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(% Dodge Ram with a fuel problem


nrnoodle
10-01-2004, 03:00 AM
Ok forgive me now because this is going to be long. I ahave had my truck dince 98. I am the second owner. In 2001 I had my fuel pump changed and tank cleaned. I had lived in ElPaso Tx for 2 years and it was full of sand. About a year after it was changed the truck started choking going up hills when it had less than half a tank. The check engine light came on and I took it to the deales here in Germany. We are in the miltary and stationed in Germany. The dealer thought I did not know what I was talking about when I told him it was a fuel problem. He plugged it into the computer and it said it was a misfire. SO he changed all my plugs(or so I thought). Reset the light and gave it back to me. Same problem happened within days. Check engine light, choke. I took it back. I am still just a crazy american. I said check the fuel lines. The keep it for a few days, say theypulled the tank and did something to the lines. Truck acts happy for six months. Again her we go fuel gets below quarter of a tank and it starts to choke and light comes on. I reset light put fuel additives in and just keep the tank full for awhile. Then I can't take the madness so I hook it up to the computer again at our auto craft shop here on base. The computer says a misfire. This time I will do the work It is gettting to expensive to pay and have no results. I decided to change the plugs and wires. When I get in there and start doing it I noticed they were never done before. :mad: I am not going back there again. I think that dealer ripped me off. After they are changed it pretends to run better for a few days. Then the light comes on again. Misfire. I decide to pull the tank. I am sure that is where the problem is. WheI get the tank off the filter looks great. I look in side and I find an American shop rag. This must be from the mechanic in the States who put the pump on which means the German dealer never took down the tank and looked inside. I removed the rag and think this is the answer to all my problems. I reset the light fill the tank with gas and proceed to go on a trip with a load in my bed. Going down the Autobahn the tank gets to about 1/2 empty and starts to choke. I end up going 25 mph down the Autobahn until I can get to a gas station. Once Ifill her up with gas she runs smooth. Once I unload my load and head back home, I let it go to see how empty it will get before it chokes and it makes it all the way down to a 1/4 of a tank again. Get the light checked when I get home -- same reading as all the times before "Misfire." This is where I stand now. I am starting to pull out my hair!!! HELP HELP!!:sly: Please Please!

nrnoodle
10-01-2004, 03:01 AM
My truck is a 96 IT did not come through in the subject line

indyram
10-01-2004, 03:22 AM
Not sure what to tell ya. I have never really looked at the tank on mine. Maybe it doesn't pick up the fuel well when it gets lower. Hopefully bleeddodge or slantsixness can help you out, they know their stuff.

milkman1
10-01-2004, 03:36 PM
I know its a long shot but check to see if the pump in tank has ithose connected right. It sets kind of down in a coil and needs a hose connected to bottom of tank.

BleedDodge
10-01-2004, 05:45 PM
What I think happened is that it's only misfiring at some times because when the tank was dirty in 2001 or whenever, some sand or other kind of dirt got into an injector, or injectors, and misfires. If the tank is full you probably have enough pressure in the lines I guess to make it run like it's supposed to, but as soon as that pressure drops enough, it won't run right anymore. I think this is what the cause is because one of my friends has a '96 318 Ram Sport and his truck started acting up only after he replaced the sending unit for the fuel gauge because it didn't work. After that, the gauge worked but some dirt or something must have gotten into a place where it shouldn't have been, because it messed up a few of the injectors which caused it to misfire.

I'd do the injectors, and check the spark plug wire routing against a diagram, because the motor can do wacky things if the routing is incorrect.

nrnoodle
10-02-2004, 06:33 AM
Now I am off to find a routing diagram, and a instructions on how to do the injectors. I will keep you all posted on what I find out.

breadfan
10-17-2004, 02:27 PM
Just wondering if there was ever any follow up to this problem because my friend with a 97 ram seems to have the exact same problem when the tank gets below 1/2. Any more info would be greatly appreciated!!!

nrnoodle
10-18-2004, 02:12 AM
I found a routing diagram and rerouted the wires. I also ran a test on my injectors. These all did nothing for my problem. My friend and I hooked it up to the computer and we drove it around. The computer kept saying multiple cylinder misfire, but we also noticed that the pressure was all over the place. I have known all along that is was something with the fuel system but getting someone to aggree with me has not been easy. So saturday I pulled off the gas tank again and took pictures of the pump. My truck is made up of a whole bunch of different parts. I think my truck was the last 96 they made and they decided to use all the extra parts around the shop and some new ones they were testing out also. I havve a 95 cooling system, and a 98 brake system. Who knows what year this fuel pump is from. It does not match the pictures for the 96. I am going to mail these pictures to a friend of mine in the states so he can take them to a parts shop and hopefully they can figure out what year it is from. So anyway my problem is still going on.

asanti71
12-13-2004, 12:43 PM
Every one that looks at it thinks I'm crazy! Half a tank and the Truck begins the Drama!!!! I cannot get the DAM thing fixed!

nrnoodle
12-18-2004, 05:48 PM
I changed the fuel pump and now it is working great!! The fuel pump was a little bit of a challenge but actually went pretty smoothly. The best part being when I put it all back together I made sure I didn't leave any rags in the tank.(read first posting to understand joke.)Yeah this day has been long in coming.

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