I have been looking at a lot of issues with fuel pumps on here but none of them seem to match my particular symptoms. 96 Ram 5.9l auto seems to be losing fuel pressure when it sits overnight. I don't have a gauge to test it, but I can hear the fuel pump engage when I turn the key to the on position. I have to prime the system by turning the key to on position, then off again two or three times before the truck will start, it will then idle rough for a few seconds and run fine. It seems if I let it sit for more than about 2 hours I have this problem. Is this a bad pump or maybe a small leak somewhere? Also, one of my pulleys is squealing. I replaced the tensioner pulley and that helped but didn't solve the problem completely. Is there another pulley that is known to go bad? The only work done on the truck by anyone other than me was having the transmission rebuilt.

 

I have the same year truck and engine, and had the exact same problem. You need to replace your fuel pump it is leaking the fuel back into the tank.

 

+1....... I know money is tight these days, but dont cheap out. Go to rock auto and get a delphi . Look in the FAQ/DIY section for the rock auto discount thread also.

 

Thanks for your help guys. I was hoping it was something different. But I figured it would be the most expensive issue. Any ideas on the pulley?

 

Take off the serpentine belt, and spin each pulley by hand. See if any of them don't feel quite right.

 

While the belt is off, clean the grooves of the pulleys and replace the belt.

 

while we are on this topic is there a DIY on fuel pump replacement, I am going to do mine and while I am mechanically competent I would like to know what other rusted parts might need replacing before I start.

 

Drop the tank, don't remove the bed. Tank straps might need replace. But as far as anything goes that is easy to do with the tank out, is the brake line running along the frame. Also inspect the fuel line. As far as a DIY goes, get a Haynes AND download one of the service manuals from the FAQ/DIY section. Also please add ALL the info about your truck to your sig AND profile. The trucks look the same but they are not the same depending on year.