OK, I bought an '01 3500 with 231,xxx miles on it from an auction. Dumb, I know, but now I tow the thing home, put 2 batteries in it, crank it over with a fuel pressure gauge on the lift pump and I'm getting like 5-10 psi so no problem there and I have no codes. Now there were some when I first hooked the scanner up but they were just stored. Nothing current. However, this thing doesn't sound right to me when it's cranking so I want to check the engine. I have a Dodge factory repair manual but it says nothing about a compression test. Do I pull the injectors to do that?

 

did you try cracking open an injector line to check for air?what were the stored codes? not sure about pulling the injectors but I would think so. will check my hayes manual when i find it.
Frank

 

Checking at the lift pump is a bad idea, checking fuel pressure at the VP, is better, how and where did you hook up the pressure gauge? If at vp ok, if not check at VP (filter is between VP and LP could be plugged)
Try cracking banjo bolt at VP to bleed all air from the LP to the VP. (manually wire the LP to run all the time if you have too or keep "bumping" ignition to keep the LP running it will run 15-20sec if you bump the key.
Once you have fuel with no bubbles leaking out of the VP inlet. then loosen 2-3 injector lines at the head, and crank the engine, sometimes it will catch with the lines loose sometimes not, crank 10sec or so at a time , till you see fuel. then tighten lines engine should start and run, if not then you have other issues, bad VP, wiring etc
The old stored codes would be helpful in helping to diagnois your problem

 

OK, yeah. I meant the lift pump puts out about 10 psi or so. Sorry about that. I'm checking it at the output of the lift pump where it goes to the injector pump. The codes were: P1698, P0562, P0230, P1693 and the dreaded P0216 was in there but I thought it would've come back after I erased them if the injector pump was bad. Not true?

 

sounds like a dead vp to me. when mine went I had a couple of the codes you listed

 

try this link
http://www.bluechipdiesel.com/vp44diagnostichelp.html

 

Do as NICKG suggested. Be prepared for VP44 replace. Codes will not resurface during cranking. Has to have run history to generate most codes.

 

OK, thanks guys. I'll take your suggestions and if all I have to do is replace the VP44 I'll consider myself lucky since an engine replacement would be a much bigger pain for me.

 

Cracked 3 high pressure lines, watched while engine was cranking and only one had any fuel coming out so now I'm looking for a pump.

 

I am getting smarter at this (unfortunately )
Did you get the codes ??
Because you have NO fuel there does not condemn the pump ! couple more checks are in order 1st