Putting a Cummins 24V with VE mechanical injection pump into my 2008 F250 with failed Navistar engine

[westcliffe01]

Thanks for starting this great thread!

Thanks... I bought the truck so that I could legally tow my 8000lb backhoe or my Kubota M4500 tractor from place to place. I have a 12k gooseneck trailer for that reason and couldnt come up with any legal way to do it with a half ton truck and the cost sure goes up when looking at a 3/4 ton or above, even used... I thought that I might be relocating to Colorado but that plan is now probably going to change to TN because of the rapidly changing political situation in Colorado. Sometime in the not too distant future I am hoping to buy some land and haul my equipment down to TN to start building my shop and somewhat later a new house for my wife...

 

[Hay Dude]

I’m at 3 years and 39,000 on a bone stock 2020 6.7L Cummins 5500. Just had CP3 pump done under campaign.
Purchased extended warranty (7 years 100,000 miles bumper to bumper for $2,700 when new from Stellantis).

So far zero problems. The truck with the extended warranty was cheaper than the other 2 contenders without an extended warranty.

I bought it because I needed a truck to pull 16-18 tons (hay & trailer) about 75 times per year and this one was the only one I trusted to do it and was cheapest.

I like what you did and have seen a few shops that specialize in dropping Cummins diesels in Fords.
I actually milked 175,000 miles from a 2010 F-350 6.4L, but did a turbo at 110,000 and rockers at 150,000, 2 DPF’s, plus a few other less costly repairs. All mine pulled great when they were running, but usually 1 of the 3 we had was down all the time.

Running 4 farm tractors-all pre emissions.
Hard to make a living on trucks and tractors when they aren’t running.

 

[Hay Dude]

I know people at work that paid that exact price. Pull the cab, pull the engine, tear the engine down, install ARP studs, potentially bore block and new pistons, rings, bearings, possibility of valve train damage, new cam, followers rockers, 2x head jobs, new turbos, up pipes, new HP fuel pump, rebuilt injectors + any other fuel system parts. Put it all back together and back in truck, re-install cab along with new cab mounts etc etc. In my case replace DOC and DPF which is already several thousand $...

A guy who worked for me as a carpentry sub had a 6.4L in an F-450 he dropped 16k in a complete rebuild. I was routinely quoted $17K for a reman or rebuild back when I was running 3) 6.4’s in work trucks.
Nice trucks with problematic engines.

 

[Death Row Dave]

Here the Old Work Horse is , Dana 60 front and rear axles , both have Dana power locks , Cummins Powered , NV4500 , NP205 , Ramsey hydraulic 20 ,000 lb winch . It will drive anywhere on the planet , that you can steer the steering wheel . X US Forestry unit . I purchased and M35A2 at the same time.

 

[westcliffe01]

A guy who worked for me as a carpentry sub had a 6.4L in an F-450 he dropped 16k in a complete rebuild. I was routinely quoted $17K for a reman or rebuild back when I was running 3) 6.4’s in work trucks.
Nice trucks with problematic engines.

If you go with the Ford dealership of course you will get the replacement engine in the exact same state as the original, whereas with the independent shop at least they will upgrade anything that needs it or that they know about for basically the same price that Ford charges.

My truck does not make me any money, its just a money pit but if you want heavy equipment you have to have a legal way to move it... I would love to find myself an old 1950s truck to customize and drop my cummins running gear into when I am done with moving and building the shop and retirement house.

 

[thepumpguysc]

The VE pump is great..
Only problem I’ve ever seen is: (35 years in a fuel shop)
1) leaking front seal which puts fuel in the oil.. but Bosch fixed that by upgrading the seal..and could be caught early enough by simply checking your oil on the dip stick.
2) the boost diaphragm freezing up from old assembly grease from the factory..Again, an easy fix..
AND there’s a couple of good mods u can do if one was so inclined..
Keep up the good work and post back..

 

[Hay Dude]

Here the Old Work Horse is , Dana 60 front and rear axles , both have Dana power locks , Cummins Powered , NV4500 , NP205 , Ramsey hydraulic 20 ,000 lb winch . It will drive anywhere on the planet , that you can steer the steering wheel . X US Forestry unit . I purchased and M35A2 at the same time.

Yeah thats a stout truck.
Let me know when you’re done with it…..

 

[crashz]

Love the thread. I want to do something similar to my squarebodys. I have an 87 (my avatar) and and 83, both with 6.2L diesels as the original engines. I have an older 12v cummins (destined for the 83) with the VE pump and was under the impression that the VE pump was LESS reliably than the P700. But I'm a Cummins newbie. Following your thread with interest!

 

[westcliffe01]

Love the thread. I want to do something similar to my squarebodys. I have an 87 (my avatar) and and 83, both with 6.2L diesels as the original engines. I have an older 12v cummins (destined for the 83) with the VE pump and was under the impression that the VE pump was LESS reliably than the P700. But I'm a Cummins newbie. Following your thread with interest!

The VP-44 electronic rotary pump was the one that was less reliable. 1999-2002 I believe. Mainly because it was cooled by excess fuel supplied from the lift pump. But the Dodge trucks had a poor lift pump and as the lift pump would flow less and less over time, the injection pump and its embedded PCB would run hotter and hotter and eventually fail.

 

[5030]

Knowing you personally, I surmise your maintenance intervals are lacking anyway.

I'll leave it at that.

 

[westcliffe01]

Knowing you personally, I surmise your maintenance intervals are lacking anyway.

I'll leave it at that.

You know me and my maintenance habits ? This vehicle/engine has a known MTBF of around 80k miles, that is well known in the marketplace. Lets see, bought in 2010 with 70k miles, failed in 2020 with 117k miles so 47k miles in 10 years. Basically 5k a year and 1 oil change. Worst maintenance item has been the brakes, never got more than 10 k miles a set.

Guess these folks below must have been extra bad with their maintenance, first guy had the turbos fail 3x by 64k miles and then the next guy who's engine grenaded by 84k miles....

 

[Death Row Dave]

Yeah thats a stout truck.
Let me know when you’re done with it…..

Thanks , the Ole Dude is one tough SOB . I cut and haul loads of fire wood from my property to my parents , try to keep them happy . It has never really spun a tire loaded , empty it will spin . Never stuck . It will deliver high 20s MPG any day of the week . It weights 7700 lb empty . Rust is its worst issue . This thing looks like a production line truck , everything is different , steering box , brakes , etc., Uncle Sugar Issue . I could sell it day that I drive it to town , not for sale at the moment . I have logged 125K on the Cummins swap at the moment and will never look back .

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

I have a 2001 F350 flatbed 4x4 7.3 with 97k on it. Hardly ever drive it.

 

[Hay Dude]

I have a 2001 F350 flatbed 4x4 7.3 with 97k on it. Hardly ever drive it.

Those were decent trucks as long as you took care of the automatic transmission. Had like 7 of them from 1989-2000. Had a few with ZF manuals, too.
No power, but easy to fix, reliable.

 

[5030]

Those were decent trucks as long as you took care of the automatic transmission. Had like 7 of them from 1989-2000. Had a few with ZF manuals, too.
No power, but easy to fix, reliable.

If you wake them up with a Gale Banks kit, they run quite well. I had mine on the dyno at work and it was putting 325 to the rears. I had Ford SVO do the tranny too. New clutches, billet actuators and a huge Hayden tranny cooler. You have to keep up on fluid changes as well and add a fluid filter and deep sump (increased capacity finned aluminum pan). Mine has a B&M pan on it. When they get hot, they fail. Mine never gets over 200 (f). E4OD SVO built.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

I have a 2001 F350 flatbed 4x4 7.3 with 97k on it. Hardly ever drive it.

I have a "92" dodge W350 extended cab, with Cummins and NV4500 5 speed with 95k on it, I almost never drive it.

SR

 

[5030]

My issue with retrofitting a Ford isn't the engine but the weight of it as it relates to the suspension. The Cummins is a lot heavier than the Navistar and the Ford suspension (especially a 4wd) really isn't up to the added weight.

 

[QRTRHRS]

Good read. Speaking about weight, back when i had my 97 12V dually, i used to be on the TDR site.

There was a guy that put an 8.3/10 spd RR in a Ford. He beefed up the frame to hold all of that weight. I would think that it still had to be hard on the axle, etc.

I stopped following the site after i sold the truck with 350k on it and loosing 5th gear again.

 

[westcliffe01]

My issue with retrofitting a Ford isn't the engine but the weight of it as it relates to the suspension. The Cummins is a lot heavier than the Navistar and the Ford suspension (especially a 4wd) really isn't up to the added weight.

The Navistar 6.4 engine weighs 1130lb with oil, so it is very close to the weight of the Cummins 5.9 engine. The transmission cross member does get moved back to the rear most set of holes to allow for the longer straight 6 to fit behind the radiator.

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

I have a "92" dodge W350 extended cab, with Cummins and NV4500 5 speed with 95k on it, I almost never drive it.

SR

I regret all them trucks I passed on. Lot of oilfield around here and they used those trucks. Many good ole trucks went for 800 to 1200 dollars. Should have bought them up and parked them. My uncle worked for Cummins since Vietnam. He went to Navy diesel engine school before Vietnam. He went all over putting Cummins in tanks for the army. Said they turned the governor all the way up, zero warranty. He never married or had a family, so I spent a lot of time around him. Cummins was good stuff.