Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) Need instructions for changing VP44

[TPlasek]

I will be installing my "new" VP44 this weekend. Can anyone point me to a place that gives brief instructions/tips for the job. It looks pretty strait forward to me, but there are always those things you don't see or expect when you are just looking at it.



Thanks

 

[ToolManTimTaylor]

For some reason a Barring Tool comes to mind ... ... Anyone? I can check the books for ya to make sure everything's

Weren't you just having problems with the pump last week? if so MAN that was quick getting one!

 

[A Johnson]

It is straight forward, but a couple things can foul you up.



1- Don't take the fuel lines off individually, take them off in two bundles of three leaving the isolators hooked to the lines. If you take them off individually they can be a real mess to get on.



2- After you remove the nut off the fuel pump drive gear, bar the engine over using the alternator nut till the key way in the gear is a twelve o'clock, this will help prevent the key from falling out, and there is no special timing to worry about.



3- The keys are specific for the pump you are buying and there is an arrow on the key, the pump tag should tell you which way it points and verify the key # with the pump tag. If the key fits loose in the shaft take it out and raise a bur on either side with a center punch.



4- Nut torque is 125 Ft LBS



5- I use a chrome wobbly socket to get at the mounting nuts on the block side of the pump. Break them loose with 3/8 drive and remove and install with 1/4 drives.



6- Don't forget about the support bracket on the bottom of the pump.



Thats all I can think of at the moment.



A Johnson

 

[ToolManTimTaylor]

Originally posted by A Johnson



After you remove the nut off the fuel pump drive gear, bar the engine over using the alternator nut .

A Johnson

There goes the Baring tool good point.

 

[jwilliams3]

125 newton meters.





--Justin

 

[TPlasek]

Thanks, for the info... The pump I purchased it just a pump, no gaskets or seals.



1. Are there any gaskets or seals that I will need to buy???



2. Are there any timing marks(on the gears/pump ect. . )that I need to line up???



3. Is the drive gear hard to get off the injector pump without a puller???



Thanks for the info A Johnson, I will print that out and tape it to the fender of the truck.



PS TimToolMan, The truck still runs, it just will not start if the lift pump is running. I have to wait till there is 0 psi. I found a person in Texas, that has new VP44's in stock for 750 exchange($200 core). I still find it hard to believe that it is new for that price, but there is nothing about the pump I received to lead me to believe it is a rebuilt unit...

Ps. he also has stock lifts pumps for $120, but he informed me he is currently out of stock. (Can't imagine why at that price )

 

[A Johnson]

Thank you Justin, my manual shows 125 ftlbs and I thought that was correct but did find where the torque spec has been changed.



"ISB VP44 fuel pump drive shaft locknut torque specification has been commonized to 130 +/- 10 N•m (96 +/- 7 ft-lb). "



There is no special timing other than the key in the pump, the arrow on the fuel pump key must point towards the fuel pump; this is a bit different than my earlier post. Also don't reach in the gear case and try turning the gear after the fuel pump is off, some earlier engines allowed the gear to come out of engagement with the camshaft, I don't know if the ISB will or not , I haven't tried.



You will need some sort of puller. I just use a flat plate across the nose of the pump shaft with the two holes in it for the 8mm puller bolts into the gear, and the gears pop off real easy You can use a standard t type puller, but use your socket on the two 8mm bolts instead of the center screw to get the gear off. It seems like getting a slight side loading on the puller will break the gear loose easier. Gear nut is 24mm. Cummins P/N for gear puller is 3824469.



The four fuel pump mounting nuts are 15mm and torque to 32 Ftlbs by my book. It will be impossible to torque the inner nuts so just use common sense to tell you when its tight enough.



The fuel pump does not have a gasket, it uses an O/R to seal in the gear housing, you will probably want a new one as well as few 12mm banjo washers if yours are not reusable, may also want grid heater gaskets.



Fuel lines torque to 28ftlbs at the head and 18 at the fuel pump. Don't over tighten at the head, if you have leak problems try tighten and loosen the line 4-6 times , this will help swedge the mating surfaces together.



A Johnson

 

[Roger rodbolt]

TPlasek,

Might be a good idea to purchase a couple air horn gaskets that seal the grid heater. Sometimes they are not reusable. Larry

 

[TPlasek]

What would happen if I over tightened the fuel lines at the head. Would it cause lines at the head not to seat properly, and if so, what would be the symptoms. I installed a set of RV injectors 10k miles ago.



Could the lines be leaking at the injectors, thus causing the hard starts??? I think I heard there are o-rings there(I didn't look when I put in the injectors). I was unaware of the o-rings, if any, at the time I installed the injectors. I could have I damaged one of them at that time. If so, do you think it could lead to a hard start condition when the lift pump is running???



I still think the pump is going south but it is something to think about. The truck does run normal, IF IT STARTS!!!!





Thanks for the tips for the installation. I think it should go smooth, especially after all the info.

 

[A Johnson]

Over tightening the fuel lines at the head causes the connector tube to press against the injector with enough side loading to crack the injector body, causing a miss fire. If the seat between the connector and the fuel line are deformed it will leak fuel to the outside of the head, where the line goes into the head. If the the seat between the injector and the connector are deformed it will leak fuel into the return fuel galley.



I really don't think you hurt anything, most likely symptom in either scenario would be a misfire , or fuel leak.



There is an o ring on the connector which you may not have noticed, you had to have the connectors out to get the injectors out. There is an o/r on the top of the injector to keep return fuel out of the crankcase. Either way the o-rings contain the fuel in the return galley.



A Johnson

 

[TPlasek]

Well I sure hope by replacing the VP44, the problem will go away. I thank you once again for all you input. With ALL your input, I know the job will go much smoother now.



While the fuel lines are off, I will look for any damage I could have caused from installing the injectors. I'll check the o-rings. I really doubt there will be any. I learned my lesson a long time ago about over tightening things. I just snug things down now.

 

[TPlasek]

Well, I got my new VP44 installed this weekend. Like you guys said, it was pretty strait forward, but that may be because of the tips you guys gave me. Everything went as planned. The drive gear came off easy as well as the fuel lines (in 2 sets of 3). I originally tried to leave the cruise control mounted, but I quickly found that it was easy to remove and by doing that, it really opened things up a bunch.



All in all it took me 3. 5 hours. I could do it much faster next time. The hard starting problem has seemed to disappear. Hopefully I will get another 100k out of this pump. They just cost too much money to replace on a regular basis even if it is an easy job.

 

[BIG BOB]

TPlasek,

Did the new injection pump solve your hard starting problems? I am having the exact same problem.

 

[TPlasek]

It only solved the problem for a week, then it acted up again!!!



It wonld up being a 7 dollar realay labled "fuel system relay" in the under hood fuse box. After I changed that all problems went away.



Sure wished I would have tried that before I wasted the money on a new vp44...

 

[rrowdy]

Wow that's a bummer!

So how did you finally determine that it was the fuel relay?



Now that you have a spare, I suppose the new VP will last the life of the truck!

 

[BIG BOB]

Fuel System relay didn't work for me!

I replaced the "Fuel System Relay" today and I still have the same problem, hard to start when hot.



I got the new pump, I guess when the truck cools off, I have to go and put it on. :{ :{

 

[Agades]

installed my pump on saturday

not too bad

I didnt think about keeping the lines in packs of 2

but what I did do is label them 1-6

and took them off from top to bottom where the lines all rest on the two packs of three retainers to the side of the motor

when I installed them I did it in the opposite direction and went flawlessly

no problem



I used the 15 mm bolts on the crank pulley to turn over the motor while holding a mirror up to the pump gear to see the keyway

no problem