VP-44 R&R....its not that hard!!!!

By Diesel Dan

I have had this sitting in my e-mail forever.....though i would post it on here so any can get an idea of what is involved......Sorry...i didnt have a camera at the time i did this.........but PM me with any questions if needed...also i think i got a link at the bottom to a site that has pics...for any referances.....here it is:

Remove the Air horn, APPS/Bellcrank (don't need to take the cables off....just the harness) and that would get you down to the injection pump. Remove the fuel supply line and return line (17mm and 18 or 19MM) This gives them movement to get them out of the way. Use a 19mm wrench to remove the fnt 3 lines from the pump. Remove the harness from the pump.

Use a 10mm to take off 2 or 3 bolts off the hold down brackets for the lines to the intake (Towards the fnt). The other is an 8mm....it has 2 10mm bolts on the bracket, but its easier to just undo the 8mm bolt on the hold down its self.....you will see what i mean.

Ok now loosen the lines going into the head. You will do the 1st 2nd and 4th. Remove lines from motor. Now at the pump, loosen the remaining lines. Then loosen the lines at the head.....3rd 5th and 6th. The 6th is a bit hard to get too. What i always do is remove the chain bracket on the back of the head. It makes it LOTS easier to get too. (Sometimes a 3/4 or 19mm Crows foot is needed to get enough torque on it.) Once all is loose, remove lines from motor.

OK...now goto the fnt of the motor and take the Vent tube adapter off the fnt cover. I use an oil filter wrench to do this....makes quick work. Once there, take the pump nut and lock washer off. (its hard to let it happen, but dont let the washer fall in the fnt cover) Feel with your hand on the fnt of the gear by the shaft to see where the keyway is. If its anywhere below 11 and 1 o'clock, rotate the motor over to get it up somewhere between there. Use the alt bolt to bar the motor over....(rotate the alt nut counter clockwise.) Once the keyway is at the top....go on to the next step.

Remove the 4 pump nuts holding it to the fnt cover. (15mm IIRC)
There should be a lower bracket on the pump with 2 bolts that need to be removed (13mm) as well. Once you get that done, its press time. this will be the hardest part of the job. You can use the bolts off the air horn to thread into the pump gear. Put them in and measure the distance between them. I made my own press with a 1.5" x 5" piece of 1/2" metal and some metal shock absorber bushing sleeves. I took the measurements and drilled oversized holes (Allow for adjustment) in the 1/2". Then i welded the shock sleeves to the plate. Then i welded some washers on the top of the sleeves to keep the bolts from going through. Install the press and tighten up the bolts. The gear should release after a few turns. I don't use grade 8 bolts due to they bend real easy...the sock air horn bolts are a lot harder. I have used a steering wheel puller in the past....but you have to cut it down (not enough room between the shroud and pump) and its a pain to keep from twisting. I have heard people using a "Bar Press". Might want to look into that.

After you get the gear off the shaft, CAREFULLY pry the pump away from the fnt cover. Should come easy. Then make sure your key is still in the shaft. If not, look into the gear and see if its there. If not, dig with a magnet. Out of 20 or so times, i have never had the key stick in the gear or fall. So, its rare that that will happen.

Put the pump on the bench. Take the lower support bracket off. Put the old pump and new pump side by side. Look at the shaft. Clock the new pump the same as the old. Should be about 11 o'clock or so. Reinstall the lower pump bracket on the new pump. Lube the o-ring with atf or any oil.

ALSO...here is a trick that i like to do every time i install a new one. Pull the key out of the new pump. Get a punch and punch 2 divots (one on each side) onto the new key. Then use a hammer to reinstall the key onto the shaft. This will be extra insurance that the key will not fall out during reinstallation. (Note the direction the key was installed and reinstall the same way on the shaft)

Now get a mirror and position it so you can see the shaft and keyway. Line up the key to the keyway in the gear....should not be too hard. Should just slide in if you clocked it right. If it looks good, install the washer and nut and torque to specs.....my specs are "tight as hell"...but i think they are running around 75ft lbs.....do a search.

Reinstall everything in the order as you took off. This is important for the injector lines.....makes life a lot easier! Leave the 1st, 2nd and 3rd lines at the head loose to aid in bleeding air. Do not install the air horn at this time. It makes it easier to access the lines for bleeding air.

Make sure all your electrical connections are connected before you crack the key. Once you have that done, crack the key....and bump the engine. This will cycle the lift pump for about 20 seconds. Do this about 5 to 7 times. I sometimes get fuel running out the lines if i do it enough. Then try cranking the engine for about 15 seconds. See if you are getting fuel pulses at the lines. if so, tighten up the lines that are pulsing. Motor should start to catch on one or two cyls. Once it does that...tighten up all the lines and try cranking again. It should catch and run on its own.....VERY ROUGH! Do not hit the throttle pedal yet...let it run for about 1.5 mins to clear out. If it still sounds like its missing. Just blip the throttle and it should clear. I have also used small shots (Don't get too crazy!) of either to help prime the engine. Once it starts, shut off and check if it will crank back up. If good....install the air horn and your done.

I hope this helps.....let me know if you need any more info!

 

[.....my specs are "tight as hell"...but i think they are running around 75ft lbs.....do a search.]

This would be 125 ft lb. Very nice right up.

 

One big warning on this project. When your installing the pump and lining up the half moon key on the shaft, BE SURE IT IS LINED UP EXACTLY IN THE SLOT. It will go in wrong and if it does it will ruin the pump. Use your mirror and check it often as your tightening the bolt down.

I speak from bad experience here. This is a simple project that can go horribly wrong in that one simple step.

It also seems like most of the problems folks have with this project all comes down to the same thing when they are on here asking questions. For some reason a lot of us forget to plug the APPS back in on the bottom of the throttle body.