MikeH

Me too Mike. The 2nd gen rigs were pretty easy to work on for the backyard mechanic like myself. The newer stuff looks like a major headache. At this point though my age is catching up with me. Getting tired of turning wrenches I guess. With my wife's Prius it's much easier. I just have to look after the simple stuff like fuel, tire pressure, washer fluid, etc. The dealer takes care of the big stuff and it's all under an extended warranty. As much as I love my '02 Dodge (going on 20 years now) for $25k bucks it might have to go.

My wife and I are avid hikers & bikers. We're a little older than you but try to get 6 - 8 miles in every day. I can still see the day when I don't want to climb under that Dodge anymore. A new (newer) rig still under warranty is sounding better as I age. Given the prices mentioned in this thread I'll really have to give it some thought. Yep...I agree. I use it for a ball park figure. My rig came in under $5K which to me is a joke. I just had no idea the 2nd gen trucks were going for $20K or more. I didn't pay much more than that when I drove it off the lot 19 years ago!

As much as I would hate to get rid of my pickup...for that kind of money it might have to go. Always tried to do my own maintenance and keep the rig in tip top shape but I'm not getting any younger. Even rotating tires is a chore these days. Anyway, I had no idea they were going for that kind of cash. Maybe I'll just put a sign in the window and see what happens.

You're kidding right? Were do I list it to get that kind of money? I got Blue Booked for under $5000 bucks. Hell, the Caravan Camper alone cost $7500. I'd drive the rig over a cliff before letting it go for $5K. If you know of any interested parties up your way let me know. I'll split the difference and let it go for $22,500.00. Seriously!

That's what I was hoping to hear. I've never dealt with these guys but they're still on the top of my list when I need a new pump.

Yours is the first for me. Let us know how Industrial Injection treats you on this problem. They're on my radar should I ever need a new pump. I'm not saying it's their fault but would like to know their response. BTW, can you get your fuel pressure confirmed on another gauge? It occurred to me that your gauge might be off and your pressure is way high. Just a thought. Again, good luck

Outside the race crowd though (they can run insane boost pump pressures) I still think this is the first for me. I wonder if his FASS is set too high or he just got a bum seal?

Let us know how that works out. I think that's the first time I've heard of the injection pump leaking into the timing cover. Good luck!

Why don't you contact Industrial Injection and tell them what you found. Warranty or not they might back up that job if they did the reman.

OK...It was just a thought on the balancer. Turbo numbers however do look low to me.

I was just going there. Those boost numbers are way to low especially under load. Check the turbo as MoparMan suggested for axial and radial play. You would think if it's a boost leak the noise would be worse while accelerating but I would still have a look at all the connectors, elbows, clamps etc from turbo to intake plenum. Another thing that came to mind was the harmonic balancer. I really don't know the symptoms of a bad balancer so maybe someone came chime in if this is a possibility.

I've seen torches, air tools, sledge hammers, pry bars, special tools, etc used to get the bearings out. Had none of that stuff so turned it over to my local shop. After 20 years I just assumed they would be a fight but apparently they came right out.

I chickened out on my front bearings. I did the rears but after hearing some horror stories on getting the front hub/bearing out I let the shop do it. I asked the guys at the shop if they had any trouble getting them out and he said "Nope, popped right out with a few taps of a rubber mallet". Oh well...

I've had my last run in with dealers. I caught them on an oil change where the selling point was "We do a 27 point inspection with every oil change". Part of that 27 point inspection was things like wiper blades, cabin air filter, etc. Well, I knew going in I had two torn wiper blades and a clogged cabin air filter (damn mouse nest from 3 months of storage). I left everything as is and did my own "27 point inspection" when I got the car back. You guessed it....wiper blades still split and mouse nest in cabin filter. I took the car back and called them out on it. They made it right but I lost what little respect I had for dealers. I actually jacked the car up when I got home to pull the belly panel a check for a new oil filter. I'll never go back to a dealer short of an emergency! Best bet is to find a local shop or two that you can trust and develop a working relationship with them. I've got two shops here in town that I use and am taking the Prius to number three. They got good reviews by Prius owners and responded to my email and called me. They were booked three weeks out (that's a good sign) and set me up for early Sept. Fingers crossed!

Yeah...I thought at the time I was getting a new pump but like you said nobody was mentioning exactly what was going on your rig. Reman is good with me as the latest goodies should be in place. I lived with a 216 code for over a year. Some surging and white smoke at times but it never let me down. I finally had it replaced just before the warranty gave out. So far (knocking on wood) it's been running like a champ with good starts hot or cold and decent mileage. I'm at the 125k mile mark and if this pump last 250k as mentioned I'll be one happy camper.

Good to hear. I'm not sure on mine whether the replacement was a new pump or remanufactured pump. Like I said it was around 2006 or '07 when the dealer replaced it. Do you happen to know when they stopped making the VP44 and is there a way to tell if your pump is a new Bosch pump or a rebuild?

I think you're right. If I remember correctly the FedEx folks were the first to get Bosch off their butts and come up with some revisions. My OE pump was replaced around 2006 or '07 so I'm not sure exactly what I have but it's coming up on 125K miles. I'd be OK with replacing injector pumps every 150K or so. That's a pretty good service life to me. BUT, if I can stretch it out longer...I'll do what it takes. Now that most guys are running fuel pressure gauges, after market LP's and the latest updated VP44's you don't hear anywhere near the failure rates we had in the early 2000's. The dealer I bought my rig from (Dave Smith Motors, Kellogg Idaho) said some of the early 2nd gens would lose a pump before it left the lot.

I'll stop griping about that job now. My wife's Prius just came up with the same problem. Looked up the repair online and cam up with this. What a PITA. It's going to the shop:

Will do nothing? I wouldn't make that comment unless you've had an Infrared Gun on the VP before and after the foil barrier. That was a little trick the boys over at TDR (Turbo Diesel Register) came up with 20 years ago when the VP44 and it's PSG started failing due to heat. Is it a "make or break" solution to injector pump heat issues. Nah...but I'll take every degree of heat reduction I can get. Besides, I just checked with a tin foil expert (my wife) who says even a thin sheet of foil can be the difference between a well cooked turkey and charcoal. BTW...weren't you the guy who fabricated a small tin sheet between your exhaust pipe and transmission and recorded lower tranny temps? Just sayin! As to cooling the fuel I'm right with ya there. A lot of my return fuel goes back through the filler neck. I also tend to keep my tank full whenever possible. Cool, clean, well lubricated fuel is key in my book.

Did you happen to check the arrow on the key? It should be pointing towards the pump. Timing could be off if it was installed backwards.

That's ~ $8.00 to $8.75 per gallon for us yanks!

I've heard of front bearings going up to 300K miles but doubt if that's what everyone can expect. Front bearing unit is sealed so not much you can do. The rear bearing get bathed in diff oil and might go longer depending on abuse. I had mine fronts changed out at ~200K as the ball joints and tie rod ends were shot and getting replaced. The bearing/hub seemed fine at the time but we were about to make a trip to the Baja and didn't want to risk it. It wasn't a year later that a rear bearing seal started leaking. Again, bearings and races seemed OK but no way I was going that deep into the rear axle without replacing everything. Hard to answer what the expected mileage is as it depends on use. A ballpark figure might be 150 - 250K. I would run them 'til they act up. Bearings aren't going to blow up or anything and will let you know when it's time.

I've done quite a bit of business with Glacier Diesel. Richard's a straight up guy and will work with you on any problem. https://www.glacierdieselpower.com/ Just edited because I forgot Geno's Garage. Another company I've had great luck with. https://www.genosgarage.com/

It's all good guys. My OE switch is now in the glove box for a spare. The new over priced switch is the first replacement in 20 years. Let me do the math...$20 dollar switch over 20 years...ummm...yep...a buck a year. The brake switch story was actually a side note here. The big thing was getting the hydro-boost off, resealed & back on. It went without a hitch. I couldn't see a darn thing wrong with the main seal and the internals looked very clean with no rust etc. But, the new seal was the fix and we're ready for the next big road trip. Can't wait to get "The Big Dog" back on the road. ps: spruced up the engine bay while I was down

HEY...I got ripped off at Auto Zone! They charged me $20 bucks!