Help, dead on highway

[Hawkez]

my truck died while accelerating. i have p1689 & p1688 codes. it turns over fine, fuel pressure has been fine but i wasn't looking at it when it died. jusy died, no sputtering or warning. i unhooked the edge and nothing changed.

[Mopar1973Man]

P1688 and P1689 are bad signs. The P1688 means the VP44 is brain dead and the P1689 means the VP44 is not talking with the ECM.

I would get hold a coder reader and erase the codes and see if it starts again. Shooting from the hip. I know disconnecting the batteries will not reset any codes or computers but if there is a problem where the computer isn't letting go maybe it might buy you one more start. Also it might resolve a bad ground. Double check the connector in the PDC for good connection. Be careful the bolt is "Really Easy" to strip out.

Still I would highly suggest you have the alternator tested for AC noise.

[Hawkez]

no luck with clearing codes, i tried tbat. thanks

[Mopar1973Man]

Sounds like the VP44 is brain dead and needing to be towed home and VP44 replaced.

 

[Me78569]

Yep,  sadly.

[Hawkez]

it was towed home. anything else to check before throwing a vp44 at it? can they be tested to verify they are bad? thanks for the help.

[Mopar1973Man]

Go over to BlueChip page and do the hot wire test.

[Hawkez]

i did the hot wire test and the struck still didn't start.  I took a few pictures and I figured that I would share.  You could either tell me that I did it wrong or maybe it will be helpful to someone in the future.  I measured voltage a the plug side and I had 12.5vdc going into the IP with the key in on.  Here is a pic using a load light (actually an Anti-Collision light from an F-16).  Power is good, so that rules out wiring or power issues. 

 

I then connected to the pins on the jack side at the IP and ran those to the corresponding posts of the battery.  I could hear a small click each time I connected to power, but it never would start.  It just turned over. 

Am I missing something?  With these results, is it safe to say the VP44 is dead?  I hate to spend $$$$$ and find out that I should have tested something else.

Thanks for the help so far with this.

[Mopar1973Man]

Hot wiring the VP44 like this you are eliminating all the ECM and sensors as a possibility. So being the VP44 is stand alone unit now when you hot wire it should start if functional. Since it's not starting it presumed dead. This why BlueChip posted this test it eliminates all the possible thing like vehicle security systems, fuses, bad ECM, sensor issues, bad PCM, etc. 

[Hawkez]

Thanks.  I was really hoping that there was something else.  I guess next week I'll get it changed out.

[Marty "Ghozt"]

My 2005 did that down in Galveston County Texas during the big flood this last year. ECM rubber plug was dry rotted and water got in that little brain. Eeeks. Very nasty issue.

[eddielee]

Have the alternator load tested and ensure ac voltage issues are not present too. Don't want to kill another by the off chance that is what killed it.

[Hawkez]

I replaced my VP44 yesterday and the truck is running fine.  That was my first time changing one...hopefully my last...and I am not as quick as others on here that say they can swap one out in 3 hours.  It is all done...now I think I'll rebuild my alternator.

[Mopar1973Man]

1 hour ago, Hawkez said:

I am not as quick as others on here that say they can swap one out in 3 hours.

Hour and half is my fastest... 

[Hawkez]

I used the article for my install.  I did notice that you have notes in there that lines 1,2, and 5 are the only ones that need to come out, but 1,2, and 4 come out and 5 stays in.  Is it possible that the earlier 2nd gens routed their hard lines slightly different than the later years? 

[Mopar1973Man]

Typo most likely... 1,2,4 is front group and 3,5,6 is the rear group.

[Hawkez]

I wasn't about to say it was a typo or wrong...I'm not qualified for that. But it was easy enough to see what I needed to remove to get the pump out.

[Killer223]

i think when i need major work done on my truck i'ma give Mike a plane ticket.

[Hawkez]

 

56 minutes ago, Mopar1973Man said:

Hour and half is my fastest... 

an hour and a half?  I think it took me that long just to get the new pump installed.  I was so worried that I wasn't getting the key lined up.

[Mopar1973Man]

3 minutes ago, Killer223 said:

i think when i need major work done on my truck i'ma give Mike a plane ticket.

Won't work. I don't think they will let me wheel my tool box on board.