Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) How tight is the hose???

[musclefixer]

I swear I used the search, but didn't find anything, and the truck is sitting in the driveway...

FINALLY getting around to installing the FP guage. But guess what? I lost the instructions that come with the hose from the VP to the isolator on the electric guage. I installed the guage as per directions, but I'm not getting any kind of pressure reading.

I'm thinking I don't have the hose tight enough. I vaguely remember something about not tightening it too much or I'd damage something.

Before doing that, I just wanted to know how much to tighten the schrader side? Do I turn it in till it bottoms out, will I get some kind of reading before then? I hope so.

If I don't get an answer, I'll leave it till tomorrow.

Thanks for all the help folks.

Jesse.

 

[JBodenhamer]

If you are using the "grease gun hose" from Geno's from the test port on the VP44, which is I assume what you are asking, you need to tighten it until it does not leak, but not much past that. What I did was turned the hose on until the swivel fitting on the end was putting drag on the main part of the hose, and then gave it another turn. No problems with mine leaking. Another thing you need to do is bleed the hose. To do this, loosen the FP sender with the motor running until fuel leaks out, then tighten it down. I used thread tape sparingly on my FP sender but none on the VP 44 end. My FP sender is mounted in a bracket I made that bolts to the ear on the battery tray.



Also, if your gauge is working and then "fades out to zero" while driving, check the hose tightness. Happened to my buddy who originally thought it was his sender but realized that as the hose loosened, the pressure dropped causing the symptom.



Jon

 

[musclefixer]

Thanks for the reply Jon.

Yeah, I'm talking about the "grease gun hose" from Genos.

I've already took a chance, and tightened it snug, but still no go.

Do I have to remove the valve core from the unit? I didn't think I had to, since the hose had a little "tit" inside of it which would depress the core in the schrader valve. Am I wrong? Do I need to remove the core?

Aaaaargh... :{



edit:

Gonna try loosening up the hose on the sending unit side... wish my luck. I'm going in!!!

 

[musclefixer]

Okay.

Took the hose off. I think I overtightened it :{

Small nylon ring, looks like it was cut off the main ring in the hose. There was fuel in the hose, hmm. I think that is a good thing, so I took off the hose from the sending unit, and connected the hose back on the injector pump test port, and nothing! I a small rag on the end of the hose, and nothing. Crap!

Now I guess I'll have to remove the core from the schrader valve, and see if I get a pressure reading. I'm gonna leave it alone for tonight, and give it a rest. Tomorrow I have to install the lift pump!

Hope it goes better than the guage install. Geez, I don't know why I'm having so much trouble with something that should have taken me an hour or so. :-{}

 

[musclefixer]

Oh man, I'm glad I'm replacing the lift pump tomorrow...

Just for $hits and grins, I used and allen wrench to depress the core on the schrader valve while the truck was running, expecting to have fuel shoot out, so I prepared with a rag under my hand.

I press... ..... okay... ... . so what's up?

Shouldn't I be getting sprayed with fuel right about now???

Oh, there it is. A few tiny drops of fuel coming out!

I wondered why when I used the hose connected to the VP, I heard a little vacuume sound, like the VP was sucking air. Cause it was!

Lift pump totally dead I'll bet. Zero, zilch, nada.

Truck has about 56K mi. and who knows how long it was running like that.

I'll post up my results tomorrow.

Thanks for listening.

 

[musclefixer]

Okay, checked all my connections. Check.

Removed core from schrader valve. Check.

Changed lift pump, and filter. Start up truck.

GUAGE AINT WORKING!

One last question, before I sell the truck...

Does the case of the sending unit have to be grounded as well? I have ground wire from one of the posts, as per the instructions, but I didn't see anywhere that the housing has to be grounded. Is that my problem?

Please help. :{

Thanks.

 

[DavidC]

If we are talking the Westach system. No case ground required. Are you getting pressure at the Schrader now? if so are you getting pressure at the sensor? If answer to both is yes check wiring. If this all checks unit could be defective. If you have an air source adjust to 10psi and pressurize the transducer to see if the guage system checks out. Maybe a schrader problem?



Dave

 

[musclefixer]

Now this thing is ******* me off. . :-{}

Case, grounded.

Wiring triple checked.

I put the hose on the schrader valve without the valve core.

NOTHING. No fuel coming out of hose.

I think the hose is hosed!

I remove the hose, and fuel starts coming out the schrader valve, so I know it's flowing up to there.

The truck is running, so I know it's getting fuel to the motor,

I'll go to the hose man tomorrow or the next day, and get another hose made.

I'll just call it my fault, and chock it up to experience... another weekend wasted. Well not really, cause I got the guage in, and installed the new lift pump.

Now to fix the sending unit in the tank, cause It caused me to run out of fuel once a few months back. But that, as they say, is another story...

 

[musclefixer]

First of all, I'd like to thank Jon and Dave for at least responding to my questions for help. I now have a functioning F/P guage.

Idle is at about 13psi, and WOT is around 5-6 psi.

This is with a new fuel filter, and new lift pump.

The problem was solved by removing the core from the scrader valve, and installing a hose made from hose and fittings costing a whopping $5. 00 from the local Hose Man!

Had I known that, I wouldn't have messed with the Geno's hose in the first place, but like I said, live and learn.

Hopefully someone with the same questions might find this post when doing a search. Sorry for not having an important enough question for the other hundred people who viewed my post, not to answer...

 

[R-N-R]

I waxed two of the Genos hoses before I realized that I had overtightened them. I cleaned out the plastic embedded in the hose end and removed the schrader valve to get them working.

 

[DSpencer]

I ruined my first hose from Geno's. Replaced the schrader valve(I live 5 miles from a Cummins parts house) and the second one went on-just snug. That was 2 plus years ago and still running fine. I also have a test guage that uses the schrader valve and is within 1/2 lb according to my westach. I check all my friends list pumps when they tell me "Fuel filter? I've got xxxx miles and never changed the filter. "

So far I've caused the changing of two lift pumps.

 

[DavidC]

Your welcome. Glad it's fixed.



Dave