Scheid Diesel P-Pump: P7100 Conversion Kit

POWER, RPM, AND LONGEVITY IN A 24-VALVE CUMMINS

While the 24-valve 5.9L Cummins found in ’98.5-02 Dodge Rams can be a great workhorse engine, it leaves much to be desired in the way of reliability and horsepower potential. A failed lift pump tends to take out the electronic Bosch VP44 injection pump, the rotary style pump itself can’t fuel past 4,000 rpm, and as of late, ECM problems seem to be plaguing the ’98.5-02 second-gens. After encountering the latter scenario—where the engine would spontaneously free-rev on occasion— the owner of this ’01 quad cab ¾-ton, Thales (TJ) Stewart, decided he’d had enough of the VP44 woes. But instead of trading the truck in on a newer common rail, he elected to ditch the electronic rotary unit in favor of a P7100 (aka P-pump).

DW-1708-PPUMP-02 — Scheid Diesel’s P7100 Conversion kit starts at just under $2,300 (minus the pump) and comes with virtually everything needed to perform the swap. The key items that make the swap seamless include a 12-valve gear housing, pump drive gear, stainless steel fuel lines (mild steel units are also available), throttle linkage, P-pump support bracket, injection pump oil feed line, camshaft sensor adapter, grid heater spacer, and all necessary gaskets, seals, and hardware.

DW-1708-PPUMP-03 — P-pumping a 24-valve 5.9L Cummins requires complete access to the front cover and gear housing so that they can be removed. The catch is that the gear housing can’t be removed without first pulling the cam. This means everything in front of the engine must be moved out of the way. Jake Bosie of Flynn’s Shop got started by unbolting the bumper, draining the coolant, removing the radiator, coolant overflow reservoir, intercooler, and vacuuming down the A/C system. After that, the upper radiator core support, fan, and fan shroud were pulled.

DW-1708-PPUMP-04 — Next, the throttle bellcrank was unbolted and thrown to the wayside. Then Bosie removed the crankcase breather from the front cover, along with the factory oil catch can.

DW-1708-PPUMP-05 — With the job requiring that the camshaft be pulled, Bosie dug into the valvetrain to gain access to the lifters. After making quick work of the rocker arms, the push tubes came out one at a time. We’ll note that Bosie arranged both the rocker arms and push tubes the same way they sat in the engine (so all wear points would remain the same when everything went back together).

DW-1708-PPUMP-06 — After the factory injection lines were disconnected from both the head and VP44, Bosie capped off the feed tubes in the head and turned his attention toward the removal of the factory fuel filter reservoir. Although it had been retained in conjunction with the addition of an aftermarket lift pump years prior, it was finally time to say goodbye to the factory fuel filter reservoir.

DW-1708-PPUMP-07 — Because the bolts that secure the front cover to the gear housing are of varying lengths, Bosie drew a diagram of the front cover on a piece of cardboard and placed each bolt on the diagram as it was removed from the front cover. This was done to help simplify the reinstallation process.

DW-1708-PPUMP-08 — With the front cover out of the way, Bosie broke the injection pump gear nut loose via an 11/16-inch socket. From there, a gear puller was employed to push the VP44’s tapered shaft out of the pump gear.

DW-1708-PPUMP-09 — Once the injection pump gear was out, the VP44 was removed from the gear housing. Believe it or not, this was the truck’s original 213,000-mile injection pump. Its one saving grace came in the form of being fed ample fuel supply (courtesy of an AirDog lift pump) for most of its life. It’s worth mentioning that injection shops (Scheid, in this case) will take VP44 pumps in as cores, which helps redeem a little bit of the money you spend on the conversion.

DW-1708-PPUMP-10 — The next order of business saw Bosie remove the ECM from the tappet cover. While the ECM must be retained (and relocated) in the conversion, it will no longer have anything to do with throttle position. Removal of the tappet cover followed soon after that (shown) to access the lifters. As is common with age, the tappet cover gasket was cracked, corroded, and in the early stages of leaking oil.

DW-1708-PPUMP-11 — To pull the camshaft out of the block, a set of homemade lifter holders (1/2-inch diameter wooden dowels) were installed in the push tube bores. The holders grip the lifters and suspend them above the cam, allowing the cam lobes to clear them when the cam is removed. Before the cam was pulled, the lifter holders were zip-tied in place, and then zip-tied together in pairs.

DW-1708-PPUMP-12 — As the camshaft was being pulled, Bosie was extremely careful not to damage any of the bearings. Because having a lifter drop after the camshaft is removed means you’re pulling the oil pan, Bosie inserted a 1.5-inch diameter pipe in the cam’s bore as soon as the cam was out, for added insurance.

For both street and competition applications, P-pumping a 24-valve has long been thought of as offering the best of both worlds. It combines the extreme fueling capabilities of the P7100 with the higher- owing 24-valve head. This not only brings a considerable amount of extra horsepower potential to the table, it also brings with it the time-tested reliability of a mechanical, inline injection pump. For Stewart and countless other Cummins owners that’ve completed the swap, the P-pump is the best thing that ever happened to the 24-valve Cummins.

DW-1708-PPUMP-13 — With the cam removed, the remaining gear housing bolts (six bolts protruding into the oil pan, and five T40 torx bolts) were removed and the gear housing itself was pulled off the engine. Using a gasket scraper, followed with a grinder equipped with a Scotch-Brite pad, Bosie removed all leftover material from the original gear housing gasket.

DW-1708-PPUMP-14 — To ensure a perfect seal (and because removal of the gear housing typically damages part of the oil pan gasket), the guys at Flynn’s cut the front portion of a brand-new Cummins oil pan gasket to fit under the 12-valve gear housing. We’ll note that the OEM gear housing gasket supplied in the kit was also modified to fit perfectly.

DW-1708-PPUMP-15 — A combination of Indian Head Gasket Shellac (used on both sides of the new gear housing gasket) and Ultra Black silicone (used on the exposed portion of the oil pan) were applied next, followed by the new gear housing. Once in position on both alignment dowels, the gear housing was bolted in place (with the T40 torx bolts receiving Loc-Tite). Then it was time to reinstall the cam.

DW-1708-PPUMP-16 — After carefully finagling the factory cam back into place, the crank-to-cam timing marks were lined up properly and the cam gear bolts were torqued to 18 ft-lb. While the cam was wiped clean before being reinstalled, no assembly lubricant was employed. Anytime you’re retaining the same cam and lifters, it’s best to not disturb their relationship. Additionally, foregoing the use of any assembly lube makes it easier to run the valves later on

DW-1708-PPUMP-17 — The lifter holders were then removed and the factory push tubes reinstalled, along with the valve bridges and rocker arms. After that, the stock front cover (which is reused) was cleaned up and fitted with a new crank seal, the supplied P-pump bracket was bolted to the block, and Scheid’s camshaft sensor adapter was installed in the new gear housing (shown). The factory camshaft sensor must be retained for the truck’s tachometer to work.

DW-1708-PPUMP-18 — Here you can see the modified throttle linkage Scheid includes in its P7100 conversion kit
(top) vs. the factory 24-valve linkage (bottom). Essentially, Scheid makes the throttle position
(APPS) linkage ball fit onto a linkage intended for a 12-valve engine.

DW-1708-PPUMP-19 — Because the P7100 requires engine oil to lubricate the governor springs and weights (unlike the VP44, which is lubricated solely with diesel fuel), an external oil feed line is plumbed in. Scheid simplifies the process of adding an oil supply line by including a braided stainless steel line and the appropriate fittings in the kit. Here you can see the supplied elbow installed in the driver side of the block, along with one end of the braided line.

DW-1708-PPUMP-20 — With the factory front cover reinstalled on the engine, Bosie installed this billet tappet cover
from Scheid. The billet aluminum piece came with mounting hardware and seals via silicone,
which does away with the failure-prone gasket used on the factory cover.

DW-1708-PPUMP-21 — While the ECM obviously no longer has anything to do with the injection system, it must be retained in order for the gauge cluster to work, along with other items such as the water temperature and oil pressure sensors. After measuring the length of the P-pump, Bosie fabbed up a bracket and relocated the ECM further toward the firewall, along the driver side of the block. The one trade-off in retaining the ECM yet no longer having it plugged into the VP44 means that a check engine light is permanently illuminated. Truck owners have three basic options: 1) live with the CEL always being on; 2) remove the bulb in the dash; or 3) break out the electrical tape and cover it up.

DW-1708-PPUMP-22A — Starting with the highly desired 215hp P7100 (available on ’96-98 model Dodge Rams with the NV4500 five-speed manual transmission), Scheid Diesel built us a pump capable of flowing 400cc worth of fuel—more than enough to clear 650 to 700 rwhp with this truck. The pump came preset with 19 degrees of timing advance (18 to 20 degrees is thought to be ideal for achieving respectable power with year-round drivability), features 4,000rpm governor springs, and allows full fueling to 4,500 rpm. Notice the fuel shut-off solenoid (arrow), which is what will be used to both stop and allow fuel flow to the P-pump. For the pull coil operation (used momentarily, for startup), Bosie tapped into the starter wire and utilized a heavy-duty, 70-amp relay. For the hold function, Bosie tied into a key-on source (a relay was used here as well).

DW-1708-PPUMP-23 — As for the return fuel line leaving the P-pump, Bosie customized a portion of the VP44’s hard line, flared the end, and attached 5/16-inch fuel hose. The return line tees into the factory hard line leaving the back of the head, near the firewall.

DW-1708-PPUMP-24 — After one test fit, the return line on the P7100 was tweaked to clear the intake runner on the head and then the pump was installed in the gear housing. The pump mounts to the gear housing via four bolts, and gets reinforced thanks to a heavy-duty support bracket supplied in Scheid’s conversion kit. Prior to setting the pump in place, the pump bore of the gear housing was hit with a coating of fresh engine oil.

DW-1708-PPUMP-25 — The pump gear nut was tightened twice when installing the P7100. The first sequence called for 11 lb-ft of torque (shown), followed by removal of the pump lock.

DW-1708-PPUMP-26 — To keep the pump from turning during shipping or installation (thereby altering its timing), Scheid employs a pump lock. With the pump gear nut tight enough to keep the pump from spinning (i.e., the aforementioned 11 ft-lb spec), the pump lock was removed, turned around, and reinstalled.

DW-1708-PPUMP-27 — Once the pump lock was spun around, the pump gear could be torqued to spec. With a helping hand keeping the crank from turning, the pump gear nut was tightened to 144 ft-lb.

DW-1708-PPUMP-28 — With the P-pump mounted, the pre-clamped 0.093-inch stainless steel injection lines were installed. For the intake elbow to clear the new injection lines, Scheid supplies a 1-inch billet grid heater spacer. After the lines were tightened up, Bosie went ahead and ran the valves and reinstalled the valve cover.

DW-1708-PPUMP-29 — Next, Bosie connected the ½-inch fuel supply hose to the P7100. Somewhere between 45 to 50 psi of supply pressure will be fed to the P-pump courtesy of a 220gph Titanium series FASS fuel system.

DW-1708-PPUMP-30 — The FASS system was mounted up under the bed on the driver side of the truck. Capable of supporting 900 to 1,200 hp, a fuel system this serious is good insurance for the P7100 it’s feeding.

DW-1708-PPUMP-31 — Unrestricted fuel flow begins at the tank thanks to this sump kit from Deviant Race Parts. Between this sump and the 220gph FASS system being on board, the P7100 is guaranteed to receive plenty of fuel, and diesel that’s been filtered down to 3 microns.

Thanks to Scheid Diesel, the process of hunting down all the parts needed for a P-pump swap is a thing of the past. Aside from the pump itself, the company’s P7100 conversion kit comes with everything you need to add a P-pump to your ’98.5-02 24-valve. With one of Scheid’s bench-tested, 215hp 12mm pumps topping things off, this 16-year-old Dodge effectively went from underpowered to a force to be reckoned with. DW

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SOURCE

DEVIANT RACE PARTS
208.719.0112
DeviantRaceP arts.com

FASS DIESEL FUEL SYSTEMS
866.769.3747
FassRide.com

FLYNN’S SHOP
217.478.3811

SCHEID DIESEL
812.466.7202
ScheidDiesel.com

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How does changing injectors and making modifications affect engine performance in a P pump swap?

Enhancing Engine Performance with Injector and Modification Changes

When undertaking a P pump swap, changing injectors and making modifications can significantly impact engine performance. These changes can affect fuel delivery, engine power, and overall efficiency. Here’s a detailed breakdown:

Injector Modifications

Fuel Line Thread and Injector Tips:
- Swapping to a second-generation injector often involves dealing with larger fuel line threads and smaller diameter tips.
- This modification ensures precise fuel injection and improved combustion efficiency.
Compatibility Considerations:
- Ensure the injector head is compatible with your engine block. Often, a direct ‘bolt-on’ approach is effective when using parts from a donor engine.

Structural Adjustments

Gear and Pump Alignments:
- The gear case and pump mounts may differ between generations. Proper alignment and fitting ensure the pump functions optimally.
- These adjustments are typically straightforward and involve securing parts from a donor engine.

Turbocharger Choices

Turbocharger Impact:
- Upgrading to a high-performance turbocharger, like a Garrett, can yield substantial gains in engine responsiveness.
- It provides significant improvements over stock options, delivering a noticeable increase in power and boost pressure.
Variable Geometry Turbo (VGT) Considerations:
- Modifying the VGT to maintain higher boost levels can enhance performance, although it might require supportive modifications, such as adjusting the fuel delivery system to accommodate increased airflow.

Performance Outcomes

Fuel and Power Dynamics:
- Running a setup with high fuel output (removing limiter plates or time-delay controls like AFC) allows for rapidly building boost pressure.
- Leveraging a VGT effectively, while maintaining sufficient fuel flow, can lead to exhilarating engine performance, especially in high-demand scenarios.

By thoughtfully selecting parts and making precise modifications, you can maximize engine efficiency and enjoy a powerful, responsive driving experience. Always ensure that modifications align with engine specifications and desired performance outcomes.

What modifications are necessary for the cam and head when swapping a VE pump for a P pump?

Modifications Needed for Cam and Head When Swapping a VE Pump for a P Pump

If you’re planning to swap a VE pump for a P pump, there are several modifications you’ll need to address to ensure seamless integration:

Cam Gear Compatibility

Gear Hub Design: Although the gear hub designs of VE and P pumps differ, their size and pitch remain consistent. This means that the gears will mesh correctly with a first-generation cam gear without modification.

Head and Injector Adjustments

Injector Compatibility: The second-generation head uses injectors with larger fuel line threads and smaller diameter tips compared to the first-generation setup.
- Solution: Swap the head from your donor engine onto your first-generation block, as it is compatible and allows direct bolting without additional alterations.

Gear Case and Cover Modifications

Gear Case and Pump Mount: The gear case and cover for the pumps differ because the mounting points differ between VE and P pumps.
- Solution: Ensure the donor gear case and cover are installed to fit the pump, as these are bolt-on components.

By addressing these specific areas, you can achieve a smooth transition from a VE pump setup to a P pump system.

How can you modify a throttle cable for a VE to P pump engine swap?

How to Modify a Throttle Cable for a VE to P Pump Engine Swap

When undertaking a VE to P pump engine swap, modifying the throttle cable is a crucial step. Here’s a detailed guide on how to achieve a functional setup:

Materials Needed:

Standard throttle cable (commonly used in older model trucks)
Zip ties
Crimp-on electrical terminal
PTO cable
Red knob

Step-by-Step Modification:

Prepare the Throttle Cable:
- Start with a standard throttle cable typical for older truck models.
- Instead of relying on the usual carburetor throttle bracket connection, you’ll need to secure it differently for the P pump.
Securing the Cable:
- Use zip ties to attach the square clip of the throttle cable securely to the lift pump. This ensures a stable linkage between the throttle mechanism and the pump.
Connecting to the Pump Lever:
- At the end of the throttle cable, attach a crimp-on electrical terminal. This terminal will enable you to connect the cable directly to the pump lever, providing precise throttle control.
Implement a Shutoff Mechanism:
- Utilize an old PTO (Power Take-Off) cable to serve as your shutoff system.
- Attach this cable to the stop lever of the pump.
- For easy operation, install a large, clearly noticeable red knob on your dashboard to control the PTO cable.

By following these steps, you can modify your throttle cable system effectively to accommodate a VE to P pumpengine swap, ensuring smooth operation and control over your vehicle.

What are the key considerations for finding a donor engine for a VE to P pump swap?

Key Considerations for Choosing a Donor Engine for a VE to P Pump Swap

When planning a VE to P pump swap, selecting the right donor engine is crucial. Here are some key factors to consider:

Comprehensive Parts Availability
Ensure the donor engine has all necessary components for the swap. Look for engines that include the gear case, head, P-pump, and lift pump as these are the essential parts you’ll need.
Cost-Effectiveness
School buses are a valuable source for acquiring engines at an economical price—often found for around $800 once they have surpassed their operational lifespan. This makes them a cost-effective option for sourcing donor engines.
Engine Compatibility
Double-check that the engine model is compatible with your current setup. This ensures the components will fit correctly and function with minimal additional modifications.
Condition and Wear
Inspect the donor engine’s condition to confirm that the parts are in good shape. Look for signs of wear or damage that could impact the functionality of the components during and after the swap.
Age and Mileage
Consider the age and mileage of the donor engine. Older engines with high mileage may have parts that have experienced significant wear, which might compromise their reliability.
Ease of Installation
Select a donor engine that allows for straightforward bolt-on installation. This can save time and enhance the efficiency of the swap process.

By taking these considerations into account, you can effectively source a suitable donor engine, ensuring a successful and smooth VE to P pump conversion.

How can you pull the cam out of an engine without removing the engine from the truck?

To pull the camshaft out of the block, a set of homemade lifter holders (1/2-inch diameter wooden dowels) were installed in the push tube bores. The holders grip the lifters and suspend them above the cam, allowing the cam lobes to clear them when the cam is removed. Before the cam was pulled, the lifter holders were zip-tied in place, and then zip-tied together in pairs.

Once the head is off, follow these steps:

Prepare the Dowels: Cut 1/2-inch wooden dowels into 1-foot pieces.
Insert and Secure: Place a dowel in each cam follower. Gently tap them with a hammer to lift the followers off the cam.
Zip-tie for Stability: Secure the dowels by zip-tying them in pairs. This holds them up and out of the way.

As the camshaft was being pulled, Bosie was extremely careful not to damage any of the bearings. Because having a lifter drop after the camshaft is removed means you’re pulling the oil pan, Bosie inserted a 1.5-inch diameter pipe in the cam’s bore as soon as the cam was out, for added insurance.

This method ensures the camshaft is removed smoothly without necessitating the removal of the engine from the truck, providing a practical solution for engine maintenance.