Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) Injection pump life expectancy

[OlsonR]

I have a 98 24valve 2500 equipped fith a Westach fuel pressure gauage and Fass lift pump. 84K miles. I just lost the VP44 pump. PCM, cam sensor. crankshaft sensor, and alternator. A new VP44pump now costs $2100. and the other parts aren't cheap. The fuel pressure has never been below 8 and runs 16 since installing the Fass pump at 70K. Faced with these expenses I am seriously considering selling the truck which I bought new, have babied all along and cant understand all the electronics. How many miles are others getting on their injection pumps? With all the new regulations on diesel fuel its cost is forty five cents more than regular gasoline and possibly going more. I am thinking about giving up on the cummins angine and buying a Gas powered truck. Any comments about all my troubles? I love my truck but it is costing me too much to keep it going.



OlsonR

 

[NMPriestley]

My 98. 5 is just about ready for another VP44 (dead pedal). This will be number 3 in less than 125k. Love the engine, but the lift pump and injection pump problems sure are discouraging!

 

[NCoulter]

olson

I totally agree with you. I am in 19 in college full time and work full time at wal-mart. I care barely afford to put diesel in it much less the expense of repairs and the down time on the truck. I too love my truck, its my dream truck! I just don't think i can afford mine right now. By the way my vp-44 went out about 130K



but i wish you the best of luck

Nathan

 

[KKlingbeil]

Olson,

How did you loose all of the listed parts at once?? That sure seems weird that it would all go at once. Im not positive, but im pretty sure that there aren't any "new" vp44s anymore, and all are rebuilds. Rebuilds are not 2100. Call Industrial Injection, i have installed their pumps before, they work good, and are well priced. I would sure hate to see you get a gas, i dont think you would like it... . no power, no torque, and no fuel milage. The construction company i work for in the summers when im not in school has a bunch of 3/4 reg. cabs full of junk, with the 6. 0 L gas, and most of them get 10 on a good day, but usually 8. I think the 45 cent difference is still feasible, but sure do wish it would come down as well. . Good luck on your choice... .

 

[rweis]

On the VP44, see the long thread about controlling fuel TEMPERATURE. I think temperature has as much if not more to do with VP44 failure than anything else.



Bob Weis

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

IF you "lost" all those items at the same time, I would suspect the PCM or ECM has failed, and made it APPEAR the other items failed at the same time - there's no way a failed VP-44 would take out all those other parts WITH it!



I just ordered a spare VP-44 thru Performance Diesel Warehouse for under $1000 dollars - their rebuilds come from Industrial Injection in Salt Lake Utah, a pretty respected rebuilder and TDR sponsor:



www.industrialinjection.com



Good luck - and keep us posted on how it all ends up.

 

[Marco]

The VP MIGHT be dead but I don't think so!



From what you're telling us it sounds like a bad Crankshaft sensor!

No signal from the cranksensor, no fuel, no go , no generator field, generator not charging... .

I'd try to have the truck diagnosed by someone else!



Marco

 

[Rattlin_Ram]

I take it you took it into a dealer??? If you did always remember never take a vehicle into a dealer for repairs, out of warranty, without a BIG jar of vasoline!!!!

 

[Rman]

Well I haven't posted this yet anywhere else, but my VP44 crapped out on me. It didn't leave me stranded, I limped it home. Blowing white and blue smoke all over the place and running AWFUL. I checked the codes and have the ole P0216. I've ordered a hot rod VP44 to replace it. 2002 with ~63k on it. I always had good fuel pressure, changed the lift pump once. All this worry about fuel pressure is pointless, if it's gonna die it's gonna die. I know fuel pressure is important, but I'm not nearly as concerned about it as I used to be.



I replaced my lift pump when it starting surgin from 5-15 psi... It never got below 11 psi WOT, and cruised at 14 psi. My pump still kicked the bucket.



Good luck. Nature of this beast, hopefully this next pump will hold on a bit longer.



And I am changing it myself, no begging for a freebie from the dealer. I knew the risks, and would do it all over again in a heartbeat.

 

[FourBarR]

my 98. 5 about as early a vp44 as you can get ,and are not suppose to be very good. mine has original vp-44 now with 394,550 kms. still running like new. can explain it , only know I have no boxes to increase hp. use mmo and howes in every tank, never had any water. change fuel filter every 20,000 k. I have replaced 3 lp. fourth one moved back to the tank. fuel pressures with standard lines on westach 0-16 psi gauge,idle 15 - 70 mph 13- wot 10. checked with aircraft certified accurate 0 to 60 psi in . 5 increments. westach connected pre filter,mechnical gauge post filter.

 

[Diesel Nut]

First of all, A Hot Rod VP44 from Industrial is only 1600 +shipping. A standard is around a grand. You got hosed. Sorry, but it happens to everyone at least once. What matters is what you learn.



Second, I don't know how you guys drive your trucks, but if you are running your trucks HARD, the fuel pressure aside you may burn one up. The VP44 uses the fuel flow to cool the pump. When you run your truck hard (like a drag race or a long trailer pull up hill), the pump gets hot, but the flow of fuel helps cool it. When you get off the throttle (ie over the hill, on the brakes, done with race, on the brakes) you cut off the amount of fuel cooling the pump. The pump overheats. After enough of these cycles, the pump fails. This would be a possible explaination for failing pumps with good lift pump pressures.

 

[rweis]

BUT you CAN cool the fuel that cools the pump! I have mine down to OAT+10* FROM OAT + 50* (OEM) before I started working on it.



It is hard to cool with 140* (OAT + 50*) fuel, but I bet I can cool it with 100* better than you can with 140* and that is the WHOLE point of the thread we have on fuel cooling. AND I know what the temp of the VP EBC (electronics bay cover) is full time real time. Not perfect, but with OAT blowers, thermal blankets, shrouded lines, fuel coolers, fuel temp sensor, VP EBC sensor it is a small investment to save the VP44 from thermal cycles, not to mention to eliminate the heat soak AFTER engine shutdown.



I THINK cool fuel lubricates better than hot fuel, I THINK that the cooler I can keep the VP44 the better the internal tolerances (ie the heat has not made the tolerances so tight so as to be almost non existant).



I do not want to hijack this thread, but go over and look at what has been down to keep the VP44 FROM killing itself with thermal cycles, and HOT fuel trying to cool a HOT VP44.



I NEVER want my VP44 over OAT +10* and have just about achieved that.



Bob Weis

 

[BradyWilliams]

What some times gets over looked with respect to VP44/ECM etc. failures is the alternator can have a bad diode which can send A/C current through the electrical system. Doesn't take much A/C voltage in a D/C system to confuse or make fail electrical components in this system. We have found this condition several times in our drive in shop. Just trying to say watch out. Thanks

 

[Vaughn MacKenzie]

my 98. 5 about as early a vp44 as you can get ,and are not suppose to be very good.

FourBarR is right, the VP 44 on the '98s had some real weaknesses and many failed with low miles. Some died readily, but some '98s have gone a long time on the original.



Vaughn

 

[cruiser_2]

Get a 98 12 valve. I have over 470,000 miles on my origional injection pump.



Glad I bought the one I got when it was new. Sorry to hear of all the problems that the 24 V are having.

 

[rweis]

I would rebuild a 12V 1000 times WAY before I would buy a 24V again. It would be MUCH cheaper to totally rebuild the cab and completely overhaul the engine and drivetrain. At least you could depend on it.



I carry enough spare parts that I think I am going to apply to the State of Florida for a auto parts resellers license.



Bob Weis



Interesting post by Brett about the bad alternator diode. I have read thousands of lines of post, and have never thought of that possibility. Another tool in the tool bag of keeping the VP44 running. THANKS

 

[keimmmo]

The 01. 5 now has 137k miles on it. The original pump failed at about 40k. I am convinced it was a weak piece from the factory. It scattered internally! I could feel the lose parts inside when I turned the pump by hand when I removed it! The next pump went almost 90k. It had an electronic failure.



I have been following Bob's thread about cooling the fuel to the VP. For a while I just quietly read and observed. But, when someone said cooling the fuel would help fuel economy, I got busy and made some modifications! All I have done is relocate the factory fuel filter to an angle iron bracket mounted on the frame rail to get it away from the engine heat and have a fuel cooler in front of the radiator to cool the fuel just before it enters the VP.



I don't have temp guages like some of the others who have worked on the project, but I am CERTAIN my fuel is much cooler than before!!! I feel it stands to prolong the life of the VP. And, my fuel ecomony IS up 1 mpg towing and about 2 mpg empty! Another benefit of cooler fuel is reduced smoke.



ANY vehicle now days is so complicated from all the computer controls that they can be difficult and expensive to repair. Gas powered vehicles have TONS of electronics as well and some of them have plenty of problems too. I fear the days of trouble free vehicles are GONE... no matter if they burn gasoline or diesel! In my opinion, just weigh the pros and cons of the available vehicles and drive what suits you best!



Steve Keim

 

[nps]

You can obsess about your truck, or you can drive it and enjoy it.



My neighbors think that Dodge trucks must be POS's because my son and I (both are 01. 5s) are constantly out looking/tweaking/fiddling with something - whatever is the latest TRD item dujour to keep an eye on. Sometimes I wonder if it is too much. But losing sleep over my VP44 is not an affliction I have yet developed.



My VP44 has tolerated 4 Vegas summers under a black hood where ambient temps exceed 115* and is still chugging along. Thought it was going bad last month, but turned out to be new injectors combined with the Edge surge in the cold. When it goes bad I'll get a new one and life will go on.



The old saying "better the devil you know than the one you don't" doesn't apply here. All vehicles have weaknesses. But in the case of the VP44, it seems that the devil you do know causes more grief than the one you don't.

 

[OlsonR]

Fass pump quit!!!

Remember my previous post after loosing 2 alternators, cam sensor, crank shaft position sensor, PCM, and VP 44 pump? Well 2 weeks later I tried to start and the engine died immeadiately: there was no fuel pressure on the Westack fuel pressure gauge. I crawled under and beat on the Fass pump with a mallet and it started to work and fuel pressure came back to 16. No further trouble but I don't trust it. I have 10K on the Fass pump after having it installed by the local state distributor. Fass wants the dealer to put in new brushes, will this fix it ? I think the armature should come out and the commutator should be turned, Am I wrong? what is the story on these Fass pumps?



OlsonR in ID

 

[keimmmo]

I thought the FASS and other high priced lift pump replacements were supposed to solve all your problems!



I have stayed with the factory lift pump relocated in front of the fuel tank and have replaced all the banjos with high flow straight fittings and larger than stock hose. Factory LP ran 80k miles. Present pump has over 60k miles on it and is going strong. I have a fairly reliable system that delivers decent fuel pressure without much expense... and I can buy replacement parts anywhere if I have a failure.



Steve Keim