Well, to start i'm not sure if this is the right spot, but here it goes anyway. Oh, and while i'm not new to the wrench im a little limited when it comes to diesels. So don't eat me alive .

To make a long story short i'm thinking of buying a 98.5 dodge 3500 with a 24 valve cummins. It's got 289k miles, the current owner has had it for most of it's life and i happen to work with him. Currently the truck has a few issues. From what i understand the lift pump has been replaced at one point in time. All it's regular maintinace has been done at the correct intervals.

Currently the truck seems to loose throttle respsonse/power once it's warmed up. When it's cold it runs fine. He's got a temperature sensor for it along with a tps ( though from my understanding it's called an apps?). It dose not give out any grey smoke. On a side note, it starts great, regardless of the temp

edit- For a lack of better terms it feel's like it fall's on it's face once it's warm

I'm wondering if it's really none of the above and it's really the vp.

any ideas? or should i just walk away from this one, i really can't afford to dump any money into this.

 

Typically the VP when going bad will start when it's cooled off but won;t re-start when you shut it off until it cools down. I carried jugs of cold water in a cooler while i was waitin on my new pump cause if i needed to I could cool it down that way. Air temp doesn't matter, only the pump temp.

If by falls on it's face when cold you are talking air temp that sounds more the MAP(Manifold Air Temp) sensor issue.

Hate to say it but if finances are this tight, this may not be the truck for you right now. It's a gamble right now. If that Lift Pump was bad for any amount of time before he fixed it the VP could very well have issues and that's a thousand dollar fix no matter how you look at it. Not even talkin about what else you may find. These trucks are fun and fuel efficient but they aren't cheap to own and that's a sad fact. Gotta pay to play really does apply to these trucks.

 

thanks fpr the reply =), this seems to only be an issue once it's warmed up. I've read through just about everything i could find. But are there any tell tale signs of a lift pump or vp going bad?

 

Lift pump you can use a fuel pressure gauge to test. Hopefully the truck already has one installed, if not he's just askin for problems. You can put together a test gauge and hook it up pretty simple for about $25 worth of parts and pieces. A 3/8 I think fitting, 2ft of high pressure hose and a pressure gauge that reads to at least 30 pounds, 60 is better. If you wanna go this route let me know and I'll post up details.

The VP, the only way to check it for sure is to pull it and have it bench tested at a Bosch service center. The symptoms of a pump going bad vary greatly in every situation. For the best reading on this pump just visit the website of our resident VP expert Chip at Blue Chip Diesel. You can find his link in the vendor section of the site or just do a search for Blue Chip Diesel. He has write-ups that will tell you anything you want to know about these pumps.

 

I'd really appreciate that guide, I have the opportunity to "steal" the truck for a while and i woudlnt mind spending a little bit just to cover myself.

Oh, and i've read through everything on Blue Chip's site, it's given me quite a bit to go on.


thanks again!

and on a side note.. would the 289k miles scare you away from the truck.. front end/tranny are in great shape.. as well as the body/frame.. how long are these cummins good for? I've heard some pretty large numbers.. though i woulnd't think they'd push much over 350k.

 

There is no such thing as a high mileage Cummins till your over the million mile mark. You just don;t hear about these million mile trucks on these boards because of things we do to our trucks. We play, we add HP, we lift em up in the air and we tend to drive em hard. All these things take their toll. But honestly, if this truck has been taken care of there is no reason that it shouldn't see 500,000, then you get an overhaul and head out for the next 500,000.

Lot a these hot shotters out there haulin the highway's will roll up 500,000 in the first couple years with a new truck and then keep on goin with it.

Now havin said this, understand that the truck around this Cummins is gonna need work at these miles and that's where the problems jump up. On my truck, the axles, frame, body panels, Computer and motor are still factory originals, most everything else on the truck is aftermarket.

I'll put ya the list together for the tester and post it up later.

 

a little update. I hooked the solus up to it and got a P0216 along with a P1693 i believe, though my memory may be wrong on that 1693.. Is there anyway that you can get a P0216 and still have a good pump?

 

Man i hate to say it but you prolly going to need a vp soon i mean its possible i just replaced my vp and i think the original one was fine i replaced the vp and the truck still wouldnt start it ended up being the fuel relay going bad in the enginecompartment fuse box something you can try it may not help but replace the wiper relay with the fuel relay they are the same see if it helps if you do have to replace the VP i have a guy that can find you a used one for cheap the one i just got has 50 thousand on it and i paid around 500 bucks and no core charge fee free sipping everything but if your interested in talking to him PM me and i will give you his info

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Another question that needs to be answered is is the truck worth the money that your going to spend on it how much is the guy wanting for it if you can get the truck for a decent price thats good bec. spending an extra 1 o 2 thousand bucks for parts aint bad but if he wants like 12 thousand you would be better off looking into another truck but believe me take your time i rush into stuff get excited my add kcks in and i end up settling for somthing not quite as good as the one that pops up a week latar and if i were you stay clear of the autos if you are going to bomb it bec. you will need 5 grand worth of trans work Look for a manual trans there better i think I wish i would have waited and found a truck with a manual

 

How about a simple thing like check error codes?

Error codes will at least cut down on the guessin game and get you head towards a answer...

 

I have a 2001 dodge 3500 won't start when outside temp is hot, start engine light goes off immediately. when temp is cool outside start engine light stays on about 10 sec truck starts fine, any ideas what the problem is? Thanks