MarkG

Well yesterday I installed the Dodge Off Road track bar. It went really smoothly and I'm shocked at how much of a difference it made even at low speeds. The truck drives so much better it's pretty wild. BTW I ordered the bar 8/3 and it shipped out on 9/7. So not 5 weeks, just 4.5, then another week in the hands of UPS. If I would have known it was a 6+ week wait to get it in my hands I probably would have tried building one myself. However I'm glad I didn't know or try to build one. There's just too much on my plate and there's no way my first one would have come out as nice as the Dodge Off Road piece. It really is super nice. After the track bar install I did the push/pull test on all the wires under the hood. Could not make any symptoms appear during all the yanking while the engine was idling. Once I got it moving on the road I could get it to stumble under acceleration. And that is happening at almost any speed now and just cruising down the road at 55 it can be felt as well. I will take the advice above and NOT install the fuel sump. I have not installed it for all these years because of the reasons listed by you guys up there. It was really easy to picture that thing covered in diesel and slowly seeping away no matter how tight the bolts are. We have a mile of dirt road to my house. It would have been a mess. I think a draw straw will be my next move. Trying to come up with a flow chart of cheaper/sensible things to replace before I purchase another VP44. I have a Fass Titanium 95gph lift pump with 1/2" line. Is there any reason to look for another draw straw besides the one Fass makes? I'll try to shoot some video of the issues today.

Thank you for that advice. At nearly $600 I'm a little bummed to have to do anything to that bar. It took over 5 weeks to get it. That was pretty disappointing considering how simple that part is to fabricate. Now that I can repeat results and get the truck to stumble and cough on demand I'll shoot a video and share it with you all. Yes I did post that originally. However the problem is becoming a problem at any speeds or acceleration level and while turning hard to the left. I'll call around but I don't think that I'll be able to get my hands on that Snap On tool. I have been thinking about the fuel pickup. But I never see my fuel pressure gauge do anything out of the ordinary. If it was sucking air wouldn't I see the gauge going crazy? I have had an XDP fuel sump kit on my desk for about 8 years. Always been meaning to install it, never have. What are your thoughts on those? Good Idea? Install it?

I will do that today. There is nothing obviously loose or swinging. Everything is tidy and tight from my exploration yesterday. I'll put on my ear protection and see if I can't find something. Thank you.

Okay, today I pulled my batteries out and traced down all the grounds. Everything is solid and clean. The battery terminals and all connections at the batteries was clean and I cleaned it all again during reassembly and shot some anti corrosion stuff on all those connections. I checked all the connections and wires I made during the W-T ground system mod. Everything there checked out fine. I pulled the BHAF and intake hose and poked all around the computer and checked out the block ground. All good. Reassembled everything and went for a drive. Same ol', same ol'. Made a left onto the highway from a stop sign and it coughed and sputtered. Pulling up my driveway at the left turns I over exaggerated the turns and it sputters and misses. Sounds like it's running out of fuel but the way it's triggered makes me think it's an electrical issue. Once again, any input is welcome. Tomorrow I'm going to install the Dodge Off Road track bar.

Thank you. I did the W-T ground mod. Will check the ground under the driver's battery today as I have not checked that one yet. I purchased a track bar from Dodge Off Road. It's in my shop in the box....still need to put it on. Not worried about the front axle. That's all simple nuts and bolts. This electrical issue has been plaguing me for a couple of years now and getting worse and worse. I appreciate your input. Hope that ground under the battery solves my problem.

Hello again. It's been months and I'm still perplexed with my truck. At this point I've done the AC ripple test (pass), drove without the alternator connected, no change. Again I cleaned all the battery terminals and noticed the positive from the main battery to the dist. box had a little corrosion where it goes into the terminal so I cut it off, cut about an inch of wire off, soldered a new connector on and now have it attached to the terminal bolt. No change. In fact things are getting worse. It's running rougher and rougher. I did however notice something interesting...our drive way is on a hill with a couple of left turns. Every time I'm making these slight left turns the truck craps out and stutters (even with a full tank of fuel). I've looked at all wiring I can see so far and can't find anything out of the ordinary or broken. Hoping maybe the symptom of cutting out while going up hill and making a left turn might click with somebody. Could it be the computer? One last thing to add....about a month ago I was headed to town for a dump run and on the freeway I could not believe how good the truck was running. It was smooth at 75!!!! I was shocked and remarked to myself how great it was to feel it running so well. On my way home I came off an overpass that had a huge bump and it was my first experience with death wobble! FUN!!! I was going about 70 and the truck started violently shaking. The dirt from my floor boards was in my face. It was insane and a total surprise. What a treat! Anyhow I was able to keep control of the truck. Everybody on the freeway gave me space thankfully. After the death wobble stopped the truck was running TERRIBLE, worse than even before. Maybe that's worth something here? VP? Computer? Anyway, So now on top of a horrible running truck I'm facing an entire front axle rebuild. Not very interested in rebuilding the axle until the damn thing is running properly. Heartbreaking and depressing honestly. Truck is still very clean at 153,XXX miles. Any input is welcome. Thank you all.

I did elaborate on all that earlier in the thread. FASS Titanium lift pump. new filters. electric fuel pressure gauge with the sending unit plumbed into the FASS unit. Shows a solid 14lbs of pressure. I replaced the VP44 a few years ago with an Industrial Injection unit that looked like it was kicked around their shop floor for 10 years before they sent it to me. Never impressed with that pump from the min I took it out of the box. It was noisier than my original. I should have sent my pristine original to Blue Chip, always kicked myself in the *** for not doing that. I do have a fuel tank sump/outlet that I've been meaning to install for years but have not got around to doing so yet. I will search out how to test the AC ripple. Thank you.

My mind is grinding on this issue and I'm ready to force the solution. I want my truck fixed and running tip top OR I want to smash the **** out of it with the backhoe at this point. @Mopar1973Man...Let's get back to the Quadzilla train of thought as far as diagnostics go. I've never had a tuner or telemetry to work with. You mentioned the Quadzilla module records what's going on with the engine. How confidant are you from those recording I (we) would be able to determine what the problem is? I can justify the cost of the unit if I'm confidant it will help pin point my problem. Still need to check the wiring harness VP->ECM but I'm almost positive everything there is intact. It still looks new but will do my best to get that little pin adapter made for my multi meter and confirm soon. Any input on the diagnostic abilities of the Quadzilla is absolutely welcomed. Hope you all have a great Sunday and thank you for your time.

No. Mine does it in 1st and 2nd not locked up. Exact same symptoms that the original transmission displayed. I'm 99.99% positive it's not the torque converter.

Howdy all. I was on the road for a few hundred miles yesterday and had an opportunity to experiment with the gas pedal and high freeway speeds. Tried my best to again zone in on what the heck is going on with my truck. Above I stated I suspected the VP44 could be causing the issue. After yesterday's trip I'm thinking maybe it's the computer???? Just a recap....the transmission and torque converter were replaced with a high quality upgraded remanufactured unit a few months ago. The symptoms are exactly the same. I was hoping that it was an issue with the torque converter, it's not, nor is it the transmission. My batteries are fairly new, I did W-T's ground mods. All connections are clean and tight. There is a TC lockup switch on my dash. The issue still happens with the switch in the locked position. Fuel Filters are new. Fuel pressure is rock solid at about 14lbs. So here's the observation in the best way I can describe it from yesterday's ride...Under hard acceleration at low speeds and speeds above about 68MPH (just cruising, not on the throttle) it feels like, if it was a manual, the clutch pedal is being pushed rapidly. I think I can the engine RPMs slightly rise when this happens. Can anybody describe what it feels like when a computer is going bad? Also wondering if maybe I could have a cracked pickup tube in the tank. Wouldn't I see the fuel pressure fluctuate on the gauge though? I love my truck and want to get past this. Thank you all for your time, it's truly appreciated.

Well, I'll prob get flamed for this but...when I installed my fuel pressure gauge I was aware of the pulse issue coming from the VP44 and didn't have the time at the moment to build out something like Mike did so I installed the sending unit in the FASS lift pump itself. I change my filters at least once a year. Couldn't see how there could be a big drop in pressure from the lift pump to the injector pump with fresh filters and the big 1/2" fuel line. Made a B double E double R U N yesterday and hammered the go pedal again. The truck ran much smoother than it had in past few days, I changed nothing. It still wasn't running 100% clean but no where near the roughness it had been displaying previously. What do you guys think of the VSS? I read a couple threads now where that was the fix. Any experiance with a failing VSS and symptoms out there?????

The fuel pressure gauge is electric and I don;'t have any reason to thiunk is't not accurate. When it's cold I can see the pressure fluctuate a tad bit. It operates like it should upon start up. The FASS Titanium pump is purring away like a kitten. But who knows!? I don't have a manual gauge around Fuel filters are only a couple months old. I changed them when I did W-T's ground mod actually. I was out and about again yesterday and really tried to hear what was going on when it's having the problem. Really think it's a fuel delivery issue but absolutely don't want to rule anything electrical out. Have not made my little pin probe adapter for the multi meter so the wiring VP-ECM is still not tested. It sounds like the engine RPMs actually go up when the truck is cutting out. It's so counter intuitive but it really sounds like that's what's going on. This is a truck I plan on keeping forever. I don't like new computerized luxury trucks and plan on keep this old girl until I can't drive anymore. She's worth the struggle!!! Nice! What have you found when you test the mechanical VS electric? Lots of electric gauge failures???? Is this something we should all consider in your opinion? I've built a lot of cars over the years and have never seen a single gauge failure in any of them. My battery cables are original but look like they are in great shape still. Truck just turned 150,000 yesterday. How hard was your stumbling cut out? Minor? Major? I don't want to rule anything out. Thank you all so much.

Lucky you!!! Mine is more than a surge. It's pretty violent. My alternator is the original unit and I thought maybe it was the issue BUT I have a TC lockup switch and this issue is still present with the switch engaged and torque converter locked up. After months of researching, cleaning stuff up, rewiring the ground system and everything else considered I think it's the VP44 too. I just pulled the connectors off the pump and ECM only to find that I need to fabricate a smaller probe to get into the contacts on the ECM side. ugh...anyway the wires are all in excellent visible condition. The plug on the ECM had never been removed, I cut the VOID sticker. Crap, now they'll I've been messin around in there hahah I'd be shocked to find out the wire harness fails the tests but will report back once I get my little pin probe worked out.

Excellent! Thank you. I'm on it today and will report back.

GOT IT!!! So there is reason to get the Quadzilla to help diagnose the problem!!! Quite frankly this has been going on for months and months and I was actually hoping something would break and present the problem. You mentioned pin-pin ohm testing the ECM-VP44 wires. Are there resistance values that we are looking for or just testing continuity? I can do all that no prob. Is there any kind of discount Quadzilla offers to subscribed forum members of mopar1973man if we buy directly from them?

Automatic in my truck. A fresh upgraded unit nonetheless. Yes I happens when the cruise control is set. Just cruising along the condition gets worse and worse and worse above about 68 MPH. It's also a problem at low speeds under heavy acceleration. Thank you for the input on the tuner situation. Sounds like the Quadzilla is a no-brainer. Bummer it can't read the DRBIII codes, it would have been so much easier to justify the purchase to my wife if it did! Here's how that would have gone...."Give the money to the dealership or buy the tuner for the same price honey, I gotta buy it!" But one thing is certain...I'm not buying any tuners until my damn truck is back to running tip top. My intuition is telling me it's the VP44....

MOPAR1973MAN! Thank you for all you have contributed to the Dodge Cummins community first of all. Can't tell you how many posts of yours I read on the other forum over the years. I am forever grateful for your efforts to help people. So what do you think is going on with my performance issue? Should I take it into the dealership and have them scan it? I'm frustrated and perplexed. Today I'll test the APPS and go from there. What do you think of the Smarty S 0-3? That had always been the tuner I had my eye on. They say it's a scan tool as well. does it read the DRBIII codes? Does the Quadzilla? Thank you again for everything man...

Right on dripley. Thank you for your input. I am truly stock in the tuning dept. When I got the truck in 2012 I bought a few things. FASS lift pump, injectors, 5" MBRP with muffler, BHAF. Always intended to get a tuner but wanted to transmission to burn up first. That took way longer than I thought it would. I drive like a grandpa and go for max fuel economy so I guess I should have just hit it with the tuner all these years ago. Think of all the money I would have saved in diesel with more MPG!!! hahaha

Got it...did a little googleing and saw they were all in the $2k-3k price range. I went out to get the mail today and had a chance to check the boost at WOT. Now, I'm not sure how accurate my setup is. It's an OBD2 bluetooth scan tool running the OBD Fusion app on my phone. 22.3lbs was the most boost it recorded. Stock turbo. The higher the RPM and the more load it's under the worse the condition gets. When it kicks down it just kinda floats, really runs poorly and seems to not want to shift back up unless I lift a bit.

The only aftermarket gauge I have is fuel pressure. I think that app on my phone has a boost gauge. Next time I get off the ranch I'll be sure to let you know what the max boost is. The turbo is the stock original unit equipped with a BHAF. I have a multi meter and I'm not afraid to use it! Tonight I'll poke around online and try to figure out how to test the APPS. Does the DRBIII tool plug into the OBD2 port? Any idea if there is a unit similar to the OBD2 dongle that I have or are they expensive pro-level only tools? Thank you for your help. I bought my truck from Withnell Dodge in Salem OR in 2012. They took it in on trade in with only 58,000 miles on it. I bought it sight unseen. Got dropped off at the Sacramento airport by a friend to catch an early morning flight into Portland. Dealership picked me up and took me to Salem. Signed a couple papers and hit the road. Made it home for dinner! That was a long day...

My fuel pressure is rock solid at just a tad over 14lbs. It's definitely not the transmission. I actually replaced it chasing this issue with an upgraded unit about 4 months ago and the exact same thing is going on. Wanted an upgrade anyway so it's all good. But it didn't fix my problem.

Howdy! The truck: '02 2500 4x4 with the 47re transmission. Gonna do my best to bang this out in the most concise way possible. The problem: under hard acceleration from low speeds to highway speed and also cruising along above about 68 MPH I am experiencing what feels like a hard shudder or very quick cut outs. Recently preformed the grounding mod described in W-T's thread "Ground Reference VP44,ECM,PCM,PDC plus TC lock/unlock". Batteries are fairly new and terminals are clean. VP44 and lift pump both replaced at the same time a few years ago. VP44 came from Industrial Injection and I usually run 2 stroke oil in the fuel. FASS Titanium 95gph lift pump. Just changed the filters for good measure. Years ago I installed RV275 injectors. Never did get around to buying the Smarty, the truck still has the stock tune. I have a scan tool, a Bluetooth unit that connects to my phone and use with the OBD Fusion app. There are no codes present when scanned. I've reset the APPS. I'm frustrated and don't know what else to do and really look forward to hearing any input and advice you may be able to offer. The truck has been taken care of. I do service and repairs myself and there's about 150,000 on the clock. Here's what I've come to: I think the VP44 is going bad. It was always very noisy, the part looked old and beat up and overall I had questioned this part from the moment I pulled it from the box. PLEASE HELP!!!!!! and thank you!