New to the diesel section! Few questions...
 

New diesel owner, old dodge gasser owner!

I just purchased a 1998 2500 (built 1-98 is what door tag says) Dodge Ram 24v Cummins auto trans.

It is in pretty good shape, has 136k on it, had complete services done when needed by Dodge dealer.

I do have a small water leak on the thermostat housing and has a bad O ring.
Figured I would replace T-Stat at same time while I have housing off.
What temp stat should I use? 180 or 190? I live in the Pacific Northwest.

Another question is, the lift pump. After research I have seen, if the lift pump goes out then it take out the injection pump with it. I do not want this to happen.
Should I replace the lift pump just for piece of mind? Lift pumps are like 150 bucks VS 3k for a repair if it ever fails.

Thanks, Dodge Forums has been great!

so you have a 98.5 vp44 injected....

for your thermostat get a 190* so your heater actually works decently. besides diesels run better warm then they do cold.

for lift pump if its a stock lift pump, replace it with either an airdog, fass, or raptor pump rated at 100GPH or higher, and get yourself a fuel pressure gauge on there with a needle valve to protect the gauge from the pulses of the vp44 injection pump. needle valve costs about $5, gauges are usually around $100 for a kit. (mechanical cost a bit more and come with chemical isolators, needle valve, gauge, and plumbing, and are far more reliable and accurate than electronic gauges)

btw if your VP44 ever does fail there are a few vendors that can get you a new pump for around $1000

Thanks for the help. If I do this replacement, which fuel filter would you recommend?

Thanks again!

I run the airdog 150 fuel system which bypasses your stock fuel/filter system completely. It has a filter and water separator built into the unit. They can cause 1/4 tank issues though with the draw straw it comes with, I got a modified liberty fuel canister with draw straw V to eliminate the 1/4 tank issue.

great lift pump system though...

for the FP gauge I would recommend an isspro 0-30psi mechanical FP gauge.

btw the airdog, raptor, and fass systems all come with a lifetime warranty...use the raptor if you are tight on money and want to keep using your stock fuel filter, otherwise fass and airdog are pretty much the same. fass is just a bit larger in physical size, and has a slightly louder pump. you can't go wrong with either though.

Actually I have a stock truck. Only mod I have it a OBDII programmer (superchips I think) and switch back and fourth between mileage and towing.
Total load is 9k max.

I was looking into getting a fass ddrp because it is a direct replacement and want a quality, dependable aftermarket pump but not break the bank.
Supposed to give 33% more fuel delivery
I am not a rodder and not a daily driver, have a family and a wife that drove the dang thing once and is now addicted.

I would avoid fass DDRP... heard a lot of people having issues with them.

raptor does have a factory replacement rated at 100GPH..that will support stock to 550hp no problem...
http://www.pureflowairdog.com/frrp.php

they run about $300

I will check those out. Only like 30 bux more than the Fass but if less problems, will be worth it.

It says the Raptor is factory set to 14 to 16 PSI. Is this a good pressure to have and close to stock?
I do not know what the pressures run on a stock lift pump.

Ok I ordered one of the raptors. Not taking a chance and 20 or so dollars more.

So is the factory preset going to be good to go with a motor that is not modded ya think?

yes, the vp44 injection pump should see 10-20psi fuel pressure at all times modded or not.

that lift pump will also give you room to grow, so you can do power adders without worrying about damaging your injection pump (like a fueling box, or injectors)

I would highly recommend getting a 0-30psi fuel pressure gauge too as that will be the most important gauge on your truck.

Yeah I want at least that gauge to begin with.

Do you have any links where i can get a mount, gauge that is inexpensive by chance?

thanks for the info!