Vp44 Failure!!!
 

so i know all about this topic but i have some questions i need answered first before i drop the coin on one of these:
the first question is, how do i really really know that this is what's wrong? i'm pretty sure b/c i got the death code and also dead pedal (so basically it's a dead give away) but i wanna make sure. how do i do that?

ok, one at a time and also i got dinner to eat, i'll ask the rest later...

If it's throwing the death code! What else do you what? Its bad, just time till it quits.

Yup...its likely done. It may run for 3 days or three months or longer. If it were me, I wouldnt go too far from home - big Tow bills SUCK !

ya i hear ya guys. i guess i was just think somehting to do with the APPS or what not. i've heard about that stuff too.

ANOTHER QUESTION:
i was just wondering (although there's probably no real way of telling) if the heat (it's warm here now) had anything to do with it starting to act up?

i had the dead pedal awhile back, it went away, and now it came back and its worse than ever sice its warmed up. any realation, or just coincidence?

Do you run with your tank low?

I happen to think (right or wrong) that running with a low tank and high ambient temps kill the VP-44's quicker than normal. This combination does not allow the fuel too cool enough and therefore you are not cooling the pump as much as possible.

Aside from that, high ambient temperatures kill these pumps quick.

Absolutely! The heat is the 2nd most common cause for a VP failure. Inadequate fuel being the 1st.

Both causes are usually solved by ensuring solid fuel supply since the VP uses about 70% of the fuel that passes through it just for cooling.

On some of the 90˚+ days my incoming fuel temperature has been about 135˚. That's not too bad for most electronics.

2002's also tend to eat pumps more often sorry

Yes fuel temp kills.

Last year on a good pull up the Coquihalla Highway Snow shed hill, it was 104 degrees outside temp and i was showing an output fuel temp of 177 degrees on the guage.

The temp reading was taken down on the frame where the return hard line meets the rubber line. About 2 feet from the tank itself.

The truck was full of fuel so the heat sink effect was in full force but to have been running with half a tank or less would have had some warmer than usual fuel VP bound.

This year there is a cooler/fan combo getting mounted under the truck hooked into the return stream.

All in the name of science, and a cooler VP of course [laugh]

Jeff

Ooohhhh....

Jeffys getting fancy measuring fuel temps...good info bud....

Actually, the earlier pumps were worse. By 02 there were 27 updates to the VP44.
Homestead
I also feel that the temps are a big reason for most of the VP electrical failures. I also think voltage spikes play a part in many failures. I know of many trucks that just eat them one after another yet some go unheard of distances with low FP and low fuel in the tank regularly etc?

I have to agree with the voltage issue.

Put a pump in -30 odd degrees weather, get the grid heaters to start cycling and then let your truck sit there to warm up, which we all know it won't, and yeah, you will kill a pump pronto if you do it enough.

I've seen a 6 psi fluctuation in the above scenario when the heaters come on and pull the pump down, especially if the truck has been sitting during a work day.

I've noticed with my truck anyways, when I put it into the same scenario as above but as soon as it starts, pull on the exhaust brake but still let it idle, the grid heaters won't cycle at all. I flip the brake off and the grid heaters come on.

Now with regards to voltage, the VP has power going to it. I'm curious what a voltage fluctuation does to a VP? I realize that the VP is mainly electronics not pumps or motors but low voltage generates heat and as we know, heat is heat.

The voltage fluctuations are probably the main reason I'm trying to put together a High Idler. Not only does high idle take the grid heaters out of the equation with regards to voltage fluctuations, but it will help keep everything "up" with regards to flows and voltages.

Not sure if I'm going down the right path here or not. [duhhh] Just thinking out loud right now.

Jeff

seems to me that alot of 02's have lost more pumps than even the 01's or 00

oh well, regardless i'm getting my new pump tomorrow and will more than likely put it on this weekend. so is actually real evidence on what kills these things??? i've tried everything to prevent this from happening, EXCEPT keep lots of fuel in the tank, ooops, i'm gonna try and start doing that, especially since i'm spending over $1000 for this part.

thanks for the great info guys.