Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) My 2002 Ram 2500 Cummins just shut down

[JDoiron]

I love this truck. I have bought and sold several trucks since 02 but I will never sell my 2002 Ram Diesel 2500. I was rolling down the highway about 65 MPH with cruise control on pulling my not so big trailer and a bed full of deer corn. As I climbed the Mississippi River bridge, she down shifted and the revs went up. Only a few seconds later she just died. I coasted to the top of the bridge, luckily, and then coasted to the bottom with no power anything. Now it will just turn over and not crank. When you cycle the switch, you can hear the lift pump for a second or two and it stops as always. I had it towed to the Dealership today but want to be there in the morning before they put me a new engine in it. It has always run like a clock, 22-24 MPG but I am stumped. I have changed a few lift pumps and one injector pump in the 168,000 miles but other than batteries, that is it. Any ammo for me to take to the dealer tomorrow? Thanks guys.

 

[jkalchik]

Hard to speculate without pulling the engine codes. That sound a lot like what happened to my '99 several years ago, running fine to a complete no-fire in the blink of an eye. That was a VP44 replacement.

 

[JR]

Not much will shut a VP truck down, so provided you've got proper voltage its likely fuel related.

Do you have a fuel pressure gauge?

Plenty of fuel in the truck?

Possible the fuel gelled?

Need to verify youve got fuel to the VP, pull up any codes, and go from there.

 

[jgillott]

I had a VP-44 fail in my former '01 in a similar way. It just shut off.

 

[JDoiron]

Well it is my VP44 and the bill will be $3300. Is there a gauge I could hook up to watch my lift pump pressure? It will need to be a fairly simple hook up for me to do it myself. I would like to keep this one running for as long as possible. Is this common to change the VP44 pumps every 80,000 miles?

 

[jkalchik]

Yes, yes, yes..... gauge or low pressure light (personally, I *WANT* the gauge.) It's not difficult to install, the hardest part will be deciding where you want the gauge, & matching it up nicely. There are 2 test ports on top of your filter canister, the one to the rear is pre-filter, the one to the front is post-filter and that's the one to use as it'll warn you when you lose pressure due to a clogged filter as well. 1/8" NPT thread, I used 18" of grease gun hose as an isolator, and mounted the transducer (electric gauge,) on an angle bracket hung on the body.

Whereabouts in the country are you located?

 

[JR]

You could buy 3 VP44's for the price of that bill...they're pretty straight forward to change, I'd really consider doing it yourself if you can afford the time. I can hook you up with a set of great instructions and lots of people here can help with any questions you may come up with.

 

[JDoiron]

I got my new lift pump and VP-44 and my truck is back on the road. It seems to run a lot faster now since my wallet is a lot lighter. Can anyone give me some ideas about the best fuel pressure gage to install. I have read previous post and appreciate all who responded. Is the 19" grease line the same as the snubber or something I hear so much about or is it just for relocation purposes.