Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) VP 44 and code 0216

[fox]

As some of you may know, this past January, on a trip home from Florida to Illinois, I had a dead throttle several times and found codes 1963 + 0216. IP timing failure.

We made it home and I refused to just change the pump, choosing to drive it as far as it would go.

It has been very tempermental and moody, belching smoke and missfiring at times, then seems to run ok for a few days.

Well, over the weekend I checked for codes again and it is gone! Truck ran very good/normal today.

Could this simply be a bad ground?

Or is it teasing me?

Where do I start looking for this ground issue?

 

[BBliss]

All I know is when that code is found we replace the pump and the problem goes away, i. e. rough running, hard start, bucking and other drivability concerns under load. It is known that the lift pump going out causes this code to show up after the injector pump has been operating without the lift pump supplying it. Bosch has stated that the diaphram in the injection pump gets damaged when the lift pump ceases to feed the vp-44 with fuel.

 

[PhilLewis]

Hi Fox,

It sounds like you may have got lucky for now. I have tried every trick posted to get rid of the 216 code and dead fuel peddle. This included cleaning all grounds & connections, apps, map, etc. I even separated the apps wiring from the harness. It continued to get worse until replacing the VP44. It sure doesn't hurt to clean and check electrical connections anyway but if the code comes back look for a new pump. I was surprised to hear the code didn't appear recently because after mine started acting up I chased every option besides the inj. pump. I have bought several VP44s from cumminsstuff.com in Granbury, TX. They are the cheapest I have found and nice to deal with. Best of luck.

Phil

 

[slo-ryde]

If you have less than 100,000 miles on the truck this would be covered by warranty. Why wouldn't you want to have it replaced?



I lost two lift pumps and at 37,000 miles picked up the P0216 code. Took the truck to the dealer, they replaced the VP44 and life is good!

 

[nunya]

Had the same problem develop last weekend coming home from the RMTDR/ATS summit in Denver! Dead throttle,P0216 code. Truck is at the dealer now getting a new VP44, they just replaced the lift pump at 36,100, now has 38,400, so there ya go! Good Luck

 

[fox]

Probably the first thing done to the truck was a fuel pressure guage. This was before 4,000 miles, which is when the Comp box was added and the wire tapped. Thus I am the warantee.

Normal pressure is 12-16.

It has always had good fuel pressure, except for an issue with junk in the tank and it would drop the fressure to 2-3 for 2-3 seconds and I would shut it off. Restarted and it was fine for a short time. This was all before 10,000 miles, and it has 68,800 now. Actually has about 3,000 since the code showed up and the dead throttle started. It really acted like a fuel related problem since we put fresh fuel in it at the time the code showed and it cleared up. I did at this time double dose it with lucas fuel lube.

I still think it will get hooked to a tow truck soon!!!

But, as soon as I can the grounds will be checked/cleaned.

 

[SScandalis]

Q1) Is there any experience out there in the TDR group whether driving 150-200 miles since the Check Engine light came on is likely to damage the high pressure Injector Pump beyond recovery or not? The miles were easy, unloaded, miles over 3 days on a 1998. 5 2500 QuadCab 24-valve before getting to the dealer.



Q2) Which sources have been found to purchase parts separately for self-installation?



Dodge dealers in San Francisco, CA area are saying about $2,000 for the Injector Pump and $400 to $700 for labor. Transfer Pump is in the range of $400 parts + $300 to $400 labor. Worst case seems to be that both would need to be replaced for a total of $3,000+.



Technican is now checking to see what the problem is. Check Engine code says "Injector Pump Timing Failure", I don't know the numeric code.



Thanks

 

[Hohn]

Q1) Is there any experience out there in the TDR group whether driving 150-200 miles since the Check Engine light came on is likely to damage the high pressure Injector Pump beyond recovery or not? The miles were easy, unloaded, miles over 3 days on a 1998. 5 2500 QuadCab 24-valve before getting to the dealer.



Q2) Which sources have been found to purchase parts separately for self-installation?



Dodge dealers in San Francisco, CA area are saying about $2,000 for the Injector Pump and $400 to $700 for labor. Transfer Pump is in the range of $400 parts + $300 to $400 labor. Worst case seems to be that both would need to be replaced for a total of $3,000+.



Technican is now checking to see what the problem is. Check Engine code says "Injector Pump Timing Failure", I don't know the numeric code.



Thanks

It depends on WHY the check engine light is on. If it's an overboost, code, ignore it. If it's pump, it could be serious.



For DIY parts, www.cumminsstuff.com is hard to beat. ~$1300 for a VP44.



Those rates from your dealer are sky-high. Transfer pump is $160 from Cummins. It takes about 30 min to replace. Thus, you'd be paying your dealer $600-$800/hr for labor. I think nuclear scientist make less than that.



The numeric code for injection pump timing failure is P0216.



If you have a 2000 or newer truck, you can see the codes by turning the key from the first position to the "run" position 3 times quickly. Watch the odometer window. It will show the codes after flashing some P-PCM and P-ECM stuff. P-done means no codes or no more codes.



jlh

 

[SScandalis]

Check light came on with a "Injector Pump Timing Failure". I'm told that if the low fuel pressue is caught in time the injector pump sometimes survives, but more often than not it can be damaged quickly.



Thanks for additional parts source. I'll contact Cummins Stuff to check price and availability in case I need to do this myself.