bek

Bought the valve from Marty Tompkins. It was well worth it. We talked for twenty minutes on all kinds of issues, timing fuel pumps, what to look for in older trucks,etc. For a fifty dollar investment I got 500.00 worth of information. One hell of a guy. part genius, says call any time no problem. Stop lookin for the cheapest way out, quality costs money always has always will. Ask him on how to time a pump, he will walk you thru it in detail and save you a ton of money and time! Just my .02.

infidel

Marty is an excellent man, even if his prices were higher I'd rather give my money to him than the shareholders of Cummins.
Marty also has about the best price going on lift pumps.

Bobcat698

What kind of gains did you realize with his valve?

Thanks!

infidel

If your valve is bad you have to replace it, Marty has the best price, his valve is nothing special. The OF valve is probably the single most common part on a 12 valve that wears out and needs replacing. Symptoms of a bad OF valve are low RPM miss/instability, white smoke, hard starting, engine dies at idle, low power and fuel filter cracking.
If you don't have the means to check your fuel pressure and exhibit any of these symptoms just replace the valve, they rarely last over 60k. There are a lot of people cruising around who don't know how much power they really have because their fuel pressure is low.
They just take it for normal.

Marty Tompkins
Precision Diesel Injection and Turbo Inc.
888-734-7349
$35 + $7 shipping and handling.

Bobcat698

So are you saying mine should probably be replaced with 190k on the ODO now? Even though I don't see any of those symptoms yet?

Maybe it is low on power even though this thing RIPS?

infidel

I would at least check the pressure. With the mods you've done on your truck it should be little problem for you.
Should be 17 - 22 psi at idle and of 25 - 35 psi at 2500 rpm.

Dshiftff

Whats your method to check FP on a 12V. I seen it done last week on a 24V, real easy. Any tips in particular? 103K here on what appears to be a original OF valve. No symptoms listed though

infidel

Checking fp on 12 valve isn't as simple as a 24.
There are basically two ways to do it. One is to buy an adaptor from TST that replaces the bleed screw on your fuel filter and gives you a 1/8" pipe thread port.
More info http://www.tstproducts.com/index.asp...PROD&ProdID=62

The way I do it is the same way Cummins does with their special tool 6976 which is nothing more than the injection pump inlet banjo bolt with a 1/8" port drilled in the top.
This is easy to do yourself, much easier than drilling/tapping the ex manifold for a pyro. Just remove the banjo bolt and drill it from the backside to keep the hole straight and tap it from the top. Install a needle valve to shut it down and also act as a gauge dampener. I use this as a tap for a permanent gauge in the cab.


Needle valve in banjo


Cummins "special tool" method

Dshiftff

Wow awesome response Infidel, if nothings hooked up to the needle valve, if you just have it there to check FP once and a while do you use it to bleed air from the fuel heater to the IP when you do a filter change? Thanks.

infidel

No, you use the filter bleed screw as it's the high point of the system.
All the air ends up there.

DustyRock

Infidel: What kind of pressure line and what size is it to the guage? Copper, plastic 1/8" , 1/4" Dia. ?

Thanks in advance

Dusty

infidel

Dusty, I use 1/8" plastic tubing similar what most folks use for boost gauges and push it though 1/4" plastic tubing to act as a protective sheath against cuts, kinks and abrasion. Copper tubing has the potential to break eventually with engine movement. I've had this setup leak free on both my trucks to close to ten years now.
You can buy a mechanical oil pressure gauge kit from most autoparts that includes the tubing and all the fittings you might need. This works fine but I find the tubing wound up in a fist sized ball like these kits have too hard to work with, it wants to roll back up. I prefer sold by the foot 1/8" airbrake tubing. Only thing else you will need is a needle valve, a 1/8" Female pipe X compression fitting and a 1/8" male pipe by 1/8" compression, under $10 total.

You will need at least a 40 psi gauge, I like a 60 better, normal fp is needle straight up then.
Here's a killer deal ($9) on a 60psi Autometer Industrial fuel pressure gauge. I've installed a few of these for folks in the last month, nice looking USA made gauge.
http://www.surpluscenter.com/item.as...atname=engines

Boy, get them while you can, when I posted a link to this gauge about a month ago there were over 150 in stock, now there are only 3.

doubleclick

Infidel, does the valve keep the gauge from fluctuating so much? I just checked mine and the guage was jumping from 0 to 80. From what I could tell it was 0 - 15 WOT at 2500 rpm. It sure was jumping around though.

infidel

Yes, you run the valve barely cracked open. Otherwise with lift pump pulsations it will be impossible to get a good reading in the short amount of time before the gauge self destructs.
Another method of dampening the pulsations in a temporary gauge is to use an inline fuel filter in the line in-between the gauge and engine. The filter full of air dampens the pulses but in a permanent setup will eventually fill with fuel.

The way the Cummins "special tool" eliminates pulsations is that there is a fitting in the line that has a hole though it not much bigger than a human hair. The TST bleed screw fitting is much the same with a tiny path.

Here's the needle valve I use http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/pro...835462&ccitem=

These valves are availible at many autoparts or a place that carries plumbing. They are commonly used on ice makers and swamp coolers.

DustyRock

[QUOTE]Originally posted by infidel
[B]Dusty I've installed a few of these for folks in the last month, nice looking USA made gauge.
http://www.surpluscenter.com/item.as...atname=engines

-1 gauge from inventory. I have one sitting right here. A good deal. Too bad they charge $9.00 to ship. Still a good value. I have a couple of those very valves here as well. Will be doing the install soon.

Thank you for the reply and info.

Dusty