I think the test stand runs about $250k and that was a couple of years ago.
Then would Bosch play? etc etc etc.
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SE TDR is having a meeting at the SE Power facility in Tampa on June 17 and I wanted to place an order to be picked up then.
I just got off the phone with SE-Power Tampa parts manager Mike Franke. He has been in the diesel / injection pump / turbo arena for a long time. Of course the discussion turned to VP44's.
I'll try to be brief (yeah right)
Keys to VP44's
Psi 13. 5 exact as high as 18 psi as low as 10 psi. Some guys are having hard starting problems when the psi is too high (over 18 psi) generally with electrical pump systems. We chatted about the RASP and he thought that was a good system as the pressures come up as the engine starts and would prevent the hard starting problems. I told him about the lp backup off the Hobbs switch and he thought that was a good idea. As I described the RASP, he said "oh, like the circle track cars have".
Volume The pump is cooled with fuel at the right psi and PLEANTY of volume. You can not have too much volume at the RIGHT psi. The FASS 150 gallon pumps are overkill, but you really can not have too much volume.
Filter a must to provide "free water" free fuel, and as clean as you can get it but certainly at least 10um. The cleaner the better.
Additives the VP44's seem to have less mechanical malfunction if the lubricity of the fuel is paid attention to. "You know we sell additives", but the newer fuels may well need owner intervention to keep mechanical failures down.
Cooling The tank is the heat sink for the VP44. Before a PSG (Pump Support Group, the electronic board) fails from heat the VP has internal heat damage to do with seals. He is going to get me the exact temp the test stand is calibrated to (ie the optimum fuel temperature). The test stand has a tower cooler to ensure the fuel supplied is at the exact correct temperature for calibration. Cooler fuel (cooler temperatures) keeps the internal stresses of the VP44 down.
We chatted and he said the first VP change outs were generally (for '02's) 60k - 90k (mine was at 53k, a little early). The VP44's have had several upgrades and tweaks to the mechanical internals and several software upgrades that the current VP44 rebuilds are running 120k - 180k before failure.
He emphasized the one of the big problems was DC did not tell owners how to take care of the pumps in the first place.
For Gary - A 0216 is a processing failure in the timing. It generally is not because of the PSG, but because there is a failure in the internal mechanical timing tolerances and the PSG is mearly reporting it. Not necessarily an electronic board problem. However it does not bode well for the pump as a mechanical internal mechanism is going into failure mode. Generally there will be further internal damage until the pump is rendered inoperative.
I asked him about keeping the pump cool. He said they have several fuel cooling options and have had good experiences with them. As with any mechanical mechanism the more friendly the environment it is running in the better it generally runs. He said the FASS systems (they are not resellers of FASS, but have installed several of them) returns the return fuel to the tank filler and that helps in distributing the return fuel heat to the total tank fuel mass (so does the RASP return fuel to the tank filler). I told him I could keep the fuel temp to about OAT +10* and he thought that is certainly not hurting the pump and probably helps mainly in the operating of the VP internal mechanical tolerances and lubrication.
He also had a bulletin from Bosch that talked to "alternative fuels" for the VP44. Bosch says no alternaltive fuels that are not commercially made with commercial fuel standards. No WVO etc. However, commecial biodiesel up to B5 has some discussion and I will get that bulletin from Bosch on the 17th and will get that paragraph exactely verbatium.
So that was fun! Those guys are so knowledgable it is unbelievable (as are the Schied's, Pier's, Industrial Injection's, etc etc). It is like they know what the failure patterns are, what causes them, and what you can do about them. There are still going to be failures as in anything, but at least we have a reasonable chance.
Bob Weis
Oh, he thought misting was overkill (ie OAT +10* was fine), but would not hurt anything if I wanted to do it (and I do). I want OAT +0* in every condition (90 mph (I do not go that fast by any means), towing, doing whatever you could think of doing with our trucks) in the summer to not go above 100* fuel input temp.
If anyone wants to go with our SETDR to SE-Power Tampa, on the June 17th , and are not from here (central FL) and needs a place to stay, you are welcome to stay at our house for a day or two. Pm or email me.
Attention: TDR Forum Junkies 
