Greetings, all. My buddy has a 2001 2500, 4WD, 5spd. with 51k on the clock. He loaned this to someone for a period of close to a year and about 15k on it, and it came back beat like a tied up goat. There are a number of troubling symptoms that I'd like to run past the board to get opinions. I'd appreciate any input.

- At idle, it's fine. No smoke, but it idles a little funny (always has. The tach jumps 100rpm or so at idle. Dlr replaced fuel filter-no help).
- No power (intermittently)
- No boost (intermittently)
- Dealer replaced pusher pump many miles ago - don't know if that helped
- At idle, in neutral, depressing the pedal causes the engine to accelerate extremely slowly until 2100rpm, then it clears with a big puff of bluish smoke. It doesn't make a noise - it studders a bit then clears
- In gear, when it's acting up, it just doesn't have any power. Forces the driver to push in the clutch until it breaks 2100rpm to clear it out.
- It feels like it's loading up, then something clears out (spits out bluish smoke) and it runs and boosts fine. Stays that way until the engine speed drops below 1400-1600rpm.
- NO check engine light. Turn on normally at startup.
-No abnormal black smoke. Only the bad kind...

What do you all think?
Thanks,
Joe

 

Sure sounds like a dying injection pump.
Especially since the lift pump was replaced, who knows how long it had been bad.


phox

 

That part is fine. Since there is no ignition system to get a tach reading from, the guage gets its feed from the Crankshaft position sensor. With the tach needle bouncing at idle, does not mean the engine is messed up or anything. My tach bounces at idle too. You would know if the engine was jumping up 100 rpms. It would not have a smooth idle if it did.

It definatley sounds like you have a dying injector pump. Pull the codes. Real easy to do. Take the key and turn it ON, OFF, ON, OFF, ON. You cycle the key between Off and ON three times, ending in the on position. Any codes in the computer will flash on the digital odometer. Some codes cannot be extracted this way and need an OBD-II scanner. The codes related to the injection pump will come up with the key method.


When the injector pump acts up you get no power, and since boost is controlled by how much fuel is injected, you will get no boost as well.

It looks like the truck is within warranty, the injector pump will get replaced for free.

If you get any codes out of it, post them here.

Good luck.

 

Both of these guys are correct. Sounds like an injection pump dying. Have the codes pulled and I assume you will find codes for a bad pump.

After it is fixed, tell your friend to get a good quality fuel pressure gauge to monitor fuel pressure in the future. That is the most important gauge on these trucks IMO.

 

Even in the age of OBDII, it still happens that trouble codes can be set without triggering the check engine light? According to my buddy, the check engine light has not come on, which to me would suggest a set trouble code.

Regardless, I'll have him attempt to extract the codes.

Thanks guys!

 

Correct, some codes won't trigger the light, just for fun one day I pulled the codes on mine, I was suprised at what came out!!!

Tom

 

I'll have my buddy perform the key test and report the codes to you later.

Thanks again!

 

OK guys, here are the codes he pulled:

PCU 1693
ECU 0216

Mean anything?

 

1693 is the companion code. It means that the ecm has a code stored in it or at one time did, and was not cleared. The 0216 is the code that you were not wanting to see. It means that your injection pump is going out. I say going out because it still runs and you can drive it. If it were out then it would not even run.

I just had my injection pump replaced Wednesday.

The reason the Injector Pump fails is due to fuel starvation. Well let me say in most cases that is why it fails. The Injector pumps use the fuel that they deliver to both lubricate, and cool it's self. If the lift pump ever dies and you do not catch it, then you can pretty much chalk up another injector pump to the ever more growing graveyard that we have on this board.

One of the only problems cummins has to my knowledge other than the 53' block occurences.

 

Remember there are two computers in our trucks, a Cummins ECU (Engine Controls Unit) and the Dodge PCM (Powertrain Control module).


The 0216 code is one of the few codes that means your injector pump is dead or on its death bed. I belive the 0216 is Injector Pump Timing Circuit Failure in the list of OBD-II codes. The injector pump needs to be replaced.

With the truck having 51k miles on it, tell your buddy that is within warranty (up to 100k miles), and to bring it in to a Dodge dealer to get it fixed. After it is replaced, I would strongly reccomend a fuel pressure guage. I put one on my 01 and I was shocked, I have a dying lift pump.

Let us know how it turns out.