Troubleshooting fuel pump?

[calabresi]

I've got a 2011 Ram 1500 3.7 with just over 160000 miles on it. A few years ago, I bypassed the fuel pump relay using something similar to this.

Recently, I noticed the truck start to "kick" a little bit when my foot is on the gas. It's not consistent: happens when the truck is both level and going up/downhill, at various fuel levels. Having been in multiple vehicles where the fuel pump has failed in the past, I recognize that something is happening... but I don't want to drop money on a new fuel pump if I need to check the relay bypass, and I definitely don't want to shell out for a new TIPM either.

What are my steps to further diagnose this?

 

[MrFigs]

I had the relay issue, it was either dead or it worked not a kick or surge. Although the relay is the easiest to test, pull the fuel pump fuse, test for which is the hot side and which is the fused side, jam a wire in there, connect the other end to the battery and go for a drive... just keep in mind you're bypassing everything the roll over protection, collision, turn off the key the fuel pump is still on.. so remember to pull the test wire when done.

I ran the TIPM/Fuel pump by-pass for a good year.. then I had a weak battery pulled out my chest battery charger/booster and fried soooo many other features on the TIPM that I ended up ording a rebuilt/programmed TIPM from MAKS out of California.

But back to the issue, using the redneck method to rule out the TIPM, after that it might be dropping the tank, or cutting an access hatch in the bed. In vehicles of old, surging was normally tied to a dirty fuel filter, which iirc is built into the fuel pump on these.