rockbender
Full Access Member
I figured I'd make a quick follow up after having a Merry Christmoose!
As much as I wanted to do this install myself, I simply did not have the consecutive hours to get it done and this isn't the sort of thing you'd want to do a little bit at a time over a week I would think. So, I dropped off my rig with a local mechanic who has been doing all of the wrenching for my buddy's 4x4 van with a GM 6.5 diesel and whom he has grown to trust. In the short few years I've owned my van, I've done all the work so this felt a bit like dropping off your kid for the first day at school but I knew it was the right thing for me at the time.
Fast forward a few days, and he has the pump in and the rig is running! It took him a full day to do it, as a van with a turbo isn't the most friendly configuration to work around I would say. Now he has installed quite a few of these pumps over the years and is aware how important the timing is, yet doesn't time it with a meter! After talking with him, I find out he has a lumi setup and from his experience after you add the turbo and differences in fuel that dialing it in by the book with the lumi meter isn't always the best. I wasn't going to argue much, but we just agreed that after I run a few tanks through that I should bring it back if there were any issues. Ideally I really want to get it timed by a pulse meter anyway.
Drive Test: It seems to drive real well! To be honest, the power doesn't seem much different, but I'd say it runs a tad smoother. I'd be curious to know how much the old pump was turned up. The old pump seemed to be doing quite fine but appeared to be weeping a bit. The fuel weeping and hopes of improved fuel economy were the biggest factors in my decision to invest in the Baby Moose - I hope this is the last pump I'll have to replace on this rig! Anyway, I can put it to the floor and make smoke and it is spooling the turbo just fine so I certainly don't have any buyers remorse by not getting a hotter pump. I'm shooting for longevity and economy as much as possible.
I haven't put any extended time in yet, so I'll have to report mileage back at a later date. Regardless, I really NEED to find someone to help me get this baby timed one of these days just so I know it is on. I can't believe the number of people that tell me that it really doesn't make that big of a difference and if it runs that they wouldn't worry about when everyone here swears by getting the timing SPOT on!
Conestoga was great to work with. Granted, the baby moose wasn't as pretty on the outside as I may have expected but I'm sure all the guts are beautiful, and that's what counts! My mechanic and I were both appreciative of being able to have the new pump in hand before sending back the core to minimize down time and remember how things go back together.
As much as I wanted to do this install myself, I simply did not have the consecutive hours to get it done and this isn't the sort of thing you'd want to do a little bit at a time over a week I would think. So, I dropped off my rig with a local mechanic who has been doing all of the wrenching for my buddy's 4x4 van with a GM 6.5 diesel and whom he has grown to trust. In the short few years I've owned my van, I've done all the work so this felt a bit like dropping off your kid for the first day at school but I knew it was the right thing for me at the time.
Fast forward a few days, and he has the pump in and the rig is running! It took him a full day to do it, as a van with a turbo isn't the most friendly configuration to work around I would say. Now he has installed quite a few of these pumps over the years and is aware how important the timing is, yet doesn't time it with a meter! After talking with him, I find out he has a lumi setup and from his experience after you add the turbo and differences in fuel that dialing it in by the book with the lumi meter isn't always the best. I wasn't going to argue much, but we just agreed that after I run a few tanks through that I should bring it back if there were any issues. Ideally I really want to get it timed by a pulse meter anyway.
Drive Test: It seems to drive real well! To be honest, the power doesn't seem much different, but I'd say it runs a tad smoother. I'd be curious to know how much the old pump was turned up. The old pump seemed to be doing quite fine but appeared to be weeping a bit. The fuel weeping and hopes of improved fuel economy were the biggest factors in my decision to invest in the Baby Moose - I hope this is the last pump I'll have to replace on this rig! Anyway, I can put it to the floor and make smoke and it is spooling the turbo just fine so I certainly don't have any buyers remorse by not getting a hotter pump. I'm shooting for longevity and economy as much as possible.
I haven't put any extended time in yet, so I'll have to report mileage back at a later date. Regardless, I really NEED to find someone to help me get this baby timed one of these days just so I know it is on. I can't believe the number of people that tell me that it really doesn't make that big of a difference and if it runs that they wouldn't worry about when everyone here swears by getting the timing SPOT on!
Conestoga was great to work with. Granted, the baby moose wasn't as pretty on the outside as I may have expected but I'm sure all the guts are beautiful, and that's what counts! My mechanic and I were both appreciative of being able to have the new pump in hand before sending back the core to minimize down time and remember how things go back together.
