Bullet

I don't think I have one of those...it's been so many years since I've thought about fuel pressure that I just can't remember. Of course there's alot of things I can't remember these days...

One cause of a hard hot start is the electronic box (forgot what it's called) on the VP...specifically an overheat of the pump and a heat soak of the electronic box on top. Caused by low fuel pressure...not enough extra fuel to cool the pump properly and the heat soaks the box on top. Or bad solder in the box from too many heat soaks and/or poor reman. On the industrial injection reman pump you bought...did it come with new or reman electronics? The warranty is longer on pumps with new electronics and for good reason. Also what's your fuel pressure...should be 16-18lbs but definitely no lower than 14 and no higher than 20 to avoid potential hard hot start. I've never had to do it but they say you can pour water on a hot VP and then try to start it to test if the box is the problem. If it starts quickly after being doused then bingo...heat soak problem.

That's very impressive for electric pumps. I used to watch my fuel pressure gauge more than my speedometer when I was running electric. I've only seen it once or twice since switching. I'm gonna look to make sure it's still there next time I get into the truck.

That's pretty good @Mopar1973Man. I would be ecstatic if had an electric pump last that long. Quite a few have gone through 2-3 electric pumps in that time span. I personally had gone through 2 myself in a much shorter time period before I went mechanical. If my mechanical pump doesn't last at least twice as long as yours did I'll be disappointed in it.

Another argument for leaving the electric pump in the mix is for priming during a filter change and in case you throw a belt on the mechanical pump then the electric pump will immediately take over. Those are pretty good arguments in theory...but in reality it only takes a few minutes to prime a mechanical by hand after a filter change and the belts are rated at 75k miles and spin at a very slow rate compared to the serpentine belt. I have never heard of someone either throwing a belt or having pump problems. The only mechanical pump complaint I've ever heard is trash in the check valve keeping it open. But that only happens with extreme filtration negligence or from trash in the newly installed lines that weren't blown out properly before connected.

Yes you can run both at the same time...without pulling any fuses. Your electric pump will spin up before starting and will shut down once you start the truck and the mechanical pump starts making pressure. But it's completely unnecessary to have both...you are just adding complexity to the setup and to the install and $50 more to the purchase price of the mechanical pump for the cost of a Hobbs pressure switch to make it all work together. My truck is straight mechanical pump only...no electric pump at all. Starts and drives just the same as when I had only an electric pump...except with no buzzing sounds.

Install is easy...hardest part is routing and securing all fuel lines to where they are safe from sharp edges, heat and/or other moving parts. You mount the pump and crank pulley, install a coupler in your fill hose and then build the rest of it how you want it. You're given a supply of connections and a roll of fuel line that you cut to fit how you route your lines. You can plumb it 2 different ways...in conjunction with your current electric pump (a little more install work, unnecessary and $50 more) or straight mechanical with no electric pump in the mix (easiest and best). I went straight mechanical so I have no electric pump on the truck. Fuel pressure is a rock solid 18lbs and actually increases with throttle instead of decreasing like electrics do. Re shorty conversion...thanks I really appreciate it! It was alot of work but I wanted something cool and different. What's funny is I drive it fairly often and almost nobody notices it...which is kind of a compliment in itself. I've had maybe 5 people approach the truck at the gas station and start staring at it with a puzzled look on their face and then ask me questions like 'is that a diesel?' or 'did you build that?' It's funny cuz I'm just as shocked at them noticing as they are about the truck.

I had the same problem with the wife too...but I got her a brand new set of divorce papers and several problems were suddenly all solved at once...including the one you mentioned. But on a more serious note...springs aren't necessary at the level of power that a Quad, a 62/68/12 and 150hp injectors are capable of. Once you slide another turbo underneath the 62 and get a little crazier with the injectors then I would be thinking about springs. And if I'm getting beefier springs then that automatically means I'm also getting beefier pushrods as a package deal. If it makes you feel any better with everything in my sig I am/have been running stock springs and pushrods for a long time. I hit 58-59lbs and 3500 rpms fairly often at around 525-550hp...and still have rock solid reliability. Still running the original VP...courtesy of a mechanical lift pump and some good luck before that.

I agree with you...do it while you're in there for sure. I know you want rock solid reliability which is my thing too. For that reason if I were gonna do springs I would also do upgraded pushrods at the same time. Your stock pushrods were built to hold the stock 2x60lbs stock spring pressure. Now you're gonna put 2x103lbs on each stock pushrod while at the same time upping the horsepower/torque and throttle response of the motor...a good way to bend stock pushrods. If I were interested in rock solid reliability like you are...I would definitely upgrade the pushrods if I upgraded the poundage on the springs. Otherwise they are now the weak link in the chain. And like you said...since you're already in there.

Nice! You'll be smiling big when you feel the results. You definitely could have saved your wallet some pain by passing on the springs and pushrods but no big deal. Only really necessary if you are planning to turn high rpms (3500+), putting in a high lift cam or pushing some serious boost (60+). But at least you'll be ready to do all those things one day.

Good choice...you'll be very satisfied with the extra power. I don't run a Quad...I personally prefer more power , reliability , ease of use and ease of install out of my electronics so I went with a Smarty/TST Comp stack instead. But with all that reluctantly said on here , the Quad is the best raw tuning platform but does have a learning factor involved and is definitely more complicated...and a more difficult install with all the gauges and sensors. However there is no better place to be than this forum for Quad support and tutelage. These dudes really know it well.

All sounds pretty good except that you could find a better way to spend money than on 103lb valve springs. Not really necessary with a 62/68/12 and 6x.011's...unless you are planning on reving out past 3500 on a regular basis, going with big compounds in the near future or putting in a higher lift cam (also a waste of money). And if you do up the poundage on the valve springs then you should also up the strength/thickness of your pushrods too...and that's even more money. I would be much more concerned about the electric lift pump than the valve springs. Mechanical is by far the best lift pump option...no contest. I agree with everyone about @dieselautopower...got my injectors and stainless 5" from them and will go back again in the future...good peeps.

I second @dripley's second and I third @IBMobile's first.

Re option 1: good option...definitely more power. But I would still go a little bigger on the injectors since you gotta get new ones anyway...maybe some 7x.0085's (+75hp). Re option 2: not really gonna give you the extra power your looking for...just a small increase and still constrained by stock tuning. Re option 3: most powerful option and would probably be ok egt wise if tuned properly but I would feel better with a little more turbo if towing. It sure would be fun as hell to drive without a load though. You would not need studs with a stock turbo. I personally don't think studs are necessary unless you are boosting more than 45lbs. Even then some people retorque the stock headbolts a little tighter than factory spec and still push 50lbs without issue. But I'm not one of those guys.

Ouch...yep that'd do it. Tip is completely gone...that's the bare pintle sticking out...holy cow! So it was basically just unloading a full line of fuel into the cylinder each time...and that's the longest line. Compression test is good news...maybe some build up inside of hole six is the reason for higher compression there...like what's on the tip of that busted injector. 7x.010's are as big as you want to go if towing but I'd feel more comfortable with a little bigger turbo at that size...or at the very least with a competent tuner like a Quad. Good call...I didn't think about that but it makes perfect sense with the snapped starter shaft and the higher compression reading.

Well that's good news...if your 6 hole is ok of course. At least you know it's not the injection pump. And you were thinking about new injectors anyway...so it's like perfect timing (no pun intended).

The main difference between synthetic and conventional is the time in which they take to break down. Synthetic will take longer than conventional to break down. Knowing this you can apply it to how often you change oil to see which is better for you. If you drive alot of highway miles and change oil often then conventional is probably a better route. If you don't drive much and only change oil twice a year then synthetic is probably a better choice.

Borg Warner SXE362 is the best available IMO. Bar is short for barometric pressure or atmospheric pressure which is approximately 14.5lbs. So 320 bar means 320x14.5lbs. I installed my studs one at a time without removing the head. I followed the torque sequence order removing one head bolt and then replacing it with a stud and nut and torqued to 100 ft.lbs...then move to the next one and do the same thing. Repeat until you've replaced them all. Then following the torque sequence again retorque up to desired final torque in 20lb increments. As mentioned I believe the ARP instructions explain this procedure. I run 7x.010's with a 62 and it's a hell of an increase in power over what you got now...especially if you have the electronics to go along with it.

That's a hell of a transformation and alot of work! Much respect...

Or 7x.012's...they're basically the same size as 6x.013's. The 6x.013's are ever so slightly bigger but they are known to be dirtier. They don't atomize the fuel as well as the 7x.012's cuz the holes are bigger and there's less of them. But if you are gonna go as big as either of those injectors you're probably not too worried about smoke output.

Well I only got about half the hp you got and am still at 6000-6100lbs. It will stretch cars off the line but they can reel me back up if they have the hp. It will almost run with my other Dodge that's half the weight and has a big V-10. But those newer cars just got hella power.

That's a pretty cool project @Cowboy. I converted my rclb to a rcsb too. It was alot of work but it was worth it. Did you convert yours or was it already done?

If you were already planning on getting new injectors then do it now to see if it fixes your smoke problem. If not you have narrowed it down to the injection pump. If you have the original HO pump that the six speeds came with it kinda sucks too. The SO pump that came on every other truck besides the six speeds is a better choice. If you end up having to replace the injection pump that's the route you want to go. I wouldn't drive the truck until you fix it...other more catastrophic damage can be done by doing that.

Since there's no contamination in the fluids I'd look at fuel issues...injectors and injection pump. If they are originals then the injectors are surely beat and the injection pump is not far from it. If it's fuel related then fuel is being introduced to a cylinder(s) at a time when it's not supposed to be...timing issue. If injection pump is causing that could be exactly what @Dieselfuturesaid above. If injector(s) causing that could be cracked, broken, leaking, worn out. If it were the injection pump then a power loss would be felt since any timing issue would affect power. Since you are not feeling a power loss the first thing I would look at is the injectors. I would pull the injectors and inspect them visually. If they look ok then have them tested by a shop.

How old/how many miles are on your injectors and injection pump?