Need Help. 2001 Ram, 128K miles. For 1-1/2 years no problems, great performance. January on road trip Lift pump went out completely in San Diego. On Friday night (Bad Bad) Tried Dodge Dealer, onpen Saturdays (Worse than no help) bought and installed lift pump ourselves and of course changed fuel filter again. Find fuel filters cheap insurance, have changed 5 times to this point. No Problem. Still went to Cal Pacific Cummins in El Cajon on Monday, got computer updated and check over before Mexico. Good People, Good Service. All Good. March arrives, we have gremlins! Big time. Truck is geting harder and harder to start. Engine cranks fast, lift pump runs excessively long. First thought Air Leak. Been looking... Again changed fuel filter, have changed out rubber fuel line between fitler and I. Pump. In a quandary about fuel return over flow valve. Could it be defective? Possible slight leak or constriction at fuel tank. Have crawled in, over, and around engine can find no fuel leaks or drips. Could new lift pump be marginally defective? Even suspected quick connects on fuel line to frame line, could they leak enough to cause air leak in? It appears to deliver ample volume at injector pump test port. (No fuel pressure gauge yet but next on the list after gremlins removed!)

This morning truck completely fails to start, Same difficult trouble, Fast cranking and long running lift pump, but still fuel to injector pump appears to the eye to be ample and air free. Frustrated and running out of ideas. That's why we're here. Our first attempt at posting anything on an internet webpage and doing a bad job of the computer thing. Think Truck trouble might be contagious!
Any and all suggestions greatly appreciated.

 

One thing to be done woud be to read the codes.
I don't know whether your truck supports this. Cycle the ignition key from "off" to "run" 3 times ending on "run". Don't bump the starter. It should tell you the codes on hte odometer. Write them down and post them here.
If it doesn't give you the codes that way go to autozone they'll scan them for you.

Another way to test would be to disconnect the LP wiring harness and try to start- if the truck fires right up you have very good chances that your VP44 is on it's last leg.

AlpineRAM

 

Thanks for the reply
Checked code as you suggested, (didn't know we could do that, thanks) on third cycle ir first read P doNE. After disconnecting LP wiring still did not fire code at this time read P 1693

 

This posting was my first to be read before VP44 which is the same problem later question