VMac822

Thank you Michael. In the end I may try to crawl under there and take a voltage reading when it's empty next and after a fillup, should be able to get me close to what I need to know. I'm going to call Centroid as well since they've done a few 2nd Gen applications.

I'm trying to find out what the resistance range is for the fuel level sender in my 98.5. It works okay, but I seriously dislike the typical alinearity. Amazingly it is the original, just under 298,000 miles, but it is dangerously low on fuel by the time it reads 1/8 tank. You will be walking before it hits E. I want to switch over to a capacitive fuel level sensor for greater accuracy and no moving parts. I searched this forum and online and one source says 3.8 ohm full, 103.8 empty, but not sure I trust that. I found for a 2001 it is 20 ohms full, 220 empty. I know there are differences in fuel modules & fuel level senders at least between older and newer 2nd Gens, I think mainly between 12V and 24V, but I'm not sure. My truck is an early 98.5, manufactured February 11 (engine built January 27). Some capacitive senders are spec'd in volts, generally 5V range, but it looks like Dodge used 12V as signal supply. I have to drop the tank to fix a major fuel leak that happens when I top off my tank. So I would like to figure out what to order and have it ready to install at that time. http://www.centroidproducts.com/ https://www.reventec.com/product/ls200-liquid-level-sensor/

So I ended up getting a cheap core VP44 and bought an off the shelf rebuilt from Advanced Diesel in Spokane. They said they have the Bosch 815 test stand and they run them in and have a 3 year warranty. I got a 027 pump and they always do the steel liming sleeve, but as far as new computer goes Caroline at Advanced said you have to be careful when a vendor says "new PSG" because some rebuilders supposedly pull out unused but outdated/old generation PSGs. But Advanced doesn't always use a new PSG if it's the latest version and they are reflashed and thoroughly tested. Since they warranty it for 3 years I felt that was acceptable. I got the pump on last week and it's running good. Well to be honest the old pump was fine so it drives pretty much identical to the old but seems to have a bit more low end & midrange. I've put about 200 miles on it so far. It runs and idles smooth.

That helps, thank you Michael. I found a couple of older threads discussing it on this forum as well, and the VP44 teardown thread is a good read.

In looking a little further some rebuilt VP44s are upgraded to steel housings and come with 2 year or 1 year "wire tap" warranty It sounds like most off the shelf rebuilt pumps don't come with the steel housing, I would think it would be worth going for if you want durability and plan to keep the truck for a while. What is a steel housing?

I was wondering if anyone has sent their VP44 out to be refreshed/rebuilt versus doing the typical purchase of a rebuilt unit and sending the old one in as a core. The pump on my truck has basically been running fine for 130K miles even though it was a reman of unknown origin installed by the previous owner in 2011. I thought it would be interesting to have whatever shop rebuild mine and send it back and let me know what it looked like at teardown. . .is my filtration working effectively, does it show signs of low quality fuel, was the timing piston scored, etc. I have been having an odd starting issue intermittently for about 4 yrs/50k miles where sometimes it won't fire when cranking. The solution is to turn the key off and try again, it usually fires instantly. It doesn't matter if it's cold or hot start, if it's sat for days or 10 seconds. I believe my fuel system is sound with Fuelab 100 lift pump and spinon 7 micron filter and consistent 13-18 psi pressure, fed from a Beans under-tank pickup. Other than that the truck runs good and gets good fuel economy. Has anyone done business directly with any of the Bosch certified shops Michael listed in this post?

It's a labor of love keeping these older trucks going on the road. When I'm tempted to complain about the long list of maintenance and fixit items I remind myself I'm grateful for a truck that's paid for, I can work on myself, and isn't laden with emissions control equipment. And to top it off, take all the road trips you want because racking up the miles has nil effect depreciation.

On your chart how does it work with the different transmissions? ie Automatics you definitely want smaller tires or go with 4.10s sooner than you would with a NV4500 or NV 5600. I do like bigger tires and I'm right on the cusp of crossing over into the "red zone." I have a G56 (later version) in my short box 4x2 98.5 Ram, 3.54 axle with 275/55R20 tires. Being a lighter truck (scales right at 6000) and lower ride height I think I can get away with it. EGTs are fine, it's snappy on the highway. I have my speedo corrected and show about 2020 RPM at 70 mph I generally get 22 on the highway doing 70-75. I had two tanks right at 24 mpg driving to Wisconsin last fall. Running just under 80 across S. Idaho and Utah netted 21. Running some 75hp injectors Weston Shupe modified and Smarty CO3, as well as Colt Stage 3 cam and exhaust header with ball bearing 63mm turbo. Towing my 24' Airstream Argosy I get 13.5 to 16 mpg. Swapping over to the G56 from the auto sure made it nice for towing!

Just to make sure, you used the woodruff key that came with the new VP44?

Hey Silverwolf, I missed this before but I can give some feedback on the header. Yes it does change the sound some, smoother for sure. I like it! The main reasons headers didn't gain popularity is the cost versus benefit, plus concerns about durability and killing low end spool. Mine was manufactured around 2009 and I grabbed it used for $700 in 2012. It was made by Polydyn the coating company, and it is well built. The original owner ceramic coated it. He hammered pretty hard on it, raced his truck. Since I put it on it has had a pretty easy life. I've driven around 130k miles. I don't think the header provides much practical improvement over a stock manifold until you're in the 450+ HP range, and at that point I'd say do a steed or similar manifold. I think a header should be beneficial when you get into competition level performance though. Firepunk built a header for a race truck and it competed well. . . t looks a little intense and too many bends IMO. Anyway I have a larger turbo on my truck now, it spools well and the header may even help. I think it's a S363 with 73/80 turbine (14cm housing) dual BB. I have no data to speak of, I've had a lot going on and don't even have gauges in the truck at the moment. But it starts spooling around 1200 and very good daily driver. Now that I have the Colt stage 3 cam it pulls great in the midrange through redline, the cam/header/turbo is a good combo. I have a lot going on but I can't wait to get my Adrenalin installed (likely Spring) and tune it up. I have 75ph generic VCO injectors and Smarty C03. I took a road trip to Wisconsin via Kansas in October. My 2wd short box turned 20-21 MPG rolling in the high 70s, later on driving slower the last 2 tanks headed east were right at 24 mpg. Driving home with headwind and some winter blend it dropped to 20.0 to 21.5. I have a G56 6 speed, 3.54 axle, 275/55R20 tires. Below is the video you may have been looking for, there are 2 that will give you sound clips. I need to do some new ones now that I have the manual trans! I am thinking about redoing my exhaust again. . .make it louder. LOL

I haven’t done 2-stroke oil to speak of, I think I’ll give it a try. Do you use it in winter as well even with frigid temperatures?

How much two-stroke oil are you guys adding to a tank? I’m guilty of running quite a true gallons of used motor oil through my current truck. Not a lot, maybe 50 gallons over 50,000 miles. When I had to head off there was a little bit of light deposit on the valve faces but very insignificant. There was some on the injector tips too. some caveats: best to do it during warm weather, and long trips. I would generally limit to 2 gallons per tank. Doing it in cold weather and short trips is asking for trouble. And shy away from synthetics and ATF. I run very little used motor oil anymore.

I put one on my 98.5 a few years ago. It made a noticeable difference, smoother at higher RPM. They will last longer than the OEM unit, and quells 1st and 2nd order crank harmonics over a much broader range.

Looking good. I like the changes. Only one minor drop back, reading on my phone with the black background/white text is a bit more difficult. Is there anyway to reveet back to white background?

I pulled the pan on my 98.5 this spring when I did a cam upgrade. I wasn't sure if I wanted to fuss with strings and stoppers fishing in new tappets, so I pulled the pan which made it super easy swapping tappets out. After pulling the stock cam it was kind of fun popping the old tappets off the dowels and letting them hit the floor! I then pushed new tappets in place and held them while my kid shoved the dowel sticks in from above. Then slipping the new cam in was easy too, my kid guided it in from the front while I supported the end from underneath and guided it through the cam bores. It's a tossup which method is easier overall, but I think dropping the pan does save some hassle and lets you take a look at the lower end.