New and random stalling issue

[MrMarty51]

Here is a cheap NAPA FP mechanical gauge.
Be okay to run for a while as a test unit but I would still be leary of running one permanently inside the cabin.

https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/BK_7012005

And if You dont have NAPA in Canada here is a JEGS option.

https://www.jegs.com/i/JEGS/555/41010/10002/-1

I have a Mr Gasket version if the JEGS unit that I run for a couple of years. I was just leary of the plasticated pressure tube cracking or breaking.
Twice I have had plasticated water line to my fridge break and destroyed the laminate flooring. First time I had enough spare flooring to fix the damage.
Used what was suppose to be a tougher line the second time. It wasnt. Ruined flooring again so had to go with some kind of a hardy backer and a genuine tile.
Third time installed black plastic air brake line but never turned back on the water.

 

[jrsavoie]

Honestly for that price I ‘should’ be able to find something permanent for not much more. In theory

Do you have the links for the fuel pressure gauge T and snubbed?

Search fuel pressure gauge here on the site.

I haven't seen a definitive fuel pressure gauge posted yet. Ideally, it would be mabe -10 to 25 psi. Analog and digital.

I don't know that such a critter exists

 

[revyd]

Welcome to the forum @revyd.

start out with some basic diagnostics before firing the parts cannon too much.

remove the 1/4" hose from the IP return line and replace it with a clear hose from the hardware store. the hose is about 6" in length and shaped like an upside down U from the top front of the IP to a small steel line behind the timing cover. this will allow you to physically see if there is any air intrusion in the fuel system. Don't worry about the clear hose being fuel resistant, there is no pressure on this hose and several of us run this hardware store hose for several years before needing to replace it.

next get a fuel pressure reading after the fuel filter, best to test at the IP inlet. Harbor Freight sells a fuel pressure test kit that includes a tee that you can temporarily plumb into the hose at the IP. the gauge should reach out to the windshield so you can pin it under the wiper blade and watch as you drive. you should see 8-10 psi with key on and maintain 6-8 running. it will dip lower under load but should never go into a vacuum. Starving the IP for fuel will kill it in a hurry.

When it stalls, does it stumble or any smoke come from the tail pipe? or does it feel like something luggs the engine down and kills it? if not fuel issue the other thing that comes to mine is if your TCC is locking up and killing the engine. this would be a wiring issue.

Start with the clear hose looking for air and check fuel pressure and report back. there are lots of us here that can help wrench on your truck and help spend you money LOL

if you can post videos linked through youtube or even photos it might help too.

I'm just revisiting the fuel gauge. I'm looking at an auto meter, but should I get a 15psi or a 30psi? I don't know what the maximum pressure could be.

 

[dbrannon79]

For our rigs max is 15. DS4 trucks run 8-10 normally and DB2's can take up to 12-14 iirc others can chime in on that spec but you'll never see more than 15. for the gauge max, that's strictly up to you. I like the lower psi ones as they tend to show more accurate or better numbers due to the gauge sweep. a 30 psi gauge you will one ever see the needle at about 1/4 to 1/2 of it's full sweep where a lower psi gauge will show better.

having one that also shows negative pressure like on the boost gauges is nice for diagnosing issues too. finding a fuel pressure gauge that has this is rare as hens teeth. some folks have used actual boost gauges in place for this and just removed the face and re-labeled it under the glass as fuel pressure. though you will want an isolator under the hood so fuel will never make it into the cab.

 

[ak diesel driver]

db2 no more than 8. 5 is better

 

[Will L.]

0-15 psi is good- but higher quality pumps can exceed that pressure so using a mechanical one to start the adjustments with that reads higher is best before installing the one that maxes at 15 so you don’t damage the new gauge by shoving say 31psi into one rated for 15. If you are running a stock Lift pump- this won’t be a problem…yet.

Ds4 ideally is 8-14 psi. Db2 ideally is 5 psi but maxes I thought at 8psi but 8.5 might be correct. (This does not include hot rod pumps- those can be reset and much higher numbers, get the info from your builder).

90% of the time when people add a gauge they next go buy a fuel pump.
If you work the engine hard enough to get less than 1psi you are doing damage at a fast rate. If you maintain around half your pressure range the additional wear is less but still occurs. Between 4-8 your loosing performance and mpg. The ip life shortens but not dramatically. When you buy a fuel gauge it tells you to buy a lift pump and saves hours of diagnostics often doing it is a couple seconds while on the road. The better lift pumps are saving you money on replacing ip. The better filtration offered and the air elimination system a couple have also extends ip and injector life. It’s up to you if the best lift pumps are worth the cost or not.

On the gauges:
Option 1.
mechanical pressure gauges are cheaper to buy the gauge itself. The problem is running a fuel line into the cabin is a good way to burn everyone to death in the event of a crash. Or ruin your interior or other electronics in the event of a simple leak. In addition to a mechanical gauge two things people frequently add is a snubber and an isolator.

A snubber is added to cheap lift pumps because the flow isn’t steady and the needle bounces so fast you can’t read it clearly and this destroys the gauge quickly. So its smart to save the gauge but is bad because the idea of the gauge is to tell you what is actually happening to the ip. If the LP goes from pulsing like a kid in a trampoline to a laser beam between mirrors- then the truck starts acting up- you don’t know why it is cutting out because your gauge lies to you now. The same occurs when using liquid filled gauges. The liquid is a snubber.

An Isolator on the other hand is used with mechanical gauges in the cab so that you have less risk of burning everyone up, and only minor risk of staining the interior. You put the isolator under the hood. Fuel goes to one side and an oil - usually mineral oil- goes in the line on the other side. The mineral oil can still leak in the interior but since it isn’t a 20 gallon supply of it- simply squirts once and then drips so you can mitigate the risk by your choosing stainless steel or similar tubing instead of the cheap plastic tube that always fails (hint hint).
But you have to have a way to fill these two lines 100% of the way and eliminate all the air. The fuel side is easy- put everything together, keep upper most part the snubber by elevation so air rises. Bleed the fitting nut like you would an injector line. Just remember this can get air back in it if you ever get air intrusion noticed by your clear return line.
The mineral oil side is more difficult. You need a T and a valve at the highest part of the line which needs to be the gauge. With an old set of cheap a/c gauges and an a/c vacuum pump you can vacuum the line and use that to suck the oil in thus eliminating all the air and filling 100%.
Another way is trying to pour or pump the oil into the line until it is 100% full, then screw the gauge on. I have heard of some crazy scenarios people invented for this task. Once in place so long as you did it perfectly you never mess with this half again. So do the math on the value of that cheap plastic hose and count on what happens when it fails because it will fail, it always does. If you make the horrible mistake of using it for the fuel side or the absolutely worst mistake of using it for fuel and running it into the cab- life will suck in the future. Only under the hood not as bad because you can usually get away from the rig while it is burning to the ground before you get physical injuries, usually.

So add up if you keep a cheap LP that you will replace mechanical gauges or need to buy a snubber and loose some of the diagnostics from rapid pulsing. Add in the metal line. NOT COPPER. Never use copper, brass, bronze, pure aluminum with bio fuels. Most aluminum composites are ok. Add the cost of the extra fittings, add the cost of the isolator and making the wife mad when she can’t find the new bottle of baby oil (mineral oil). And do not forget the aggravating part of filling it and removing the air.

Option 2. A more expensive electric gauge.
Cheap ones fail.
Auto meter USED to be good. They have went downhill on electric gauges. As Eric recently reminded me- glow shift makes a better gauge than autometer now.

Do your research and decide if you want to buy a cheap gauge 3 times or an expensive one once. Or twice. It sucks. If anyone out there has found an extensive test comparing gauges for quality and life span- I haven’t found it.
The “magazine” places won’t do that because they end up pissing off some of their customers or potential customers who buy adds from them. Same reason they don’t do honest reviews of most any products anymore. All those magazine companies went out of business before the internet was invented by Al Gore.

I truly wish I had the answer for you- “Buy brand X part xx-##” because I would buy it too right now.
My dumb as… (a kid might read this later)… my dumb SELF ran a raw fuel line into my cabin to my mechanical gauges in trucks. Ruined some interior stuff along the way. Then a friend who is a burn victim saw what I did and punched me in the mouth as hard as he could. And then said while I was confused laying on the ground “ And now I am gonna do that to your wife and kids. And I am gonna do it every hour on the hour for the rest of their lives because you are being an idiot, a cheap bastard, or both!”

Some people add a mechanical gauge and leave it under the hood. I don’t see the value. Hummers cant, but pickups can have a hood mounted mechanical gauge and because cars like GTO made it look good-thats a fun and cool (imo) option.
Just use sae30r9 hose and replace it every 5 years jic it begins to fail for reassurance the gauge is never wrong. Use a large common size gauge Because it will fail from the added vibration and weather. Cowl induction style hood with a few gauges hiding there? Sorry- my mind wanders more than my feet. Haha.

 

[jrsavoie]

0-15 psi is good- but higher quality pumps can exceed that pressure so using a mechanical one to start the adjustments with that reads higher is best before installing the one that maxes at 15 so you don’t damage the new gauge by shoving say 31psi into one rated for 15. If you are running a stock Lift pump- this won’t be a problem…yet.

Ds4 ideally is 8-14 psi. Db2 ideally is 5 psi but maxes I thought at 8psi but 8.5 might be correct. (This does not include hot rod pumps- those can be reset and much higher numbers, get the info from your builder).

90% of the time when people add a gauge they next go buy a fuel pump.
If you work the engine hard enough to get less than 1psi you are doing damage at a fast rate. If you maintain around half your pressure range the additional wear is less but still occurs. Between 4-8 your loosing performance and mpg. The ip life shortens but not dramatically. When you buy a fuel gauge it tells you to buy a lift pump and saves hours of diagnostics often doing it is a couple seconds while on the road. The better lift pumps are saving you money on replacing ip. The better filtration offered and the air elimination system a couple have also extends ip and injector life. It’s up to you if the best lift pumps are worth the cost or not.

On the gauges:
Option 1.
mechanical pressure gauges are cheaper to buy the gauge itself. The problem is running a fuel line into the cabin is a good way to burn everyone to death in the event of a crash. Or ruin your interior or other electronics in the event of a simple leak. In addition to a mechanical gauge two things people frequently add is a snubber and an isolator.

A snubber is added to cheap lift pumps because the flow isn’t steady and the needle bounces so fast you can’t read it clearly and this destroys the gauge quickly. So its smart to save the gauge but is bad because the idea of the gauge is to tell you what is actually happening to the ip. If the LP goes from pulsing like a kid in a trampoline to a laser beam between mirrors- then the truck starts acting up- you don’t know why it is cutting out because your gauge lies to you now. The same occurs when using liquid filled gauges. The liquid is a snubber.

An Isolator on the other hand is used with mechanical gauges in the cab so that you have less risk of burning everyone up, and only minor risk of staining the interior. You put the isolator under the hood. Fuel goes to one side and an oil - usually mineral oil- goes in the line on the other side. The mineral oil can still leak in the interior but since it isn’t a 20 gallon supply of it- simply squirts once and then drips so you can mitigate the risk by your choosing stainless steel or similar tubing instead of the cheap plastic tube that always fails (hint hint).
But you have to have a way to fill these two lines 100% of the way and eliminate all the air. The fuel side is easy- put everything together, keep upper most part the snubber by elevation so air rises. Bleed the fitting nut like you would an injector line. Just remember this can get air back in it if you ever get air intrusion noticed by your clear return line.
The mineral oil side is more difficult. You need a T and a valve at the highest part of the line which needs to be the gauge. With an old set of cheap a/c gauges and an a/c vacuum pump you can vacuum the line and use that to suck the oil in thus eliminating all the air and filling 100%.
Another way is trying to pour or pump the oil into the line until it is 100% full, then screw the gauge on. I have heard of some crazy scenarios people invented for this task. Once in place so long as you did it perfectly you never mess with this half again. So do the math on the value of that cheap plastic hose and count on what happens when it fails because it will fail, it always does. If you make the horrible mistake of using it for the fuel side or the absolutely worst mistake of using it for fuel and running it into the cab- life will suck in the future. Only under the hood not as bad because you can usually get away from the rig while it is burning to the ground before you get physical injuries, usually.

So add up if you keep a cheap LP that you will replace mechanical gauges or need to buy a snubber and loose some of the diagnostics from rapid pulsing. Add in the metal line. NOT COPPER. Never use copper, brass, bronze, pure aluminum with bio fuels. Most aluminum composites are ok. Add the cost of the extra fittings, add the cost of the isolator and making the wife mad when she can’t find the new bottle of baby oil (mineral oil). And do not forget the aggravating part of filling it and removing the air.

Option 2. A more expensive electric gauge.
Cheap ones fail.
Auto meter USED to be good. They have went downhill on electric gauges. As Eric recently reminded me- glow shift makes a better gauge than autometer now.

Do your research and decide if you want to buy a cheap gauge 3 times or an expensive one once. Or twice. It sucks. If anyone out there has found an extensive test comparing gauges for quality and life span- I haven’t found it.
The “magazine” places won’t do that because they end up pissing off some of their customers or potential customers who buy adds from them. Same reason they don’t do honest reviews of most any products anymore. All those magazine companies went out of business before the internet was invented by Al Gore.

I truly wish I had the answer for you- “Buy brand X part xx-##” because I would buy it too right now.
My dumb as… (a kid might read this later)… my dumb SELF ran a raw fuel line into my cabin to my mechanical gauges in trucks. Ruined some interior stuff along the way. Then a friend who is a burn victim saw what I did and punched me in the mouth as hard as he could. And then said while I was confused laying on the ground “ And now I am gonna do that to your wife and kids. And I am gonna do it every hour on the hour for the rest of their lives because you are being an idiot, a cheap bastard, or both!”

Some people add a mechanical gauge and leave it under the hood. I don’t see the value. Hummers cant, but pickups can have a hood mounted mechanical gauge and because cars like GTO made it look good-thats a fun and cool (imo) option.
Just use sae30r9 hose and replace it every 5 years jic it begins to fail for reassurance the gauge is never wrong. Use a large common size gauge Because it will fail from the added vibration and weather. Cowl induction style hood with a few gauges hiding there? Sorry- my mind wanders more than my feet. Haha.

I can't see hood gauges being so good in the winter with a bunch of snow.

I wanna gauge that reads from minus 20 to positive 30, digital and analog.

Are there different nu.bers that would make it a more universal gauge?

It'd be a good challenge for Mod Mafia, SS diesel or somebody to come up with a kit.
I have trouble reading gauges, unless they're really big.

 

[Will L.]

A good electric gauge can be bought for $200. Best ones around $300.
Most people, me included, don’t want to pay $125. The $95 units fail in a couple years.

A gauge outside is $40. Hence the thought of doing one.

None of the small suppliers will stock any because almost no one will buy them. Plus they have to mark it up to pay for their time.

 

[revyd]

Update!

I haven't had any random stalling since I posted. However, I did put in a clear fuel line and haven't seen any air. The big thing I did while looking for a sale on a fuel pressure gauge was buy and install the Zombie Solutions (Bruce) battery cable set. In the process, I discovered one ground on the passenger side that wasn't tightened properly. Whether that is contributing to the problem or not, I don't know, but I can tell you that the truck sure cranks and starts so much better with the new cables.

 

[dbrannon79]

Well lets hope that was the issue all along. sometimes the problem stares us right in the face and we don't see it until later on. Me, I'll blame my great eye sight. "blind in one eye, can't see out of the other" LOL