Old Blue - 1998.5

It is possible to wire in a toggle switch and turn the seat belt lock on or off with that. I did that years ago while I waited six months for a replacement seat belt timer module from Dodge. It is a little black plastic box with a chip in it and a ball bearing switch (in case the vehicle turns over or on its side). When mine went bad it drained the batteries down so low that one froze. Wasn't too happy about that.

@jimmystikx Mine is a February 98.5, so it not have any of that stuff. It had the original Carter on the side of the engine drawing through the 1/4" hose. My VP44 died when the computer on the pump quit communicating with the ECM. So I sprung for the high dollar Blue Chip unit (with the extended warranty on the processor). and after reading, research, and thinking, decided the Fuel Boss was the way to go. Coupled with the big line kit and the good fittings that flow more and a fuel pressure gauge....I am much more confident that I will get a good lifespan out of the VP44. For priming I have fitted an Airtex-Wells replacement tee-ed in at the original location. I can use it to prime at start to 5-6 psi, then after the engine fires the mechanical pump builds pressure quickly to 15-16 PSI. Most of the time, though, it will start immediately as soon as the starter is engaged. After sitting for months through the winter, it fired and ran in like two seconds this spring. (after I re-installed and charged the batteries). One advantage of this system is that the electric lift pump is still in place. If for some reason I need to prime, or of the mechanical should fail, I can throw a switch and turn on the electric pump for a back-up, or to prime for a longer time. Running down the road I usually see 17-18 psi at speed. On a high rev downshift it'll bump up to 19-20 psi. Pressure and flow increase with RPM. And that is a good thing to have.... Good Luck with Yours, whatever you choose to do.

Once you consider how expensive the replacement electrical pumps are, how it seems like they are prone to trouble after three or four years, how a long slow decline in fuel pressure can eventually take out your expensive VP44, and the increased electrical load on the vehicle's ECM (and system as a whole) and the fact that many of the electrical pump motors are not well-shielded against electrical noise and AC....Well. The picture was clear to me. Mechanical pumps are much more reliable, predictable, not prone to as many side issues related to the electrical system as a whole. I love the fact that the rig starts instantaneously and builds good fuel pressure and keeps it, even increasing slighty from idle to max rpm and load. Care and proper feeding of your VP44 is the answer to a long and trouble-free experience....well...at least as that component in your fuel system is concerned. No regrets; expensive, but worth it at the pay-off. Cheers....

Fuel Boss or other mechanical lift pump. Only way to go.

When you pressure washed the engine bay, did you happen to pressure wash the wiring connector to the ECM? On driver's side engine block below, in front of fuel filter ? Is there a chance that got damaged-water forced in where it doesn't belong etc?

An update. I had purchased a rebuilt ECM from Auto Computer Specialist. It turned out, after all the trouble-shooting steps and verifications were gone through, that there was no problem with the crankshaft position sensor - the problem was with the 'rebuilt' ECM from Auto Computer Specialist - (The old ECM that was on the truck was purchased from Reman Auto Electronics in Pennsylvania in 2016. I think it had been failing slowly over time, and I finished it off by attempting to start the truck with low batteries.) So, as I was in a big time crunch at the time, I had Reman Auto Electronics overnight an ECM. I can't say enough good things about RAE. I was able to confirm that that they had the ECM I needed in final testing, and that it could be buttoned up and sent out literally within two hours of my phone call. After I replaced the Crankshaft Position Sensor with a new one (I wasn't going to go through all the work to pull the old one just to test it, then put it back in), and installed the 'new rebuilt' RAE ECM, the truck told the DRB III that all the codes were cleared. I used the DRB III to activate the electric lift pump to prime, watched fuel pressure build, and fired Old Blue right up. I still have not gotten back back with ACS over the defective 'rebuilt' ECM - Been too busy. Anyway, Old Blue is going to be loaded down with a lot of my tools, equipment, fishing and outdoor gear and ladders and will be making the trip down to Oregon at the end of the month. Thanks, guys for your help and advice, and for sharing your experiences, so we can all learn.

I had to replace my VP44 after the computer in the VP44 quit. I purchased my replacement pump from Blue Chip Diesel, and determined after reading all the information about the problems with the original fuel system, determined that the Glacier Diesel Fuel Boss was the best way to go. I also installed a fuel pressure gauge and big line kit, along with replacing the original lift pump. The electric lift pump is a back up, and runs to prime the fuel system after a filter change or maintenance. The engine usually fires almost instantly with the mechanical pump, pressure builds quickly at idle to 17 pounds pressure. The Fuel Boss Pump consistently maintains minimum fuel pressure at 17 pounds, and will rise to around 18 if engine RPM is increased to around 3000 rpm or over. I also practice premixing about 1 ounce per gallon of two-stroke oil in the diesel at refueling time. VP44's are expensive, and if treated right, they can last and be reliable. Best of Luck with yours....

I have used Tire Rack several times now. (4 sets of tires for the 'other vehicles). We found a shop up in Bend that matches Tire Rack's prices and we get a small break in mounting and balancing when we order through their shop. But the same shop have also happily mounted and balanced tires purchased directly through Tire Rack and had delivered to them. Tire Rack has provided very fast service and delivery - they get a definite Four Thumbs up from us...

IMHO -That color change on the metal surface (blue tint in the photos) is the result of a lot of heat. Brakes work by scrubbing off rotational energy, converting it to heat. Ceramics are hard and can withstand much more heat than organics, so they wear longer. But the rotor needs to be up to the task of withstanding the additional heat generated by the harder ceramics and be able to dissipate that additional heat effectively... If it were mine, I would replace 'em. If the original rotors aren't too worn, I like your idea of having them refaced and using them again with organic pads. Where I live in Alaska, we have a lot of volcanic ash, which under a microscope looks like bits of sharp broken glass. Since a disc brake rides at 'zero clearance' that can lead to faster wear and (if not caught soon enough) scoring - proper pad selection and maintenance is a must. They last about half as long in this country...

Found another thread about this and learned that the if the ECM does not get an RPM reading from the crank sensor then it will not pump fuel...which makes sense. Learning all the time....

Roger that. I hope so too. The one I had for two days had great fuel pressure - tested by removing the drive belt from the mechanical pump and observing fuel pressure on my FP gauge. That is- until the back cracked and leaked air in. My first clue should have been how hard it was to get installed on the bracket, and the extreme hard angle on the fuel line. Good Luck with yours.

A word of caution and advice.... I purchased a Herko pump for my 1998.5 3500 4x4 Quad Cab with auto trans in 2016. It was to be used as a priming pump only, as at that time I had converted to the Fuel Boss mechanical pump. from Glacier Diesel Power. The pump was a 'tight fit' on my vehicle, and after two days...this happened. (It leaked first as it had cracked leaking air into the fuel stream, causing the engine to run very rough- It broke completely as I was trying to remove it. Major PITA.) The Airtech-Wells pump comes with the needed 90 degree adapter fitting, and so far has not leaked or broken off. It costs about four times as much, but it works. YMMV.

Thanks dripley.....

Howdy all, So here is what happened. I did not identify any problems with wiring. I had gone through the tests, clearing out the steps in the first procedure that Mopar1973Man had posted above, one by one, and finally got down to the Step 5 - (Using ohmmeter, check resistance between ground and terminal No. 30 (Black/Tan wire) on ECM connector. If resistance is less than 10 ohms, replace ECM.) and with my ohmmeter showing less than 10 ohms of resistance, determined that it was appropriate to replace the ECM. Contacted Auto Computer Specialist, and after a week or so delay, received the rebuilt ECM and installed on truck. So the CCD Bus seems to be communicating as that error code cleared, but now it shows a 0387 code "Crankshaft Position Sensor Supply Voltage Low" along with the 1693 code "DTC Detected in PCM" - the engine cranks but will not fire, and the lift pump is not priming. I used the DRB III to activate the lift pump and fill the filter can with fuel, but engine will not start, and lift pump will not run and pump fuel while cranking and attempt to start - Does it make sense that the presence of the sensor DTC is preventing the engine from firing? How common is the failure of the Crankshaft Position Sensor? While reading around the net, it seems like a bunch of folks have had to replace them, and judging by what I have read so far, it seems like it can be a real pain. Any advice or knowledge about this would be helpful to me, and is appreciated. Thank You to Mopar1973Man.....

Any ideas? Truck sat for a month, batteries disconnected. The fuel tank was topped off before it was shut down, and the darn thing seemed to be running fine. Return after a month down South, charged batteries, reconnected them, attempt to start. No wait to start light. Electric lift pump ran for maybe a minute, not much fuel pressure. Bump starter, wait for fuel pressure...nothing. Crank engine, fired once and disengaged starter but did not run. No check engine light. Tried several times, but now not getting any fuel pressure and no fire from engine. Finally dragged out my DRB III (its the only tool that can reliably read these early 1998.5's) and can see message: PCM DTC's 1 of 1 NO BUS MESSAGE RECEIVED FROM COMPANION MODULE CHRYSLER HEX CODE $DE SAE TROUBLE CODE P 1694 I expect I'll be cracking the big Dodge book and sorting out my testing procedures, but I would appreciate any helpful hints about things to look for. Old Blue had some trouble about three years ago when the computer failed in the fuel injection pump. At only 29,200 miles, It got a Blue Chip Diesel injection pump, a Reman Auto Electric ECM, a Glacier Diesel Power mechanical lift pump, and Airtex-Wells electric lift pump for priming, a fuel pressure gauge, and a diode bridge replacement for the alternator. Last year it got the harmonic balancer replaced after a curiously strong vibration at idle was noticed; the old one was shot with bonded rubber swollen and displaced. It did stop lighting the 'wait -to-start' light about a year ago, and the temperature display in the overhead console started not to function from time to time. I also noticed that the transmission seemed to be acting like it was hunting between the two top gears from time-to-time. I usually drive with the OD off since it rarely sees more than 55 mph on limited road system where I live up North. I've taken some hints here and since the new fuel injection pump was added, it has had a diet of 1 ounce per gallon of very high-quality PennzOil two-stroke oil blended at every fueling, to compensate for the lack of lubricating sulfur in the Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel Fuel. Any Help or advice is certainly welcome and appreciated. I have had a lot of help here from you Good Folks. Thank You.