The truck: 2000 Dodge Ram 2500, 5.9 Cummins, Auto trans.
Extras: FASS fuel system, Quadzilla Adrenaline w/Pulse almost always on no extra boost, and consistently shows 14 psig fuel pressure. The truck had these additions on it when I bought it. I bought this truck Jan '10, no major problems since (new starter, new radiator).

Has an almost full tank of ULSD. The truck had sat 20 hours in the 20 F cold since the last drive. I was Driving 60 mph on a smooth road having covered about 5 miles after leaving home, and the engine just died. Wouldn't re-start. Towed it home, won't start today. Everything else seems fine. NO Check Engine Light. Lift pump seems to run when its supposed to, reaches 14 psi. I've never ran out of fuel, nor recently changed the fuel filter, etc.

Reading here on the forum led me to the Blue-Chip website and it's troubleshooting advice. Here's what I have so far:
Key on-off-on-off-on codes: (From a post I read in this or a similar forum)
P0122 - APSS voltage low.
P1763 - ??? (P1762 Governor Press Sensor Offset Volts Too Low or Too High)*
P1693 - Generic fault indicating a fault in the bus or PCM/ECM interface*
After getting these I wasn't sure if I retrieved them before or after disconnected the cable from the VP44 so they may be bogus.

Electrical check shows 11.9 volts at VP44 harness pin 7, ground at pin 6 with key in "run", 9.5 volts @ pin 7 when key in "Start" (engine uselessly cranking).

The 9.5 volts seems ambiguous, but I don't know exactly what that pin does.

I've noticed for some time the headlights dim and dash voltage vary a lot, 12-14 volts, up and down on the gauge. Not sure that has anything to do with it, but worth mentioning.

Not sure how to temporarily "de-commission" the Adrenalie, except Blue-Chip said put 12 and ground to the pins 7 and 6 respectively on the VP44, then crank. Anyone done this?

Am I gonna be buying a VP44?

Any good advice would be greatly appreciated.
Ed

 

It sounds like a possible failed VP but I'm not understanding the low voltage issue. Pin 7 is, I believe, to the pintle valve which needs atleast 9 volts to properly work during engine cranking. No chance you have one bogus battery and you just dont know it? That could possibly still allow the FASS to put out 14 psi but not enough volts to power the VP. Or maybe the alternator is also showing signs. You might want to test its output as well. This is why Chip wants you to tap in pin 7 and 6, so that you can rule out a low voltage issue to the VP. The main reason I think this is an electrical issue (batteries or connections) is because it happened right after you started the truck and only drove a short way. The grid heaters place a HUGE electrical draw on the battery and charging system when the Cummins starts and first runs in cold weather.....especially really cold weather. If the batteries aren't up to the task of this then it can cause all kinds of strange problems because most everything under the hood is electronically controlled and doesn't like erratic voltages. Not sure where you live either but if they salt the roads or use calcium chloride then corrosion could be a big issue which would mean checking all major electrical connections including the battery cables. If anyone should know if your VP is bad, its Chip.

 

try changing your fuel filter after bump the starter and bleed the air out of the fuel lines?

 

I am also leaning towards air in the fuel lines. Cracking a couple injector lines will leak fuel if the vp is delivering any, also.

The volt draw is normal for the grid heaters as mentioned.

A post on the high perf section may garner some advice also.

Try the simple things first before spending any dough, like resetting the APPS.

 

You guys are forgetting two key things in the original post. 1) He had been driving for about 5 miles at 60 mph when it stopped running so the grids would have no affect. And 2) the fuel pressure registered 14 psi with a FASS fuel pump which means that the fuel filter is fine, not to mention if the filter was plugged enough to stop the engine then there would be erratic fuel pressure and loss of power prior to this whole ordeal. And lastly, since the only disconnection of the fuel line was at the tank, which is before the fuel pump, then the FASS should have easily removed any and all air that entered the line and purged it back to the tank. So air cant be the issue either.

Resetting the APPS isn't a bad idea but I've never heard of an APPS killing the engine. The only other thing I can think of could be the FASS not pumping but the OP stated that it is. I'm still leaning towards something electrical like batteries.

 

I tried the pins 7 & 6 trick. Result: No start. I ordered a VP44, next day air, installed it yesterday, and it runs. I do appear to have other issues with the electrical system perhaps a weak battery as is mentioned above, I had to use my daughter's car to charge the truck for an hour or so to get enough juice to get it started.

It took an awfully long time to bleed the air out of the fuel injector lines. I referenced Diesel Dan MacDonald's Youtube videos at every step. Everything went without a hitch until I got a bit out of sequence and forgot to connect the fuel line to the pump before I turned the key on. Have you ever seen a cow peeing on a flat rock? The result strongly reminded me of that. Following a superficial cleanup and several attempts at purging the injection lines, it fired up and sounds like it should. I haven't yet tapped the wire for the Quad Adrenaline, but probably will once my pucker factor at the cost of a pump dissipates.
Thanks for the input.

 

I love to read posts from people who have a knack for expressing their emotions.

Those VP's aren't cheap but since you have the ability to do the work, it makes everything a whole lot better. Not to say that there's mechanics who cant do the job but the number of improper installs and overcharges seem to be a lot.

Also, dont bother messing with your batteries either. If you need to charge up with another vehicle then somethings obviously wrong. One bad battery of two in parallel will cause lots of issues with you looking in all the wrong places. Replace them both with the same brand, size, and age, and a minimum of 750 cca and you will be happy.

 

That was a pretty quick decision that a $1000 part was needed. Data in 1st post is all electrical. Good if it works. Got lube for your new VP?

 

I bought a gallon of Opti-Lube XPD. It ranked very high in wear protection in the study posted here:
https://www.dieseltruckresource.com/...ight=opti-lube
Oddly, it ranked second to Soy based Biodiesel. I can get 99% biodiesel at a producer about 30 miles from here, though I'm not sure of the source oil type.