Here I am

Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) hard starting 99

Attention: TDR Forum Junkies
To the point: Click this link and check out the Front Page News story(ies) where we are tracking the introduction of the 2025 Ram HD trucks.

Thanks, TDR Staff

Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) intake question

Engine/Transmission (1994 - 1998) delivery valves

Status
Not open for further replies.
recently a customer brought me a 99 with a starting problem. after it set overnight it was hard tostart, but would finally start and run good.

he told me to order a vp44 before he brought it over so I did. when i got the truck I checked for codes w/my scan tool. no codes at all. so I hooked up my bosch vp44 tester and it checked out ok. so I started looking for a possible fuel leak. couldn't find anything. so I finally installed the vp44 got it started and let it set over night. you guessed it next morning it would not start. but finally started after much cranking. same as before.

so I removed the rebuilt vp44 and reinstalled the original. this truck had afuel pressure gauge and good fuel pressure. customer had someone install a fass lp earlier to try to solve his problem. the lift pump was installed on the frame back by the tank with just a little inline filter. it had a new rubber fuel line from lp all the way to the stock fuel filter. anyhow I never did solve his problem. could a leak in the return line cause this problem? any help here would sure be appreciated. (truck runs real strong after it starts)
 
My 99 had this same problem, so i replaced the entire feed system to my vp44,(banjo bolts, lines, draw straw, fuel pump) still did not correct the problem. I had given up on my problem and was just running my lift pumps to prime the system, still started hard but alot faster than just cranking the heck out of it. I ended up buying a set of 275 injectors and installed them with new orings on the connector tubes and my problem went away. I assumed that one of the connector tube orings was leaking causing the system to suck in air as it cooled down and losing prime to the injectors themselves.
 
I replaced the overflow valve. didn't help. I put new orings on the connector tubes. didn't help. so I put all new connector tubes in. that didn't change a thing either. I had to give up for now. it's probably something simple I overlooked. thanks for the input.
 
Was the wait-to-start light lighting up and going out before you tried to start the truck?

I can crank mine until the cows come home and it WILL NOT start until that bugger lights up & goes out!
 
yes the wait to start light will come on and go out like normal, but will not start without a lot of cranking. I think it must be leaking back somewhere,but I couldn;t find it. I put new washers on all the banjo bolts even. ???
 
yes I pinched off the suction line with vise grips just before it went in the fass lp. (I had just had it running so I knew it would start right back up) then I let it set overnight and next morning pulled the vise grips off and immediately tried to start it. no way same thing. I think thats when I gave up.

I noticed one thing while I was working on it. I took the fuel cap off and there was what I thought a lot of vacuum in the tank. so I figured the vacuum was pulling the fuel from the supply line back in the tank. but pinching off the line should have eliminated that idea. besides the lift pump should have a check valve in it but I don't this. like I said before there is no visible leak that I can see. what do I do next???
 
I tried that also. didn't change a thing.

I'm wondering if a very small leak in the return line could cause this problem? it seems to me when the fuel is on the way back to the tank it wouldn't matter if there was a leak. but maybe I'm wrong. whats your thoughts on this?
 
I think you might be on to something. the banjo fitting at the back of the head is the only thing I haven't checked out. I was going to but it looked like was extremely hard to get to. guess I better try that. it'll be a while before I can get back to it, but when I do I'll post again. thanks everyone for your help.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top