I came across a thread about not dropping the tappet during removal and installation and find TDC to avoid it. Naturally I came across it after I removed and installed my pump. Apparently luck was on my side because the old pump pulled out after a fight and the tappet was still on. I installed the new pump and got everything back together but haven’t started the truck up yet because I’m waiting for turbo parts.
Some threads say the tappet can also fall in the engine during install if you didn’t find TDC? How is that possible? If so, wouldn’t it fall out while the truck is running too? Surely the tappet length must be long enough to touch the cam to prevent it from falling out. Do I need to be concerned that the new tappet is going to drop in the engine since I didn’t find TDC during removal and install? Or am I overthinking this?

 

you are good now that old tappet cam up out of the bore it seals in.
Again the engine should be rotated with pump bolts loose few turns and when pump starts pushing up then cam is in good spot.
Installing new one now in the same cam location is not a problem as it is going down into the bore. Just put oil on the o ring. It will be tight in the pump out of the box and will not fall out unless you try to pull the pump back up. Then u are at risk

 

Thanks for the info. If I ever have to change it out again, I’ll follow that procedure. The new pump had grease on the tappet and that helped hold it in place when I installed it.

 

Just did mine a few weeks ago. And I'm also doing turbo stuff as well.

My old one pulled right out and the tappet was still in the old pump pretty good. I held my finger up against the side of it when pulling it just to make sure. I did not bother with TDC, I just pulled it, and then put the new one in. When I fired up my truck, that was the fastest it has started since I've owned it. It didn't fix my issue, but I barely started cranking it and it turned over.

 

Thanks for the info. I'm still waiting on other parts before I get a chance to fire it up.

 

Thinking about this, thats its a very good question IMHO, can anybody answer about that?

 

Never heard of one falling out during installation. The reason it falls out during removal is some wiggle the pump side to side trying to break the seal, instead of pulling straight up, I did too. All of a sudden the pump breaks loose and this causes the tappet to catch the bottom of the hole and is pulled out of the pump.

On older pumps the seal is pretty worn and it's easy to dislodge the tappet. On the new pump the seal is pretty stout and can be pulled out by hand, but it does take some effort. Raising the cam lobe to push the tappet and fuel pump up, Hugh spring pressure there, ensures it most likely will still be available if falling out of the pump body.

 

Excellent AMIGO Jim.

 

I did this last fall too with the same fears of the tappet falling off. On mine the tappet was still pretty very tight and I had no issues with possibly losing it. I read on here before my swap to remove all bolts and lines holding pump in and crank engine by hand until the cam shaft pushes the pump up. With no bolts in place, the pump lifts very nicely and after that you can simply lift it out without prying. Also, by doing this the cam lobe will be at its highest point making it harder for the tappet to fall or catch on hole. As long as the pump remains perfectly vertical during removal, the tappet will either stay with the pump or you will see it resting on cam if you go slow, allowing you to grab it with something. It's easy, you will spend much more time and frustration installing the big fuel banjo bolt onto the pump. PITA!

 

When I did mine, the o-ring between the pump and the engine was "frozen", so I tried the tip of "TDC : cam lobe at the top" and never lifted the FP, so I have to pry it and pull it, and maybe I had luck and the tappet was still in the FP.

Now I think I understand why the tappet doesnt fall into the engine while the truck is running is because on the new pump the seal is pretty stout and can be pulled out by hand, but it does take some effort, in the other hand, on older pumps the seal is pretty worn and it's easy to dislodge the tappet and that increases the distance between the pump and the tappet and can fall, but that distance doesn’t increase ever, when the pump is tightened complete down for the FP bolts. I hope I explained myself.

FYI I read another tip: before installing the new pump rotate the engine to lower the cam lobe so you do not have to put as much down pressure on the pump body.

 

Yes, the stem on the tappet is long enough that, when the pump is bolted down, even with the cam lobe at the lowest point, the stem can't come out of the pump body. It's when you lift the pump up after unbolting it that the stem can slip out of the pump body and drop into the block.

Okay, good to hear. I speculated that would be a good thing to do.

 

Excellent explanation.