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Long, slow build of my truck

One friend mentioned the fact that GM puts a dampener on the pinion yoke, whereas Dodge does not. If I switched to the GM yoke w/ dampener I could maybe use my existing driveshaft. The Dodge yoke would require a new driveshaft. I can't seem to find any info on if the pinion splines are the same. Anyone?
 
Husker6.5 said:
Pilot bearing diameters (outer and inner) for the end of the input shaft/crankshaft hub would be the only issue left, since your custom clutch would address the spline count/diameter issue.
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YUP, all kinds of available sizes of pilot bearings and bushings, if a person would rather run the bushing.
Personally I prefer the bushings, does not gall the input shaft if they go bad, just squeals if they get dry.
 
The biggest issue would be if the input shaft is so large in diameter that is either larger than the pilot hole in the crank flange, or the tolerance is so close between them that you can not get either a bearing or bushing that will work. I prefer bearings, because if they're properly packed with the correct grease before install, they will out live the clutch. I don't like bushings for the exact reason you like them: When they go dry (and they will eventually, no matter how long you soak them in oil before install) they begin to wear like crazy, this makes the clearance very sloppy, which will allow the input shaft to move around (the purpose of the pilot bearing/bushing is twofold, to keep the input shaft centered and to support the hanging weight of the end of the input shaft) and that will cause radial mis-alignment of the clutch which will cause abnormal wear of the clutch and possibly engagement/disengagement issues, too, if it gets bad enough. Plus, the old bearing is much easier to pull than a bushing when doing a clutch.
 
Tragedy has (potentially) struck and the truck (possibly) needs an injection pump.

I was driving home Monday night following another successful Moe's Monday with a regular group of fellow diesel buddies (the "Moe's Bro's") when I noticed that under acceleration my fuel pressure was dropping. The truck was running normal for the first 10-15 mins of the 20 min drive and I wasn't sure what to make of things. Keep in mind the sump install had been completed Friday (spoiler: 12 micron is too much for a pre-LP filter) and the truck had been mostly normal since. Anyway, on my ride home I noticed that I could get pressure down as low as 3psi, then it would slowly come back. So in the last 5 mins that I drove the truck, I did probably 4 WOT runs of 10 seconds each and it happened each time. On the last run, the truck began to sputter on the top end which corresponded with the low fuel pressure. So I decided to just take it easy and limp the truck home to figure out what was going on.

Well the truck had other ideas. Accelerating up a small hill at probably 20% throttle, the truck continued to spit and sputter, and fuel pressure went down to 5psi despite the light throttle. The truck coughed a couple more times and then shut off. Cranked but wouldn't fire. Tried a new PMD I keep with me, same thing. So we towed the truck the last 2 miles home and now she sits in the driveway. I have a 32 micron filter to change out, and we need to crack injectors and see if they are getting fuel. I am suspecting/hoping its the IP.
 
pacificdrumma said:
Tragedy has (potentially) struck and the truck (possibly) needs an injection pump.

I was driving home Monday night following another successful Moe's Monday with a regular group of fellow diesel buddies (the "Moe's Bro's") when I noticed that under acceleration my fuel pressure was dropping. The truck was running normal for the first 10-15 mins of the 20 min drive and I wasn't sure what to make of things. Keep in mind the sump install had been completed Friday (spoiler: 12 micron is too much for a pre-LP filter) and the truck had been mostly normal since. Anyway, on my ride home I noticed that I could get pressure down as low as 3psi, then it would slowly come back. So in the last 5 mins that I drove the truck, I did probably 4 WOT runs of 10 seconds each and it happened each time. On the last run, the truck began to sputter on the top end which corresponded with the low fuel pressure. So I decided to just take it easy and limp the truck home to figure out what was going on.

Well the truck had other ideas. Accelerating up a small hill at probably 20% throttle, the truck continued to spit and sputter, and fuel pressure went down to 5psi despite the light throttle. The truck coughed a couple more times and then shut off. Cranked but wouldn't fire. Tried a new PMD I keep with me, same thing. So we towed the truck the last 2 miles home and now she sits in the driveway. I have a 32 micron filter to change out, and we need to crack injectors and see if they are getting fuel. I am suspecting/hoping its the IP.
Click to expand...
Well that sucks. What kind of fuel pressure does the lift pump make without the engine running? Also, did you install a new tank or did you add the sump to an old tank? Maybe you sucked something into the lift pump?
 
I would definitely check if something got suckered into the sump. Older tanks can have a small layer of cap on the bottom and the sump breaks it free when installed.

Filters are cheap compared to an injection pump.
 
Having fuel pressure does not necessarily mean that you have fuel volume. I would lean heavily with the consensus that you have either a plugged fuel filter(s) or your LP is failing. Injection pump failure is rarely catastrophic, it is gradual and you would have recognized the symptoms of failure long before now - "fishbiting", unstable idle, slow to return to idle when the throttle is blipped in Park and of course the shit your pants runaway engine.
 
We aren't out of the woods yet, but some progress. The truck runs currently. We were able to start it without really changing anything. It acted as if it was airbound, but it ran with the same PMD, IP, LP, etc as when it died. Once we confirmed that it would run, I changed the primary filter out for a 32 micron. Then I let it idle on flat ground at 1400rpm for about 20 mins with no issues. Took it for a test drive, noticed a little less power on the ole butt dyno, and inconsistent fuel pressure. On a free rev from 2500 to 4000, fuel pressure maintained a relatively consistent level. However under heavy acceleration it would sometimes hold 9-10psi as normal, and other times it would wrap back to 2-3psi and SLOWLY come back up. It is worth noting the truck has slightly less than a 1/4 tank, and the sump is in the front of the tank. So you could make the argument that an incline combined with the low fuel level has an affect on it, but it would lose pressure even on flat ground.

Unrelated, but perhaps related, the truck is going to need an alternator soon I think. The current one is a 5 year old Remy Gold 105A. The symptom is that when the truck is first started and idling, the volt gauge reads 14+/- as it is supposed to. However, when driving around with any lights on and the stereo on, it sits around 12.5-13. The stereo is a nothing-special Kenwood that I installed over the summer with a 200w RMS sub. At night all of the lights (dash lights, pillar gauge lights, headlights, etc) will flicker/surge with the sub hitting. When one thing draws on the truck, the whole truck displays a slight voltage drop. This can actually also be seen in the form of .25-.5psi pressure fluctuations on the fuel pressure gauge when cycling the lights on and off. Batteries are 2 year old and read 13.8-14.1 when I put a multi-meter on them. I am thinking the increased electrical load has caught up with the alternator and it is not charging like it used to. Tach operation is fine. Curious for input on this one before I go and put an alternator on it. Battery cables are 6mo. old from Bruce/RaceDayMechanic and are 2/0.
 
If it were Me, I would double check the battery terminals.
My 2000 was doing that same exact ting, thought alternator, thoroughly cleaned lugs, cables and all grounds and the volt meter has not dropped below 14+ since then.
 
Grounds - check and clean all of them - engine block, chassis and body. Bad ground(s) will cause the same symptoms you described.
 
The terminal at the battery lug on the starter was pretty bad too. It had some burns on it from making poor contact.
I also added a ground from the firewall to the intake manifold. I could not find the one that was suppose to be there. Also added a ground from the left fender well to the engine.
Just can not have enough grounds. LOL
 
Thanks for the tips on the battery connections guys. I will be cleaning them this week.

I called PureFlow (Raptor mfr) today to discuss my pump. Long story short they are stepping up to the plate and replacing it under warranty. A huge stroke of luck! Very impressed and grateful for their customer service. Should be here later this week to install. Prior to installation I intend to flush the tank as much as possible to ensure the best possible scenario for the pump.

I am gathering parts for the 11.5" AAM install and need to figure out brakes. I have always been under the impression that a stock MC can be used with a proportioning valve when running disk brakes on a GMT400. Some internet searching muddied the waters slightly and now I am not as certain, so now I ask: What parts should I use for my brake system?
 
pacificdrumma said:
Thanks for the tips on the battery connections guys. I will be cleaning them this week.

I called PureFlow (Raptor mfr) today to discuss my pump. Long story short they are stepping up to the plate and replacing it under warranty. A huge stroke of luck! Very impressed and grateful for their customer service. Should be here later this week to install. Prior to installation I intend to flush the tank as much as possible to ensure the best possible scenario for the pump.

I am gathering parts for the 11.5" AAM install and need to figure out brakes. I have always been under the impression that a stock MC can be used with a proportioning valve when running disk brakes on a GMT400. Some internet searching muddied the waters slightly and now I am not as certain, so now I ask: What parts should I use for my brake system?
Click to expand...
I think that @Big T can possibly help you with that.
 
Update time. Spent a few hours tonight revising my fuel filter bracket to incorporate the new lift pump. I'm glad to have gotten the updated ("4G") Raptor pump, however it initially posed its own challenges due to being slightly larger than the previous pump. Without getting too specific, the new pump and filter would not be in the same plane causing extreme contortion of the fuel hoses. So I decided to make my own setup to house both together and this is what I came up with.

9fefa596ed7c7954ebc59cb36cb4a8fc.jpg


I started by tacking some 4" wide 3/16" together since I didn't want to buy a full sheet of it. The angle on the left is 1/4" and will become the foundation for the fuel filter base.

08e207ae59d718651c384d3c4afdce1a.jpg


Pump mounted. Slightly larger than the previous version. External pressure regulator and built in accumulator by the looks of the bottom section.

b07b9dbb14f27bd8b9dbadb41c4142d6.jpg


Filter mounted and plumbed.

I'll have it in the truck tomorrow and hopefully get it back running tomorrow also.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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