Hello all-I am working on a 1996 beater 2500 4WD that is dead. Correction-it is not dead but will not start. I have a feeling it is the in tank style lift pump but I've not been able to spend a lot of time on it and thought I would get a head start by asking here. I did a lot of searching here back to threads from 2009 but didn't find what I need to help troubleshoot the problem. If at all possible I would like to ask some questions and I greatly appreciate any help:
What are the components and locations for fuel delivery to the VP44?
" " " wiring pin outs on the tank pump connector so I can check pump voltage?
Is there a drain tube like on my 2004 for the filter?
What is the easiest and least messy method for changing the filter?
Any other suggestions on diagnosing a fuel delivery problem is greatly appreciated. I have checked all the electrical except for the in tank pump connector.
Thanks
Howard
Hampstead, NC

 

hi
a 1996 has lift pump mounted on side of engine not in tank .

turn on key and raise the fuel shout off plunger and try agin .

no luck change fuel filter ,clean preheater screen .
pump lift pump plunger about 100 strokes after filter change .

open 3 injector lines 1 turn and try till fuel squirts out .
tighten then try starting agin .

 

Thanks for this information. Do you know what year the in tank pump was. I think I read there were years where Dodge had them in and some where they were on the side of the block?? The fuel delivery system looks very different from my 2004. I see a few things that are not on my truck like a fuel shut off valve? It also looks like the filter is a spin on type-like an oil filter?
Can you tell me where this plunger is? I saw a whitish colored thing nest to the shut off valve and it was obvious it was some sort of priming device. I pushed it a few times but didn't know what it exactly did. I just ended up with diesel all over my hands after pushing it.
Any idea of members that have posted pictures of the fuel filter and associated parts?
Thanks-Howard

 

Lift pumps were on the side of the motor until the 3rd gens--sometime.
The lift pumps were mechanical until 98.5 with the VP44 pumps.

I'm not sure what you were pushing on but if it was the lift pump primer you should not get fuel on your hands! It was a black rubber button on my 95 and all I've ever seen.

How much fuel is in the tank? If it is below 1/4 add some.
Here is what I'd do.
Remove a fuel line either into or out of the filter. Go pressurize the tank with about 30 psi to see if fuel comes out of the disconnected hose. If not it could be algea in the tank that is restricting flow.
If all is good, reconnect that hose and do like above. Also replace the ful filter. Bleed the fuel system. It should start up. They were pretty fool proof until 98.5!!!

 

Thanks-Howard
Hampstead, NC

 

Take bolt out of bleeder on top of fuel filter and crank engine and see what the fuel does, it should spray a large amount up.

Even if you take the bleeder out, and hand prime it and have fuel surging out does not mean your LP is good.

Just recently replaced my LP for the second time, first one was OEM Cummins lasted about 2.5 years. Upon it going out truck died on me, and the first thing I checked was the bleeder ontop of fuel filter. It would not spray fuel by cranking, but if I hand primed it, it would spray fuel.
Needless to say, replaced w/ a Carter pump from napa (which was a little bit more expensive)I went w/ this because it was local and I needed it that day, and figured since I paid $85 for Cummins and it went out I would try carter.

After installation, bleed system @ FP first, then you should be able to go right to the injectors and bleed there, if not, bleed @ DVs first.

-Jared

 

Today I saw that the fuel shut off solenoid was not pulling up. I had someone crank the truck while I held the fuel shut off solenoid open by pushing up on the bottom of the solenoid. The truck started and then ran without me holding the solenoid but as soon as the truck was shut off it would not pull up again while cranking-only if I held it. I will look here to see if there is a "start relay" and "run relay" for the solenoid.
Thanks-Howard

 

ppsi, there sure is, look at user Infidels photo gallery, he has it in there.

 

Thanks. I did find the photos and diagrams. I called a Cummins dealer today and asked about the shut off valve and they needed the serial number of the motor? I couldn't find any number that they could understand so I will look here for the part number.
Thanks-Howard

 

You don't need the shut off solenoid.. YOu need to source out the blue wire at the battery for the power lead to the solenoid and the relay for the solenoid. I have replaced the relay on mine and also the starter contacts in the starter that feed that circuit.

If the solenoid holds, its not burned out. It has 2 circuits. 1 is the pull circuit energized by the starter sequence and 2 is the hold that is run from the ignition circuit.

 

Great advice here! I finally got some decent time out of the rain to systematically troubleshoot the circuit for the fuel shut off solenoid and it was indeed the dark (looks black at the battery) blue relay power feed wire. At some point there was some major hacking done on the left battery + post terminal. There was the starter hot wire, the fuse box hot wire and 2 fusible link wires pinched under a clamp style battery terminal plus 2 more fusible links and the feed to the right side battery on the 1/2" bolt with ring terminals (at least they were not just twisted wires wrapped around the bolt). The dark blue wire had corroded itself out of the terminal. The owner didn't want me to take the time to get a new terminal swagged on to the starter, 2nd battery and fuse/relay wires so I bit my tongue and just cleaned everything up and did the best I could given what I was told to do. I know it will be giving them trouble within a year but the truck has band aid repairs up the wazoo by who knows how many mechanics and non-mechanics. I'm talking doubled up stereo wire as a hot feed for a trailer brake control AND the throttle return spring is broken so the only return is the one on the pedal! I found out about all these crazy things after I got into doing this "favor" and telling the owner who, I came to find out later is not the person who asked me to look at the truck in the first place. Had I known I was going to be tied to doing another band aid job on this 350K mile, poorly maintained truck I'd have advised them to look elsewhere for someone to get the work done.
Sorry for the long story. I'm sure many have been in similar situations regarding owners not allowing proper repairs to be done. I greatly appreciate the information given here and would strongly suggest others looking at this specific fuel delivery problem take a systematic approach using the information here.
Lastly I thought some might be amused by what the owner initially said to me when I stated some things that could cause a no start condition, "diesels are easy right? They just need fuel to run''
Sure but fuel delivery needs controls, logic etc before it makes it to the cylinders and he just didn't get the idea that it takes a lot of things to happen in the proper order for the fuel to explode.
Thanks again.
Howard
Hampstead, NC