Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) How did your VP44 DIE???

[MORED]

If you had a VP44 die could you share with me what happened in the final moments. Did you have a fuel pressure gauge, and what did the pressure do? Did you have a stock LP or other.



Also are there any recommendations for replacements? Does the edge cancel out the effects of the hot rod pumps?



Just trying to get Red back on the road.



Thanks!!!

 

[LarryG]

I suffered "flat pedal syndrome" - in overdrive on highway, couldn't get anymore out of it until speed degraded and it downshifted. After a few seconds it would roar off like nothing happened. The dealer I bought it from wouldn't call me back to make an appointment for service. Called a factory owned dealership, I had just bought some parts from a few weeks ago only to find they had gone out of business. (Has Nardeli struck again?) Called the last dealership in my area and they put in the second injection pump and fourth lift pump in 99,500 miles. After I dropped it off, they announced they were closing the doors in three weeks. Threr are now no Dodge dealerships locally in my area anymore. Somebody tell me we aren't in a recession!

 

[BLively]

haha, well my first one just up and died with no warning. . but the lift pump had died about a month earlier. luckily these were replaced under warranty. .

the second one (after another dead lift pump) started throwin crazy codes, and did like LarryG's pump did, had intermittent pedal. it finally left me walking again. . but this third one (knock on wood) hasnt gone yet, but i imediately installed a FASS pump when i got this one. . i didnt have a guage, so i couldnt tell you what the pressures were. .

 

[Moose Truck]

Mine just Died at after pulling out into traffic. The rotor shaft had failed. I had a FP gauge, it was running about 6psi under (stock) fueling with a stock fuel pump. She just showed a P1692 code (DTC Set In ECM A 9Companion DTC9 was set in both the ECM and PCM. ) This was before Smarty and other code readers. ) A new II VP44 and she's been running great ever since! Moose

 

[VolsFan]

When my VP went out, I was passing three cars at WOT. All of a sudden the engine lost all power and just went to an idle. I noticed my fuel pressure was abnormally high,higher than I had ever seen it, around 20 psi. Fortunately I was far enough ahead of the crowd by that time so I could safely limp to the shoulder. I cant remember the code it threw, had something to do with the pump diaphragm. Anyways, I foolishly had the VP wire tapped on a stock fuel system. I just recently put on the vulcan big line kit which relocated my lp, and will not tap the pump again until i get larger injectors. The mechanic that installed my new VP said that me having my foot in the throttle with a bone stock fuel system was dumb because the pump could only handle so much fuel going into stock injectors, said it was too much backpressure on it or something, my foolishness, but I learned the hard way

 

[bnbrown]

Lost two so far, in two trucks:
my '99 died slowly, hard hot starts, miss at idle, then died completely all at once, went from 70mph towing a trailer to idling off the next of ramp.
my friends '02 ran ok, would smoke bad (look like a cartoon kind of bad) at random times when accelerating and would barely accelerate, then would take off... then it finally gave up the ghost at my place, shut it down after a long (1000 mile) straight run, and when started back up it would idle (poorly) nothing more without chuggin and popping and sending out smoke signals you could see for a mile.
FP: have a FP gauge on my 99, went through 5 LPs in 170k miles, at the time of death it was showing 16psi at idle, 10 @ WOT stock LP
my friends '02 did not have a FP gauge (I put one on when I swapped the VP) pump would prime a new fuel filter fine, so figured it was still good, but w/ gauge it would only run for maybe a minute then taper off down to 0psi @ idle (put LP #2 in 50k miles on it)
I got both replacement VPs from MWFI, If I had a core to send in to avoid core charge I would have bought them from Industrial injection, but in both cases the extra $400 core charge up front cost prevented me from buying from them. Both purchases from MWFI left me with nothing to complain about for sure, easy to deal with, shipping was included (even comes with UPS prepaid shipping label for core return) and they shipped quick, had them w/in 5 days.

 

[jgillott]

I was already running a FASS, guages etc on mine long before the pump died, so I'm sure it didn't suffer any low supply pressure problems. The truck just shut off in the middle of the road one night on my way home from work. I was able to roll it off to the side of the road. No codes, no warning.

 

[Cummins724]

I wasn't a member on this forum when mine died. I had no idea that the stock lp is junk, ran my Edge comp on 5x5 too many times. I was driving home from work & the truck started spuddering & just shut off, dead & wouldn't start.

 

[rweis]

I had already moved my OEM lp to the frame, monitoring the fp to be no less than 10psi (I since have changed the input psi to 14 psi) . Then towing my rv on the interstate at the start of a 1400 mile trip had dead pedal syndrome. I knew what had happen from TDR (it had the 0216 code). Eased way back on the throttle, it caught again and got to a dealer. They changed the lp. They WOULD NOT CHANGE THE VP44. (I already was doing lubricity additive)



Drove 1300 more miles babying it as easy as I could, pulled into the destination camp site and dead pedal again (the 0216 code again). Went to a dealer the next day. Had to explain every mod I had ever done and why and where it went (lots of fuel line mods). They could not duplicate it. I took it and ran it up to 3000 rpm (80 mph) and at 3000 rpm it would throw 0216 every time. Took it back and had the tech get in and took a ride with their ODBC scanner hooked up.



Went to 3000 rpm, 0216 code. Repeated it 3 times, all documented with his scanner. They changed the VP44 (took 3 weeks, DC on hold, national back order etc).



I felt the problem was in the computer chip and when really pressed to do calculations (3000 rpm) it would fail. I droped my return speed to 55 mph max (to minimize the heat generated by the VP44 that goes into the cooling fuel) and opened the hood every chance I got (for cooling).



I put the RASP mechanical pump on, and Gary figuered out the after shutdown blower timer. I started monitoring fuel temperature (which in stock configuration will go to the Bosch temp limit (160*) just about every time you run heavy or fast in the summer with less than 1/2 tank of fuel) and started fuel cooling and rerouting fuel back to the tank in an AN-6 back to the filler vent line.



Bottom line: VP44 gets too **** hot at high rpm or high load because the "cooling" fuel gets too **** hot. After shutdown the engine block heat cooks the VP44 PSG for 1 1/2 hours. I have stopped both of those things from happening.



I expect this VP44 will go a long time IF it has the steel advance piston sleeve.



Bob Weis

 

[GarrettPetersen]

My first pump died the day I put the comp on it and died 6 times the same way after that. 1688 everytime Never failed. thats why I canned the 24 and put a 12er in it

 

[NoSeeUm]

A couple of dead peddles right after start-up that as I pulled into my street. Both sounded like I was blowing jello out the tail pipe.



Rough idle and a 0216, otherwise the engine seemed to run fine.



EDIT: Right around 55k miles.



Jim

 

[DCreed]

I had installed a FASS 150 at 160,000 miles and in 98 they still used steel lines out of the tank which rust out and seize onto the line coupling so I had to remove the whole sending unit. Upon reinstall had constant 17psi but the fuel level sender would read irratically and caused 4 or 5 out of fuel stalls. Then the hard starts began, but no other drivability problems. I even drag raced in 80+* heat without problems. At 180,000 miles went to a local dyno event was near 50* and @ 3300rpm on the 3rd run it quit DEAD. No codes. Got a new one from MWFI (would have got the hot rod but the cost PLUS core was too high:{) cant complain runs good and consistantly.

 

[WardJ]

Dead pedal occasionally for a year. Then it began to happen more frequently, until it was at least once a day. Turning the engine off and back on while coasting would bring it back to life, but the funny thing was it never happened at interstate speeds above 68-70 mph. Strange, huh?





Almost 10k miles since the swap and it runs like it did when I first bought it. Pensacola Diesel is great to work with.

 

[jkern]

no warning, no problems, was accelerating in 4th gear pedle went dead, truck fell flat on its face. drifted over to the berm, idled very rough for a minute and quit. would not restart. checked out the pump physically, seemed ok... suspect it was electronics.

 

[JesseJ]

Mine dying is what brought me to TDR, I was looking for info. No gauge on it, bone stock at the time, the only warning I got was a cough/miss at high RPM trying to pass someone on a two-lane highway pulling a 5000lb. trailer. I was 500 miles from home. Made it home, the next week I started it up and it idled at 1700RPM. Shut it off and tried again, went back to normal. The next day, it did it again and stuck there. As soon as I started it, it ran at 1700 RPM for an idle no matter what I did. Had a lot more power and would blow black smoke if I got on it. After a new cam & crank sensor and a different ECM finally put in the VP and a new LP. Got a fuel pressure gauge after that.

 

[Timbeaux38]

Mine shuddered about 30 seconds before I pulled on to an on-ramp where it crapped out right after the 2-3 shift.