Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) lift pump in 2000 dodge

[hbowers]

I have a 2000 dodge 2500 in my shop w/a weak lift pump. the owner said he bought the truck new and nothing has ever been done as far as fuel system

or vp44. but this truck has an in tank lift pump,and I told him it didn't come that way from the factory. he swears up and down nothing has been worked on.

this truck has a build date dec. 99. I don't think dodge ever put the pump in the tank from the factory. can someone set me straight on this. thanks.

 

[Bill Stockard]

I have a 2000 dodge 2500 in my shop w/a weak lift pump. the owner said he bought the truck new and nothing has ever been done as far as fuel system

or vp44. but this truck has an in tank lift pump,and I told him it didn't come that way from the factory. he swears up and down nothing has been worked on.

this truck has a build date dec. 99. I don't think dodge ever put the pump in the tank from the factory. can someone set me straight on this. thanks.

I previously owned a 2000 3500, built in November '99. The lift pump was not in the fuel tank. It failed around 12,000 miles and the replacement (not in the tank) lasted until I traded trucks in April '03 which was before the retrofit in tank pumps were available from Dodge. IIRC, the in tank lift pumps weren't being used until around the end of '04 or sometime in '05.



Bill

 

[RonaldLarson]

My fuel pressure gauge tells me that the in tank pump is not sufficient for towing. I would suggest that you install a frame mounted pump and bypass the in tank pump. Your customer will be happy. I'd definitely install a pressure gauge as well! I put in a Raptor five years ago to my full satisfaction.

 

[JR]

They did come from the factory with the engine mounted lift pump, but due to the high failure rates they did indeed retrofit them with an in tank lift pump. I believe there was a service bulletin about this years ago. To this day, if you were to take your truck into the dealership for a vp44 replacement they WILL NOT honor the warranty of the vp unless they also retrofit your truck with an in tank lift pump. (If it doesnt already have one. )

With that being said, I believe the frame mounted pumps are a better solution than the in tank units. They are much easier to access, and depending on the model you buy you can also stack up on better filtration, which any diesel engine will benefit from in the long run.

What ever he ends up doing, a pusher pump will be far more reliable than one tha has to draw from the tank clear up to the engine, not to mention all the added heat and vibration.

 

[hbowers]

I think the owner of this truck just doesn't remember,but some dealer replaced his lift pump at some point. I'm not going to say anymore to him.
I can't remember what I did yesterday myself. I'm putting a raptor on the frame.

 

[Sticks]

Either an aftermarket pump, or put the Carter block mounted pump back on in series with the in tank pump. I've had good results with that method. fuel pressure stays up, and the Carter pump does not die now that it is being fed.

 

[hbowers]

thats a good idea sticks. I will consider that next time.

 

[RonaldLarson]

I don't see any advantage with two pumps in series. The in-tank pump still sucks (Not well) and the second pump starves from the poor in-tank flow. My single Raptor feeds a fueling module, 275 injectors, boost fooler and four inch exhaust. Fuel pressure towing has never been under 13 PSI. "Kiss principle" applies.

 

[hbowers]

I think the rp100 raptor is a good choice. I bypassed the in tank pump and installed the raptor.

 

[Sticks]

The in tank pump running in series with the carter pump generally puts out 20-23psi at idle, and 17-20psi WOT no load.

The in tank pump puts more than sufficient flow to the Carter, who in turn now has positive pressure coming to it rather than having to suck the fuel through a sock and 8+' of tubing, then push it another 4' through a filter. For a lot of people that got shafted with the in tank pump, it is a cost effective alternative to the $500+ after market units.

The goal here is to provide the minimum 10psi pressure to the VP, and sufficient flow to keep it cool. The in series pumps accomplish this.

Not saying it's the best route, just the cost effective route for those with a thin wallet.

 

[JR]

I would be curious what would happen when one of the pumps fail. Will the Carter be able to suck through a dead in tank pump and would an in tank pump be able to sufficiently push through a dead Carter Without hurting the VP... .

Personally I think one pump is enough to worry about, but that's just me. I have a frame mounted pump with 1/2 fuel line running up to the factory canister. I left my Carter pump mounted on the side of the engine with the stock fuel plumbing routed all the way back to the tank. If my frame mounted pump ever fails (and it has before) I can simply plug the Carter back in, switch the lines back over, reprime the system and be on my way in a matter of minutes. Sounds overkill... . but I've had enough failures of lift pumps in both factory form and aftermarket that I don't trust either, and with my luck all my failures have been on the road hours from home, which prompted me to keep the OEM set up as a back up.

 

[Sticks]

I would be curious what would happen when one of the pumps fail. Will the Carter be able to suck through a dead in tank pump and would an in tank pump be able to sufficiently push through a dead Carter Without hurting the VP... .
Personally I think one pump is enough to worry about, but that's just me. I have a frame mounted pump with 1/2 fuel line running up to the factory canister. I left my Carter pump mounted on the side of the engine with the stock fuel plumbing routed all the way back to the tank. If my frame mounted pump ever fails (and it has before) I can simply plug the Carter back in, switch the lines back over, reprime the system and be on my way in a matter of minutes. Sounds overkill... . but I've had enough failures of lift pumps in both factory form and aftermarket that I don't trust either, and with my luck all my failures have been on the road hours from home, which prompted me to keep the OEM set up as a back up.

Both pumps allow for mostly free flow through them. The in tank is a (IIRC) diaphragm pump, and the Carter is a rotary vane pump. In theory both pumps when in series are only doing half the work they normally would, and are putting out a combined pressure and flow rate. When new: Carter - 15psi + in tank - 7psi = 22psi ~ which is what I have always seen. Even the ones that have come into the shop where I worked with the in-tank only and their idle fuel pressure was down to 4 psi or less at idle, and vacuum at WOT, the pressure jumped to the typical 22psi at idle when the Carter was placed in series.

Couldn't tell you what happens if one of them fails, never saw any, and it was something that we kept a close eye on when we started doing it (loyal/repeat customers).

The customers had the explanation given to them, and also several options for correction.

I was among the first here to do the frame rail relocation of the block pump, and it flat did not have the extended life I had hoped. At one point I had 3 of the darn things in series and still had failures ~ sub 10psi fuel pressure. I spent a small fortune at the time for me on those pumps. Hence the FASS I now have (installed '95).