Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) Intermittent dead pedal & p1693 code

[TPringle]

Hey all, I am trying to get the bugs worked out of the 2000 Dodge I have been working on since last January. This has included a steering rebuild, track bar upgrade, various gaskets & repairs to the engine & body. The thing that troubles me is an intermittent dead pedal (I think that is what it is called). I usually notice it cold (or cool, not having been run to warm up completely), when I accelerate up a hill, after cruising at a steady speed. I can bury the pedal, and the trans will downshift, but it doesnt pick up any speed, maybe for several seconds, then it (at this point) will kind of surge & kick in, then it seems fine, or I can let off it & wait a few seconds, then hit it again, and it will pick up. When it acts up, if I pump the pedal, no difference. When I 'abuse' it hot, it seems run ok.



Fuel pressure sits about 12psi, no smoke - even when I stand on it. I have had the VP & ECU off when I replaced the side cover gasket. I did not unplug the ECU, but I did use a starter heat shield & stand-offs between it and the block. I just didnt think it was good to have a computer next to a hot engine block with no protection! I did check for continuity between the ECU & ground, was ok. I made sure at lease one mounting hole has a metal to metal connection between ECU & the block. The others I tried to isolate using plastic washers to help reduce heat transfer.



The truck seemed to run ok before the rebuild, so I am sure it is something I havent done right. I read where the p1693 code really doesnt really mean much, my code scanner wont do a diesel. Batteries are older, and I have cleaned connections, but I know they still leave some to be desired. I havent pulled the plug off the pump & cleaned yet.



For the record, I have the Fass DDRP pump frame mounted near the fuel tank with a large fuel filter before the pump. There are no starting or idle isues. Any thoughts on something I may have overlooked or should check?

 

[jgillott]

Unfortunately, the dead pedal is an indication of an upcoming VP-44 failure. Usually, you will see a P0216 (injection pump internal timing error) when or before the VP finally goes, but it doesn't have to be there. I had one fail on my former '01 that never did throw a code, even after the truck died on the road.



Another possibility would be an APPS issue. There is a procedure to reset the APPS in the second gen trucks, but I can't remember it off the top of my head. Do a forum search for "APPS reset procedure" and give it a try. It can't hurt.

 

[TPringle]

Well, I think I have my answer... :{, you hit the nail on the head. I found the posts on setting the APPS, it was off quite a bit, so I set it where it should be. Good post. I also found the post on how to set the APPS in the pcm in the faq's. I finally got the code reader to work on my truck (had to hold it upside down, smack it lightly, then push every button 10 times - LOL) and what did my eyes see??? Yup,P0216... . My wallet hurt all the way back to the house!



Cold, it wont hardly accelerate, not dead, just flat, then after a few tries, it will finally pick up. Warm, it does ok, but seems down on power. It also has a 'roving' miss at idle, almost like an older carburated gas engine idling. I have read about this one. It had that before I tore into things last January. I suspect I finished it off when I popped the gear off the shaft & removed the pump to get to the side cover gasket.



I have read a lot of posts & discussions about heat, fuel pressure and the VP. I was really interested in the post from Bob Weis (rweis) and Steve Keim (keimmmo), the later whom I was a close personal friend of. I have made some modifications myself to help keep the VP cool, including moving the head mounted fuel filter, upgrading the lift pump, and wrapping the VP in starter wrap. I also was concerned about the ECU being mounted on the side of the hot engine block, and as mentioned above, am trying to limit how much heat it asorbs.



I am a 'retired' electronics technician, so I am wary of heat into the delicate electronics of these compontents. I am going to double check all my connections & grounds, but I think it is too late to rescue this pump. I would sure like to know from someone if it is possible to remove the electronic board from this VP, and evaluate, or replace? Anyone done this? Most failures I found on tv & other electronics were due to poor solder connections, or ... heat damaging the solder. Thanks for the replies and advice on this.

 

[jgillott]

It is a shame that you are going to be doing a VP. Again, I'm sorry that I don't have a specific link for you to follow, but we had quite a bit of discussion in the early 2000's about replacing the boards in the VP's instead of buying rebuilds. I've been out of the VP loop per say for a few years, but at the time, there wasn't anyone locally that had any experience with the process and we found it just easier to purchase a good rebuild. I'm sure that there must have been much more information on the subject more recently, but I really haven't kept up since I've been playing with the CP3 trucks.



I've personally had great luck with VP-44 rebuilds from Industrial Injection in my former personal truck and with trucks that I have worked on for others. There are other great rebuild companies out there, but I don't have enough experience with their products first hand to give you specific comments. Good luck getting your truck back to 100%.