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1st Gen. Ram - All TopicsDiscussion for all Dodge Rams prior to 1994. This includes engine, drivetrain and non-drivetrain discussions. Anything prior to 1994 should go in here.
Yes, my best friend does concrete work and did the foundation & his helper does construction, between the 3 and sometimes 4 of us we put up the 24 X 30 garage. I'm now working on electrical than on to getting it insulated & heated as monies let me. It's in Bailey, Co.
So, yesterday, I wound up on the side of the road...... AGAIN !
Truck died exactly the same way it has over, and over and over and over and over again. I ran out of fuel in the filter.
Every time this happens its exactly the same thing.
I'm driving along 50mph to 70MPH, minding my own beeswax, and the pedal starts to fade.
The fuel gauge reads 1/3 full (about 9 gallons or so)
Fuel pressure said 7psi or so until it died
Make my way to the shoulder with zero power steering, and pull the fuel filter. EMPTY.
Get out my trusty diesel "save me on the side of the road kit", and I refill the filter, bleed the injectors, and it fires right up.
Drive to the local fuel station, and filler up. I guess I'll break down in a month or two again, as it seems to happen ever few months or so.
This time I wasn't raped hundreds of dollars being towed, as I have my 17mm wrench, my fuel filter wrench, rubber gloves, and quart of diesel sitting behind the seat in the side well. Less than 10 minutes, I was back up on the highway as if nothing had ever happened.
FRUSTRATING.
So, I'm going to replace that fuel reservoir and suction line from tank to lift pump with new hose and pickup in the tank. Thanks Oliver!
UGH.... Stupid air leak. Gets old, when you're getting old. Turned 52 last week, and I'm tired of this crap. I just want the thrill of driving my ride and having guys in Ferds pull up and say..... "Hey dude..... Awesome Rig ! ", like the fella in this black pickup did yesterday....
lol I guess he couldn't tell that my truck is a Dodge and not a Ferd.....
A friends Duramax would do this same thing, turned out to be a factory fuel supply hose sucking flat. Different setup I know, but was a hard one to find.
A friends Duramax would do this same thing, turned out to be a factory fuel supply hose sucking flat. Different setup I know, but was a hard one to find.
My one and only Ford did the exact same thing for the exact same reason......Ben
Whenever my truck gets down below 1/2 tank it gets hard to start. It still starts but I have to crank it a bit before it sputters to life. This is in contrast to just touching the key and having it running. Oliver suggested it might be the suction tube in the tank having a hole in it. I've tried pressurizing the tank and looking for leaks but nothing found.
I got home a bit early last night, so I was able to spend a bit of time putting my front hubs back together with a new set of MileMarker Premium Hubs. Flushed the power steering lines, and got the steering box plumbed and filled. Ahhh back to making progress.
Since I love my noisy old truck, I had to live vicariously and drove it up north NJ to see a prospective customer.
Full tank of fuel, of course
No issues other than a few bugs in my teeth from enjoying the ride so much.
Came home to see my friend Oliver sent me some goodies. My next victim , and my next victim. Starter rebuild for Ollie, and replacing my fuel reservoir so I can disassemble the original one to see if the pigs tail plastic diptube is cracked or not.
Thanks Ollie! You're the best no matter what your girlfriend says.
NJT - Glad you are enjoying the old 1st gen! Good to see the parts showed up safely and still in good shape.
We are getting about an inch of rain up here over a 24 HR period. That should be enough to wash the last of the salt off the road.
I look forward to pulling Poncho out and getting back on the road next week!
I have a little more to do to finish up re assembling the front end of the black crew cab. It can then come out of the shop after 4 years of being down. It got a lower mile replacement 12V, with a bunch of new gaskets, a HVLP LP, a resealed VE pump with the 3200 spring and a bunch of other little goodies. An Autometer tach with the magnetic pick up that runs off the alternator was also installed as I had it floating around on my shop shelf.
Looking forward to driving the line up of old 1st gen conversion crew cabs, the '89 Ramcharger and Poncho.
I have to choose one for my daughter and I to take to Carlisle here pretty soon.
That your shop addition, or were you working on that site? 
04-15-2019, 08:41 AM
...Ben
...Ben
