hey guys

ran truck out of diesel

stuck in parking lot right now, put in about 20 gallons but it won't start

is there a easy way to get it going again

what do i do

please help

truck is a 1999 24 valve auto 4x4

 

I'm working from memory here but until someone else chimes in you can try this.

If you have the tools, you can crack the bleed screw on the top of the fuel filter and then bump (not crank) the starter to get the LP to run for about 25 seconds. 2-3 times of this should fill the filter. Then crack several of the injector lines loose (careful for the high pressure spray, may want to wrap a rag around them) and crank the motor (never over 30 seconds at a time) until you have fuel at the injectors. Tighten the lines and and try to start the truck. If you have 3 lines bled, it should start but may run rough until it works the air out of the other injectors.

Good luck and let us know how it went.

 

You need to get the filter full of fuel and prime the pump, turn key on, wait 30 seconds, key off, repeat several times and try and listen to hear the fuel pump running. If you have the drain on the filter turn it on and see if any fuel comes out. Thats all the advice I know.

 

Try bumping the starter a couple of times, just turn the key to the start position and back again without actully cranking the truck. If that doesn't do it you have to crack some injectors, usually the first and third one will do it and crank it over to bleed the air out. If that doesn't work, welcome to the dead lift pump club.

 

What 12V said.

Also, running that injection pump out of fuel is a sure fire way to burn it up. I would sugest trying to keep a 1/2 tank of fuel during the summer months to help cool the injection pump (vp44). Good luck!

 

What a site, when I started typing there were no reply's on this post and by the time I typed one out and hit the button there were two others already there. How can the service get any better than that.

 

i opened the lever to drain the filter and nothing came out??

what do i loosen to bleed the system??

when you say bump the starter is that just a quick turn over??

 

That's it for bumpin it and to bleed it you can open either of the two plugs on top of the fuel filter or the nuts on the top cover of your engine. You should see 6 in a row with fuel lines running to them. Start with the one closest to the front, loosen it up and bump the starter until you see fuel seeping out of it. Once that happens tighten it back down and if it still doesn't start go to the third one and do it again.

 

Forgot to mention that after you bump the starter you should be able to hear the lift pump run for about 20 seconds after that. It will be a faint humming sound just in front of the rear tire area. If your not hearing that check your fuses. When I had the stock lift pump on mine it had a tendancy to blow fuses when I got low on fuel.

 

Bumping the starter means just taking the key and quickly turning to the START position and releasing it an leave it in the ON position. You should engage the starter for less than one second, hence "bump" the starter. What it does is trip the computer to engage the lift pump for 25 seconds to purge air out of the system and prime the lines and filter canister for what the computer thinks is a failed engine start condition.

Bump the starter, wait 25 seconds until you hear the pump turn off, bump it again, wait, bump again, you get the idea. Don't worry about overdoing it as once fuel gets to the VP44, the excess goes back to the tank through the return line. This trick works great for priming the system after fuel filter changes. You don't have to loosen anything.

Now since you have air in the injector lines you will have to loosen them. Crack open three of them, doesn't really matter which, until fuel comes out of them. Keep in mind to crack them open, don't loosen them to much because when fuel starts coming down the injector lines its at about 4000-4500 psi. Tighten them back up when fuel comes out. The engine can start and run on three cylinders. It will run rough until the air is purged from the other three. Don't crank the engine longer than 20 seconds at a time and give it a break between crankings, otherwise you can damage the starter (overheat).

Also the lift pump may be weak and/or bad and not pump much fuel at all. In that case you will have to replace it. About $150 from a Cummins distributor. The pump is located just underneath and to the rear of the filter canister on the drivers side of the engine block. You will hear it from there when you bump it. Remember, a weak or bad lift pump make noise like a good pump as it runs so don't be fooled by it. The lift pumps are known to go bad over time due to the cruddy fuel system design by Dodge. The pump is meant to push fuel rather than pull it, so it should be back at the tank and not on the engine block. That and small fuel lines and fitting the pump has a much harder time pumping and wears itself out.

Good luck to you.

 

once you get fuel to the filter - if it doesn't start after 3 - 4 times give it a rest. Then try this - hold go pedal to the floor while cranking engine for 10 -15 seconds at a shot, 3 or 4 times should do the trick - it'll be shakey and smokey for 5 - 10 seconds then clear right up and smooth out. If your not getting fuel to the filter - like someone else said "welcome to the dead LP - gang".

 

Every time mine ran out, I had to crack at least three injector lines until it tried firing, re-tighten the injector lines and then it should start...