FASS - Owners - Problem Fix Update Noise

[Eric Lee]

I have owned my FASS for about 5K mi now and have learned a few things about this system. I really like the set up and would choose this product again.



Here's some information I learned about the FASS and want to share.



1. Water can enter through brush caps and short out motor. Mine began making noises (sometimes more than others) and then started blowing the 15 amp fuses in FASS harness. I had to remove pump and get it inside to thaw out before I discovered the water flowing out of brush caps. I made a plastic shield and put some sealant on the cap threads. The system now is as quiet as when new.



2. I recommend that the unit is installed with swivel compression fittings

on all three ports to facilitate removal. Manufacturer supplies one -



3. Some FASS wiring harnesses use both ground and power from vehicle's lift pump wiring to operate relay. Manufacturer now recommends using only hot lead from lift pump connector and using chassis ground for switching side of relay. I think it is because the stock system uses a ground switched ciruit.



4. The correct filters that you might want to run (2 - 6 microns) are not always easy to find. I couldn't find any of the cross -listed filters anywhere here in Kalamazoo. If you want an extra - order it from your FASS supplier.



- Hope this stuff helps someone - And if you are an owner with something to add, please do - Eric

 

[PRout]

Yeah, I was also concerned about water entering the plastic brush caps, so i siliconed them before installing the unit. We just had a record amount of rain here in cali, and I put quite a few miles on it in heavy rain conditions, and had no problem with the FASS. Im not sure if that sealed it up as well as possible, and am now concerned about the fuseholder. Think Ill have to re-locate the fuse to under the hood and add a relay. Was thinking of using one of the oem liftpump harnesses that comes from Cummins to tap for the relay trigger.



The swivel mounting sounds interesting. Thanks for the input.

 

[JaMan]

Mine is making a terrible amount of noise and I've checked fittings mountings and the prefilter, to no avail. We have had about 6 weeks of intermittant rain here and the noise is new this week, so how did you clean the brushes on the pump? Mine is the standalone pump no filter set up. The pressure is still fine but now it's soo noisy!



Thanks Jared

 

[Eric Lee]

Take it out of the truck - take caps off and remove brushes (I marked mine so they went back in same holes - same way) Shake out water if there is any, and thoroughly dry out motor. I inserted and spun a q-tip with oil in the brush holes to clean rust from armature as I spun motor one space at a time. Put the brushes/caps back on with a little sealant on the cap threads. I replaced the hose connections to swivel / compression to ease reassembly, and possible future service.



I also made a plastic shroud from a notebook binder back that I slipped under motor support band clamp and covers top of motor to shed water from above.



My FASS started getting louder until it started popping fuses - this fixed short and noise for me - hope it helps you - Eric

 

[GIT-R-DONE]

There was something in another thread here that suggested using die-electric grease where the fuse is at to keep it from corroding or having future problems with it.

 

[JaMan]

Thanks I'll try that.

 

[ceastmen]

Noisey FASS

My FASS was noisy too, it seemed to get worse as the tank emptied.

I found some good posts on modifying the fuel module in the tank.

After following these mods my FASS went quiet, you had to put your hand on it to see if it was running. I haven't had the water problems that some have

mentioned but we haven't had the rains like in California either.

I have talked to Brad and he recommended using dielectric grease on the

connectors and the fuse.

Chuck E.

 

[Eric Lee]

I was also told that the pick up screen / stand pipe could restrict flow - I'm not bright enough to know if 18" of 3/8" tube will flow 150 gph. I know I don't want to start replacing components that don't need it.



Incidentally the manufacturer is now recommending low to moderate HP trucks use the 95 gph systems. Anybody know the maximum gph requirements of our motors? Seems like the manufacturer would. At 60 mph and 15 mpg that's 4 gph, double it for what the VP44 might use as bypass cooling and I see a 8 gph requirement. I don't see any advantages other than constant filtering of flowing 150 gallons per hour. Is it possible even with the largest shower heads at WOT to use anything close to half of 150gph?

-Eric

 

[reddge]

Thanks for the info on the water problem.

The only problem I have is when the fuel tank gets low it takes about 5 sec. to get pressure. I believe the fuel is draining back to the tank when it is low. I am planning to add a check valve.

Will the pump pull through . 3 psi? This is the lowest I could find.

 

[tractorface]

More updates

After blowing the fuse back at the FASS in a parking lot the other day I decided to Bomb the FASS wiring harness. My FASS came from someone that supplied a modified harness to start with can't remember who. Anyway here is what I found/did.

-Old harness was 18 gauge and used the ground from the OEM pump. Power was supplied through a relay with the coil wired to the OEM pump circuit. 10A fuse at the battery to supply FASS and 15A fuse at the FASS

The FASS is in a rough enviornment so the wiring back there is tough. Deutsch connectors supplied are Excellent for this.

-FASS supply Wiring in old harness was blackened the entire way up the harness. This was due to heat. The fuse connection at the fass was corroded and no doubt contributed to this but the fact that the wires were only 18 gauge did not help. I was due for a big failure sooner or later.

-Made new wiring harness using 14 gauge wiring and Deutsch connectors. I have the connectors and crimp tool from work so no big deal here. Used the OEM pump circuit to pull in my relay. Ran Power from fused source at battery and ground from spot where battery cable is tied to fender from the factory. Used dielectric grese on all connections. I am now much more confident that the wiring will be trouble free.

In my opinion the weak points are.

-Corroded fuse at pump causes high resistance connection.

-18 gauge wiring marginal at best for 12v pump at back of truck

-two fuses = more points of failures than you want



Also checked brushes as part of maitenance program and they was virtually no wear on them

Changed my spring because I was getting from 18-21 psi depending on temps.

Now getting 11-13psi and happy with that.

I think we have a winner here but we need to make sure the wiring is up to par. I will be adding a low pressure warning light as well as a fuel temperature gauge (for research). I now have a fuel system that in no way resembles what Dodge built. Wiring, plumbing, tank module, pump everything is bombed. I must be obsessed :-laf :-laf

Good luck

 

[tractorface]

one more thing

I was able to pull apart the crimp connections in my harness. They were done using the wrong size connector. I prefer solder in this application anyway. My new harness has no Splices other than at the Fuse holder and I soldered that. I am ordering relay sockets with wired leads to upgrade the crimped on connections at my relay, will also allow for quick changeout in the event of a failure. We spend a lot of time bombing our trucks but often do bad things when it comes to the wiring.

 

[GIT-R-DONE]

Thanks for the info

 

[JCyrbok]

Just got my FASS the other day and noticed a couple of updates that were mentioned above as problems.



1) Only one fuse up between the battery and relay. Also in a weather tight holder.

2) Brushes on the motor have o-rings in the caps now to keep out moisture.

3) wiring is also 14gauge from battery to the pump. It also has a seperate ground, that instructions advise to tie to the battery negative terminal.



Sounds like Brad at DPP listens to everyone and updates accordingly.



J-

 

[n7gxz]

Take a look at a NAPA 1724 filter, I believe someone posted that it is a 2 micron rating and it fits. BTW it is listed as a hydraulic filter.



Kevin

 

[tractorface]

That is the filter I use and it is a 2 Micron rating. As far as I know all of the secondary filters for the FASS are rated for Hydraulic use. Just means they have a higher burst pressure, I did some rsearch before I was comfortable that the two were compatible. I paid $30 for the 1724 and they were in stock at NAPA. Replaced first one after 20,000 miles for no reason.