Bullet

I understand...I would be a little frustrated too if I went through what you just did. There are several Airdog owners on here that should chime in soon enough to assist. I wish you the best...

Welcome @dieseldon...you really should look into a mechanical fuel pump (Fuel Boss, Assassin or Power Driven Diesel) if you haven't yet. The install is more straightforward and the customer service is a hell of alot better too...judging by the experience you've had thus far. They are a couple hundred more but they are way better designed and built and a much more reliable setup. What you are currently doing is replacing an electric pump that has failed with an electric pump that will someday fail again. What is that saying about doing the same thing twice and expecting a different result? If budget is a problem then you gotta do what you gotta do. But just understand that any and all electric fuel pumps are inferior to mechanical fuel pumps in every way.

I wouldn't go any smaller than a 62 unless you are definitely going compounds. The 62 will tow very well (especially with the manual trans) and make the kinda of power you're talking about. Won't spool quite as fast as a 57 but won't run out of guts as fast either. The spool difference is much closer together than the power difference is. My 62 spools almost exactly like the hy35 I replaced...and way more air/power in comparison.

Not a big deal then. To be honest my first one I drilled wasn't perfectly centered either...but it never leaked and always performed flawlessly so no biggie.

It's an expensive road...I've been down it already. I wish you luck.

At least...

You might be a little laggy with that turbo but it will deliver some air. If you are just looking for hp you're golden. But if you're still gonna tow something you might regret it a little.

Never have used anything to flush oil before a change. But use Marvel Mystery Oil (MMO) for all fuel stabilization and fuel system cleaning in all my toys. I've heard of others using MMO for oil flush and even bottle recommends for that but never done it myself.

Many recommend above 45psi...need studs, above 50psi..need o-rings, etc...but that's quite conservative to me. I've hit 60psi on several occasions and 50+psi happens quite often as well with only studs tightened to 135 ft.lbs. Head gasket has over 200k miles on it...never a problem. If I were to push 60-70psi then I would would get o-rings. Point being that I don't think you will ever get to the point of needing o-rings.

What's being suggested to you sounds like a compounds or bust solution. There's no doubt that compounds are the way to go for a tow rig and I agree. But if you can't afford it right now you won't be happy at all with a 57 or hx35 by itself in the meantime. A 62/65/12 by itself will do a much better job until you can afford the compound setup. Then stick a 69 or 72 underneath it down the road and kiss any and all of your EGT concerns goodbye forever.

Electric pumps are very capable at what they do...just not so much at how long they do it. There hasn't yet been an electric motor invented that lasts anywhere close to forever...so pump failure is inevitable. Electric pumps have fantastic warranties...and there will come a time when you will use it and have to perform repairs. Mechanicals are simple, overbuilt, constantly lubricated and have ridiculously slow spin rates...built for lifetime service. Belt is the only possible failure point...they are cheap enough to carry spares and easy enough to replace anywhere. Belt change interval is 75k miles. As an electric pump owner I would worry when its last day will be, where I will be when it happens, if I will be able to get home without damaging my VP, how many days will it take to get the pump(s) in and perform the repair(s), and how will I get to work in the meantime. As a mechanical pump owner I worry if I left the iron on when I left the house.

Measured while off and cold. Drilled while cold but running...no grease. Started with real small pilot bit so that each following bit had constant air flow passing around it. Smaller increment bit increases so all shavings remained very small and light and easily blown out. Easy as pie.

For towing purposes and with the manual trans I would go with the 62/65/12 instead of the 62/68/12. The 65 will come on a tad faster and at a lower rpm...since you lose rpm's between manual shifts. Also makes a perfect upper in a future compound setup. I think you would be fine with 150hp injectors but see what @Me78569has to say on that. I run a 62/65/12 on a compound setup with 150 injectors (7x.010's) and it spools very similar to the stocker I pulled off. EGT's are no worry.

^^^ +1 what he said about lift pumps.

Was the tip of injector that you forgot the washer on damaged in any way? Cuz that would surely make it run like "poop"...

Ouch...don't be too hard on yourself then.

Before purchasing a new VP...I would suggest throat punching your brother-in-law. I've had to do that to my brother-in-law on more than a few occasions and he has always readily volunteered to fix the problem afterwards.

I wish it was that easy to just replace the box...but it ain't. You would need an entire pump replacement. @Dieselfuture's recommendation with the cold water tells you what the codes aren't. Since the previous owner had success with that I'd agree that the box (psg) on the pump is "toast". New VP time.

That's some serious torque right there to twist the entire front of the truck and pull a wheel up like that...thousands of lbs of torque!

Got any codes? Just from your post I would immediately start looking at the VP44...specifically the box on it. But you should have a code(s) if that's the case.

Technically yes it will slightly change the depth of the spray pattern...but won't be a problem. The reason for the different thickness of copper washers is to raise injector height on a cylinder head that has been milled to avoid piston/injector contact. Make sure they are thicker and NOT thinner washers...otherwise could be a costly mistake.

It would certainly be my last choice as a lower...but hey it's free right? The wheels are a little small and the compressor housing is humongous and you'll surely have to get an adapter plate for the t6 mount. I would think that it would transition much slower than you'd like and then not put out as much air as it should be for a hp minded compound setup. I personally would pass on it and do it right the first time...but it won't hurt anything to get it all plumbed up and try it. Since the plumbing part is most of the battle anyways. Once you get all that done...a later swap to a better turbo will be fairly easy, relatively speaking. Even if it completely sucks it won't hurt anything to leave it in there til you get a better one.

The only other way to tell would be to have a dealer pull up service records on your VIN. It would have been installed as a warranty item so they should have a record of it if it was done. Otherwise have someone bump the key with your ear up against the tank and see if you hear the 20 seconds of buzz.

I agree with both you and y'all. No smoke does mean the most power...per unit of fuel. But that's a little misleading and is limited by the size of your turbo(s) and perhaps some tuning. Beyond your turbo's limit, adding more and more fuel will continue to make more and more power regardless of increasing smoke. But...you would continue to make less and less power per unit of fuel for each additional unit of fuel added...up until you melt something anyways. Diesel is not as stoichiometrically sensitive as gas is so it will burn in a broader range of air/fuel ratios. It will continue to burn in increasingly richer environments but less and less completely...hence the increasing smoke.

Let me say that I'm also against 'roaling coal'. However...I've found it to be quite a useful capability for liberal roadside protests. We're probably working with different tuning platforms but a quick adjustment to 9 on my TST Comp and they scatter like rats. It's a very productive crowd control measure...and somewhat delightful to behold. Outside of that I strongly impugn it.