Dealership always has better diagnostic tools, but, whether their techs are any better than an online forum is just a matter of luck. Fuel pump and all is just a module that sticks in the tank. Take off the ring that holds it in place, slap in the new one, put the ring back on, hook everything back up. Easy.

Dropping the gas tank isn't too bad, unless of course, its full...... Might be easier to pull the bed.

 

<p>Have you checked fuel pressure?[/QUOTE]</p>
<p>Any idea what the fuel pressure should be at the fuel rail? </p>
Does 35-45 psi sound about right?
<p>Feel free to laugh about this question. I'm going to get a fuel pressure gauge right now. Monday morning.Happy Memorial Day!!!</p>

 

Fuel pressure should be around 49 PSI at the rail.

 

If these are still working properly, then the servo motor for the speedo itself has probably gone bad. All 3 get their info from the same point ( speed, odo, and trip), the vss.

I can tell you from experience that the vss has zero effect on how it runs on these years of trucks. All it controls is the speedo, odometer, and trip. Hope this helps some.

 

Thanks for the information on the VSS not being my stall wont start wont idle issue.

I get an odd feeling that the servo motor for the speedometer is inside the instrument cluster?

Or some equally hard to get to place on this 96 Ram 1500 6cyl 3.9 2wd

 

The fuel pressure is 49 PSI on the nose.

I noticed that there was no pressure or fuel to release before I started the engine. There was some of fuel to release after the test and the gauge was disconnected after the test.
I watched the gauge in hopes that the truck would die but after 15-20 minutes it hadn;t died.

The gauge was pinned right on 49 psi the whole time.

This truck is baffling me.

I am going to run it on the freeway about 70 mph with my buddy following me and hopefully get some usable data from the scanner real time tool. It doesnt save information so I'll have to watch carefully.

 

The servo motor is the shaft the needle for the speedo is on. Might be easier to try a junkyard find to check, or open yours up and see if there is anything obviously wrong. I've never opened mine up, so I can't help you there.

 

This sounds like what my truck did just before the fuel pump went out. The pump would overheat and shut off sometimes, other times it wouldn't kick on with out hitting the bottom of the tank with a 2X4.
The day it went I had stopped and filled the tank up (surprise, surprise) then pulled off the pump because the place was busy. Went in and paid my bill, came back out, and the thing wouldn't do anything. Thankfully I had ordered my new pump the day before so the parts store had it on hand. Changed it that evening in the gas station parking lot. Loads of fun with a full tank of fuel.

 

Did you support your tank with a floor jack or figure out a way to reach the fuel pump assembly from another angle?
Thanks,
Torxdurley

 

Neither unfortunately. I loosened both straps to the point of falling off, put my knee under the rear end of the tank and took that strap off. Then held the forward end with my arm and took that strap off. Once the tank was loose I set the rear on the ground so I could turn enough to reach the fittings on top. With the fittings off on top I set the tank in my lap, then wiggled out from under it and pulled the tank out from under the truck with me ( stock 97 1500 4X4), had to lift the side a little to make it clear.
I had the tank on the ground in 10 minutes. It then took me an hour to get the lock ring off, then over 2 hours to muscle the tank back in by reversing what I stated earlier.
This was all done in a gas station parking lot, with tools that I carry with me all the time. A jack would have been nice, but all I had was the factory jack, with no hardware to run it ( I had bought the truck.about a week before).