Jasper Engines & Transmissions is remanufacturing the Bosch VP44 diesel injection pump.
The pump was found on 1998-2002 Cummins B Series engines used in Dodge Ram pickups, Freightliner medium-duty trucks, and other industrial applications.
According to Jasper, the early-style pump housing used a steel piston which ran through a brass advance cylinder bore and was prone to failure.
“The brass bore saw severe wear due to the use of ultra low-sulfur fuel and the different metallurgical factors of the two pieces,” said T.J. Abrams, Jasper diesel quality group leader. “Jasper only uses steel inserts in this advance cylinder bore to eliminate wear and allow the piston to move freely.”
Another issue Jasper addresses in the remanufacturing process is the electronic pressure sensor glowplug controller (PSG) on top of the pump.
“Early-model PSG’s had a limited number of key cycles,” said Abrams. “So Jasper verifies the date code on the side of the PSG to eliminate this concern and will reflash the PSG to the latest calibrations.”
Perhaps the most common failure on the VP44, Jasper said, is the “216” code (fuel timing error) and the runability problems that go with it due to supply pump issues and low fuel pressure to the injection pump.
“The pump diaphragm can crack inside the pump, causing excessive wear on the housing,” said Abrams. “Jasper installs the later-style diaphragm, which is metal-plated and is thicker than the original, to help eliminate these types of failures.”