I have an 02 Dodge 3500 that started losing power under load. If you pushed in the clutch and revved the engine a few times, it would blow a bunch of black smoke out the tail pipe and pick up power again. It is now doing this with no load and practically every time I start out from a stop. After reading some of the threads, I thought I might need a new lift pump (180+k on the old one) but seems I recall reading having white smoke issues with this problem. Also called a local shop and they said it might be loose blower clamps. Any suggestons?

 

Check for codes first.

Next, check lift pump pressure. Needs to be over 10 at all times.

Next issue you could have, you need to monitor the ECM with a scanner and see if for some reason you are getting errors in APPS signal, which could be caused by a bad APPS, or a bad ECM. We have one in here right now for an ECM.

Also, if you have an aftermarket tuner, like an Edge or Quadzilla, pull the chip and see if the fault is still there.

 

Check your intercooler clamps and boots, scan for codes, and install a fuel pressure guage if you dont already have one.

 

Thanks Guys.
I checked the intercooler lines and found a loose clamp and hose part way off. Seems to have fixed the problem for now. Will know later when I actually use the truck instead of just giving it a quick test drive. I will check out your other suggestions later. Also, sounds like I need to pick up a FASS I too... just in case. : jump: