Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) FASS quit and left me stranded -- options?

[Troubleshooter]

Need to figure out what to do about a FASS DDRP pump failure.



Background: Truck was running fine this evening, then suddenly the fuel pressure gauge went to "zero psi" and the engine started to shudder. Managed to get it into a parking lot, coasting in as the engine died. Engine would not re-start, no obvious leaks, so called the insurance company for a tow.



About 20 minutes later while waiting for the tow truck to arrive, I tried one more time and it started right up, but again no fuel pressure. Could not hear the FASS pump running either.



When the tow truck arrived, I briefed the driver on the problem, and we both listened while I bumped the starter; no FASS. Jiggled the electrical connections, etc and still no good although as mentioned earlier the engine did start. I mentioned that fuel pressure prior to this event had been normal, although there were a few times recently when it went as high as 18 or 20 psi. About that time his boss (shop owner) arrived and we discussed the problem. Turns out both of them are CTD owners with similar mods, and had seen similar problems; said that sometimes a check-ball got stuck or the spring would break. They'll tear into it on Monday when the shop re-opens.



So assuming that it is the aforementioned check-ball or spring, what are my best options? Not sure that the FASS is still under warranty, so would I be better off with something like an Airdog? Or stick with the FASS?



Fortunately I was in town and moving at low speed and didn't have the trailer hooked up when this happened, and was able to shut down within a minute or so of seeing the fuel pressure drop off, so maybe the VP-44 isn't fried.

 

[Troubleshooter]

Clarification: I guess the questions that I should be asking are whether this spring-and-ball issue is a recurring problem with the FASS DDRP, and whether the Airdog or Airdog Raptor experience similar problems.

 

[Joe Mc]

Don't have any personal experiences with the FASS systems, only of what I've heard here. To that point in 04 I decided to go with a Walbro pump and got a GDP-392 system = big line, remote spin on fuel filter, pump, relay, psi regulator, and the like. That was in 2004 and I've "never" had a problem and always show 22# (how I set the reg) regardless of pedal position.



It's been a good system for me. Worthy of note "I've never seen people posting here with problems with their Walbro pumps . . . ".



I got my system at Glacier Diesel Performance (or products) unfortunately they don't sell (or at least advertise) it anymore. Possibly pressure from the other folks at FASS etc . . .



Anyway my $0. 02.

 

[gary johnson]

Troubleshooter..... Is your Fass fused? I run the AirDog II and have it wired thru a kill switch and mini fuse. Could your fuse blown?

GJ

 

[MChildress]

Man I hate to hear this have one sitting on the bench ready to to install. Let us know what the problem is.

 

[VolsFan]

I have had mine on for over 3 yrs, which is now out of warranty, and running fine for atleast 25K miles. Pressure is generally 18 psi at idle and never have gotten it below the 8-9 range, even pulling a trailer up a steep grade, have it on the frame. If it would suddenly die on me tomorrow I would buy another one

 

[Troubleshooter]

Gary: Think that it is fuzed, but not positive as I didn't do the installation and the shop that did is no longer in business.



Didn't get a chance to check for codes either, as I was busy on hold with the insurance company (10 minutes of listening to elevator music before I could get a human on the line!) then had to figure out where to get the vehicle towed to; lots of phone calls and having the store clerk look up mechanics in their local phone book as there were no Travel Companion entries in the area.



The shop is supposed to call tomorrow and let me know what they find. Will let y'all know.

 

[BLNRAY]

350,000 mi on my fass,replaced 1 sender. fass would be my first upgrade if i got another truck.

 

[Midnite]

If you don't hear the pump running, it's definitely not the check valve (ball or spring). You have an electrical problem of some kind, whether it's a blown fuse, dead relay, shorted out wiring, or something internal to the pump motor. Most of that's pretty easy to troubleshoot, so I'd expect the shop should get it sorted out quickly.

The check ball and/or spring is not a common problem on the FASS units but it's not unheard of. It's far easier to troubleshoot and fix than even the electrical issues I mention above though.

 

[ESwartzer]

I had an Airdog that quit abruptly while driving and after a thorough check I found that one of the motor brushes was stuck. All I needed to do was clean out the brush housing and re install and it has worked fine since. I know its not a fass but its very similar.

 

[gary johnson]

Gary: Think that it is fuzed, but not positive as I didn't do the installation and the shop that did is no longer in business.



Didn't get a chance to check for codes either, as I was busy on hold with the insurance company (10 minutes of listening to elevator music before I could get a human on the line!) then had to figure out where to get the vehicle towed to; lots of phone calls and having the store clerk look up mechanics in their local phone book as there were no Travel Companion entries in the area.



The shop is supposed to call tomorrow and let me know what they find. Will let y'all know.

What did they find?

 

[Troubleshooter]

Well for the first two days, all I got was "I'm just the office help and the mechanic's not here right now so I'm not sure whether they started work on it yet or what they might have found. " Eventually got a call from the mechanic saying that the FASS motor had burned out. Talked to him some more and they did manage to get the FASS running for a bit, but it seemed to shut down once the motor heated up. He put a new unit on order and if all goes well I should have the truck back by Monday.



Appreciate everybody's help. Hopefully the replacement unit will do the trick; if not then it will be replaced with the Glacier or the Airdog unit.

 

[Troubleshooter]

Well, this has developed into a case of "The Good, the Bad, and the Just Plain Confusing. " Short version is that the new FASS pump worked, then stopped working, and now works again.



Long version: Got the truck back from the shop where it had been towed; they installed a new FASS-95 in it rather than another DDRP. The new lift pump pushed 20-22psi at idle and highway speed, dropping momentarily to 14psi at WOT and then coming right back up to 20psi. I was concerned by the high pressure, but it made it back to the house.



After siting several hours, the truck started right up but the BD-Diesel low fuel pressure warning light was lit for about 30 seconds while the ISSPRO guage was showing 20psi. FASS was running fine at that point. Since this installer had handed me a big box of unused parts which included the Installation Manual, I decided to adjust the fuel pressure to 16psi as recommended in the manual.



Shut down the truck and went to get tools. When I re-started the truck, the fuel gauge was showing 20psi but the low pressure light was on. At this point, the FASS was NOT running, so I shut it down again. Checked with both the key trick and the Smarty, and it was not throwing any codes. Jiggled the wiring looking for a loose connection, but FASS still not running. So into the shade to peruse the installation manual a bit more. Noticed that in the big box of unused parts was a new wiring harness, which helped me to locate the fuze and the relay hidden in the maze of under-hood wiring. Fuze was good. Pulled the relay and saw the blades were a bit dirty, so polished 'em up with some emery board and then sprayed some dielectric grease on them.



Now things got really strange. Started the truck with the cleaned relay and the FASS ran -- success! Got underneath and adjusted the regulator to 16psi at idle. Shut down and put the tools away. Re-started the truck and --- NO FASS! Since the pump seemed to run after cleaning the old relay, I decided to swap out for the unused relay from the new pump. Again, no FASS. Replaced the old relay.



Decided to check the fuel filter (the pre-filter was already new, having been installed by the shop when they installed the new FASS). Filter looked clean, but decided to replace it anyway. I use the billet chrome fuel filter cap with the test port for the low pressure warning light; the gauge is plumbed directly to the VP-44. It has always been a tight fit trying to get new filters in the ported cap, and I started losing patience with it, so I dug out the OEM filter cap and used that instead (although that would mean abandoning the low pressure light).



Bump-started the key to fill the filter canister, and the FASS ran again, and has been running since then, through several run-shutdown-restart cycles. The gauge is showing 16-17psi at idle and under light throttle, dropping a couple of psi when I blip the accelerator. So at least for the time being it's fixed, although I'm still not quite sure why. Guess it will take a couple of days driving to see if it continues to do its job. I'll just have to restrict my driving to towns where there is a diesel shop.



By the way, I mentioned earlier that the shop that did the repairs replaced the old DDRP with a FASS-95. The good news is that the FASS-95 has a lifetime warranty whereas the DDRP it replaced has only a 4-year warranty. The bad news is that when I entered the shop's zip code and phone number into the FASS website (as instructed to do in the warranty paperwork) it does not list them as an authorized dealer, which means that FASS would not honor the warranty. Might just have to call FASS next week and see if their website is outdated. After all, the dealer who installed the old DDRP is still listed as an authorized dealer, although he closed the shop last year.

 

[MChildress]

Sounds like an electrical problem. Would be curious if you ran power to the old one if it still runs.

 

[LNaugle]

The trigger wire for your relay is the original fuel pump wires that are behind your fuel filter housing..... maybe u have a loose connection of some sort in that area and got lucky when u were changing the lids out...

 

[RobertBradford]

The fast-95 wiring should be a hot wire with fuse direct to the battery pos side, another to the ground on the battery and a set that plugs into the connector for the old lift pump located on the drivers side, rear of the engine low. They all meet at the relay. You can check the pump by taking out the relay and jumping the hot side. What I have seen is the connector at the old lift pump (it connects to the ECM) if not secured will flop around down there and the wires will start breaking or the connection will become intermintent . I took mine apart and soddered the wires.

 

[Troubleshooter]

Sounds like an electrical problem. Would be curious if you ran power to the old one if it still runs.

Don't know. The mechanic who worked on it told me that they were able to get the pump running briefly several times, but that the FASS motor quit when it heated up. I do not know whether they did this with the FASS on the truck or on a bench in their shop.



Most likely the old DDRP is in the trash by now, and at any rate I'm not really inclined to take a day off from work go there and find out. Hopefully this new one works for the long haul. If not, then I'll likely try the Walbro next.

 

[Troubleshooter]

The fast-95 wiring should be a hot wire with fuse direct to the battery pos side, another to the ground on the battery and a set that plugs into the connector for the old lift pump located on the drivers side, rear of the engine low. They all meet at the relay. You can check the pump by taking out the relay and jumping the hot side. What I have seen is the connector at the old lift pump (it connects to the ECM) if not secured will flop around down there and the wires will start breaking or the connection will become intermintent . I took mine apart and soddered the wires.

Thanks, the wiring is the old harness and the wires run as you describe. Wiggling the connector to the OEM lift pump does not seem to cause any break in the electrical connection, but I'm going to secure the wires as you suggested.



I've put about 100 miles or so on the new FASS-95 and it is now working fine. Constant 16-17psi at idle and at steady throttle, dropping to 12psi at WOT and then coming back up to 16-17psi. Seems to be working for now. Appreciate all the suggestions and help gents!

 

[WMurphy]

I had a similar problem with my FASS DDRP lift pump, it died (2500 miles, 8 months old), sent it back to FASS, they retorqued the case bolts to fix the problem.
A bunch of them left the factory with case bolts improperly torqued!!!
I went back to original equipment Carter lift pump and have had no problems, and put FASS pump in scrap pile.

 

[KrisKringle]

Not so 'FASS-inated.' FASS died as well.

I had a similar problem with my FASS DDRP lift pump, it died (2500 miles, 8 months old), sent it back to FASS, they retorqued the case bolts to fix the problem.

A bunch of them left the factory with case bolts improperly torqued!!!

I went back to original equipment Carter lift pump and have had no problems, and put FASS pump in scrap pile.

Well, I feel your pain... check out post #54 at Erratic Fuel Pressure



My FASS died at 06. 15 on a cold and rainy Friday the 13th... Also after around 8 months, and around 8. 000 km; luckily I made it home and had a new Carter sitting in stock.



'Wish I knew that moment:' I was just reading the current TDR, and saw that the Airtex pump from Rock Auto is a gear-rotor type... duh. Silly me ordered the Carter. (It was delivered in three days-here in Germany!)



Anyway, I have a jumper wire, and checked to see if the FASS was running before I took it off; just a click and a hum. I do not know if somehow some swarf got in there (don't know how, the supplied filter was installed), or the thing just seized... needless to say, I am NOT a fan of the DDRP from FASS: Next 'wish I had... ' I wish I had bought the Raptor pump.



Anyway, the long and short of it is I can now change a lift pump in around 15 minutes...