I am going to order a pressure gauge today.
One thing I wonder about, thinking out ahead, is the possibility that the lift pump is not getting 12 volts through its leads to trigger it. Do we ever see that? What is the source of this 25 second signal we hope to see during the bumping of the starter? A computer?
The pump I put on is a brand new Cummins pump, just like the original, I got three or four years ago.
Continuing to reveal how little I know... . what and where is the ECM? I recall learning that the truck as a computer that is from Cummins, and another that is from Chrysler. Are you meaning the engine's computer? ... . and where is it located?
At times I have thought it would be useful to have a remote fuel container I could use to run the engine, supplying it right at the injection pump. Does anyone ever do that?
Also, out of curiosity, how did you mount the airtex pump?
Thanks, gentlemen, for the continued help.
The lead to the lift pump gets power put through it by the ECM:
ENGINE CONTROL MODULE
DESCRIPTION - ECM
The ECM is bolted to the left side of the engine
behind the fuel filter. It is a separate component
and can be serviced.
During intial start up, you may or may NOT get an actual 12 volts due to the ECM receiving its power from battery power, especially if the grid heater cycles when you turn the ignition key on. The ECM will send whatever voltage it gets from the battery. Hence my first suggestion to check your batteries and ground connections as well. If these are fault, they can cause problems with the ECM and its functions.
The Cummins pumps are for the most part JUNK. Some last a very long time and some don't last long at all. VERY poor design. Carter has even stopped production of this particular design pump as I understand it and now the Airtex design is replacing it.
Vulcan Performance also sells the Airtex pumps in various configurations that might be more to your liking.
The basic replacement Airtex pump is a direct drop in replacement pump for the Cummins/Carter orginal pumps and mounts in the SAME location on the engine using the SAME hardware and electrical connector. The location of the pump on the engine is as much a part of the fuel pressure problem as the poorly designed pump was as it is mounted higher than the fuel tank and far away from it.
I got tired of replacing the Cummins Campaign pumps which was supposed to be a better design than the orginal, so a friend and I installed an Air Dog 150 on my truck since it is not stock.
I installed the Airtex pump on my wife's 2001. 5 truck but I purchased one of the Vulcan Performance pump relocation kits and mounted the Airtex pump on the frame of the truck below the fuel tank. This works VERY well for a STOCK truck but you STILL NEED to install a fuel pressure gauge in the cab to alert the driver to low or no fuel pressure to avoid damage to the VP-44.
I originally installed the Airtex pump on my wife's truck in the stock location on the drivers side of the engine. This was a pretty easy install/replacement and it worked pretty good. I would STRONGLY recommend installing the Airtex pump on the truck frame below the fuel tank using the Vulcan Pusher Pump Kit:
Draw Straw II 1/2 in. draw tube and 1/2 in. pushlock fitting
This is the kit and setup I installed on the wife's truck and it works GREAT. Call Eric at Vulcan and he can set you up with a kit and pump modified to bolt right in.
Since my wife's truck is bone stock, I installed the fuel pressure gauge on the steering column using this mount and gauge:
Fuel Pressure Tester w/ Schrader Connection
ISSPRO EV fuel pressure Kit
Again, talk to Eric at Vulcan and he can set up with the proper fittings and adapters to tap into the fuel hose which makes the fuel pressure gauge install a LOT easier and user friendly mounting the fuel pressure isolator.
Before you do anything more with the fuel system, double check your batteries using a hydrometer to check each battery cell to verify the battery is good. Next clean all the connectors and battery terminals on the battery. Verify your frame ground connections are good and solid too. This should eliminate the batteries as any potential problem.