Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) Poll - Lift Pump Problems on your 24V?

[Wheaties]

Okay, I just got off the phone with the service writer at a Dodge Dealership on the Hudson River in NY. He called the Star Hotline and this is what he says they said:



1) the problem only occured in 1999 - 2000 trucks



2) there was a run on lift pumps so they constrained pump orders, you had to call Star, answer a bunch of questions, then they would order your pump.



3) sez the 24-valve is so sensitive to fuel pressure that you really don't need a gauge. :--)



This is what he says. This is what the Star rep says. I'm not defending it. I don't agree with it. But I thought everyone could use a chuckle.



Matt

 

[thepitts]

Steve you forgot

To add a spot for the second pump or the third. I am on my third pump in only 32K. This one does seem to be working so far.

 

[mopars1]

Dodgeboy

The pressure port you want to test in is the one closer to the outside of the filter top cover. That is the lift pump pressure port. The one closer to the retaining nut is the after filter pressure. It is good to test both to see if your filter is becoming a restriction in the fuel flow.



David

 

[monkfarm]

big saint

What brand lift pump (the after market ones) did you have to replace? What's the most dependable brand (lift pump)?

 

[Joe Mc]

Steve, no need to reply to my PM the other night - all is now well.

 

[joel]

lift pump OK, but injection pump died!

They tested the lift pump pressures and they were all right where they were supposed to be. Lift pump was TU, so they ordered and installed a new one - under warranty, of course. That was about at 50K.

 

[Windrider]

Whew! mine works

Well, I answered no problems and hadn't check a couple of days ago, but I just had the time to put Briarhoppers gauge on my truck.



23,000 miles

14 at idle

10-11 at highway cruise

8 at WOT in 5th at readline. (I never run it up that high when driving, but it was a test!)



Never drops below 9 in any other gear.

Hmmm... I wondered why 5th was my favorite gear to romp in.

 

[Chipstien]

Update....

Originally I posted that all was well. Well scratch that. Lift pump went out in the parking lot at DTT in Canada. Lets see... . if I get 400,000 miles on the truck... . and this one went at 28,000... . COOL, just 15 more lift pump changes and a total cost of over $2200. Hummmm... . how much was it for a complete aftermarket fuel system

 

[zorro]

I tested mine last week with Briarhopper's gauge. 10# at idle; <5# running. Took it in yesterday and had the pump replaced; now it's running 16#/12#. I had a very good experience at Carson Dodge in Carson City, including a nice chat with John Holmes. This is the third lift pump for my 2001 truck, which has 26,000 miles on it.

 

[AFacey]

OK- How can you tell if the pump is bad or going bad without a pressure gauge?



Thanks-

 

[Steve St.Laurent]

That's the whole point AFacey - you can't tell without a gauge until it's WAAAAAAAAAY bad and by that time it's very likely that you've damaged your injection pump.

 

[TNT]

After installing Briar's test gauge, I discovered I was due for a new lift pump. So after I stripped the EZ, elbow, and BHAF off I had the dealer put me on a new one. Now I'm ready to see if my VP44 is up to the challenge of a Pwr Max I got from ToddT :--)

 

[RJOL]

Took mine to the dealer, under warranty, yesterday. I had 9-10 idle; 5-8 cruise; 1-2 WOT. I also gave them a copy of the thread with the STAR Hotline info. They changed it with no hassle... Now I have 15+ idle; 12-13 cruise; 9-10 WOT. Thanks to the info in this thread, I now have a healthy pump. Now, let's see how long this one lasts...

 

[jtisdale]

WTF??

Originally posted by zorro

I tested mine last week with Briarhopper's gauge. 10# at idle; <5# running. Took it in yesterday and had the pump replaced; now it's running 16#/12#. I had a very good experience at Carson Dodge in Carson City, including a nice chat with John Holmes. This is the third lift pump for my 2001 truck, which has 26,000 miles on it.

DC REALLY needs to do something about this, I had no idea it was this bad. Three pumps in 26,000 miles is f^(&!#@ ridiculous! #@$%!

 

[Pit Bull]

Where do you get a copy of the Star line, guideline on lift pump minimum PSI requirements before replacement is OKed?

 

[Steve St.Laurent]

You won't get a copy - it's not written down anywhere that I know of. If the dealer calls STAR they'll get the info though.

 

[Bigsaint]

Re: big saint

Originally posted by monkfarm

What brand lift pump (the after market ones) did you have to replace? What's the most dependable brand (lift pump)?

Sorry I missed your ???



My Carter (original lift pump) was removed and replaced with a Mallory 4150 at 3000 miles after a psi test at Auto Wurks Diesel confirmed my suspicions that the pump was not putting out enough psi's at WOT. I didn't have a FP gauge at the time, but I experienced a very hard stumble after a short WOT run, which caused me to lose all power for about 30 seconds, while the truck spewed white smoke on any throttle attempt. A. W. D. confirmed that I had about 5 psi's @ idle and 0-1 @ near WOT. This was when I was only running the EZ box, everything else was stock at that time. The first Mallory went in last Jan. (01). Since then I am now on my 3rd Mallory 4150... first one lasted about 4 months. I added a relay to power the 2nd pump, along with a screened Earl's pre-filter. The 2nd Mallory lasted about 8 months. The 3rd has been in since Jan. of this year. The only thing I'm differently now is running the Mallory at higher psi's than before. My thought is that the return in the VP44 will help prolong the Mallory from beating itself to death if I keep the psi's at atleast 14@idle( the first 2 Mallory pumps were set at 12 psi's at idle). Time will tell but I'm not very hopefull.

The Mallory 4150 is a great pump when it's running. It has a deadhead adjustment that allows you to fine tune the psi's to your needs and it has more than enough flow. The Mallory is also rebuildable. Some members have reported good results by simply replacing the brushes in a failed Mallory, which is something I have not tried yet. The pumps longetivity is the issue. 3 pumps in one year is too much for me to live with.

When this one dies, I plan on trying a vaned pump, such as the Aeromotive, as my 4th. Personally, I believe that the gerator design of the Mallory and it's tight tolerances are not well suited for a long live with diesel fuel. I have sent every Mallory pump back to them for repair and diagnosis of the failure, they keep telling me that the pump died from cavitation, which in turn caused the death of the armature (sp). I get my fuel from only one source, a local trucking Co. that turns over a huge amount of fuel on a daily basis. The second pump was being feed from a transfer tank in the bed, which was filtered through a Goldenrod filter (down to 10 microns) before it hit the tank. I doubt the fuels quality is in question. I also keep the tank at a minimum of 1/2 full or more all year long.





Scott W.

 

[Pit Bull]

Well Steve, I need to change my vote Got Briars test gauage today and checked my PSI's. I got a big "0" psi at the VP44. When I step on the go peddle it drops below "0". guess it is creating a vacuum from the VP44 sucking fuel. To let others know I have no idea how long my lift pump has been dead. Mines a daily driver, don't tow and I never go WOT. Just putt around town. Glad I have 3 years and 60K more miles of warranty left on the engine. Dealer appoint in the morning for a new lift pump. A word of advise, check your lift pump.

 

[HC]

Just checked my pressure - way less than 5 psi at WOT. 82k - I was one of the ones who thought "mine's OK". Shame on me. I had a VA for a little while, but most of my miles have been fully stock as far as fuel levels going, and when the VA was on I rarely used more than 1/2 throttle and never towed. This is not just a problem for BOMBER's. This problem applies to "stock" rigs too. I've babied it in every way. I drive easy; often below the speed limit, watch EGT's, and use fuel conditioner on every fill up. There is no excuse for my pump going out. Now we'll see how good my dealer really is: Will he replace, or try to tell me my MHAF and 4" exhaust voided my warranty, even with "stock" fuel demands???

 

[Rogue Ram]

The gauge....

Can anyone suggest a test gauge (as opposed to a permanent one) that won't break that bank, so to speak? Now I'm getting a little paranoid... ... ...