Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) Lift Pump Failure - AGAIN ?

[lizzyhermit]

yesterday, rush hour, freeway center lane, the mighty Cummins just stopped running.



find Neutral, there's an exit, turn signal, moving right, oops, sorry to cut you off but I kinda have no choice, turn off signal, turn on emergency flashers, roll off the exit ramp,



there's a parking lot, sharp turn right, line it up for the tow truck and the Dodge stopped moving..... not to restart, turns over fine just does not fire...



cellular call to vehicle recovery, read for 30 minutes, tow truck shows up, loads up the truck, and away we go to the trusted dealer service department, and they're even open on Saturdays. oh poop, the diesel mechanic is off 'til Monday. oh well !



so far, so good. less than 60 minutes from happily motorting to safely deposited at the repair site.



104k miles, last lift pump was replaced at 37k with PN 5015553-AB. hope this ain't the VP-44... ...



stay tuned.....

 

[snowracer69]

So, what's your FP gauge reading?

 

[Rebel_Horseman]

This sounds eerily similar to the same thing that happened to me a couple of weeks ago. Same scenario but I was on city streets 90 miles from home. Unfortunately, it was my VP tha crapped out. With you just barely over the 100k mark you may be able to get some help from Dodge/Cummins on the repair. My truck has almost 160k on it so it was my repair... all $2,100 worth. I hope it's not the VP but... .



Luck with it.



Reb [><]

 

[lizzyhermit]

Originally posted by snowracer69

So, what's your FP gauge reading?

got trans temp, boost and pyro, but no stinkin' FP ! another costly lesson... ..... ?... .....

 

[Forrest Nearing]

I hope it's not the VP, but I've gotta wonder why more 24v guys don't replace the lift pump with a quality aftermarket pump?

 

[snowracer69]

Originally posted by lizzyhermit

another costly lesson... ..... ?... .....

I hope not, but I'm suspecting so. Could you hear the LP running? If not, you might've got lucky... if you could hear it, then you may not be so lucky.

 

[snowracer69]

Originally posted by Forrest Nearing

but I've gotta wonder why more 24v guys don't replace the lift pump with a quality aftermarket pump?

Well, my best excuse is $$$ and reliability. I'm still under warranty and have two dealers that even with all my BOMBs will replace a failing lift pump under said warranty... . 7k more miles and that'll be done though. I'm on LP #4 on my pickup and the latest is doing real good. Started out only running about 13 PSI at idle, but now she sits steady at 14. 5-15 at idle. Can still pull it to 0 psi on a hard pull, but that's to be expected w/ stock lines.



Also, I'm a little worried about the durability of some of the aftermarket setups. Am mostly waiting to see how the FASS holds up to high HP setups... if it seems to be going good, once I roll 100k I'll probably slap one on and forget about FP woes... until then, DC can worry about them for me (while I keep an untrusting eye on my FP gauge).



Josh

 

[jbone]

I think every time you let a lift pump get to the point that DC will replace---you have just given DC a lot of miles toward a VP, which will probably be your $2100 bill---not DC's..... my two cents...

R, J. B.

 

[lizzyhermit]

I didn't hear the LP running but there was alot of traffic even when I got stopped as I was about 2ft from the exit ramp/frontage road.



does anyone recognize the PN of my pump? is it the latest rev. ?



and as to the aftermarket pump, I don't feel the failure rate is that unacceptable for a electro/mechanical component. perfection will never happen.



of course it's always inconvenient, but maybe 2 failures in 104k miles/6 yrs. doesn't seem that bad.



(course if it took out the VP my whining may change).

 

[snowracer69]

Originally posted by jbone

I think every time you let a lift pump get to the point that DC will replace---you have just given DC a lot of miles toward a VP, which will probably be your $2100 bill---not DC's..... my two cents...

R, J. B.

My last two LP's were replaced when they still held 15 PSI at idle and 10 PSI at cruise... . the first made a god-awful noise like a friggin' bearing was going out of it (which I know can't happen) and the tech replaced it because it was the right thing to do. The last one was a great pump but developed a leak on it somewhere! It was still running good pressure and flow, but I was losing a gallon of diesel a day out of it... they replaced it and put me on my way. First LP was recalled w/ less than 10k on the pickup, and I believe it was still running good at that time (I didn't own the pickup then).

 

[Cobra]

lift pump

I thought I'd add my . 02.



I just had my 2nd replacement. I was in Arizona when my gauge went to zero. (FP gauge that is). MY truck never skipped a beat . Not this time and not the last time. If I would'nt have had a FP gauge I would never had known anything was wrong. So I guess what I am saying is if your truck quit and would not start, it could be more serious.



Anyhow, in my case the dealer replace the lift pump under warranty. Truck is over the 3 years but the engine warranty is 5 years so no problem. The milege now is 28,000. The 1st replacement was done around 10,000 miles. So I got double the milege out of the replacement than I got from the OE.



When my truck gets to be 5 years old I will go with the FASS replacement. Iffff I keep the truck, but I probably won't.

 

[2ndgen2500]

Originally posted by Forrest Nearing

I hope it's not the VP, but I've gotta wonder why more 24v guys don't replace the lift pump with a quality aftermarket pump?

for one, i havent had an issue out of mine since i have owned it knock on wood, and why replace something that aint broke? either way, when mine finally does go, i will replace it with a FASS system or an equivelent, and if my VP goes out i def wont be paying 2100, for a new one... but i also try to steer clear of the ******* at all cost when buying parts. FP is by far the most important gauge on a 2nd gen in my opinion, because i have heard alot of people who's lift pumps go out and the truck still runs, in return ruining the VP before they even realize they have a problem. me on the other hand cna moitor it and take care of the problem before it goes there

 

[Forrest Nearing]

well, I don't mean just jump up an fix something that isn't broken (though with the low cost of a quality pusher pump, it wouldn't be a "crazy" idea by any means!)



I'm just wondering why more guys don't replace their busted lift pumps with something other than another flawed setup.



but I also have no concept of "warranty", so



Forrest

 

[2ndgen2500]

what is a warantee??? id rather pay and do it myself than deal with those A-holes, and personally, if i had the knowledge some of the folks on here do, id have my own pusher pump as well, but being where im at, i will just do with what i have.

 

[lizzyhermit]

if this is another LP failure then both of them I have had resulted in the truck not restarting. the first one I lost was in a parking lot at work, truck just died and wouldn't re-start just like this incident.



fortunatley I have access to great dealer personnel. The same mechanic and service attendant since I bought the truck new in '98. The service lady even owned a similar truck for awhile to tow her horses.



yes, the $$$$ are more but not all of us are inclined to do it ourselves.

 

[2ndgen2500]

well, i used to think i wasnt inclied to do mechanic work (a while back) i have found if you gradually step up with the right tools, and a good book on what you are doing, you can accomplish about any task you want to. it really saves me a lot of money. could anyone explain to me, why some trucks die, and some will run till the vp dies??? it just doesnt make sense. either way i think im going to install a PE4200 this week because it scares me when i get on it all the way it pulls my fp down to 1 or 2 and when i do my wire i'll be easily at 0 down the strip

 

[snowracer69]

Originally posted by 2ndgen2500

could anyone explain to me, why some trucks die, and some will run till the vp dies??? it just doesnt make sense.

My best guess is that it depends on in what fashion the LP died. If it was electronic, ie, the motor failed or something, then I believe the shaft would still be able to spin, thereby allowing fuel to still move through it, and the VP-44 can pull fuel from the tank on it's own. On the other hand, if the shaft broke or got tweaked in some way, or if one of the "impeller" type things got jammed up inside the pump, then fuel wouldn't be able to flow as easily and the VP-44 couldn't provide it's own fuel.



Have you had a LP apart to see what the innards look like? Not much to them that can fail.



Josh

 

[2ndgen2500]

Josh, i have had the privledge of not having a LP failure yet. i am going to get a pusher pump anyway. . btw, how do u like the b1?

 

[lizzyhermit]

Injection Pump = internal failure code



lift pump checks OK, I have asked for lift pump PSI at idle and WOT before I pay the $$$$

 

[lizzyhermit]

hey josh and others, FP guage - mechanical or electronic ? if any of you have had a FP guage during a LP failure how does the failure manifest itself? Slowly degraded PSI from 14 ish down below 10 psi as the book states as the minimum? or there one minute and gone the next ?