Injection Pump Blues

[dkirsop]

"Undo the 3 nuts holding the pump in place and remove." Said the manual.

A Tough Nut to Crack.jpg

Top two nuts - 3 minutes

Trying to remove bottom nut without moving engine - 2 days

Giving up and hoisting engine - 2 hours

Stay tuned!

[WillieC]

Awww!!! There are some things in life you really shouldn't get good at. At least it is a two cylinder.

[dkirsop]

I should have done this when I rebuilt the engine but not having the tools or expertise to work on the pump decided to let sleeping dogs lie. The pump met the fuel delivery requirements of the engine and ran without major issues throughout the year BUT it leaked oil. Not huge amounts, just enough to be annoying. Like a dripping tap in the night it kept me awake. I decided if I could find a rebuild kit then I would address the issue.

Star Diesel in Italy listed a kit for the Simms 3 cylinder injection pump. No mention of a two cylinder pump. Closer inspection of my pump revealed that it was a 3 cylinder model factory modified for a 2 cylinder engine! Good news - it's probably the same as Richard's leaky 3 cylinder pump! Bad news - Star Diesel is in Italy and doesn't do retail sales! Good news - Accurate Diesel can provide the kit from Star Diesel! Boy, talk about mood swings. Anyway, when the kit came everything appeared to be a match.

The diesel doctor tells me the pump is in good condition but all seals and o-rings are totally brittle. The two main seals disintegrated on removal. The components in the kit I bought are not only good, they are made of more heat and wear resistant materials than the original seals.

I hope to pick up the re-sealed pump sometime this week. The date of manufacture for the engine was 1970 so the next 3 or more owners will appreciate my effort.

[kerrye]

The workshop manual I looked at doesn't even show how to remove the IP. What makes that bottom bolt so difficult?

[WillieC]

I took my pump in to the pros at H&H diesel in Tacoma. Actually I took in three pumps, they ended up robbing one for parts, resealed another with the robbed replacement parts and then tested the runner from the other engine, still fine. So I have two, good enough for my lifetime and a few more. My concern was, being new to diesels, that the injection system, if malfunctioning, could have undone my efforts at refreshing the ancient Volvo Penta. Oh, I also had them check and rehab my injectors. Good to hear you are on the downhill with yours.

I am left with a small, weeping leak at the base of my injector pump. (This location is very accessible on these engines, so easy to keep clean.) The instructions were to goop both sides of the gasket upon installation. The trick there is that it is the thickness of the gasket between the pump and the crankcase is what determines pump timing. Thicker gasket moves the rollers of the pump farther away from the camshaft, thus retarding firing. It was very difficult to tell what or how many gaskets were there when I tore it all apart, and I may have been ignorant of the timing issue at that time. Anyway, my thinking was that I may be needing to add another gasket, so I cheaped on the goop, thus the minor weeping. Once I figured out some of the other fuel issues, I can run the engine up to (and limit) high speed and bring it down to steady, reliable idle. The proof to me was the fifteen hour day we ran last summer and that through some very rough water. I think I got it pretty close.

I can remove the pump and goop the other side of the gasket, after some meticulous cleaning, but that involves removing the lines, disturbing those sensitive seals, and risk dropping the internal linkage pin into the bowels of the engine. Then I'll post a pic of me removing MY engine for y'all. I can wipe up a little oil for all that pain. Though I might add I did drop that pin into the pan upon disassembly way back when and was able to fish it out with my magnet. Seriously!

[DesertAlbin736]

Trying to remove bottom nut without moving engine - 2 days

Giving up and hoisting engine - 2 hours

Having a classic Albin 25 home ported in one of the most beautiful cruising grounds in North America....priceless!

Very much looking forward & hoping to meet up this summer & check out your boat. Since our boats are both of 1971 vintage, will be interesting to see what the original AD21 engine configuration looks like compared to one like mine repowered with a Yanmar. Love those teak & holly floor boards you have!

[WillieC]

CS Lewis noted that sometimes the shortest way home is the longest way around.

Keep us posted!

[dkirsop]

Will do. Based on your description of adjusting timing it's clear we have very different pumps. On mine, I only have to align the registration mark on the pump with the registration mark on the engine mount when tightening the stud nuts. Then just make sure the timing mark on the pump cog matches the timing mark on the drive cog when replacing the pump gear. We do have one commonality - don't drop the woodruff key or it's magnet fishing!

The "teak and holly" flooring is peel and stick vinyl wood strips with white caulking laid between! The previous owner did it but I agree it looks sharp. I have had to re-stick some strips where they are in direct sunlight. Cleaning up the surfaces and applying contact cement.

Kerrye, the pump sits low in the engine beds and slightly behind the front engine mount. There is only a small space between the pump body and the bed and not enough room to swing a wrench. Came closest with a stubby wrench with built in ratchet but no go. Interference with the shape of the pump and the low lift pump made it impossible to get a good grip with a socket set even with a universal joint.

When I get the pump back I may paint it so it will likely be a week before I reinstall it.

Lewis Carrol wrote "Here you have to run twice as fast just to stay in the same place."

[kerrye]

Would a flex extension have worked? There's one bolt on my Mercedes diesel air filter mount I can't get except with a flexible extension. There's a limited amount of torque you can put thru the extension but it might work. I had to use the 1/4" version to fit in the space.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-3-8-i ... /206038458

[dkirsop]

Low torque would be problematic. Each bolt needs to be fully torqued to properly seat the gasket. With only 3 bolts on a 4.5" bolt circle it is imperative they all be fully torqued for a leak free seal. Anyways, now that the engine is hoisted this is no longer a problem. Thanks for the suggestion though.

[dkirsop]

Got the pump back from the diesel doctor with a clean bill of health and a much lighter wallet.

Like New.jpg

Now for a couple of coats of paint, clean up the engine pan and weather permitting reinstall.

Timing Mark.jpg

The other mark is on the drive gear.

[WillieC]

Very nice! Have you serviced or replaced the lift pump as well? I finally broke down and bought a BRAND NEW one. Just about killed me, but I was a fool to not have done it earlier.

[dkirsop]

I rebuilt the lift pump when I had the engine out last year. New diaphragm and check valves. Everything tight and working properly there.

[WillieC]

I tried finding rebuild kits for the VP pumps, seems like they ran about as high as a replacement pump. Then Tree turned me on to ASAP Supply in the UK. The new/non OEM replacement pump ran around $150 USD with a little more for shipping halfway around the world. Took all of three days to get here and it works like it is supposed to, keeping ALL of the fuel on the inside of it.

I knew a kid who rebuilt several old style VW fuel pumps and they all would leave hickeys on his thumb when field testing, a disturbing pleasure for that kid in retrospect. I never could elicit that same response from any of the VP pumps I have, but they still seemed to work good enough. But they all leaked, just enough to fool me into thinking it was no big deal. So glad I finally replaced mine. (That kid was twisted!)

Dave, your subject line for this posting took me back to Jim Croce's Workin' at the Carwash Blues. Thanks!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLKhUnl_yhc