Dead VP44? Help before I order new pump
 

I just found this forum so would appreciate anyones help with my truck.

Yesterday on the way home my 2000 Dodge truck died with around an 1/8 a tank of fuel. My first thought was the gauge might be reading slightly incorrectly and I was going downhill and it might have pulled some air and killed the engine.

I pulled into a parking lot and put about 5 gallons of diesel in it and tried to kick over the engine to prime the pump then tried to start the engine but got nothing. So I had it towed home.

Now it is in my driveway and I am trying to go through the diagnosis process of all the things I have been able to dig up on the internet before having to order a new VP44 pump but I don't know that much.

I know the lift pumps are notoriously bad on these things and I did have it replaced at 95k miles and it now has 135k miles on it.

So I drained the filter canister and put a new filter in it since it is cheap and why not. I hit the engine and the pump came on and filled the canister but it still would not start.

Next thing I tried was breaking the banjo bolt on the inlet side of the fuel pump and again hit the key to start the lift pump. Fuel came shooting out so at this point I am pretty confident that the VP44 pump is getting fuel and the lift pump isnt completely dead.

Now whats next? I have read that you can try cracking the nuts at the injectors themselves to make sure no air is in there but will this help? Can it hurt anything at this point? Can someone give me direction on how to do this safely?

I would like to try every option before calling the pump dead and ordering a new one.

Oh, I did try to pull the codes and none came up. It just said Pdone.

Any help is appreciated, thanks

Did ya crack your injector lines to get the air out. Did you check for codes:humm:


LOL, guess I better read the whole post before I run my yap...

I havent cracked the injectors yet, I have heard this referred to but wasn't sure exactly what this entails or how to do this and couldn't find much info on it. If I can get some insight into how to do this that would be great.

I did check for codes and it said Pdone, which I assume means there is no codes.

Thanks

Crack loose the lines at the head on 1,3 & 4 injectors. Crank the engine and it should start, then tighten the lines back up. If no fuel comes out of the loose lines might be a bad IP. Just loosen the lines alittle.
Here's some reading for you.
Blue Chip Diesel Performance Specialists

ok, I assume you just slightly crack the nuts on each of the lines from the injector.

When you say injectors 1,3,4 is this inline from the front of the truck going backwards? So injector 1 would be the closest to the front of the truck?

Thanks

Correct, #1 is at the front, #6 at the back.

ok, i barely cracked the injectors just slightly and tried starting it.

Didn't start and I didn't notice any fuel coming out of the injector area.

I tried cranking it about 4 times and nothing happened.

Do I need to loosen them more or once you break them loose should fuel seep out of them if the pump is good?

Is there anything else or should I just give up and order a pump?

Assuming I need a pump where should I be looking to buy one? Is there an online shop that is known for selling these pumps?

Thanks for the help.

Barely cracked meaning how much? 1/8 of a turn or so? Try a little more, like 1/2 a turn. If the pump is working properly it should easily be able to push fuel past the threads.

As for getting a pump, start a thread in the "Request A Quote" section and the sponsors will do their best for you.

Might try loosening them a little more, just so that you can feel the line loose but the nut is still threaded in.
Where are you located?
Bump the starter and listen for the LP to run. It should cycle for 30 seconds. do that about 3 times, then try cranking the engine over.

ok, i did as instructed and backed them off 1/2 turn (used a sharpie mark on the nut) as I obviously wasn't backing them off much before(maybe 1/16 of a turn).

Now after doing that and cranking the motor over I was getting fuel out of all three of the nuts that I backed off.

Now I guess I am stumped because it looks like the motor is getting fuel from the pump but wont start and I have no codes.

Should I keep cranking on it? I am maybe cranking for 8 seconds at a time. If so I probably need to stick a charger on the batteries.

Anyone have any ideas?

Thanks for the help!

Oh, I am in Salt Lake City