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Dodge Ram Cummins Diesel Questions

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  • arjay2arjay2 Member Posts: 2
    Today my 2001 ram cummins quit running at a stop light,and wouldnt restart. Towed to a Dodge dealer but being sat afternoon the service department was closed till Mon am. Will be chargered $175 just to look at it. Please any ideas as to what could cause this would be appreciated. Not out of fuel no warning lights came on it just stopped running and will not restart.
    Thanks Arjay
  • dasboot72dasboot72 Member Posts: 115
    The most likely cause is a failed fuel lift pump. On your truck it is mounted to the engine behind and below the fuel filter. If your truck still has the original one it is almost certainly failed. The new design comes as a retrofit kit and relocates the pump to the fuel tank. This requires dropping the tank, adding new wiring to the new pump, and removing the old pump and installing a pass through block. Believe me, I have been a Dodge diesel mechanic for 15 years and ALL of the old style pumps fail.
  • dodgecummins2dodgecummins2 Member Posts: 7
    Thanks for the response, it may be transmission im not 100% sure whats going on yet, i thought a fuel problem possibly?? so i changed the fuel filter today and added a injectors cleaner to my fuel hoping to fix the problem, it seemed to run better after but i noticed at a couple stops it does still hesitate, usually after ive been driving for a while, if it would be transmission launching in second what causes that in a automatic? and whats my best way of fixing the issue? Thanks dodgecummins2
  • dodgecummins2dodgecummins2 Member Posts: 7
    edited February 2010
    Thanks for the response! I did replace my fuel filter today and bought a injector cleaner and added it to my fuel to see how that helped, it did run better but after a while hesitated some pulling out of stop, so i will definitely try the oil next time i fill up! Thanks Again dodgecummins2

    ill will try to keep u posted on what happens
  • dasboot72dasboot72 Member Posts: 115
    The most common cause of a no downshift condition is a faulty Governor pressure sensor and transducer giving a false reading to the PCM. The PCM needs to see zero Governor pressure to downshift. Just drive the truck and carefully count the shifts. another possibility is a fuel issue. See my post a couple of boxes up about the transfer pump issue.
  • dodgecummins2dodgecummins2 Member Posts: 7
    Thanks for all the help!! I've been questioning my transmission for a couple reasons, i dont think its been shifting right, since i bought the truck it likes to really shift hard out of first, ill probably have to have it looked at, i hate to take it to the shop though haha, but if it comes to that i might. I've heard about the transfer pumps going in them too so it could maybe be that. ill have to just keep tabs on it, thanks a lot again! ill post if i find out anything! dodgecummins2
  • dasboot72dasboot72 Member Posts: 115
    Yea, I agree you need to bring it somewhere that has a scanner that can monitor Governor pressure while driving. Just make sure you mention that to whoever you bring it to so they have a solid starting point.
  • dieseldummydieseldummy Member Posts: 2
    :cry: :confuse: have a 2001 dodge 2500 24 v 5.9 cummins. it's been a great truck and have had it for 6 years and have over 300,000 miles. after i hit the 300 mark, i've been dumping money into it left and right but have a new problem. original alternator went out one evening withe the usual power drain. charged up batteries(which are 6 months old and test good) and installed new alt. same problem stared it up voltmeter read 12 and dipped down.... opened fuse box and found that 140amp alt. fuse had blown. ran to store and all they had was 120 and it blew immediately! what could cause it to blow in the first place and did it blowing a second time ruin new alt.? drove to work this morn on fresh charged batt. and am charging them now. this is my only vehicle and i need it up and running please help me figure this out!!
  • dasboot72dasboot72 Member Posts: 115
    Only a short will blow a fuse imediatally like that. I just looked at the wiring diagram for that circuit and that 140 amp fuse only feeds the alternator so step one would be to unplug the alternator and test the circuit ideally with an amp meter so you don't have to burn through kinda expensive fuses, but if you don't have an amp meter put a new fuse in place with the bolt on heavy gauge wire on the back of the alternator unhooked and clear of any metal. If the fuse pops then that wire from the bat to the alt is shorted to ground. If it dosen't pop, unplug the 2 wire plug behund the alternator and hook back up the other wire. Test circuit again. If it then pops the problem is inside nthe alternator. If it doesn't pop unplug the PCM and plug in the 2 wire alternator plug. If it pops the short is in one of the 2 wires from that plug to the PCM. If it doesn't pop, plug the PCM back in (You have to unplug all PCM connections by the way) and try again. If it then pops the prob is in the PCM. Get what i'm saying?
  • dieseldummydieseldummy Member Posts: 2
    think i got it thanks...now to get rid of the belt squeal...
  • dodgecummins2dodgecummins2 Member Posts: 7
    Think i finally figured out my problem with truck lagging, its my lift pump and injector pump acting up, my buddy told me to put a airdog system on it,,, looked into them and they seemed like more work than i have time and money!!! Anyone recommend something that would be a little easier and fix this issue? i want this problem fix the right way though because i heard that its common problem with the 24 valves and airdog prevents this??
  • dasboot72dasboot72 Member Posts: 115
    Why do you suspect both the lift pump and the injection pump? The lift pump is the common failure. If you aren't getting fuel to your injection pump via the lift pump, things are not going to work correctly.
  • dodgecummins2dodgecummins2 Member Posts: 7
    Thats how i felt my buddy who has had this happen though told me it could be both that my lift pump went bad making my injector pump work harder making it go but i think im going to just try the lift pump for now, whats ur opinion on airdog pumps he put one on his truck and said it was the best choice?? i know u had said dodge does something similar putting fuel pump in tank.
  • dasboot72dasboot72 Member Posts: 115
    I don't know anything about irdog pumps but I do know the redesigned pump from Cummins comes in a kit that replaces the original pump with a pass through, and puts the pump into the fuel tank as a fuel tank module replacement. There is also a simple wiring harness to install to send power to the now tank mounted pump. I have probabally installed 50+ of these kits and have never seen one fail. Also keep in mind that Injector pump DTC's may set due to lack of fuel to the injection pump rather than an actually faulty injection pump, which by the way is VERY EXPENSIVE. Fix your lift pump and get on with life!
  • longranger1263longranger1263 Member Posts: 6
    (the two problems did NOT occur at the same time) I have two issue I would like some guidance on. (1) When I am driving normal and the transmission attempts to shift into lock up at about 41mph it seems to hunt in and out of lock up. If I accelerate above 45 it will go into lock up with no problem.. I have bee told that it could be the TPS and I have checked the voltage at the TPS.. At idle it is .49 volts and at full throttle it is 3.45volts. Any ideas?
    (2) Just recently while travelling down the interstate at about 60mps the truck lost pulling power as if the fuel was just shut of momentairly then returned to normal.. I have replaced the fuel filter and also added water rerover in the tank with no difference..I can accelerate fairly agressively when it is in the lost power and it makes no difference until it recovers... Any suggestions..
  • dasboot72dasboot72 Member Posts: 115
    Although you may have 2 seperate issues they may be only one issue. First off if you have the original block mounted lift or transfer pump it has most certainly failed. The new design relocates the pump into the fuel tank. The second issue could be a TPS with a glitch around lockup but RFI will cause the TCC to perform erratically. The most common source of RFI is from a faulty fuel transfer pump. You need to get that issue taken care of adn then see how your lockup is working. Any further questions?
  • longranger1263longranger1263 Member Posts: 6
    Thanks DASBOOT.. Do you know where I can get one other than the dealer?? Prices I am getting there is aroud $600.00 with conversion kit.
  • dasboot72dasboot72 Member Posts: 115
    I do not know where else you can get one. I am a Dodge dealer mechanic and I have only installed the Cummins kit. It is bulletproof though. I have installed probabally about 75 - 100 of these and have never had one come back with a problem. Also the instructions are very straight forward. It does tell you to flash update the PCM as part of the installation but I can tell you you don't have to do that and everything works just fine.
  • bcippolabcippola Member Posts: 1
    Our 2001 Dodge Ram 2500 Cummins Diesel wouldnt start. Had it towed to local Dodge Dealer and we were quoted $300 to diagnos and $3000- $4000 to replace the main fuel pump and injector pump???? Can this be??

    Thanks

    Billy
  • dasboot72dasboot72 Member Posts: 115
    Hi, look at some of my prior recent posts about the lift pump failing. You probabally don't need an Injection pump. You should probabally get an opinion from another dealer and $300.00 for diag is insane. For a diesel truck my dealer gets $99.00 for diag.
  • rcdmascorcdmasco Member Posts: 2
    I have a 1995 dodge diesel 5.9L the truck will start and idle when parked on level surface. Can drive for about 1 mile and seem to run out of fuel. I have to bleed the system to restart. Have changed the lift pump and cleaned the fuel tank and the problem still happens. ANY HELP!!
  • dasboot72dasboot72 Member Posts: 115
    Hi, you most likely, based on your description, have a pinhole in a fuel line. The one I have seen a few times is the tank to (original liftpump). The thing about it is you won't see any fuel leak, the hole is only large enough to suck air. There are some tests that would need to be done to verify, but if you wanted to change the fuel line from the tank to the old lift pump location, it probabally doesn't cause too much.
  • planbinplanbin Member Posts: 2
    edited March 2010
    About 2 weeks ago, on the freeway with cruise set at 60 mph. Cruise turns off pushed on accelerator nothing happen. Noticed Check Engine Light came on (For the first time)
    Tach was about 850 RPM .After about 10 seconds and pumping the accelerator petal
    took off again.I lost power 1 more time about 5 minutes later for a second or two.
    Made it back to the shop ,about 40 miles, no trouble. Had Friend check codes
    P2121 P2122. He reset. drove home about 35 miles no problem.
    Next morning drove about 200 yards Light comes on again loose throttle response for about 2 seconds then runs find rest of the day. Same codes P2121, P2122.
    Reset again. no problem for 3 or 4 days. Then leaving for work same thing happens about 1/4 mile from home this time. After several stops I notices Check Engine Light is Off. Later that day light comes on loose throttle response for a second or two. Then I try to set Cruise Control will not set. Cruise Light comes on it just will not Engage. Later that same day light goes off cruise works fine.

    Every day or two same thing happens light come on loose throttle response for a second or two, after a while light goes off.

    I've had truck since new 292,000 miles. Replaced Lift pump with in the tank unit about 1 Year ago. Any Ideals?
  • dasboot72dasboot72 Member Posts: 115
    Hi, P2121 is APP volts do not agree with idle signal & P2122 is Low volts at app sensor. There are 2 possible types of APP (accelerator pedal position) sensor types for your year truck. One is mounted in the engine compartment and linked to the throttle pedal via a cable. The other type is built into the Throttle pedal. These codes indicate either a faulty APP sensor, or wiring for the APP sensor. One kinda common area for a wiring issue that would effect the APP circuit is an engine ground strap that may come into contact with a wire harness. The strap is hooked up to the left rear of the cylinder head and runs to the body. Make sure it hasn't rubbed through into some wiring. With all the miles on your truck it would be perfectly reasonable for you to just have a bad APP sensor.
  • longranger1263longranger1263 Member Posts: 6
    Thanks DASBOOT.. I have the pump on order and will install it myself.. I'll let you know how it turns out...
  • cummins2001cummins2001 Member Posts: 2
    Truck starts and runs fine at an idle but when you try to accellerate it acts like the tps is bad. The truck throws 5 codes low voltage to the following: PCM, temp sensor, turbo boost, TPS and IAT. Please help! I do not want to start replacing very expensive parts that may not be bad.
  • dasboot72dasboot72 Member Posts: 115
    If you can give me the P code numbers I can maybe find a common circuit between the effected sensors. Let me know.
  • dodgecummins2dodgecummins2 Member Posts: 7
    i just had to buy one for my 2002 dodge 2500 cummins, i found mine on ebay, picked it up for a little over $400 with shipping, its a mopar kit, it comes with directions also.
  • longranger1263longranger1263 Member Posts: 6
    Dasboot; Today I was doing some additional investigations and found the following. When I turn off the o/d I can drive the truck up to 2625rpm and there is no hesitation.(2) after reading some other blogs I tried the cruse control; The cruse control will turn on but will not engage; with o/d on or off. the other thing I noticed that may or not be related is when I take off with the o/d off and accelerate to about 45mph the turn the o/d on it seems to do better.. I plan to remove the fuel tank and inspect the prefilter... Question; is there a way other than putting an ocilliscope on the alternator output to check for alternator RFI?...... Whats puzzling at this point is when the o/d off it seems to run fine.. Although I am only going 50mph the fuel consumption is higher at 2625 rpm.. One other thing. I have a super chip installed since 2002 and have had no problems with it.. Could this be a contributing factor? Thanks
  • longranger1263longranger1263 Member Posts: 6
    Jfiggs22; I have an 01 Dodge 3500 with the 5.9 and trobleshooting the same problem. The forum has been helpful in directing me with the most common problems.. It appears that the alternator will produce high RFI (radio frequency interference) affecting the TPC. (2) my truck has the lift pump(factory) mounted under the hood just below the fuel filter and it may be going bad.. Not sure about the 02.. (3) the fuel lines up to the fuel pump may have worn a small pin hole in it causing the pump to momentarly lose prime.( Dasboot) has been helpful in this quandry... The other thing I have noticed with mine is if I turn the o/d off the truck seems to run fine.. This may point to the alternator issue. You may want to check yours. I am also going to drop my tank and check for any filter pluggage or gel in it that may contribute to the problem.. I will also make the in tank mod. that is recommended.. If there is a pin hole leak after the mod, because the line is pressurized from the tank it will show up... Hope this helps..
  • dasboot72dasboot72 Member Posts: 115
    The only problem RFI will cause is erratic torque converter lockup. Anything outside of that is something else. Have you already replaced the lift pump? There is a very long bulletin I refrence from Chrysler about diagnosing RFI, but to diag it you need to make a data recording of a number of listed sensors and see what is erratic on a data graph. Nothing a do it yourselfer could do. It just gets to technical at that point. However there is a small section about erratic TPS/APPS sensor signal and no cruise operation, most of it is RFI related but a problem in the clockspring carries the TPS/APPS signal through it for cruise control operation. Not something I can recall seeing wrong in one of these trucks however. Also if you can access TSB's somewere on the internet, TSB #14-002-03 gives instructions for correctly diagnosing a failed fuel transfer pump.
  • perfectcircleperfectcircle Member Posts: 3
    Yes the engine only uses the amount of fuel at idle.... if you left it in gear the truck will slow down quicker by the compression of the engine.If you put the transmission in neutral it would coast furthur hence save fuel.
  • perfectcircleperfectcircle Member Posts: 3
    I have had my Dodge for 5 years and it has done it from day one and it now has 75,000 miles on it and is running fine don't do anything but change the oil filter and oil and change the fuel filter. Love my dodge......
  • cummins2001cummins2001 Member Posts: 2
    Thanks. Here are the P codes: PO606 PCM processor fault, low voltage to the following; PO 237 turbo/superboost sensor, PO122 TPS sensor, PO 117 Engine coolant temp, PO112 IAT sensor. Any help would be greatly appreciated as I do not want to replace parts uncessary.
  • rcdmascorcdmasco Member Posts: 2
    if you have a promblem with a stallign engin cheak filter in the fule heater located next to the lifted pump
  • dasboot72dasboot72 Member Posts: 115
    Hi, heres what you need to do. Clear the DTC's then start and drive the truck. Check the DTC's that came back. If P0606 ECM Failure is one of the DTC's present it is real simple. You have a faulty ECM. Thats the Cummins ECM which is mounted on the side of the engine. Any other DTC's with that DTC are to be ignored. That DTC has one step in its diagnostic procedure. That is - Is the DTC active? If yes replace ECM. If you have under 100K miles it is probabally under warranty (unless the in service date of the truck is older than 10 years and it shouldn't be for a 2001. Hope this helps.
  • loanwolfloanwolf Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2001 dodge ram 2500 diesel sometimes it losses power back of the trottle or shift down and your ok it is worse when cold I checked pressure at the filter maybe a 1lb so I checked to see if the pump was getting 12 v and found now power where do I go from here
  • jn6931jn6931 Member Posts: 2
    I am contemplating a new 2010 Dodge RAM 3500 4WD. I tried to contact Chrysler to determine the fuel mileage for the new 6.7 litre diesel engine with a standard 3.73 ratio rear end versus a 4.10 ratio rear end for towing. Chrysler could not give me an answer because they do not rate diesel trucks for miles per gallon. Can anyone tell me what kind of mileage I can expect in city driving versus highway and towing versus not towing with the different rear ends.
  • mckenzie101mckenzie101 Member Posts: 12
    I have the same truck in a 2009 year model (3500 4wd 6.7L 3.73 ratio dual rear wheel) I pull a goose neck trailer sometimes and get about 13-14 mpg. Not towing I get 15 city mpg and 16-17 on long trips.
    I also have a Crew that drives the 3500 with 4.10 ratio and only gets about 12-13 mpg on average.
    If you don't tow something all the time, I recommend the 3.73 for fuel mileage. Most Dodges come standard with Tow/Haul mode on the gear shift and you can manually shift the automatic transmission when climbing steep grades. The exhaust brake will slow you on downhill slopes too.
    I hurried to get the Megacab while it was still offered. I was told they were going to discontinue it in 2010. If you can get a Megacab 2010, I strongly recommend. The back seat area is huge! Hope this helps... Stay with Cummins Power...
  • jshaw2jshaw2 Member Posts: 2
    Did you replace the lift pump? When the lift pump is just starting to go out it will do that. The lift pumps on the 04's were poorly designed. Dodge will warrenty them for the first two owners, replacing them with the drop in tank version. If you are not one of the first two owners then I suggest the air dog, its what I put in mine and I love it, plus it has a lifetime warrenty
  • jshaw2jshaw2 Member Posts: 2
    I'm getting unusually low fuel milage for my truck
    I get 17 if I keep it under 2000RPM's but if I touch 2100 RPM I immediatly drop to 12-13
    When I tow anything from my 5000lb trailer to my 15,000lb trailer I get about 8MPG.
    I also don't seem to have much power with the truck
    I'm thinking there could be something majorly wrong with the engine in this truck but I'm just now sure.
    My friend has an 06 with the HO as well with LARGER tires then me and he is getting 20-25 on the freeway and 16 towing.
    Is there in fact something wrong with my engine or is there that much of a difference between the 04 and 06?

    (The reason I'm suspecting an engine problem is also because I bought the truck used, and found evidence of at one point in time the truck having a chip AND programmer of some type, as well as having a 15,000lb rated 5th-wheel hitch)
  • KCRamKCRam Member Posts: 3,516
    Larger tires installed on an otherwise unchanges truck will indeed produce better mpg, because the increased tore size has the same effect as overdrive - it numerically reduces the axle ratio.

    You didn't mention which Ram you have... 2500/3500, regular cab/Quad Cab, 4x2/4x4, dually if 3500... so it's hard to tell what you may be experieincing regarding mpg and power.

    kcram - Pickups/Wagons Host
  • 1945d73t1945d73t Member Posts: 1
    PLEASE HELP. I WAS JUST ON A TRIP AND THIS STARTED. WHEN AT IDLE AROUND 800 RPM OR SO THE ENGINE JUST SHUTS OFF MOMENTARILY. AS IT IS WINDING DOWN AND REACHES ABOUT 400 RPM IT REVES BACK TO LIFE AND SHOOTS UP TO ABOUT 1500 RPM BEFORE SETTLING BACK DOWN TO 800 RPM. IT IS INTERMITTENT AND DOES IT ONLY WHEN IT WANTS TO, BUT ONLY AT IDLE. ALSO WHEN IT HAS DONE THIS THE IDLE SEEMS ROUGH THEN SMOOTH THEN ROUGH THEN SMOOTH GETTING BETTER WITH TIME UNTIL IT IS NOT NOTICABLE ANYMORE, UNTIL THE ENGINE TRIES TO DIE AGAIN AND IT REPEATES THE PROCESS OVER AGAIN. WHEN ACCELORATOR IS IN ANY POSITION OTHER THEN IDLE IT SEEMS FINE. ANY IDEAS? PLEASE HELP. I'M AT A LOSS. :cry:
  • sridgewaysridgeway Member Posts: 1
    can someone tell me where the heater is , and what it is called. truck runs rough in the cold- the wait to start light stays on for a long time. this just started about 2 years ago. 1999 dodge ram 3500 cummings 5.9 24- valve runs fine when i plug the 110 block heater in. any info will help. thanks
  • jcarrizalesjcarrizales Member Posts: 2
    i have a 2500 diesel 2001 model dodge ram 5.9 cummins the problem is running rough in idle and when shift to drive some times dies on me and is hard to start what can be the problem?
  • dieselbaddieselbad Member Posts: 3
    I have a 2003 Dodge Ram 2500 with a 5.9L Cummins engine. The truck was fine for the 1st 3 years, now that I'm 2 months from paying it off; and spending over $7k at the dealer .. they can not figure out the problem. 2 months ago, the stock lift pump died and the dealer installed a in-tank lift pump from Dodge. The next day, same problem, hard start in the AM. They said it was the Common Rail pump. I purchased that from Cummings at $1400 and had the dealer install it. Here's where it really goes bad.... 7 days later, the truck is missing on the cylinders and shuts off. I drove it back to the dealer, who said that there was water in the tank. They drained the tank, then said it was the fuel injectors damaged by the water. The replaced the injectors ($360.00 ea from Cummings). I drove it 10 miles home, same problem. I had to have it towed back to the shop, where they said the Common Rail pump was bad. You can buy that from www.shopdiesel specialist.com for about $800.00. They fixed it, I drove it 10 miles, same problem. I had it towed back to the shop, where I got a loaner car, and was told that they would fix the problem at no cost. Next day, I got a call that there was water in the tank again (as viewed from the stock fuel filter housing). Now they say, I again got bad fuel; thou the prior time they said it was from where I filled it up. Yet the diesel mechanic drives a diesel, and has filled at that station and the other station (I later used w/ no problems). Now the shop will drain the tank (2nd time), and add their own fuel, and try it out. I've been warned it could be the Common Rail Pump bad (3rd time). I can not even keep the car running to get rid of it. Any ideas on how water could appear in a tank? The fuel stations are good, no pissed off neighbors or that would even know about diesel and water. I have a dual fuel filter & water separator to add, but it will not stay running long enough to add it. :lemon:
  • ramchargerramcharger Member Posts: 21
    Man you have the patience of Jobe. Check out site fourwinds=it.com. "Algae" can cause tremendous problems. There are other sites to read. I know of a dealer who had to replace the entire fuel system of a brand new truck and I mean every thing. If you have it in your system your might find fuel treatments to save you from more waisted money. Besides, dealers with true diesel mech are hard to find. Good luck. keep us informed. Roger
  • ddwcddwc Member Posts: 5
    first of all i wouldnt take it a dealer i having similar problem my truck the dealer told me i have water in my fuel told me it would cost 3000.00 to 8000.00 to repair i took to a individual could not find water in fuel the dealer overlooked 4 codes computer still having problems nobody can tell me the cause stock truck 2003 2500 cummings find you a nother shop dealers taking your money and giving you no results
  • cumminshasno_gcumminshasno_g Member Posts: 1
    I really hate to sound like one adding insult to injury. It sounds like you've been through the ringer already, but definitely find another dealer. I'd say that one is either incompetent or a crook. If it's a Chrysler dealership, consider a Cummins big rig dealer. They'd know the engine well enough to beat what you've seen so far. Good luck!
  • johnnybravo4johnnybravo4 Member Posts: 2
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