The problem started with some RPM engine shuddering at low RPM's. Like idling or pulling up to stop signs. It was intermittent though, and would be there one night, gone the next. Eventually, the vehicle just wouldnt start. Turned over but either no fire/spark.

FUEL PUMP - Decided it was the fuel pump. Since the fuel gauge didnt work very well anyway and the sending unit is part of the fuel pump, decided to just replace it. The 10.3 grade bolts (M10 - 1.5 x 55mm) were so rusted, I had to use a saws all jab saw to cut one of them off after the clip holding the tank strap to the frame broke and spun freely. The other bolt was so destroyed after I got it out, was no getting it back in. Bought some grade 8.8 bolts M10 - 1.5 x 40mm from O'Reilly's and new clips from the Dodge dealership. Used jack and a hydraulic jack and a 2 x 6 board between them to lower the tank evenly and fairly safely. Removed screws (crosstip screws) inside fuel cap area to allow the fuel pipe to pull away from the frame to give it a bit of play. Removed the 10m bolts attaching the rear end of the emergency brake compartment where it goes from 1 line to two. There is some linkage in there. This allowed the brake line box to drop down a bit. But the brake lines themselves are pretty rigid and dont allow for a lot of play. These limit how far down you can drop the tank before the fill pipe starts pulling out of its rubber boot connecting it to the tank.

Getting access to the top of the tank for the fuel pump/sending unit required dropping the tank quite a bit, since the fuel pump is quite long and has to have quite a bit of clearance to be able to pull out and even more so put in without bending the float wires. I used SUV jackstands set to max under the subframe where two pieces met behind the axle. I tried using the axle to jack it up, but the axle ended up being in the way for me. Using the jackstands under the frame allowed the rear axle to sag. This gave me some room to get at the fuel pump over the top of the axle.

Getting the connections off was no big deal except that I forgot to release the pressure so I got a bit of fuel on my hands and arms. There is one strange connection to the fuel tank drain line. Not to hard to figure out though. There is a plastic connector with releases left and right that need to be pulledout so you can get it off. There are two fuel lines also with screw clamps. I was a bit worried about which was which until I realized they were different sizes. Easy to figure out which goes where. The electrical connection was a major pain. There is a small red clip that needs to be pulled to the driver side to allow the connector to be pulled off. However, there is a LOT of pressure holding it in. I had to get screwdrivers on it left and right and push and tap them to get the connector off.

The O-ring holding the fuel pump to the tank was even worse though. There are four **** on the O'ring that hook under protrusions on the tank. I had to bend and pry and push and beat on them. It does have 4 pieces of metal that stick up, I assumed correctly were to allow you to put a screwdriver on them and beat it with a hammer to rotate the o'ring out of the tank. However, it ended up taking prying and bending and two screwdriver pushing and lots of very very very heavy beating with the hammer to dislodge it. Once that was out (stupid engineering), the pump was very easy to rotate and pull out. Be careful not to let the rubber seal drop into the tank. Also, my vehicle had tons of dirt under the fuel pump and o-ring and around the rubber seal. I had to very carefully clean the lip to prevent any dirt from dropping in the tank as I removed the rubber seal prior to installing the new pump.

Putting in the new pump was a simple as finding the right angle and rotating the pump so as not to bend the float wires. It would have been easier if I had completely dropped the tank to the ground FYI.

Putting that evil O-ring back in was almost as hard as taking it out. I pushed and pulled and tapped and only succeeded in just barely hooking the **** on the o-ring just under the edge of the lip on the tank. It took some full power swinging of the hammer to get that O-ring seated. I was VERY concerned about the pump during all this beating, as it is touching the O-ring as you beat on it trying to get it seated.

Reconnecting the lines wasn't hard at all. The electrical connector is pretty darn stiff though, but it only goes in one way. The tank straps have threads in them. One was stripped and I had to use a 7/16 drill bit to open it up enough to get the bolt through it. But maybe a M10x1.5 tap and die set would have worked? Another shoulda wouldda coulda. I should have drilled a pilot hole above the fuel pump, so next time I could just cut a hole in the floor with some snips.

Raised the tank, reconnected fuel pipe to frame and pushed it back into boot on tank as it has pulled away quite a bit. Moment of truth and ....

would not start. Engine was turning but sounded still like no fire or spark.

Coil pack - Took spark plug out, put it back in wire and laid it on the valve cover. Cranked engine. No spark. Bought a coil pack with a lifetime warranty from Pep Boys for $50. Pulled old coil pack off and found a large crack in the body on the lower to middle side. Bolted and connected new coil pack, ensuring all wires went on the same place as they came off the old coil pack. The electrical connection has a little rubber boot on it making it difficult to pull out and also to push into the new coil pack. There is an indention on the connector side and a plastic piece inside the connector so you know which way the connector goes on. But there is no latch or anything that tells you when the darn thing is seated enough. You just push on it until it doesn't seat anymore. At least thats what I did.

Tried to crank engine. Still no fire or spark. Crap.

Ok, checked fuel pressure at the cap next to the injectors on the fuel line. It bubbled over with fuel. Pulled plug out and laid it on the valve cover, no spark. Ok, so now I start checking fuses. I find the "ENGINE SYSTEM" fuse has blown. Its a 15 amp mini atc fuse. I replace it and she cranks up and runs like a dream.

I turn it off and start replacing plugs. Front three are easy as cake. Then I start looking at back three plugs. Uh-oh. That doesn't look like fun at all and I am short on time and running out of daylight. I think I will have to replace them from under the vehicle, reaching up between firewall and engine from the bottom correct?

I take it on a test drive. End up driving it 40 miles running like a dream.

Next day wife takes it out without me. Calls me and lets me know it broke down 5 houses down on our street. I get there and find the "ENGINE SYSTEM" 15amp fuse has blown again. Ok, I think. Easy fix. Put another fuse in. Crank the engine, it catches for a second and then turns over no fire. Check fuse. Its blown again. Ok, crank and blow fuse for 4 more fuses. Never did more than catch for a half second. So its blowing immediately.

SO I push the darn thing back to house again. Next day I put another fuse in it and it starts without blowing the fuse. However, the vehicle is running so rough that the entire van is shaking like its about to vibrate apart. I am able to move the van to a bit more desirable location from where I was able to push it, but I can tell that pushing the gas does raise the RPM's but doesn't equate to any power increase.

So I start tracking down wires. Nothing looks burnt that I can see. Connections are all tie tied up. Nothing is laying on the exhaust.

So what should I do next. Map sensor? The haynes manual doesn't even have the location of it for the 3.8 that I can find.

I am hoping its not the ECM... or on this van is it the PCM?

Anyway any ideas on troubleshooting would help.

Worst part is that I may have been doing nothing but fixing the symptoms all along. This thing I haven't found yet may be the root cause of it all.

Thanks in advance guys. And I hope my post may help others on how to replace that darn fuel pump.

 

The PCM or ECM just don't blow fuses. You have a wire that is having to much amps or voltage shorting to ground.

 

What would cause it to run so rough once it does get started though? It is so rough the seats inside are visibly shaking and everything is rattling at idle.

Looking up how to test for shorts and too much amperage now with a multimeter.

 

The engine maybe misfiring and that will cause the engine to shake. The fuse that maybe blowing is for the ASD relay, Thats just a guess. Then you need to find out what else is on that circuit and test the wires with a DVOM or a 12 volt test light.