bigredodge

been away a while, busy with school.
short and sweet version:

had boost looks in stock ic, replaced with powerstroke ic did not fix low power

installed bigger diamond eye exhaust system, no help

replaced fuel filter, no fix

ran without air filter, no fix

I have no symptoms of bad lift pump (starts before I even finish turning the key)

I cranked the fuel screw in 2 turns, no change burried my smoke screw no change.

fixed all electrical issues (replaced tons of wiring using diagrams solved every other problem but this)

no smoke at all, max boost is now 10 (was 12 before powerstroke ic), top speed is 68mph. tested my torque converter by climbing a curb from a stop, it was a joke for the dodge.

only thing I can think of is
A) bad injectors (how do i test?)
B) bad injection pump (please tell me it ain't so! only 85k on the clock)

any input appreciated

also forgot to mention, this has been an issue since I first got the truck and I thought it was just normal because the pump supposedly hadn't been touched, still had paint on it. then I tried turning up the power a bit and got nothing, and recently it seems to be getting weaker and weaker

another thing I forgot to mention is that I have replaced the leaking boost hose from the pump cap to the block with nylon brake line, fixed the boost leak there but didn't help power issue

edwinsmith

Your boost is way to low. My guess is that assuming you don't have an air leak your IP isn't putting enough fuel out into the injectors. It could be a stuck pin not dumping more fuel as the boost comes on. This is the stuff under the diaphragm on top of the VE. You have to have fuel burning to make the heat to get more boost. It's a chicken/egg thing.

Other posters can ring in with their ideas.

Edwin

bigredodge

Edwin,
thanks for your response. another thing I failed to mention, I manually unstuck my fuel pin with lots of penetrating blaster and gentle persuasion. un sticking the fuel pin had no affect on the power output

this was the biggest hit to the gut. I thought for sure it was gonna fly like a rocket after I got that fuel pin unstuck. literally no change at all

edwinsmith

Hmmmmm... Have you consulted with the shop that rebuilt your VE? They may be able to fix it for cheap if that's the cause. It seems like you've covered the other possible causes. Since the pin stuck once I would strongly suspect it's stuck again. Possibly something in there like a wrong/bad o-ring causing the pin to stick. Maybe a wrong spring. The fact that you're not making any smoke tells me it's a low fuel issue. You have to make that puff of black smoke that starts the boost going up. I.E. fuel first then boost.

Have you checked the fuel pressure? If you take the bleeder out of the banjo bolt at the top of the fuel filter you should be able to hand pump some fuel out by working the lever on the lift pump. If you have the old diaphragm pump you may have to bump the engine over to the low side of the cam to do this. The piston pump has a plunger that does this. You should be able to shoot fuel out of the bleed hole. If not I'd suspect a kinked line from the tank or maybe a leaking air in before the lift pump.

Edwin

bigredodge

not sure if the pump is rebuilt or just original. the dealer I bought it from said it was original but I don't believe a word he said since I've owned the truck a couple of years and found all kinds of issues he said he had fixed lol.
I have rechecked the fuel pin since I got it unstuck and it still moves with the throttle.
I still have the old diaphragm lift pump but I haven't tested it like you're saying, once I get home I'll try that. thanks!

just a quick update, I got home later than expected and it's way to dark to see. tomorrow I have a 10 hour clinical day at a hospital 2 hours from my house so odds are I won't get to check this tomorrow either. Friday it is!

bigragu

Is this the same type of issue ELWAY12 is having? Not being able to go past 30mph in speed?

Alec

If your fuel pin was stuck, and it is now no longer stuck, pretty much no matter what else is going on you would notice a difference.

I would check that the "guide pin" isn't stuck all the way in again from when you pushed it back to reinstall the afc pin.

You can run the truck with the afc pin removed. The guide pin will most likely leak, and dribble fuel out of the housing vent, but for around the block you will be able to see if having the guide pin all the way out makes a difference in power, or at least smoke.

bigredodge

had 5 minutes of light found my fuel pin stuck! again! squirted a bunch of penetrating oil on it and pulled it out, let it sit for a few mins. had my gf hold a flashlight and started working it in and out. I got it to pop out easily and very fast, like I did last time. it doesn't pull back in but I don't think it's supposed to right? I'm letting it sit all night this time with oil and will work it some more in the morning before a test drive.

edwinsmith

WOW! Penetrating oil and your gf holding the light. Popping it in and out! I would love to have been there for that show.

But what about your truck.

bigragu

You kill me, Edwin

bigredodge

<br /><br />I have to say, this being the first thing I read when I woke up definitely made my day. still having a giggle at it now lmao. as for the truck, it's still a little to early for sunlight so I'll update in an hour or so how that goes<br /><br />well I saw something I've never seen before boys.... 14 pounds of solid boost at wide open throttle. so my fuel pin is probably not stuck anymore first off, and second I need to do some grinding on my stock cone and turning on my fuel screw to see what else happens. I'm guessing when I took the fuel screw out to break the lock tab off I probably didn't turn it in enough. this is exciting<br /><br />stuck again! I'm gonna have to take the top of the pump off I guess. I tried the last time I thought it got unstuck and couldn't figure out how to get to a couple of the bolts. I even tried making my own tools just can't get a wrench back there. I'm guessing a bad o ring on the fuel pin idk. this sucks

bigredodge

ok tried getting the top of the pump off, I can't I think that back Allen head is stripped out. anyways I worked the fuel pin back and forth for hours with oil, an Allen in the plug hole and a flat head in the cone hole. it pops in and out pretty easy. put the throttle assembly back on and turn the throttle and nothing. pin doesn't even start to come out now idk *** is wrong with this thing

edwinsmith

From your description this truck has seen some sitting around for long periods of time. Varnish or something has coated the fuel pin or the hole it rides in. the seal is probably hardened as well. Your best bet is disassembly and cleaning with replacement of the affected seals. A complete re-seal may be in order.

Glad you liked my lame attempt at humor.

bigredodge

exactly what I was afraid of. guess I have plans for Christmas break. already have a "how to" guide and rebuild kit in my fleabay cart

edwinsmith

Make sure you get the Genuine Bosch kit. There are many aftermarket kits for less money but they are inferior IMHO. I tried one when I did a re-seal and it was not successful. The truck ran well but it leaked from the front and the back of the pump. the o-rings are critical in sealing stuff. if one is slightly undersized or the wrong material it will leak.

Edwin