Daily Driver 2004 CR died on the highway. Need some help...

[copperdodge]

Coming home from a trip to the beach yesterday and had to ride the last 45 miles in the cab of the flatbed. Grrr... 2004 (early) Ram 2500 stickshift 2wd with no mods. Cruise control was set at about 80mph and truck lost power. Shut off the cruise, put the clutch in, long pedal gave no response except the truck sort of chugging & fluttering. Limped it to the shoulder in neutral. 85,000 miles on the clock as of yesterday morning.It's still the stock lift pump, and now when I bump the starter, the lift pump whirr that I used to hear is gone. Only thing I hear is that ticking noise from whatever that is. Starter turns the motor but it won't even hint that it's trying to fire. The code that pops up when I turn the key 3 times is Po533 (A/C sending unit volts too high). I have a feeling that's related to the entire A/C system being rebuilt about a month ago (don't ask).Anyhow, I thought that if the lift pump died and then the engine ran out of fuel, the filter canister should be empty? When I turn the yellow lever, fuel spills right out of the drain tube. I've got a test meter, but I don't really know how to use it. Electrical crap kicks my ___ every time, so bear with me when I start asking stupid questions...Tell me where to start.....

[Mopar1973Man]

Welcome to the family... As for the filter can it will still be full of fuel it will not empty itself. As for the lift pump I would get a replacement pump (not a intank) but a quality pump of some sort. (AirDog, FASS, Raptor, Assasin, Etc.) also get a fuel pressure gauge it will help to protect your investment.

[copperdodge]

I'm planning on re-doing the fuel system with a Raptor and 2um filtration at some point, but right now, I need to get the DD back up & running. The other complicating factor is that I just had shoulder surgery on July7th and I am not a very good mechanic right now since my left arm is about useless.I don't have funds or time or ability to get custom just yet... I just need to get it up & running so I can get to the doctor's appointments so I can do rehab and get back to working on my truck.If I am not hearing the lift pump, it's pretty well dead, right?

[Mopar1973Man]

Might be worth checking out your state forum and seeing if there is other family member that might help you out with this issue and turn the wrench for you. http://forum.mopar1973man.com/forums/88-Nation-Wide-Groups As for the lift pump the only way to confirm its dead is to check for fuel pressure and see if the lack of pressure. Like on 24V truck the lift pumps usually still whined but pumped nothing. Usually what happened is the rotor lost connection with the motor shaft because of a cheap piece of plastic glued in the hub. So here we are back to the fuel pressure being a good way of checking to see if its actually pumping.

[dorkweed]

If the OEM LP seized up or burnt up, the CP3 won't be able to pull fuel thru it. You could dis connect the electric to the LP and if she still can turn the CP3 should be able to pull fuel. Remember my thread several years ago about my driving to KY with 0psi LP pressure...........my wiring harness was shot, but my Walbro would turn and the CP3 still functioned fine.85,000 on an '04 is about normal for many OEM LP's. Sounds like yours died.The ticking you hear are the injectors firing.

[copperdodge]

So just unplug the LP and then try to start the truck again? Why won't it start with the fuel that's in the filter canister? I've only tried a few cranks, but it turns many turns & doesn't fire.

[Mopar1973Man]

Because the fuel in the filter is taken from the top not the bottom. So if the lift pump won't fill the filter anymore then its sucking air off the top of the filter. You got to remember the filter is a two purpose device to filter the debris out of the fuel but also to separate the water from the fuel storing the water in the bottom of the filter can. So the output from the filter is very high up in the can to prevent water from being drawing into the pump.

Its a poor picture but you can see the tube barely. The top of the tube has a hole.

[copperdodge]

That makes sense now that I think about it. So, when you undo the 4 bolts that hold the pump to the back of the canister, it's just a slip fit into the side of the canister (with an o-ring)? Still trying to figure this fuel system out...

[copperdodge]

Update: managed to swap out lift pump almost entirely 1-handed & had my wife help me on the parts that needed 2 hands. Got the system primed & it took a few tries but it fired off & I took it for a spin down the highway. Everything's back to normal. I suppose I have about 80,000 more miles to get a custom solution together... Dealership wanted $1400 in parts & labor to switch it over to an intank pump setup. They said it's not covered under any sort of warranty (a lot of Google results said the dealerships were replacing the inline pump setup for free. So, here's a new question- if I go with a Raptor & plumb it to the stock canister with a similar setup to what AHID64 is suggesting, does the early 2004 in-tank module need any sort of draw straw, etc? Or can I just use the Dorman to 3/8" adapter & start from there?

[AH64ID]

Update: managed to swap out lift pump almost entirely 1-handed & had my wife help me on the parts that needed 2 hands. Got the system primed & it took a few tries but it fired off & I took it for a spin down the highway. Everything's back to normal. I suppose I have about 80,000 more miles to get a custom solution together... Dealership wanted $1400 in parts & labor to switch it over to an intank pump setup. They said it's not covered under any sort of warranty (a lot of Google results said the dealerships were replacing the inline pump setup for free. So, here's a new question- if I go with a Raptor & plumb it to the stock canister with a similar setup to what AHID64 is suggesting, does the early 2004 in-tank module need any sort of draw straw, etc? Or can I just use the Dorman to 3/8" adapter & start from there?

Glad your back on the road! The reason the canister was full, well my SWAG, is because the LP has seized and wouldn't flow any fuel. The CP3 can suck fuel, but if the LP wouldn't allow any flow the vacuum in the system would exceed the limit of the CP3, and when the CP3 quit sucking the vacuum would suck the fuel back into the canister. I bet if you had unplugged the LP, and cracked the lid the CP3 would have sucked all the fuel out of the canister and the truck would have run for a few minutes. As for a future LP setup, I would leave your module in the tank, and get a doorman to 3/8" just like you suggested. The run it to a FB1311 with a Baldwin BF1212 on it, then the Raptor, and then to the OE canister, and then to another FB1311 with a Donaldson P551313 on it, and finally to the CP3.

[copperdodge]

So, with no in-tank pump, does the existing basket need any modifications to install the Raptor?

[Mopar1973Man]

Raptor 100 no modification are needed as far as I know...

[copperdodge]

Excellent news... hopefully as shoulder rehab progresses, I'll be able to fix up a fuel system worth a poop. It'll also be a good excuse to do the tank vent mod. How frustrating to stand there for 25 minutes to get the last 4 gallons in there....

- - - Updated - - -

As for a future LP setup, I would leave your module in the tank, and get a doorman to 3/8" just like you suggested. The run it to a FB1311 with a Baldwin BF1212 on it, then the Raptor, and then to the OE canister, and then to another FB1311 with a Donaldson P551313 on it, and finally to the CP3.

I've been reading all of your filtration threads for days now... thanks for all the research & all the presentation findings.

[AABEAR]

Coming home from a trip to the beach yesterday and had to ride the last 45 miles in the cab of the flatbed. Grrr...

2004 (early) Ram 2500 stickshift 2wd with no mods. Cruise control was set at about 80mph and truck lost power. Shut off the cruise, put the clutch in, long pedal gave no response except the truck sort of chugging & fluttering. Limped it to the shoulder in neutral. 85,000 miles on the clock as of yesterday morning.

It's still the stock lift pump, and now when I bump the starter, the lift pump whirr that I used to hear is gone. Only thing I hear is that ticking noise from whatever that is. Starter turns the motor but it won't even hint that it's trying to fire. The code that pops up when I turn the key 3 times is Po533 (A/C sending unit volts too high). I have a feeling that's related to the entire A/C system being rebuilt about a month ago (don't ask).

Anyhow, I thought that if the lift pump died and then the engine ran out of fuel, the filter canister should be empty? When I turn the yellow lever, fuel spills right out of the drain tube. I've got a test meter, but I don't really know how to use it. Electrical crap kicks my ___ every time, so bear with me when I start asking stupid questions...

Tell me where to start.....

YOU can get the factory pump at GENO'S for 160.00 PH is 800-755-1715

- - - Updated - - -

Coming home from a trip to the beach yesterday and had to ride the last 45 miles in the cab of the flatbed. Grrr...

2004 (early) Ram 2500 stickshift 2wd with no mods. Cruise control was set at about 80mph and truck lost power. Shut off the cruise, put the clutch in, long pedal gave no response except the truck sort of chugging & fluttering. Limped it to the shoulder in neutral. 85,000 miles on the clock as of yesterday morning.

It's still the stock lift pump, and now when I bump the starter, the lift pump whirr that I used to hear is gone. Only thing I hear is that ticking noise from whatever that is. Starter turns the motor but it won't even hint that it's trying to fire. The code that pops up when I turn the key 3 times is Po533 (A/C sending unit volts too high). I have a feeling that's related to the entire A/C system being rebuilt about a month ago (don't ask).

Anyhow, I thought that if the lift pump died and then the engine ran out of fuel, the filter canister should be empty? When I turn the yellow lever, fuel spills right out of the drain tube. I've got a test meter, but I don't really know how to use it. Electrical crap kicks my ___ every time, so bear with me when I start asking stupid questions...

Tell me where to start.....

You can get the factory pump at Geno's for 160.00 1-800-755-1715