Odd lift pump arm wear...?

[AcIdBuRn02ZTS]

Hey guys...

Tore into my truck tonight to get a bunch of maintenance caught up... Was replacing the t-stat and valve cover gaskets.. figured while it was apart, I'd replace the lift pump since I was right there.

I pulled the pump and it has some odd wear on the arm...

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Is this normal? Perhaps a cheap pump?

The pump wasnt putting out like it should... Replaced it with a Carter and replaced the rubber hose that connects the pump to the hard input line.

Thanks for the input
-Chris

 

[The Warden]

Were you able to look in and see what condition the eccentric on the camshaft is in? It's not uncommon for the fuel pump eccentric on the cam to wear down unevenly, which might cause wear on the arm if the pump was replaced and the arm on the replacement pump rode the eccentric in a different spot.

If the eccentric is worn, it is possible to replace it, but you have to pull the camshaft in order to do so. With that having been said, that eccentric only drives the fuel pump and won't do any harm if it's spinning free and not driving anything. If you're running an electric fuel pump, I would leave it as is and not worry about it

 

[icanfixall]

No, this is not normal wear. Looks like something is going to fail internally on the excentric. Now you have a good excuse for an electric lift pump.

 

[AcIdBuRn02ZTS]

Suck parts is that most electric pumps and alternative fuels don't get along very well with each other. The plan is to freshen up the engine I have in the shop pretty soon (probably spring)... Would it be ok to run it until the new engine is ready?

 

[riotwarrior]

Suck parts is that most electric pumps and alternative fuels don't get along very well with each other. The plan is to freshen up the engine I have in the shop pretty soon (probably spring)... Would it be ok to run it until the new engine is ready?

How long is a piece of string?

Really we have no way of really advising on this..looks like either the arm was off center in pump perhaps or lobe on cam is moving for some reason.

Did you compare pumps...arm location was arm offset to one side was it bent?

Did you LOOK UP INSIDE and see any weird shenanigans?

A blockoff plate and e pump might be handy to stow in truck...JIC ***** hits fan on the road...

Just sayin

 

[Waystro]

I was not interested in a E Pump until I got the 85 which has a Facet Gold Flo(I even said I was going to switch back to mechanical ) I love it make bleeding air out a breeze.

 

[icanfixall]

An electric lift pump if set to turn on the minute the ignition switch comes on is the easiest way to bled air. First off nothing is cranking or running but the electric lift pump. So wear on the batteries, the starter and the cable connections is not wearing anything out.

 

[Waystro]

An electric lift pump if set to turn on the minute the ignition switch comes on is the easiest way to bled air. First off nothing is cranking or running but the electric lift pump. So wear on the batteries, the starter and the cable connections is not wearing anything out.

That's how mine is set up.
Ive started it up with all the Returns leaking(sitting 8 years) on the 2 second try
try doing that with a mechanical pump.

 

[FORDF250HDXLT]

I was not interested in a E Pump until I got the 85 which has a Facet Gold Flo(I even said I was going to switch back to mechanical ) I love it make bleeding air out a breeze.

better late than never.

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[AcIdBuRn02ZTS]

I definitely see the bright sides of using an E-pump... just dont want to spend $200+ for one that will hold up to WMO. Most of the diesel pumps are prone to failure within a year of pumping thicker fuels.

As far as the pump goes... the arm didnt appear bent. I looked up inside the block the best I could and didnt see any odd wear on the cam lobe.

I may very well pick up a cheap e-pump to keep in the truck. Not a bad idea at all.

 

[TahoeTom]

After a second look and the photo of the pump in your other thread, it looks like the pump was installed with the arm on top of the lobe.

 

[OLDBULL8]

After a second look and the photo of the pump in your other thread, it looks like the pump was installed with the arm on top of the lobe.

You hit it on the head. Yup installed wrong.

Most all the new LP's have a straight arm instead of the dogleg arm which are easier to install under the cam. Gotta follow the instructions on a new pump.

 

[AcIdBuRn02ZTS]

The arm is supposed to be under the cam correct?

I'm curious how the top side of the arm would wear if the arm was installed on top of the cam instead...? Is there something above the cam that would hit the arm as it operates?

I'm looking into adding an e-pump to my system... but I want one that will flow thru when not in use.. basically a booster pump. Put it on a switch for bleeding the fuel system and to help track down air intrusion points while keeping the mechanical pump in place. Anyone do this?

 

[The Warden]

The arm is supposed to be under the cam correct?

I'm curious how the top side of the arm would wear if the arm was installed on top of the cam instead...? Is there something above the cam that would hit the arm as it operates?

I'm looking into adding an e-pump to my system... but I want one that will flow thru when not in use.. basically a booster pump. Put it on a switch for bleeding the fuel system and to help track down air intrusion points while keeping the mechanical pump in place. Anyone do this?

I was about to ask the same question about why the top side of the arm would wear (and, presumably not the bottom of the arm) if the pump was installed with the arm above the cam.

As to running both an electric and a mechanical lift pump, the main problem is that, if the diaphragm on the mechanical pump fails and the electric lift pump's installed inline and before the mechanical pump, when you run the electric lift pump, the fuel will go through that hole and fill up the crankcase however, if you run the electric pump after the mechanical pump, then it'll suck in air from that spot and won't pump any fuel. It might be possible to get creative with plumbing, valves, etc. and do both in a way that's fail-safe, but IMHO you're better off choosing one and sticking with it. Personally, I would go with the electric pump...

 

[AcIdBuRn02ZTS]

Im curious if using a low pressure pump (at or lower then the psi of the stock lift pump), would eliminate the risk as the diaphragm sees that much pressure during normal operation...

I like the idea of using an electric pump... but I like the reliability of the stock lift pump when it comes to alternative fuel. Hmm...

I need to just find all my air leaks but I'm gonna end up killing my starter before I can.. lol