We have 2002 Ram 3500 turbo diesel with 75k miles. Coming home Memorial Day weekend we were climbing the mountain pass near us with our camper and towing our boat. The truck briefly lost power and the check engine light came on. It ran fine the rest of the way home, about 20 miles. Next day took it to our local shop and the code back as the fuel pump out of timing. He suggested we take it to a dodge dealer. We did and they found that the fuel filter needed to be changed. We told this to our local guy and he thought a clogged fuel filter could cause this but isn't 100% convinced and suggested that after we pick it up on Saturday to start it on Sunday morning and take it for a drive. If it drives good and the check engine light doesn't come on then that must have been the problem. What do you all think?

 

if you turn the key on without starting it three times on the last time look at your odometer and see if it says p done,if it does you have no codes if it has a code you can look it up here and know yourself what the code is. if it is clear then they may have cleared it at the dealer or maybe they wrote it on your service reciept. i have had dirty filters before and no codes. Hauling uphill with a load and stock fuel system i have had my truck buck on me because of low fuel supply before uo grading my system. I would recommend an after market pump the factory ones are not enough.You can get ones from this page with filter attached for mounting near your tank a good investment.

 

Go to bluechipdiesel.com and read up on the VP44....

Fuel filters don't usually clog up then unclog themselves.

There is no code for a dirty filter. Also the 3 key trick may not show all codes. There are usually companion codes which tell of other faults related to the primary code displayed.

An 02 with only 75K is worth upgrading to a more reliable aftermarket lift pump and vp44 if needed IMO.

 

Dan

When you do the three key thing this is a good place to start for finding out if their is a code set in your system but you may just see the 1693. I would think the folks at the dealer would be glad to answer your code questions,try to find a good nondealer diesel shop for work if you can.

 

My '99 got a plugged fuel filter and fried the VP. It didn't ruin the timing it kept the fuel flow from cooling the pump and it cooked the circuit board.

 

The code it threw was P0216.

 

If I remember correctly from when I had my 01, that code is telling you your fuel pump is going to die. I'm sure sixslug or bigiron will know for sure. They are really good with these trucks. How many miles on your truck? All stock? The factory lift pump is notorious for failing and killing the vp44

 

Truck has 75k miles and it's stock except for the Bank Exhaust. We purchased it two years ago.

 

This may be a little of a learning curve for your situation as there's much to know about the 2nd gen Dodge Cummins VP44 fuel system.

First off, it sounds as if you have a stock fuel system. Generally this is adequate for a stock truck under stock power, but the OEM lift pump is notorious for weak fuel pressures.....and eventually no fuel pressure which will eventually do harm to the VP injection pump. The VP is ONLY cooled by fuel and when you combine a weak fuel pump with ULSD which has low lubricating properties, its not good for the VP. From your description I'm guessing that your fuel pressure is low, the fuel filter got too plugged up from simple usage, and the fuel temperature sensor in the VP registered hot fuel and triggered the limp mode.

But that said, the 0216 code is a timing code. Its tell you that the fuel timing piston in the VP is not reaching full timing. Yes, this "could" have been a result of a clogged fuel filter and if changing the filter helps then great. But more likely than not, the lift pump is doing a poor job and only a fuel pressure gauge would be able to understand its running output. Sadly when someone gets the 0216 code, its not good. Doesnt ALWAYS mean the VP is failing but statistically its pointing at a mechanical problem in the VP and without proper attention if caught in time, it will result in failure.

At this point, I'd suggest replacing the fuel filter, testing the fuel pressure with a test gauge which taps into the schrader test port valves. If the pressure is above 10 psi while driving then just clear the code and see how well it does.

Lastly, if you have the factory VP44 on that truck then understand that back when they were first installed on the Cummins they were problematic due to inferior componentry. Over the years the VP has undergone many quality upgrades and the aftermarket (not dealer replacement) versions are much much better. But because they run around $1000, ya dont want to go replacing it just to narrow down problems unless you have to.

 

So we had the fuel filter changed and the truck has been running great. Left to go camping tonight and we're climbing the pass again and the event happened again. This was the first time since memorial day weekend that we were hauling our camper and boat. Any, we turned around and came home. Maybe we do need to replace the vp44.

 

You need to check fuel supply from transfer pump first. If fuel supply and pressure are in spec then replace VP44. If you still have original transfer pump installed that will need to be replaced. Quick check that you can do is bump starter do not start engine, can you hear fuel pump running? If not check power and ground to pump. If pump does run then remove fuel line at injection pump and install 36 inch clear plastic hose (available at any hardware store) 5/16's . Insert end into gallon bottle or clean pan, then bump starter once leave key on. Fuel should come out for 25 seconds. Measure fuel amount using measuring cup. If over 45 oz. then test passed, if under 45 oz. then replace lift pump.