Extreme erratic loss of power, feels like driving over washed out road

[2000Ram2500]

@dripley Yea i know sorry for the confusion. I havent cracked any injection lines yet so when i get to it i'll give it a whirl. Itll also help me figure out if im even getting fuel in the first place but if i go that route i wont do it for long for fear of making my injection pump worse than it already is.

 

I was meaning i had a hard time getting the gauge line to pressurize and bleed out which to me points to the lift pump being dead or weak.

 

Do lift pumps get intermittent when they start failing? That could explain why it ran terribly the day before i parked it but ran good on my way home that day then ran 10x worse the next morning.

 

I'll be home before long i'll get some better diagnosis done on it hopefully when i get there.

[dripley]

I have had 3 lift pump failures. One, the oe, with no pressure gauge and the truck just stopped running down the interstate like it had run out of fuel. Had no fp gauge or knowledge of the system then. The other 2 was with a gauge and the truck never quit running. I just happen to notice 0 pressure. Had one other 0 FP issue that turned out to be a blown fuse. So that gauge is important. Mine just failed, no real rhyme or reason. The only other warning I would know is lower than normal pressure that a filter change does not fix.

 Check your pump fuse also if the pump is not running and let us know what you find when you get to check it out.

[2000Ram2500]

Got it started. Didn't have to crack injector lines but that must've been the issue because it definitely ran like it had a bubble in there. 

I gave it key starter bumps until the fuel pressure wouldn't go any higher and the most I could get was 13 psi without the truck running at all. After starting it the pressure would drop to 11. If I gave it any throttle over idle it would drop and not recover any pressure. If I shut it off and bumped the starter I could get it to go back up.

I did figure out that if you try the key bump to kick the lift pump on after you shut it off from running that it won't activate the lift pump unless you pull the key out and wait about 30 seconds or so before trying again.

So it looks like a lift pump will be where I start considering it can't hold pressure.

[2000Ram2500]

Been a while but finally got an update on all this. Airdog 150 came in yesterday. Been thinking since I ordered it about how im going to accomplish this. I think the easiest way for me is going to be pulling the bed. I've got a little over 3/4 tank in it now and all i have is a junk floor jack and a dirt spot to work in so for my own sake i dont think dropping the tank is going to work for me. 

 

The Airdog came with its own draw straw of sorts and the instructions say that its for trucks that had the in tank pump. This truck has never had the in tank pump but there pickup tube is supposed to be installed into the tank itself and not the fuel 'pump' module so that shouldnt be an issue. I know i will need to plug the openings so i dont get dirt and stuff in there.

 

The return line coming in through the filler neck is a bit interesting to me. I planned on putting an auxiliary tank in the bed one day and i havent been under there yet to see how much rubber line i actually have on the filler neck but i didnt know if anyone else already has an auxiliary tank and got it figured out with the airdog there too.

 

Then my next thing is about bypassing the factory filter. They want you to simply run the line right to the VP from the airdog. I dont have an issue with doing this but i will want my fuel heater and water in fuel sensors given the fact it gets pretty cold here and ice gave me trouble last winter with door locks and headlights being frozen over. Im going to mount the unit inside the frame to keep it protected at least somewhat.

 

Is there an issue with running the airdog into the factory housing? Is the filter the issue will it cause too much restriction? Do i just remove the filter and put the cap back on? I really would rather not have to deal with fuel gelling up on me. Or maybe im just paranoid and it wont be an issue at all

[dripley]

Just run it thru the filter canister if you want to. You will jneed a big line kit to eleminate the restritive banjo bolts and fuel line from the canister to the VP.. I kept mine as part of the system. Vulcan Performance and maybe DAP carry them.

 

 

[2000Ram2500]

I've got a big line kit 1/2 inch with a fuel pressure gauge port. My goal was to go with all half inch lines to make the pumps job as easy as possible. 

 

Is the inlet on the fuel canister the same thread as the VP? Can I use the fitting airdog provides for the injection pump to attach my supply line to the fuel filter housing. I would use the push lock it has now but its only 3/8 im pretty sure.

[dripley]

On my 02 the threads at the VP and the filter canister were the same. I just used what came with the AD to connect to the canister. The big kit I used did replace all the oe fittings on the filter canister and at the VP. They are not 1/2"  due to the openings they thread into but the fittings are larger than the OE. OE is about 1/4" and the new fittings are about 3/8". They are metric in size I just forget the actual size. 

 Pretty sure my canister is different than yours. Mine accesses the flter by unscrewing the top and canister stays place. I did not have to buy any thing other than the AD and the big line kit for the install. Most folks do plumb right to the VP but I still wanted the functions of the OE canister and the system works fine.

[2000Ram2500]

1 hour ago, dripley said:

Pretty sure my canister is different than yours. Mine accesses the flter by unscrewing the top and canister stays place. 

 

Nope thats how mine is too. Plastic cap its like a 22mm wrench or something to get the cap off and the filter is right there. OE Filter part# 5015581AD fits 2000-2002 according to the manufacturer but if you interchange it im showing it fits 5.9s all the way to 09 according to oreillys parts catalog. 99 and older is the all metal canister i believe.

[dripley]

13 minutes ago, 2000Ram2500 said:

 

Nope thats how mine is too. Plastic cap its like a 22mm wrench or something to get the cap off and the filter is right there. OE Filter part# 5015581AD fits 2000-2002 according to the manufacturer but if you interchange it im showing it fits 5.9s all the way to 09 according to oreillys parts catalog. 99 and older is the all metal canister i believe.

You should be good then. Could not remeber what years they came on.

[2000Ram2500]

I hear you there. Working with the shop at the dodge dealer here I see and hear so many different things changing and this part fits this but not that and all the back and forth then dealing with a catalog thats wrong half the time anyways its hard to keep your facts straight after a while. I keep a data book that i wrote up and put together myself so i dont have to wait for the computer and i know its right. Chrysler doesnt offer that kind of help. The most recently dated cheat sheet is 2011. I could fill this page with complaints lol.

[dripley]

I stay as far away from the dealer as I can unless I find something on the internet they offering for a reasonable price. The parts look up tool here works good for finding part numbers. I use often.

[2000Ram2500]

I used to be the same way unless it was my ford and i used the factory trans pan gasket on it. But since i work here and have all the information at my disposal and get a discount it only makes sense. I get factory fuel filters and when my dash fell apart i even ordered the factory cover. Its pretty nice owning a dodge and working here too unlike before and spending 35 bucks for a gasket alone. I will say alot of our prices are totally out of whack. Like the plastic push pins and rivets sell for over 5 bucks each whereas napa sells them for 5 bucks for a ten pack.

[2000Ram2500]

Got the Airdog 150 installed Friday night and taken it across town a couple times this weekend. All seems well so far

[2000Ram2500]

Just wanted to update this post before its left for dead in the depths of the forum. Not that its really of any importance but were about 2 weeks in and I've yet to see any issues with it finally. Lift pump seems to have done the trick. I was worried about the draw straw that AirDog provides and installing it wrong and I've gotten down to just a hair above the E mark and no hesitation due to air being sucked up or anything even with uphills downhills turns traffic its doing great so far.

 

Thanks to everyone for there input and help along the way