Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) Newbie lost his lift pump... and his wallet

[ScottDunn]

I'm a new member, and I bought my truck in August of 04. It's a 2000 Ram 2500 Quad Cab shortbed 4x4 CTD w/ automatic. Last Friday night it just quit as I was pulling away from a stop sign. The truck seemed to be running fine for the entire time that I have owned it. I've put almost 10K miles on it during this time..... mostly highway miles and ZERO towing.



The dealer checked for codes, but found nothing. They checked fuel pressure and found it to be low. (no info other than low) The mechanic also stated that the filter was plugged. He changed Lift Pump and Fuel Filter and charged $530. 00. Does that sound right?? If he checked and found low pressure from the pump, couldn't the plugged filter be the problem?? I tried a search on Lift Pumps over the weekend, and found much information, but I have absolutely no prior experience with owning a diesel.



The best news is... ... I picked up my truck this morning, and it DID run better than before. The engine was quieter. BUT, on my way to work this afternoon, at about 60mph, the truck just died again. Running smooth, it just quit running going into a sweeping curve on asfault 2 lane. Definitely NOT where I wanted to lose my power steering and brakes. Transported back to the dealer, now he's "hoping " that it's not the VP-44. I'm sorry this is so long, I just wanted to run all of this past the guys that know about this stuff. Any ideas?



Thanks,

Scott

 

[Oil Burner]

Scott,

sorry about your new truck problems. First, lift pumps run about $150 from cummins and a filter is about $15 or so. They can be changed in about 30 minutes. I changed my last two pumps myself and never had one done at the dealer, but $400 in labor sounds really high to me.



And I "hope" your injection pump is o. k. also, but it could be your problem. If it is your pump, keep in mind that they run about $1200 from a bunch of places. There is one for sale in the classifieds section now for less than that. Change out is much more involved than a lift pump but can be done in a day. Keep this in mind when your dealer quotes it. I would find another shop to do it if you don't want to tackle it yourself.



I have a buddy that just lost an injection pump with no codes, it just quit.



good luck and think about a fuel pressure gauge when you get your new pumps on.

Jason

 

[MamthTorq]

You also might want to look into getting an airdog, or fass system, I put a fass on my truck in hopes to ward off any possible issues with the vp44. The fass has been great for 20,000, 75,000 total on the truck. Good luck!

 

[ScottDunn]

Jason,



They charged me $320 for the Lift Pump and $34 for the filter. The rest was labor. They quoted me a price of $2000 for the VP-44, and I'm not sure how much of that is labor. I just saw a place on the net with Lift Pumps for $180. I 'm letting the dealer know tomorrow that I know they HOSED me. Thanks for the response.



Scott

 

[Oil Burner]

Scott, I bet if they charged $380 for the pump, then the $2K for the injection pump definately doesn't include labor.



FYI, if you are going to do your own maintenance in the future, buy your filters and parts from a local Cummins shop. The filters the dealer sells are fleetguard, same as cummins (just like ford and motorcraft or GM and AC Delco) but they charge 2 to 4 times as much. Same with pumps like you found your lift pump for $180. The maintenance is easy and you can do it yourself. If you are unsure, just ask. This site is the best money you will ever spend on your truck.



Good luck.



Jason

 

[ScottDunn]

MamthTorq,



Every Lift Pump thread that I searched inevitably lead to the FASS system. I've been checking on these. I'm glad that you like yours. They have a new item that is just a pump, without the filters etc. Would that work well enough to supply the Lift Pump and VP-44? Thanks for the info.



Scott

 

[Oil Burner]

i've got a new fass only pump in the garage waiting to go on. just need some warm weather.



it replaces your lift pump completely. it is huge compared to the stock pump. its the same pump as the full Fass system, just without the filters.

 

[ScottDunn]

Jason, Where did you get it, and how much?? Do you just bypass the lift pump completely? Are you in or near Pittsburgh? I'm in NW PA.

 

[The Lockguy]

I have the full F. A. S. S. system that I am very happy with. I bought it on Ebay for $541. 00 and it came with a 3 micron filter. It only takes about 2 hrs. to install with basic tools.



Andy

 

[The Lockguy]

With the F. A. S. S. , you just bypass your factory system and run the line directly to the injector pump. There are instructions at www.dieselpp.com if you want to see how difficult it might be.



Andy

 

[I-6DZL]

Guys please understand that the way a shop (dealership or independent) makes money is off parts that they sell. I have worked for a stealership (only 6 months worth) and i was told they marked prices up 100%. This is not fair by any means but i can't and sure as hell won't justify their thinking about hozing folks that hard. At the shop i currently work at we mark parts up no more than 50% (and hardly ever that) The labor that you're paying is going for paying the tech's, the rent, electricity, heat, shop supplies, and more B. S. that most people would not think is part of running a shop.



I do think you got hozed, but i do not have labor times in front of me in order to tell you.



This is just a little insite on why you pay more to have a shop perform the work, instead of you buying the parts and performing the work yourself.



Just for the hell of it call the parts dept. and take the part # off of your receipt and give that to the parts person, and get the price.



What was their shop labor rate ?? per hr.



Curtis

 

[ScottDunn]

Curtis,



Labor rate is $49/ hr. @2. 5 hours. The rest was for the parts. I don't have a problem paying a good mechanic their labor rate. I do know that they earn it. The dealership was open on Saturday with a small crew in until noon, and I asked one of the guys to give me a ballpark figure to replace the pump, and he stated $250 to $280. I was expecting more like $300, depending on what they found. The $500 + stung pretty good.



Scott

 

[THires]

Hello Scott,

I'm fairly new myself, but learned that changing the fuel filter regular is key... have been doing every 10000 kms for past year, after lift pump replaced. My VP44 was replaced about 4 months ago. I am getting a fuel pressure gauge installed very soon and will monitor very close for next 40000 kms up to just before engine warranty expires. In summary, change fuel filter as I stated, monitor fuel pressure. I 'm still researching other aspects of fuel system design, but won't do anything else till I get to 100000 miles. Also, can't beleive there were no error codes. .

Good luck

THires

2001 Quad Cab

ps aside from fuel deilvery etc... get it put on the dynomometer and see what you have at idle and WOT... haven't done this yet but will before warranty expires, to ensure there are no other problems; i. e bad/damaged injectors

 

[TractorNut]

Hello Scott,

I am getting a fuel pressure gauge installed very soon

IF you dont go with an aftermarket fuel system. . (Or even if you do. ) at least get a gauge... My first pump went 108K. . and was still going. . but was starting to faid...

Just remember that the VP44 is lubricated and cooled by fuel. . It does have a charge pump inside. . but without the lift pump. . lubrication is the first thing to go... the pump is next...

Bryan

 

[ScottDunn]

Sounds like the guages are a necessity, and not a luxury. I was looking at the guage setups in my Geno's Garage catalog. Looks like more toys to buy. I was just getting ready to install my 4" HOG 304 stainless system when the truck died. I'll end up with a big pile of things to install. Hopefully NOT a VP-44. Thanks for the info Bryan.



Scott

 

[MFranz]

Scott,

How many miles on your truck. Isnt the Dodge warranty

good for 7 years 100,000 miles. Im also thinking about going with the Fass pump without the Filter but would like to here more feedback. Let me know what you decide to do.



Good Luck

Mike

 

[ScottDunn]

Mike,



The truck has 93K miles. I was told that the warranty for my truck was 5/100,000. My truck was an early 2000 with a build date of October/2000, so the time period was up. I have 2 kinds of luck- bad luck or no luck at all.



I would like to hear more feedback on this new FASS pump, also. If it's like their other pump it should be fine, though.



Thanks,

Scott

 

[wcjp]

Someone already mentioned it. Look to Cummins or a reputable aftermarket like Geno's Garage for parts. The 12v's have a fuel prefilter that Dodge wants about $40. The same part with the same packaging from Cummins was $10.

 

[RJOL]

... I would like to hear more feedback on this new FASS pump, also. If it's like their other pump it should be fine, though... .

Scott... I'm sure the FASS is a fine system, but if your short on cash, just get a FP gauge and monitor your pressure. That will cost you around $100 and will tell you exactly what pressure is feeding the VP44. If you want to make sure that you don't breakdown in the weeds with a bad lift pump, carry a spare, they are less then $200, are pretty straight forward to install, and you will still have some money left over that you would have spent on a FASS. I had my lift pump replaced at about 20K on the clock (under warranty). I was able to see the problem on my FP gauge, before it became a bigger problem. That was over 35K ago and the replacement is still ticking just fine... If it starts to fail, I would simply replace it again. JMHO

 

[MFranz]

Scott,

Please check with Chyrlser. They have an 800 number you can call for customer service. Give them your VIN number. Have them check your warranty. I believe the warranty starts on the date of when it was first sold.

Even going by the build date 5 years would be up in Oct.

Maybe Im wrong,been tipping a few glasses of wine with the wife. It might be worth checking out.

Take Care

Mike