Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) 98.5 Doa???

[d2500]

Been running pe comp for about a month - no probs (until now?).



This morning, I get on it a bit before it was fully warmed up, and see me oil pressure gauge drop to nothing. So I shut the engine off, and coast off to the side.



Go to crank it back up, and NOTHING!



I disconnected the comp, and checked the lift pump for pressure - seems good pre and post filter. So I start cracking the injector lines thinking that the vp44 probably went bad.



To my surprise, I'm getting fuel pulses at the injectors, but the truck still wont start



What next??????

 

[Hohn]

This is a tricky one. First, your oil pressure sender is likely to be bad if you lost a reading before the engine shut down. DON'T let Dodge do the dummifying reflash, just replace the sender after buying one from Cummins.



It's also possible that your VP is toast still. While you might actually be getting fuel pulses to the injectors, if they aren't strong enough to pop the injectors, you won't have any fuel going into the cylinders. So it's not enough to have pulses-- they need to be STRONG pulses. The VP can produce VERY high pressures, so be careful when cracking lines (you can get fuel injected at high pressure into your blood, which is a bad thing. )



I would recommend you get the Blue Chip VP44 tester and check it out.





Justin

 

[d2500]

how does a vp44 work?

I'm afraid it is the VP44 after all:{



When I cracked #1, 3, and 4, I found that while #4 was pulsing very strong, 1 and 3 are a mere trickle...



How does the VP44 distribute the power to the injectors? What would cause some of the injectors to have high pressure, but not others?



TIA!

 

[GiesJ]

D2500 - is this your origonal VP44?



Good luck with the diagnosis.

J

 

[d2500]

Nope. I bought the truck used, and don't know how many pumps it's been through, but the one on there has reman sticker.

 

[Hohn]

Read this article to learn about the VP44:



http://www.bluechipdiesel.com/Bosch-VP44.htm

 

[d2500]

interesting VP$$ failure symptoms

Turns out it was the injection pump.



For those that missed it, here is a recap:



24v truck running with a comp for about a month or two with no problems. Pump wire pierced, and even on 5x5, I hadn't experienced any problems - until yesterday.



Took off in the truck on 5x5 before it had a chance to lube up the pump properly, and it died half mile later.



Was getting decent fuel pressure to the pump, but only some of the injectors were pulsing with any pressure. The others would get some fuel, but not enough to pop the injectors.



So in desperation, I took the pump off, and began to take it apart when, pretty much right away, I found metal particles inside - sure sign of mechanical failure.



So now I have to wait until Monday to order a new one



Wish me luck!!!

 

[cummin2pass]

Good luckOo.

 

[GiesJ]

Re: interesting VP$$ failure symptoms

Originally posted by d2500

Wish me luck!!!

GOOD LUCK! Keep us posted. I am supposed to get a comp next month and am getting the 98. 5 4th VP44 jitters...

J

 

[d2500]

pierced wire hindsight

When I first pierced the wire, I kept the comp on 1 for a couple of hundred miles. I then bumped it to 3x5, and all was fine. Then I increased it to 5x5, and the truck started to shake violently Scared the #$%^ out of me! So I went home, and checked all connections and put dielectric on all the plugs. That took care of it.



For the next month or so, all was fine, and the truck ran great on any of the settings. I always cranked it up, and took it easy until the coolant was up to op-temp, but after that, all bets were off



The day it died, I did not warm it up before I got on it - just pulled out of the drive, set it to 5x5, and punched it. It seemed to pull a little less than usual, and when I let off, the thing just died:{



Wasn't sure what happened until I finally tore the VP44 apart, and found metal shavings inside. My best guess is that the VP didn't get enough time to lube-up. Maybe I also got ahold of some bad fuel



So the new pump is coming tomorrow, and hopefully, all will be ok once it's in. Although highly hesitant, I still plan on piercing the wire as soon as the new pump is in, but guarantee that the truck will not see 5x5 until warm.