Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) help...how do i check lift pump pressure?

[americana]

i am about 90mi till i become my own warranty station.



the truck is at lithia burlingame dodge undergoing some brake warranty work. i wanted them to check lift pump pressure, but they wanted $130 to do a diagnosis!! i figured $50-$75 to do a check since they already had it there.



redwood city dodge closed because the owner couldn't pay his bills a couple of weeks ago. has anyone used magnussen in palo alto?



also, if i have to go the independent (anyone know of a good one near by?) diesel shop route... how do you check the pressure of the lift pump out put? do you use the pressure ports on the filter housing? i don't notice a pressure port on the lift pump (looking at the manual since the truck is at the dealer).



any help would be appreciated

 

[Steve St.Laurent]

For your 98 yes you use the test ports on top of the filter. One is pre filter and the other is post filter (can't remember for sure which is which).

 

[daveshoe]

Now I am a 2002 owner ,but see if this works. Look for a screw on cap similar to what you would see on a tire valve . Take the cap off and if it looks like a tire valve underneath, you are almost there. Get a hose that they use to test or charge air conditioning units and it will hook on to this Schrader valve, You will need to adapt this hose to fit a 30 pound air/water/oil gauge. use a little teflon tape to thread the gauge on . A liquid filled gauge is about 20 bucks.

Turn the key on. you may see a short duration rise on the pump--it is normal. Now bump the starter without starting the truck. You should see 15 PSI for about 25 seconds. Start the truck and you should also see 15 to 17 PSI. If the hose is long enough, just bring it through the back of the hood and around the end of the dash so you can observe the pressure under load.

If you are really short of time, report low power , intermittent stumble to get this on record. This may buy you a little time on warranty issues. Another way to detect lift pump trouble is change the fuel filter . A bad pump will not prime the system.

This is not an elegant system, but it is quick and cheap. To answer your question , you are correct about those ports being pressurised.

 

[Steve St.Laurent]

98's don't have that Dave. On the 98 it's just a 1/8" NPT fitting in the top of the filter head - take the plug out and screw a gauge in.

 

[Winspeed]

Test PSI

I will test the PSI at no charge. My shop is in Martinez, Its not to bad of a drive. Or I could put together a guage kit so you could test it yourself. I also stock in-cab pressure guages so you can monitor your pressure while you drive. Which is great for diagnosing clogged fuel filters as well as these pesky lift pumps. If I can be of any help, let me know.



Adam (WINspeed)

925-370-7245

 

[americana]

Winspeed,



i'll call you tomorrow to figure something out.



steve, dave is this a set up i can go to napa and buy all the parts i need?



thanks guys for all the help... . wifey says i've gotta get better about follow up before the last minute among the thousand or so other things i need to improve (especially that soon to be out of warranty cummins!!)

 

[jboehm]

Yup, NAPA can fix you up just fine.

 

[DLBurns]

AC test guages

("Get a hose that they use to test or charge air conditioning units and it will hook on to this Schrader valve, You will need to adapt this hose to fit a 30 pound air/water/oil gauge. use a little teflon tape to thread the gauge on . ")



I have a set of guages and hoses that were used for recharging an AC system ( found them on the side of the road ) Can I cut one of the hoses and install a guage and use this as a poor mans test guage.

There is a valve with a cap ( looks like a shraeder valve )coming off the banjo on my injector pump, can I use this to test the fuel pressure??

 

[daveshoe]

Buff, the setup you describe is exactly what I have. It has been on for over a year and no problems. I was able to find an adapter to go between the gauge and the ''AN'' fitting so I did not need to cut the hose.

 

[Renoram]

Re: Test PSI

Originally posted by Winspeed

I will test the PSI at no charge. My shop is in Martinez, Its not to bad of a drive. Or I could put together a guage kit so you could test it yourself. I also stock in-cab pressure guages so you can monitor your pressure while you drive. Which is great for diagnosing clogged fuel filters as well as these pesky lift pumps. If I can be of any help, let me know.



Adam (WINspeed)

925-370-7245

WINspeed,

What kind of set up do you offer for "stock in-cab fuel pressure gauge"- electric or direct? How much are your gauges?



I am interested in installing a fuel press. gauge soon in cab too.

 

[DLBurns]

fitting?

Originally posted by daveshoe

Buff, the setup you describe is exactly what I have. It has been on for over a year and no problems. I was able to find an adapter to go between the gauge and the ''AN'' fitting so I did not need to cut the hose.

Dave,

Would you happen to know the size and type of fitting off hand?

thanks

Dave

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

I live halfway between Sacramento and SF, in Vacaville - I have a mechanical guage, and setup for checking the '02's - can easily adapt to other years - if any of the locals want to get together to check LP PSI, just drop me a message...



Yeah - I work for free too - and make NO guarantees! and assume NO liability

 

[daveshoe]

Buff, the fitting was not something I got a part number for . It came out of a box of yellow [brass?''] parts at the local NAPA store in Greenville OH. I just took the Hose in and asked them to mate a 30# air/oil/gas gauge to it. Hope this helps.

If anyone else knows a source and/or part # for this, please help out a fellow TDR member

 

[DLBurns]

Originally posted by daveshoe

Buff, the fitting was not something I got a part number for . It came out of a box of yellow [brass?''] parts at the local NAPA store in Greenville OH. I just took the Hose in and asked them to mate a 30# air/oil/gas gauge to it. Hope this helps.

If anyone else knows a source and/or part # for this, please help out a fellow TDR member

Thanks Dave... I'm sure I can find one!

 

[americana]

let's try this again... . just wrote a post that didn't make it.



i called the local napa and got a kid (usually an old timer that knows his stuff). he said there is a box of stuff i can look through and help myself (don't know if i can).



let's see if i have this right. i need a gauge (duh), fuel line, and an adapter to screw into the top of my fuel filter housing. do i need a shraeder that screws into a 1/8"npt? do i need the folks at napa to put it together for me or can i use hose clamps? will fuel come spraying out at me when i unscrew the 1/8" npt blank/plug in the top of my fuel filter?



thanks guys.

 

[daveshoe]

If your truck is a '98 , according to Steve, yours does not have the Schrader valve, but a 1/8 pipe thread [a grease gun hose fits this] fit the grease gun hose to the gauge and you are good to go. This is just to get you started because you are running up against the warranty. If you want to get a more permanent gauge, do a search on fuel pressure gauge and you should be good to go