Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) CEL problems....................

[Bobalos]

a brief history... ... ... .



my truck is stock w/the exception of a removed lift pump in favor of a Mallory 140 back by the tank.



I ordered a Bully Dog "torque Dog" box & installed it. the stupid thing kept setting the CEL & the code was (I think) 237, which is "map sensor voltage too low". I called the folks I got it from & they said that they would exchange it for an "outlook" with power enhancement.



No problem, I got the new one & for better or worse I had not had a chance to put it in until about 2 months ago. I installed it & it seemed to work OK. the truck had more power & all of that seemed to work fine.



one day coming home from Home Depot, the truck just died on me going up the hill. I turned off & had the truck towed home. the CEL was on & the 2 codes were 237 (Map sensor voltage too low) & 1688 (Fuel pump controller failrure). I replaced the injection pump with a "blue chip" pump. (I also installed a set of stage 1 Jammer injectors)



Right away the front main seal started to leak real bad so I just got done changing it & now all seems to be happy there.



but... ... ... ... I keep the outlook on 25% (of the 55HP which is 100%), but when I step into it, & the boost gets up to >20 Lbs it turns on the CEL again. this time its the "overboost" code (234). So I figured I would just unplug the stupid Bullydog from the MAP sensor & see what happens. when I do that I get the 237 code (map sensor voltage too low). ***?????? I cant win with this Ph'ing truck.



Today I wanted to see if I could not pinpoint it down a little bit & the guy I talked with @ the truck place I bought the BullyDog from said that the Dodge harnesses have had some contact problems & that putting dielectric grease in them made them work better. sounds like a bunch of BS to me, there does not seem to be an intermittent contact problem. but a programming problem, but whatever. so I stopped @ the Auto parts store on the way home & bought some & stuck a dab into each connector & RIGHT AWAY I get another CEL I am just leaving the scanner in the truck @ this point so I scan it & its my friend the 237 code again. maybe there is a contact problem on this thing. so I drove it home & cleared the code.



I checked the contacts to be sure that they were OK & looked @ the harness to see if maybe there is a loose wire or whatnot (as best I can with the weatherpack connectors) & it all seems OK. so I start the truck & the code is gone. Oo. Oo. but as Im sitting there, it comes right back



so I figured I would try again & see if I could not figure out if this is the truck or the Bully Dog. so I unplugged the MAP bypass again & hooked the Dodge harness back to the MAP sensor. I cleared the codes & Im rewarded with a CEL & a 1689 Code. this is a new one so I have to go & look up what this means in the shop manual. its "Data link circuit failgure between ECM & Fuel injection pump. low power, engine derated, or stops". seems to me like Im going the wrong way. ... ... ... ... ... ... ...



so I connected the Bully Dog harness back to the MAP sensor & Dodge harness, clear the codes & start it up & ... ... ... ... ... Im back to NO codes. WTPh is going on with this truck. this is sounding more & MORE like there is a contact problem to me.



there is another connector in the engine compartment that is connected to the BullyDog & to be honest I dunno what that does its connected to the 3 pin traigular connector with 2 wires thats right next to the injection pump. Im tempted to rip the BullyDog out alltogether & see if Dodge & Cummins can talk & get along & see where that gets me.



anyone else have any ideas whats going on????



thanks & sorry to vent. this truck has cost me more in the last 2 months than it has since I bought it.



Bob

 

[timbo]

This is a friends 99 AT, about 1week ago he started it up and let it warm up, went in the house. A few mins pass truck shuts off. Will not start! He then calls me, i put my smarty on it. codes 215(injection pump circuit) 1689(no comm. between ecm and injection pump mod. ) 1693. So then he . he then ordered a new vp. also at the same time we did a walbro pump and gauge. Well we just got er fired up tonight, fuel press nicely at 15 psi, then i was checking things over,everything looked good. Idled perfect for about 10 mins then shut off! CEL came back on! No start again Now the same codes again 215, 1689, 1693. Any ideas,Please.

__________________

2001 QC SB sport 5sp, stage4 jammers, A1000 aeromotive fuel pump,HTT 62/12, SBcon ofe,edge drag comp, isspro FP,boost,pyro guages,4" magna flow



After this we pulled the batt. cables for the night and played with the IP plug. Next day it fired right up and its been fine. (2 weeks so far)

 

[Bobalos]

for anyone that gives a crap, the outlook has a software bug in it. so, I have to take my gauge pod off (AGAIN) & send it back to Bully Dog for them to re-program & get the new version of firmware in it.



Bob

 

[Cummins724]

for anyone that gives a crap, the outlook has a software bug in it. so, I have to take my gauge pod off (AGAIN) & send it back to Bully Dog for them to re-program & get the new version of firmware in it.



Bob

That sucks..... I think I'd tell them to keep it & get your money back.

 

[16919]

I would get rid of the bully dog and buy a smarty since you have guages already, its good for 60 hp or so but it fuels much differently and has a bunch of other cool features, high idle, reads/clears codes, you can update it with out having to send it in... ... check out www.smartypower.com or www.madselectronics.com Bob wagner is a great guy to deal with and customer service is AAAAAA++++++++++



You could have a map sensor going bad.....

 

[Bobalos]

thanks guys. I will give it some thought.



is there a performance advantage to another box?? The ONLY real reason for the box is that I wanted a few more HP to tow with & liked the de-fueling option on the Bully Dog.



it was suggested to me to get the Quadzilla box by the guy I got the VP44 from, but I have not heard much about it on here. thoughts about that one?



Bob

 

[16919]

If you already have an injection pump w/mods, and stage 1 injectors which are like 30 or 40 hp I think... that should put you at atleast 100 hp over stock..... before adding a chip I would look at an aftermarket lift pump and some transmission mods (valve body and torque converter).



Any chip will really wear those 2 out quick. The ONLY thing about the smarty is that it is not on the fly adjustable, but it only takes maybe 90 seconds to change programs. I am sure other guys have some input as well. The edge juice has a lot of safety features as well... something else to look at. Hope this helps.

 

[Bobalos]

thanks James. I think that Im about 70 HP over stock (50 injectors & 20 pump), so maybe I ought to play it cool until I call my transmission guy & talk with him about the lifepsan of my trans.



I am open to suggestions though.



thanks guys

Bob

 

[Cummins724]

thanks James. I think that Im about 70 HP over stock (50 injectors & 20 pump), so maybe I ought to play it cool until I call my transmission guy & talk with him about the lifepsan of my trans.



I am open to suggestions though.



thanks guys

Bob

I would concentrate on a lift pump upgrade first or the vp44 will not last long with your mods.

 

[Bobalos]

Sorry I meant to mention this before. I have a Mallory 140 mounted back by the tank, with a -6 line & AN fittings, feeding the injection pump, Im pretty sure that it will live a long happy life.



Bob

 

[Cummins724]

In that case..... get the transmission upgraded.

 

[Bobalos]

10-4



thanks again



Bob