200hp from Stock Turbo and Injection Pump?

[DieselScout]

Currently in the process of building 2x D24Ts in Volvo 240s
The automatic sedan will be around stock power at the moment and the standard wagon will be a bit more than stock, hopefully.

I am looking to get a maximum of 200bhp from the wagon so as to not risk destroying the 3rd gear in the M46 transmission.

Realistically, can this be achieved with the stock turbo and the stock injection pump? Or should one or both be upgraded?

I have the following parts potentially for the wagon...
0.50mm Oversize KS pistons and rings
Head with larger 32mm prechambers
NA camshaft
MLS head gasket
ARP studs
stock turbo and some other used turbos of similar size
stock pump and a modified 12mm pump with a ground pin
193, 293 and 274 Injectors
Small intercooler

Thoughts?

[v8volvo]

Have you ever been in touch with Anders out in WA State? He is on the forum here every now and then but I think not very often. He has done a lot over the years with upgraded turbos and injection pumps and I believe he has a pretty good recipe for a comprehensive upgrade setup.

Others may also be able to comment. Personally I don't really know but I would guess the stock IP would be up to it. I think the main points would be the turbo, exhaust, and intercooling. If the engine is breathing well and getting plenty of cool, dense intake air, I would imagine 200hp or so would be pretty easy to reach. Stock D24TIC had ~125hp from the factory and the exhaust and intake systems on a stock 7/9 series leave plenty of room for improvement.

Don't forget about good oil cooling and engine cooling too.

[DieselScout]

I reached out but haven't heard anything back; I heard he's no longer in the D24 game?

If the stock pump is capable of 200hp, would there be any advantage to using one of Anders' modified 12mm pumps with a ground pin, or would that be overkill and potentially waste more fuel below 200hp?

[v8volvo]

I last met up with Anders maybe 2-3 years ago. At that time he was definitely still playing with D24s. I know he has many other interests in other types of vehicles as well so it wouldn't surprise me if he is busy with another project but I would be surprised if he has backed away from D24 Volvos completely. At the minimum he has a ton of knowledge and probably parts access.

If you don't manage to reach him by PM or email, send me a PM and I will get in touch with him directly and ask him to reach out to you.

[v8volvo]

The challenge with a big pump head is not so much "wasting fuel" as it is difficult to make it run smoothly and efficiently at lower fueling rates. Poor idle quality, etc can be one effect, unless you like the "lope". You're running the governor way at the bottom outside of its comfort zone to make a 2.4L engine idle using a pump designed for an engine more than double its size (5.9 Cummins). Think of running an excessively large carburetor on an old gas engine. At some point you face a challenge of getting it to work smoothly and efficiently.

Non-standard combinations of internal pump components (head/rotor, camplate, springs) can also lead to unexpected results, like abnormal wear on the camplate/rollers and drive components due to the greater forces from the bigger pump elements, or broken springs from excess effort returning the bigger plunger ... etc.

The VE pump is very much an engineered system where the components are closely matched to each other. Since the pump platform is so flexible (rotor sizes from 9mm to 12mm, two rotation direction possibilities, various timing adjustment systems, DI vs IDI, etc), you can have a lot of different ways it is engineered. But for any given factory produced configuration, the combination of parts is carefully chosen. If you change just one component then you may not be able to predict all the long term effects on the others. Effects on timing belt lifespan are also unknown -- the bigger pump elements can create greater strain on timing components. To give you an example, in the TDI world, automatic ALH engine cars with 11mm pumps are rated for shorter timing belt intervals than manual cars with 10mm pumps. Going from 10mm to 12mm would be a more significant step.

All this to say, my personal advice (speaking without any experience running bigger pump heads though ) would be to take other modifications as far as you can FIRST, keeping the stock injection pump during that time. There is a lot to be gained from airflow improvements, especially intercooling and turbo geometry. Turbos have come a long way in the 40 years since this engine was first produced and a modern, correctly sized turbo may offer a very significant improvement. The stock IP has a lot of headroom for greater fuel delivery as well, especially with upgrades to the LDA and injector nozzles.

Rather than aiming for a particular number like 200hp, you may want to aim for performance and driveability that subjectively feels good and meets your expectations. Maybe you will get it to a place where you're very happy with the way it runs and pulls, without having to deal with the potential tradeoffs of the bigger injection pump.

Then, in due time, if you discover that you've exhausted all the other avenues and the IP is your bottleneck preventing reaching the performance goal, you can make that change at that time. Any other upgrades you make before then (exhaust, intake, turbo, IC, etc) will only be helpful in maximizing the potential of the bigger IP if/when you go that way.

As mentioned before, keep in mind the last variable, which is cooling system performance. Always an important consideration with any IDI diesel including the D24T. Maybe you'll find that even with the stock IP and other upgrades, you're running close to the limits of how quickly the 240 radiator can shed heat. If so, that will become your limiting factor to solve before you go to a pump that pushes more fuel and heat in.

Just some thoughts. These both sound like great builds and will be fun to hear how they come together. If you go to the 12mm pump, make some videos!