VP44 pissing and moaning thread...

NotMatt · Feb 7, 2007

Just gotta get this out...

I read all these horror stories about VP44's, now I'm scared about every little noise my truck makes and every little bog down when starting from a stopsign, thinking it's dead pedal.

Now, after installing my Edge box, when I'm on the highway at a constant speed of about 60mph (about 1800 rpm), I can hear the VP44 doing it's little "timing surge" BS... the rattle of the motor increases in volume and decreases in short intervals that don't follow any pattern... while holding a steady speed. Basically it can't hold the timing steady. This is, of course, only while in any mode on the Edge other than "0 - Stock".

Of course, my truck runs fine and pulls hard and hasn't set any codes and I don't have any reason to believe the VP is going south, but it's got me all paranoid. Guess I just have to learn to live with it, and keep adding 2-stroke oil or other additives as a sacrifice to the VP44 gods, and hope when/if it goes out that I'm not too far from home.

Shoulda bought a 12 valve.

Oh yeah, and I'm due for ball joints too, fawk.

skinny_pedal · Feb 7, 2007

vp44 whats that:flipoff:

Nuzzy · Feb 7, 2007

I thought you got FASS? Or were you worried about damage to the 44 before that upgrade?

NotMatt · Feb 7, 2007

Nuzzy said:
I thought you got FASS? Or were you worried about damage to the 44 before that upgrade?

Having a FASS doesn't make you immune to a VP44 taking a dump... it helps, but my understanding is the VP44 is just a bad design in general and prone to failure even if you feed it a good pressure supply of clean, waterless, air-free fuel.

Mostly I need to stop reading DTR and just drive my truck, but the new noises it's making since I put the Edge box on scare me. :booo:

Anyone elses make similar noises? It's like the injection timing is going up and down ever so slightly while you're driving down the road... I can turn the radio up and drown it out, but I can still feel it through the pedal sort of... almost as if you gently stepped on the pedal and let off at random times over a few seconds interval. It's not a shaky foot either because it does it with the cruise on too. Some people on DTR said that their stock rigs even did this... and eventually their VP went out (correlation doesn't equal cause... of course, but it's still unnerving to hear people say this).

I think I'm going to call Edge tomorrow and see if they have heard of this before. It started happening RIGHT after I put the edge box on, and it only does it when in something other than stock... I'm assuming because the Edge box adds timing in the various power levels, of course.

I'm going to take Brad up on his offer to let me test-run with his Smarty, and if I don't hear the noises with the smarty on, I think I'll sell the edge and go that route.

Nuzzy · Feb 7, 2007

My Edge Comp box runs totally smooth at all levels... The only time I've experienced anything like you're describing is if I'm under power and adjusting the settings up or down. Then sometimes it'll feel like the timing's changing with more or less power (obviously because it is). I wonder if your Edge box has something wacky in the signal it's sending thus making the timing jump between settings...?

crash2 · Feb 7, 2007

skinny_pedal said:
vp44 whats that:flipoff:

Hope you got $$$---alot saved for your new injectors

boxboy · Feb 7, 2007

Have you check for leaks around the turbo? Do you have a boost gauge?

NotMatt · Feb 7, 2007

boxboy said:
Have you check for leaks around the turbo? Do you have a boost gauge?

Yeah, it's definitely not leaking boost. I have my attitude set to monitor boost, EGT's, trans temp and fuel pressure. I can push it up to 30 psi or so if I really hammer on it. The problem is the pump, and it's more of an annoyance than a problem really, but everybody tells me it's an indicator that it's fixing to go south... so I figured I'd start whining about it now (early), and maybe some reverse psychology stuff will work on it... now it will never go out since I whined about it.

Nuzzy: I can feel the same thing with mine, that seems normal... the extra timing surge isn't though.

Jeepless · Feb 7, 2007

NotMatt said:
Yeah, it's definitely not leaking boost. I have my attitude set to monitor boost, EGT's, trans temp and fuel pressure. I can push it up to 30 psi or so if I really hammer on it. The problem is the pump, and it's more of an annoyance than a problem really, but everybody tells me it's an indicator that it's fixing to go south... so I figured I'd start whining about it now (early), and maybe some reverse psychology stuff will work on it... now it will never go out since I whined about it.

Nuzzy: I can feel the same thing with mine, that seems normal... the extra timing surge isn't though.

Nothing wrong with being proactive, but wouldn't it be better to change it if its starting to show signs of going south. Just being the voice of reason, as I know absolutly nothing about the clatter box trucks.

crash2 · Feb 7, 2007

Jeepless said:
Nothing wrong with being proactive, but wouldn't it be better to change it if its starting to show signs of going south. Just being the voice of reason, as I know absolutly nothing about the clatter box trucks.

I would wait till it gets the dead pedal or constantly throws the death code....

Not Jobless · Feb 7, 2007

NotMatt said:
Just gotta get this out...

I read all these horror stories about VP44's, now I'm scared about every little noise my truck makes and every little bog down when starting from a stopsign, thinking it's dead pedal.

Now, after installing my Edge box, when I'm on the highway at a constant speed of about 60mph (about 1800 rpm), I can hear the VP44 doing it's little "timing surge" BS... the rattle of the motor increases in volume and decreases in short intervals that don't follow any pattern... while holding a steady speed. Basically it can't hold the timing steady. This is, of course, only while in any mode on the Edge other than "0 - Stock".

Of course, my truck runs fine and pulls hard and hasn't set any codes and I don't have any reason to believe the VP is going south, but it's got me all paranoid. Guess I just have to learn to live with it, and keep adding 2-stroke oil or other additives as a sacrifice to the VP44 gods, and hope when/if it goes out that I'm not too far from home.

Shoulda bought a 12 valve.

Oh yeah, and I'm due for ball joints too, fawk.

Sounds more like the throttle position sensor, or the Edge box, apparently they are not the best. If you disconnect the Edge box does it still do it?

We can look at any codes too when you come by too.

skinny_pedal · Feb 7, 2007

crash said:
Hope you got $$$---alot saved for your new injectors

from my understanding and reading i have done, that problem doesnt happen on the 04 lb7. even so there warrenteed to 100000:clappy:

Matt i would call edge and ask. i know people were having problems with there edge box with quarky little things, and just needed them updated. and if thats the case have them do the HOT Unlock!

crash2 · Feb 7, 2007

skinny_pedal said:
from my understanding and reading i have done, that problem doesnt happen on the 04 lb7. even so there warrenteed to 100000:clappy:

Matt i would call edge and ask. i know people were having problems with there edge box with quarky little things, and just needed them updated. and if thats the case have them do the HOT Unlock!

Ya--your right--what would I know

skinny_pedal · Feb 7, 2007

crash said:
Ya--your right--what would I know

is it that common

crash2 · Feb 7, 2007

skinny_pedal said:
is it that common

Doing one right now

Binder · Feb 7, 2007

NotMatt said:
... so I figured I'd start whining about it now (early), and maybe some reverse psychology stuff will work on it... now it will never go out since I whined about it. (

If you were to buy a replacement it would never go out.....I know, I know $$$$$$
This is why I cary a complete set of axle shafts in my tow rig.:haha:

Lincolnlock · Feb 7, 2007

Some friends of mine have had no strange symptoms and had the pump completly fail. I've seen this first hand. Three in three months. But I'm still running my original with the wire tapped with 175000 miles on it.... oh well!

Bunk1 · Feb 7, 2007

I heart my 12V.:flipoff:

NotMatt · Feb 7, 2007

Jeepless said:
Nothing wrong with being proactive, but wouldn't it be better to change it if its starting to show signs of going south. Just being the voice of reason, as I know absolutly nothing about the clatter box trucks.

It's just freakin' expensive to replace... about 1100 bucks for the pump I think?

Jobless said:
Sounds more like the throttle position sensor, or the Edge box, apparently they are not the best. If you disconnect the Edge box does it still do it?

We can look at any codes too when you come by too.

Yeah, I was pondering looking up the procedure for calibrating the APPS or whatever it's called in the FSM.

I don't have any codes that come up when I do the "turn the key on three times" trick... don't know if the smarty will say something different though? Worth a look anyway.

skinny_pedal said:
Matt i would call edge and ask. i know people were having problems with there edge box with quarky little things, and just needed them updated. and if thats the case have them do the HOT Unlock!

Yeah, I just need to get around to calling them... so busy during the day that I can't call them on work hours unless I'm on my lunch break. I've got version 1.0 of the juice, and apparently that's the latest version.. but who knows what they'll say. The hot unlock just adds a 6th power level, doesn't it?

Lincolnlock said:
Some friends of mine have had no strange symptoms and had the pump completly fail. I've seen this first hand. Three in three months. But I'm still running my original with the wire tapped with 175000 miles on it.... oh well!

That's mostly what I'm worried about... the dead pedal and P-code problems people have are apparently due to failing mechanical function of the pump, what causes the abrupt failure is the electronics... imagine that, 500 miles away from home with a Jeep on the trailer and the pump decides to take a ****. That would be just... awesome!