To who ever cares,

Well, ol' Six made it 173,000 on the original VP, threw the out of time code 0216 and started to drop power at random intervals. Tore her down and am waiting on my BlueChip to arrive.

Also did a valve check while down and was happy to see only 3 were a bit out of spec. Went thru the entire train and sweetened them up...out of spec as to a bit of free play in the adjustment, but nothing too serious....if anyone attempts to remove the rocker cover note there are 2 holes thru the noise reduction matting and in the firewall to accommodate removing head bolts. The rear rocker cover bolt can be manipulated thru one of these for making removal a lot easier...a few youtube vids I watched seemed unaware of this.

Barring the engine over was much easier using a 15mm short socket and breaker bar on the dampener rather than fighting the 24mm on the alternator as suggested on the videos I watched. The barring tool seems like a bigger wreck than just creeping under the front and laying into the dampener...I needed to do this 3 times to align the valve adjustments and then get the key to the top for the vp r/r process.

Everything tore down pretty easy and the BlueChip directions are clear and easy to follow, saving a few steps the FSM technique adds that seem unnecessary and increases labor.

I lucked out in that our old shop space was vacant, (and heated) and the boss gave the go ahead to have at it til the lease is up in 2 weeks. Maybe I'll tackle a few other items while I have it at my disposal.

And, thanks to my favorite Canadian Rock n' Roll station for having a two fer weekend and keeping my spirits up!!

Good luck to those of you wrenching this weekend, Kurt

 

Had I known I'd be getting a bit of free time on my hands I may have let this project sit a while longer. Anyway, VP R&R went rather smoothly with the help of this site and a few you tube videos. A few tips to share for those in the vp replacing field.

Take your time and all necessary precautions to avoid creating extra work to include;

• Disconnect the batteries and even remove the drivers for a nice area for setting items aside.
• Protect inlets with rags and or blocking devices and be sure to remove upon reassembly.
• Gleen good points from multiple YouTube vids and apply to your work.
• Obtain a nice mirror on a stick for locating TDC.
• It is much easier to bar the engine using the dampener bolts than the alternator nut
• The VP will drain off about 2 cups of diesel out of the inlet/outlets ports, catch this if possible to avoid a mess...
• Have a nice assortment of extensions handy, 2 each of each size is handy, especially the shorter ones.
• Really be careful removing the VP nut and washer, this could be a real work adder if you lose the washer into the case
• Really take your time aligning the drift key up when reinstalling.
• Would have been a good time to replace crank/cam sensor as it is easily accessible with vp removed.
• Clear codes before restarting truck after install. I didn't and thought I still had a problem for a minute after start up.
• Clean/wipe off all fuel line connectors before re installing and tighten. Don't ask.
• Know that if removing rocker cover to do valve lash adjustments, rear bolt will need to be lifted up through hole in firewall and sound dampener for this purpose, it's there, trust me.
• Figure 6-8 hours working steady

Hope this helps anyone going to tackle this project.

Kurt

 

And if your tappet cover gasket is leaking, now is a great time to replace it since you're already removing the most difficult item, the VP44.

Assuming stock setup, you'll need to remove the VP44, fuel filter housing, lift pump, unbolt and slide the ECM out of the way. Then it's just five bolts and the cover pops off. Replace the gasket (no RTV) and the O rings on the bolts.

Detailed process here: https://mopar1973man.com/cummins/art...lacement-r507/

 

Hey SIXSLUG, thats some decent miles for a factory VP. But question, were you using a fuel lubricant for most of those years or running straight diesel?

 

Hey Jr.s, I saw a video on that gasket after I got it all back together!! I am frustrated because I bought the Cummins head gasket kit and it's in there. Maybe a good project during the virus shutdown...

Katoom, I have religiously ran Power Service white bottle at the recommended blend since they changed to ULSD. My type A side marked a graduated container for each gallon of fuel added to keep it consistent each fill up.....

 

Make sure whomever you get your replacement from that its a complete rebuild with all new and updated components with a BRAND NEW computer (PSG). Dont go cheap and opt for the used PSG option...

 

I bought the Blue Chip 17x w/ 2 year warranty...

 

Great thread @SIXSLUG . Glad you got it up and running.

How many miles can we expect from our factory-installed VP44's? Any stories or threads or world records regarding known high mileage out of these?

I don't know the history of my truck, I bought it in 2013 with about 212k on it. Now it has about 230k. I can't tell if it's the original VP44 or not. It looks original to me, and I'm only going by the fact that it does not have any "yellow" tamper proof paint on any of the screwss, however the yellow "void" sticker is on the wireing harness but it's torn. I can confirm however that it's the correct pump specific to the HO 245 hp. (pump numbers ending in "28")

 

Well, I think that the VP44 is strange- with the fuel we have over here there are quite a lot of ISB engines with way over 10 000 hours with the first pump and no problems.

The problems with the electronics getting grilled depends on the climate, mechanical wear mostly on the fuel and the sufficient supply of the fuel. (FP gauge or idiot light strongly recommended)

My take on it is to run it till it dies, but save some cash for the time it's needed.
Too many variables for a decent prediction.

 

Mine still had the yellow void sticker on it and had no stamp overs where the numbers were stamped in so I am pretty sure it was the stocker. I bought my truck with around 45K miles on it in 05 and purchased a 4 year extended warranty for around 1500 bucks, it was well worth it as I got about 10 grand worth of repairs out of it before it expired, thus holding off on any mods until then....
I checked the fuel pressure about 4 times a year for the first 2 years before I finally got my gauges installed, that is how I knew the in tanker was only pushing around 8 psi.
The warranty expired and I started adding stuff like the FASS and gauges, ez etc. I still have to install my injectors...

I couldn't say how far the VP will go....I try to buy quality fuel and will still run Power Service and keep my eye on the fuel pressure.....as stated earlier I could have gone with a $795 pump but I knew the Blue chips to be topshelf so I went with theirs...

 

Its been a long time since my VP was changed. #2 is holding up so far and ole blue has passed 500k. I've used PS white and Stanadyne for a long time. Just did not seem like they did anything, who knows. A few years back I tried the Schaffer stuff and noticed my engine ran smoother at idle and down the road.
Now that I've added new sticks I would really like to get a hotrod VP. Best thing I did for VP longevity was do the FP gauge, big line fuel kit and frame mounted fuel pump.

 

Nice work, Cope. I'm a ways from 500K, but I'll keep on plugging away. I still have injectors and head studs sitting on the shelf.....maybe someday I'll get them in.

 

Like all living and breathing creatures, proper care and feeding assures a long and happy life. My 1st 1st gen, even tough lightly used commercially was well loved and cared for by its' original owner before coming to me. I continued its care until its untimely death at 300,000 miles, still running strong on the original VE. My 2nd 1st gen was ignored and neglected by its' personal use owner. The VE on it barely made it to 200,000. My 1st 2nd gen was commercially used, rode hard and put away wet. I came to the conclusion their maintenance log was a work of fiction. The VP44 died not long after I got it with less than 200,000 miles on it.

 

I replaced my Original VP-44 on 2-2017 with 151,000 miles on it never using any additives. I bought a replacement from Blue Chip Diesel and started having trouble with it about 25,000 miles later.I also installed a FASS pump that fits where the stock lift pump sits. I called them and was told I needed to use an additive and that the 0216 code it's throwing didn't mean the pump was bad. I have 186,000 miles now and when it comes to replacement, it won't be from Blue Chip. I would think that with all of the updated parts it's supposed to have, it would last longer than that.
I thought it might be the APPS since it stumbles and blows white smoke at certain throttle positions, usually, very light throttle, so I replaced it. That didn't help really. It sometimes does it at all throttle positions and will clear up some after restarting 3-4 times.

 

I'm at 180,000 miles now and it's running like a top. I bought the full rebuild with all new parts, steel bushing and new computer...we'll see. I have noticed it has been silent since they received my core.....have e-mailed a few questions but never get a response.....