Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) New Member/ Same old problems

[SMcKay]

Hello,

I am new to the TDR and just decided to see if the 35. 00 was worth the investment or not. Everyone I had spoke to suggested that this was the best forum, so here I am.



I know you all have addressed this issue before but maybe I am adding a twist for you considering I run my truck on wasted Vegetable oil. The company (greasel) who manufactured the kit I have on my truck now advise against converting the 98-02 5. 9 CTD due to the hight failure rate of the VP44, although not related to running veggie as fuel specifically.



I bought my dodge in October of 04 from a guy in Oklahoma who had already set the vehicle up with a Nomad Vegetable Fuel system from Greasel. He explained to me that the truck had already had an IP fail at 95,000 miles with the stock LP. The truck has had an aeromotive 100a LP on it ever since it had the IP replaced. I drove the truck for a couple of months with no problems or codes. After I changed the Veggie Fuel Filter for the first time I believe I let some air in to the lines with out properly bleeding it from the system and by doing so I fried the VP44 or so I believe.



The obvious sign is the always recurring P0216 code. I have an OBDII reader and have removed the code on numerous occasions and it always seems to come back. The symptoms I have are the Dead Pedal syndrome every morning at start up. The engine starts up fine, but once I get it up to around 15-20 mph there is still power but no go. If i pull over and give it a minute power comes back, but will come and go until the truck is warmed up to normal operating temperature. Once the truck is warm my loss of throttle response is intermittent, and comes and goes at random. From the first time it happened I drove 2500 miles until it recurred and since then comes and goes at random, but is always there upon start up. If I cycle the key on and of it power comes right back. I replaced the APPS and it is the same story. FP is monitored by a electric gauge and never drops bellow 15psi. I have also checked with a mechanical gauge and my FP is good. The truck also seems to have not guts. I have trouble maintaining 60-mph up a steep grade. The problems are the same wether I am running veggie or diesel.



All of this had led me to believe that I need another VP44. A dealer replaced the last one and that was under 20,000 miles and 9 months ago so I am thinking that the VP44 should still be under warranty except the dealer that did the work is some 2000 miles away from where I live in San Diego. I would like the truck to run normal, and have heard to many horror stories about loosing VP44's on this specific truck.



Do any of you think that if I have Cummins confirm my VP is dead by testing it that the dealer who installed the last VP will pick up the cost of a new one even though the truck is now out of warrantee? I heard that most the rebuilt VP44's have a 1 year warrantee.



If anyone wants to chime in with Advice, Experiences, Expertise it would be greatly appreciated. I would like to also find a good diesel mechanic in the So. California area if anyone knows of one it would be great. .

 

[AKAMAC]

Did Cummins or a Dodge dealer replace it? The warranty is Nation wide for Cummins.



Welcome to the site, I hope you can get this resolved easily. Mike

 

[SMcKay]

I believe that it was replaced by a Dodge dealer. The person I bought it from just told me that he thought it should be under warranty for up to 1 year.

 

[rkressg]

I hate to say this, but because you are going to a different dealer than the one that installed the VP44, chances are good that the Dealer will give you a very hard time with replacement. Your best bet is to call D/C.



Also, even if you pay to get it diagnosed at Cummins, your Dealer will still have to diagnose the problem, so, it is like throwing money away to tell you your pump is bad.



Get a good quality fuel transfer pump, something like a FASS, and replace the Injection Pump your self. If you look around, you can probably find one for less than $1500 from Cummins (around $2,500 from Dodge, yet still in a Cummins box), I can't remember how much a FASS should cost.



Your dead accelerator pedal sounds like a failing APPS, but they die in a variety of ways. Usually, they have a P0122 or P0121 code to accompany their death, but the symptoms you described sound like one that is slowly dieing.



I unfortunately can not help you with finding a good mechanic in South CA, but I can say, if you are a little handy, and have a few tools, you can easily change these parts. It may seem difficult, but changing a VP44 is relatively straight forward and requires around 3 hours.



You also might want to think about replacing the MAP sensor. If you or the previous owner had a K&N air filter, the MAP will be shot (100% failure rate). Changing this might also clean up the acceleration and should help with fuel economy. You can also change the IAT (Intake Air Temp) sensor. This should also improve the fuel economy.



-Rich