[v8volvo]

To add a couple more things onto the good info ngoma provided above:

Originally Posted by CapnSass

I spoke to the diesel guy. He told me that he didn't get as far as timing the pump. It was running but it was running really rough. There WAS NO THROTTLE CONTROL. Because of that he didn't go much further into timing it.

If it was running very poorly, then the fact that there was apparently no throttle control might not be the injection pump's fault. If the timing is very far off and the engine's compression is quite healthy, then it's conceivable that the engine could run (extremely poorly and with colossal amounts of smoke) on residual fuel injected at the wrong time, and in such scenarios there's limited ability for changing injected quantity to change engine speed. In other words, you might get the impression that the pump's throttle control was faulty when in reality all the symptoms, including the apparent inability to control engine speed, are on account of incorrect timing. The fact that the mechanic attempted to even start the engine without first confirming timing indicates that his approach was wrong.

Note: before **ANY!!!!!** conclusions are ever to be made about the fundamental condition of an engine or injection pump, in the context of a D24 or other similar motor, camshaft and injection timing ABSOLUTELY **MUST!!!** be confirmed to be correct by OBJECTIVE means (i.e. by the use of tools -- NOT by visual alignment of timing marks or by "timing by ear"). This applies to pump-injected diesel engines as a very basic rule.

If someone's telling you that they are condemning the pump on the grounds that the engine ran so badly BEFORE they set the timing that they decided it wasn't worth bothering to even go through the timing procedure.......... then that raises a lot of suspicion about their thought process and their qualification to correctly do the work.

Originally Posted by CapnSass

So I've purchased the above from ebay... but it seems that the shaft is too short??

The tool you got is technically intended for a 4-cylinder VW pump but it will work just fine here. 5-cylinder Audi and 6-cylinder Volvo versions of this motor do use an indicator holder with a longer tube and rod, as you see from the greenbook's pictures. However, as ngoma said, carefully removing the vacuum pump from the Volvo engine will make room for the (much cheaper and more available) VW version of the tool to be used with no trouble -- and in your case, given the work that has been done so far, you will need to remove the vacuum pump anyway to verify that you're timing the pump to #1 compression TDC on the cam, rather than 180 degrees out. This is done by pulling the vacuum pump off (carefully observing ngoma's note about loosening its nuts very slowly and evenly so as to avoid breakage of the mounting ears) and, with the crankshaft TDC mark aligned in the bellhousing, checking whether the pushrod that drives the vacuum pump is at maximum extension out of the head, or at its minimum position. Minimum position indicates you're at #1 TDC compression (what you want), while maximum extension means #1 TDC exhaust (180 degrees off).

Normally this isn't a step you have to take when changing an injection pump, but since there are some possible questions now about whether the cam and pump are phased correctly, it should be done. So, in short, you can remove the vacuum pump and then you'll be able to do this and also get the tool into the IP without interference.

Originally Posted by CapnSass

Just spoke to the shop from where I purchased. It was pulled out of a running vehicle about 18-20 months ago (because vehicle was being converted to WVO). It sat for about a year. The shop picked it up, cleaned it with "diesel clean" (??), sat for 6 months, at which time I purchased it. Upon installation, the pump was primed until fuel was flowing through the lines.

As ngoma said, this is a strange reason to claim for replacing an injection pump. If you get your engine successfully timed, to 110% certainty, and it still doesn't run correctly, then there may be some questions that need to be asked of the people that sold the pump to you to fill in the background of this story a little better. Normally, an injection pump is only ever removed from an engine either because a) the pump has something wrong with it and needs work, or b) the engine that the pump was bolted to has expired and the good-running pump is being removed for spares. It is exceedingly uncommon to remove a problem-free pump from a problem-free engine for some kind of preemptive reason, including preparation for WVO.

However, right now the first priority, before questioning the pump itself any further, is to make sure it has been installed properly with correct timing. Until that's done, you unfortunately won't be in a position to back up any claims about whether or not the pump is in as-described condition if/when you go back to the shop that sold it to you with complaints about the way it works.

Originally Posted by CapnSass

So this is where we are now; the proper tools, the greenbook "how-to", all amped and ready to go!!!

OK, you now have the right stuff, and have already made a lot of diagnostic progress -- you're more than halfway to having the answers you need!

Here's a deal I'll offer: If you come all the way to having timed the engine exactly perfectly and you determine, beyond all possible doubt, that the problem here is due to pump malfunction and NOT due to incorrect installation, then I have a known good running spare D24 pump that I will be happy to provide for a very low price. However, we have to first do the work to prove 100% that the pump is what's causing the problem! There's a lot of good info here in this thread now, so keep us posted on your next progress and we'll see where we end up.