as I bought it at 90k miles and didnt know to check the LP until I had probably 125k miles on it, the LP was dead as a door nail. The VP made it to almost 250k miles after that... my friend '02 on the other hand, similar deal, bought it with 100k on the clock, dead LP... replaced at time of purchase. . but VP only made it to 150k...

I didnt see if you had checked codes... I would do that first thing... if it was the VP taking that final walk I would expect codes.

I had problems with fuel filters from autozone (havent tried checker)... was running bio diesel at the time and those filters for some reason would start out ok, but would go to 0 psi after maybe one tank. . napa filter now at 5k miles no change in psi from new...

Do you really live in Virginia Dale?

 

[CyberRanger]

Yep, he does. He lives a 1/2 mile north of me although its about an 8 mile drive to get to his house via normal roads.



FWIW, I'm about 3 miles due east of Virginia Dale & 3 miles south of the border. We're off the Harriman/Red Mountain Road.



Your symptoms sure do sound like a VP44 goin' south. Kotby in Laramie replaced ours 5 times under warranty. The last time, they did the '05 lift pump retrofit, which helped the VP44 live longer, but I didn't like how it ran between 4 & 7 psi most of the time & would head for zero on long climbs under a heavy foot. Once it was out of warranty (at 100K) I switched over to the R. A. S. P. pump. It was kind of a pain to install with all the plumbing required, but I sure like how it works. I discovered I was able to get all my Fragola fittings out of Fort Collins.



There's 2 more TDR members down here within a mile of bnbrown besides me.

 

[Wyomingcowboy]

There's 2 more TDR members down here within a mile of bnbrown besides me.

OIC... . didn't know anyone could live out there with all of the wind! I worked for some people out of Livermore one summer while I was going to school in Laramie. I also commuted that way twice a week all winter back in '04-'05.

 

[Wyomingcowboy]

Why do you suppose you went through so many Vp's?

 

[CyberRanger]

The lift pump kept dying... repeatedly. The 1st three were w/ the pump still mounted on the side of the block. The last two occurred just before the retrofit & just before it went out of warranty.



We don't have the persistant wind they do in Laramie or north of I-80. But it does seem to blow harder here than up there. We don't have to worry about raking leaves or picking up trash. It all ends up in Weld County.

 

[PBliss]

Before I had a FP gauge I had two LP's go out and the symptom was a stutter/miss WOT or moderate throtle. The day I installed my edge j/a I had 5psi at idle and 0 WOT. That was it for me and the stock LP(s).

 

[bnbrown]

The wind aint so bad...
I finally got my '99 back too... so have to watch out for that now
I was up in Cody a couple months back, dropping a horse off, came up through thermopolis... then back down through Casper. A little different country there.
Did you get a chance to check for codes?

 

[Wyomingcowboy]

The wind aint so bad...

I finally got my '99 back too... so have to watch out for that now

I was up in Cody a couple months back, dropping a horse off, came up through thermopolis... then back down through Casper. A little different country there.

Did you get a chance to check for codes?

I did check for codes tonight. I got 2 of them:



P1488 - Auxiliary 5 Volt Supply Output Too Low (NO idea what that means)

P1693 - DTC Detected In ECM Or PCM



(both are according to my google search and were found under Chrysler trouble codes. )

 

[bnbrown]

hmm I guess I would be checking all the grounds... pull, clean, lube. . the usual. The 1693 means there is a code set in one of the other modules, guess it could be from the 1488.
I would start with the grounds and hope that helps... if not hmm beyond my experience...
Anothing thing, seems like I remember you were having some trouble with slow starts? maybe I am thinking of someone else...
It seems like I read somewhere that if you have a bad battery it can throw some pcm or ecm voltage codes... just something else to check if you disconnect the batts...