Mechanical IP?

[carlmarvin]

I have a '97 truck with the 6.5LTD and was thinking about going back a few years to the mechanical injection pump. My thought was this will allow me to eliminate the PMD and associated problems while increasing reliability. But is this the case? Will reliability increase? And if I do this change, other than the IP, what else needs to be changed?

Thanks,
Carl

[Garth J]

HI Carl
I cant see as it would be any better. Firstly your 97 has electronic throttle control which you would have to change to mechanical..Then what about all the other components that are also connected to the computer.
Just put in a Heat-sync from SSDiesel like the rest of us and there will be no more problems ..Garth
1994 K2500, SSdiesel heat sync, upgraded water pump & duramax fan kit, 80 hp chip, 4 inch ehaust, air induction, 3 guage A-pillar package 3:73 gears with 2.85 X 75 X 16 tires. I pull a 27 foot 5th wheel out here in western Canada with all the realated hills and the truck runs great. Thanks to Walt and SSDiesel.

[sschevelleman]

I agree with Garth. The older non-electronic pump is no more mechanically reliable then the newer electronic. They both last an average of 150K miles. The newer electronic pumps got a bad rap from in-experienced mechanics replacing the whole pump everytime the PMD went bad. Some dealers just throw parts at a problem until it runs. The FSD Heat Sync solves the problem.
To swap to mechanical you would need a doner truck to strip parts from. You would need the complete throttle pedel and all linkage and new injection tubes (different threads). You would have the check engine light on constantly, so you would need to disable the computer. If you have an automatic, the tranny will not shift. The turbo wastegate will not close also. All in all, but the time you are done, you would have spent a ton of money and time and have really no more reliable truck then you had before. You would also be creating a white elephant with no resale value and a truck that wouldn't pass any state inspection!

[Pukon]

Carl, I feel your pain man. I have yet to see a solution to the pathetic DS-4 electronic fuel injection pumps we are stuck with. Even using a FSD cooler, the pumps life is very short by diesel standards. My Pyoukon is on it's 8th or 9th pump; total mileage on the truck is about 122k.

I am considering the same thing you are, based on the experience I have had with the 6.2L diesel and the DB-2 pumps. I have found the life of the mechanical pump to be in excess of 250k miles.

As I recall, the 93 Diesel Chevy's used the 6.5 td mechanical injection pump with the 4L80E tranny. Doesn't the current production military Hummer use mechanical injection and the 4L80E? I think by making the switch, the only thing we would loose is the electronic cruise control.

I'm sure somebody has done this conversion, perhaps they will speak up??

Thanks

Pukon