Just curious, I was reading a post up under the loader/backhoe tab about someone replacing fuel injection pump and was wondering how you can get a pump in time if you accidently get it out of time (besides calling an expert). The reason I ask is a friend and me did a motor rebuild on a CAT 420E backhoe and got one out of time a couple years ago. We got it back in time but it was kind of a miracle. I'm a mechanic but far from an expert and have never had any sort of formal training. I'm pretty good at fixing stuff but some stuff I have no clue about and have to learn as I go (sometimes this can lead to a disaster but so far over the years I've done pretty good) . Anyhow, back to my question. What happen was I tore down the engine and everything by myself and got all the parts ordered. From the time I started till the time we started rebuilding the motor was probably 2-3 months, we had to wait on a crank shaft. Cat had to have the crankshaft built and delivered from Germany I think. When I tore down the motor I made sure I marked all of the gears really good but when I started to take of the fuel injection pump I couldn't figure out how to lock it, so I made sure it was marked really well and knew exactly where it should go and secured the gear so it wouldn't turn. Later I found how to lock the pump but too little to late I guess. So we get the motor back together and it is completely out of time. Oh and when I took the motor apart it was at top dead center. So here was our solution. We decided we didn't want to spend the money to send it to CAT or get them to come down to our shop, at least not till we played with it and really screwed it up. Well we decided to put it back to top dead center and spin the timing gear one tooth at a time. After we did this about 30 times and working on it till about 3am we got it back in time. Backhoe has run great since and still going strong. What would y'all have done, were we just really lucky? How do you get one back in time and what kind of tools or diagnostic equipment do you need. I never thought we would get it back in time without getting a fuel injection pump specialist to come in. I thought we may end up possibly bending a push rod or something if we got it really out of whack. I can't remember what we thought had happen but after messing with it the gear was spun once and everything lined up how I had it marked.
Injection pumps have away that you can pin them. Might be that you have to pull a plug off the side and insert a tool etc. some port and helix pumps you have to turn them over till you get fuel out of the number one hole the name of this procedure escapes me at the moment. Haven't run into an injection pump yet that can't be timed.
Yea, I found out how to pin it after I had taken it off. It did have a plug in the side. But how do you time one and what is involved? I've never done it and never seen it done. Pretty much I have done very little concerning fuel injection pumps other than replacing one completely and all you have to do there is slap it in (with the motor at TDC of course).