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Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) It's got to be the LP!

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Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) Draining fuel filter

Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) Torque Converter Drain Plug

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A little more news...

I went down to the bank (all desperate :rolleyes: ), put the gage on the schrader valve and turned the key to ON. Nothing. I took a hammer and pecked on the pump a few times. Turned the key back to ON and the pressure jumed to about 8 psi. , then started falling. Because it was about 18°F, the wait to start hadn't gone out yet. I didn't want to wait, I wanted to start it while it had some fuel pressure. I cranked it over before the WTS light went out, but it ran so poorly I shut it back off. I turned it to ON again (no pressure jump) and waited for the WTS light to go out (still no pressure). I thought F. I. and started it anyway. It cranked and sounded good. But still no fuel pressure.



So then I left it running got out and pecked the pump again with the hammer. While pecking it, I actually heard the sound of the engine change a little. A recheck of the gage showed 5 p. s. i.



So, I shut the hood, jumped in, and started driving it. I had to leave the driver's window down because the old tape, and fresh tape would not stick to the window to hold the gage up where I could see it. I propped it up between the driver's mirror, and the door (window) frame. From there I'd reach out in the wind and hold up the gage. Needless to say, it was a bit chilly and my hand was almost blue. But once the truck started making heat, I was OK. I limped it to the dealer, searching the road for every pothole, in the thought that all the jarring around would stimulate the LP. These ole MI. roads didn't let me down in my search for potholes.



Anyway, I managed to limp it to the dealer keeping 5 to 1 psi most of the way. So, no tow bill.



Bob4X4 - I didn't realize all that stuff. I'll be spending a while Monday morning trying to talk to the service writer and hopefully the tech to explain the facts as I know them. If they *need* the OBD port, I'll dig it out. Otherwise, I don't trust them any more than I have to - that don't mean I don't respect them, but that respect depends on how much they listen to me and the condition of my truck upon return. We'll see.



Thanks Steve. I don't know why I was expecting a hole anyways. I'll get the port locked when I get it back. I shouldn't have dragged my but on that. Otherwise, I think I have it hidden pretty good.



- JyRO
 
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Dealer leaves me wanting...

Dropped the truck off at the dealer this morning 7:30 AM. Basically the people I dropped it off with were only interested in name, mileage, and symptom(s). They didn't care about any analysis I did. They were just number takers, and their whole job is to just get me out of their face.



As of 1:10 PM, they hadn't even looked at it. They would not give me a loaner car to drive, and said I was responsible for a ~$70 diagnosis. I told him if (since) this repair would be covered under warranty, I was not going to pay it. He did say if it was warranty covered they waived the $70. I said, d@mn right. Naaaaaw, I didn't say that.



But the loaner car thing aggrevates me. What if, that was my only vehicle. I would've been screwed. Anyway, I have no confidence in this dealer so far. They made me feel like a party crasher since I didn't make an appointment for my LP to fail. :mad: :rolleyes:



Well, that's where it stands, its just sitting at the dealer. I think I'll go by there tonight, and and set off the panic feature of my truck, hehehe. ;) That would be mean, wouldn't it. :D



- JyRO
 
dealer called...

They called me at 4:50 and said that they agreed it was the LP. They said another one would be at their place tomorrow, and the replacement should be done by afternoon.



I'll go by tomorrow night and pick it up (hopefully).



jtisdale - I'm going to put the gage on it one more time before I leave the place just to confirm the new pressure. That's the last time I'll need your gage. I'll ship it to you on like Wednesday or Thursday. Check the box when you get it. I'm going to include a check for the shipping you paid (and then some) to show my apprieciation to you.



I'll post at least one more time to give you guys the final verdict when I pick the truck up. Thanks guys!



- JyRO
 
JyRO ~ That apparently is typical of how dealer service writers make you feel no matter where you go. Actually in the respect my dealer is good. The listen and write it down but not sure it does any good but they make you feel like it and I want to think it does. No loaner car is another thing that is not normally provided but is with some and not with others.



Glad you got it fixed. Oo.
 
JyRO ~ That apparently is typical of how dealer service writers make you feel no matter where you go. Actually in the respect my dealer is good. The listen and write it down but not sure it does any good but they make you feel like it and I want to think it does. No loaner car is another thing that is not normally provided but is with some and not with others.



Glad you getting it fixed. Oo.
 
Naw, keep yer money...

Jyro,

Please dont send any coin. Rather, put the money towards a test gauge or towards taking the family out to eat. Just glad to help out. ;)
 
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No arguing now...

jtisdale - You're (at least) getting your shipping back. Why should you have to be out money to do me a favor? :confused: Don't worry about it, I ain't broke.



I was hoping I could have this truck paid off before it would need some dealer repair (other than crash repair, you can't stop that sometimes).



Seems the LP repair beat me paying it off by about 4 months. Oh well. I'll be sitting real perdy here in about 4 months with a (kind of) low mileage truck that's basically a cream puff with only having had the LP go bad (who's to say where the VP stands though). After paying it off, I may wind up with the trucks unloaded wieght being heavier than the GVWR! :D



Actually besides the gages, I've only seen one thing that I'm interested in. In a mopar accessories book/mag, I saw some retractable steps. I don't have running boards on my 4X4, and I like the clean look it has without them. But a step in would be nice. Those retractable steps would retract up close to an unseen position. I like that. I guess they come down when the door opens and the interior light comes on (or at least the door switch for the interior light is activated. They looked smooth, I'll look into those.



I'll let you guys know about my truck if/when I pick it up at the end of the day today. Thanks for the help.



- JyRO
 
Back on the road...

Hopefully this will be my last reply here.



Picked up the truck last night. I put the gage on it before I left the parking lot. Cranked it up and the gage read about 12 - 13 psi at idle. Drove it home, it ran great. :D



I'll have to say my overall rating with the dealer is probably about a 9 out of 10. Although the drop off process kind of made me feel like I was on an assembly line, the rest of the process was good. One thing I was glad about was that when I pulled up to pick up my truck and it was sitting out it front, the guy who parked it HAD locked the doors. I checked that, I was happy. Also, they were finished with it when they said they would be.



Another thing that I think made a difference was, that I didn't just list symptoms (truck slows down, cuts out, blows smoke, shuts off, etc. ). I told the dealer what the exact problem was (LP making little to no pressure). All the dealer did was check to verify, replace the LP, recheck the pressure, drive and send it on its way. They didn't hook-up to the OBD. They may have tried, but they didn't find the connector.



Also, I made an ally(sp?) out of the head warranty division (I forget what the position's called). I was told that if Chrysler didn't want the LP back, instead of scrapping the LP, they'd let me come get it. Also talked to this person for a while and was told that they've seen a few LP's (not a tremendous amount) and far fewer VP's, but some. That was about the only problems they've seen out of the Cummins. One of the very few warranties they've denied is from someone who disconnected their water separator for some reason (because the check engine light came on, was what the dealer was told), but doing that didn't solve the check engine light problem. One thing led to another (big problems) and even the turbo was ruined. Evidentally this guy wasn't happy because he was having to cover it all. Also discussed the pusher pump with the head of warranty. I was told that it more than likely would not effect any part of the Cummins 100,000 mile warranty (in their opinion). I may discuss this further with them in the future.



Time to put my truck back in full power mode & ship jtisdale's gage back. A story with a happy ending. Thanks for all the help guys!



- JyRO
 
JyRO, glad to hear you got the truck squared away. I'm getting ready to install my third lift pump. I'm going to install a pusher as well, this time. I absolutely do not have the time to take the truck to the dealer in Brunswick (the local dealer is a POS), pay 100 bucks for the deductible, plus take an entire day off of work. I'd rather spend the money for the pump and do it myself in the evening, on my time. Good luck with your truck.



Four months to go, huh? I've got about a year and a half, maybe less, depending upon how things go. Can't wait.
 
Jweir... . your pictures look good, am I correct you have an electrical Nordskog fuel pressure gauge. ? Can you give us the location and name of the supplier and price etc. and your comments on the the gauge. Oo.
 
Jweir... . your pictures look good, am I correct you have an electrical Nordskog fuel pressure gauge. ? Can you give us the location and name of the supplier and price etc. and your comments on the the gauge. Oo.
 
l. schick,



Yes, the gauge is Nordskog, I ordered the gauge and sending unit from Summit Racing. I don't recall right now exactly how much it was, but I think it was less than $60. 00 for the pair. The donut gauge mount came from Genos. If you want, I will try to find the paperwork and get you part numbers. So far I have not had any complaints with the setup, and the install and wiring were fairly straight-forward.



Jim
 
Jwier, thanks for the reply would appreciate knowing the address of Summit Racing and part numbers if you can locate the invoice. Did the sending unit come with the gage and has a light for nite driving etc. Again my thanks.
 
l. schick,



jmadden is right on the link... here are the part numbers I used.



NRD-M8024 for the gauge

NRD-S8424 for the sender unit



I guess I was wrong on the cost, looks like it was a little higher than I remebered. I did check the numbers on the Summit site and they still work



Jim
 
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