Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) Hot Rod VP-44 failures???

[mswafford]

I was wondering if anyone has had a hot rod vp-44 fail? I am getting ready to buy a new vp-44 and was wondering. Thanks

 

[fox]

Any of these pumps will fail.

Mine now has the codes back, so maybe this is the death of it ?

 

[BillGotthelf]

The cooler you can keep the vp-44 the longer it will last. I have been running a "racing" version for the past year. We enlarged the inlet to flow more fuel and used the old supply line to return fuel to the tank. Most of the failures are circuit board failures directly related to excessive heat.

 

[SConklin]

Who did the work for you on the VP44?

 

[fox]

bill, that heat issue is what I suspect is what mine is doing. It set codes last winter in Florida and it was 80 -85. Now that it is that hot here in Illinois, it has set the 0216 code again. Power is down and some missfireing.

I don't want to change it yet but may have to if I plan to go out of the area.

 

[GOTSOOT]

high heat in circuit board?

would it be possible to relocate the circuit board to a remote location, mounted on a heat sink. seems like it could be done with some expertise in electronic circuit board venue? thinking outside the pump!!

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

The cooler you can keep the vp-44 the longer it will last. I have been running a "racing" version for the past year. We enlarged the inlet to flow more fuel and used the old supply line to return fuel to the tank. Most of the failures are circuit board failures directly related to excessive heat.

The heat issue, old age, and component damage to the ELECTRONICS portion of the VP-44 is EXACTLY my concern over use of "rebuilt" VP-44's!



UNLESS the electronics are also always replaced, along with weak or failed mechanical parts, users are only buying PART of a rebuild - and it's entirely possible that another VP-44 failure lies just around the corner, as a pump that is peachy MECHANICALLY, suffers a failure in an old, tired and overstressed ELECTRONICS section...



Buyer beware!

 

[BillGotthelf]

Most reputable rebuilders replace the circuit board when rebuilding the vp44. The curcuit board is located on the outside part of the injector pump. People have mentioned the lower fuel pressure (0 or less) as a killer of the pump because of the lack of lubrication for the vp44. This is usually not the case as excessive heat fries the electrical components on the board. In talking with a rebuilder in the Orlando area he said that 95% of the vp44's they see pump fine but the pump is not getting any control info for it to work. Heres another example I came across another 99 at a local parts store and I asked him about his truck. He had 140,000 miles on it and I asked if he would stop by my shop to check his fuel pressure for him. He came by that evening and he had 4lbs at idle and near 0 at wot. Using an infared thermo gun his temp on the injector pump box was 290 degress. Mine which is slightly modified never gets above 140 degrees. He now has a new lift pump and max temps are 170 degrees.

 

[RobertMiller1]

Here's a dumb question. I've been doing electronic repairs to circuit boards for over 30 years now. If a lot of the failures are due to these boards, how about just fixing them? or replacing them instead of $1200 for a complete new pump and the hassle of replacing it?



Anyone sell these boards? What kind of circuitry are on them?

 

[R-N-R]

I'm not an expert by any stretch, but one pump builder told me that they upgrade to the "latest Diaphram (Steel) and Adv piston and housing".

 

[Devan Manis]

i like GOTSOOT and Robertmiller1's idea's are they in any way thesable? How about just a heat sink on top of the electronic's in the stock location?

 

[MKoth]

Wow... this sounds very similar to the issues GM had with the FSD on the 6. 5 diesel, except they were smart enough to make the electronics a totally sealed unit that could easily be mounted any where you could get the wires to reach.



My VP is pretty much toast, truck still starts normal, but runs really odd, kinda like the timing is stuck at one spot, blows a lot of black smoke(well,more then normal), and has very odd throttle response. Truck has 60k miles on it, has had a TST PM3 comp for the last 20K, and an EZ stacked for the last 6K or so.



Would be real nice just to replace the electronics and remote mount them some where with less heat.

 

[TMills]

Where is this heat coming from? Is it generated by the pump or is it excessive heat from the engine compartment? Either way the electrical part of the pump would be fixed by moving it inside.



Todd

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

One of my next projects, is to run some flex hosing frm the front grille area, ducting cooler outside airflow to and around the APPS and VP-44 electronics - looks like an easy job...

 

[fox]

I've done the flex hose , and it does keep it cooler while in motion. I've used a IR temp gun, and if the pump cover is at or below 150* it runs fine.

Now lets get back to the idea of moving the computer to the fender, I like this idea.

 

[rono]

Since the blue chip pump cover is made of plastic, will that cause more heat on the electronics? If the heat is from the engine compartment, the plastic cover will help to protect the pcb. If the heat if from the inj. pump, then the plastic cover will not disipate the heat like the factory cover could.

Ron

 

[nps]

Since the blue chip pump cover is made of plastic, will that cause more heat on the electronics? If the heat is from the engine compartment, the plastic cover will help to protect the pcb. If the heat if from the inj. pump, then the plastic cover will not disipate the heat like the factory cover could.

Ron

True. And putting a heat sink on a plastic cover, or routing cooling air to the VP would not be effective either.



Personally I think the heat must be internal, because the VP side of the engine compartment is the cool side and I don't think the air temps on this side would begin to approach the engine block temp during operation.

 

[Joe Mc]

I thought they no longer made the "Hot Rod VP"? I hope I'm wrong anyone know for sure?

 

[nps]

I thought they no longer made the "Hot Rod VP"? I hope I'm wrong anyone know for sure?

You can get them from injection shops that rebuild the VP. It's really a hybrid between the ETC and ETH pumps, using the big parts from each (ETH plungers are bigger, ETC can deliver more fuel). Thus can't really stop 'making' them.

 

[Jermey1980]

i love my hot rod pump never dyn mine but i could feel the differnce and my stock vp was still good. Scheids is where i got mine. i think it was like 1700 but can't rember