Interesting Pump

[libbydiesel]

As I mentioned I was a few blocks into the initial test drive after assembling the pump.  On assembly everything was well lubed.  It had been running for some time in the drive as I got the idle/timing adjustments dialed in. 

I initially tried to separate the vane pump hub from the cover by hammering on it.  It didn't budge.  It is not stuck by baked on diesel.  It is welded.  I'm not going to try any harder to separate the pieces as they are an interesting paperweight/conversation piece.

I was very low on fuel and it is feasible that it sloshed away from the pickup enough to momentarily starve it.

[TylerDurden]

I was very low on fuel and it is feasible that it sloshed away from the pickup enough to momentarily starve it.

I didn't think it was possible to "starve" an IP. The inlet to the HP head is higher than most of the other guts including the lift section. The engine should stall if the level of fuel drops. Otherwise, running out of fuel would kill IPs left and right.

[745 turbogreasel]

I initially tried to separate the vane pump hub from the cover by hammering on it.  It didn't budge.  It is not stuck by baked on diesel.  It is welded.  I'm not going to try any harder to separate the pieces as they are an interesting paperweight/conversation piece.

How about slicing it in half?
Aside from lack of lube...how about something with the vanes themselves , like pulled from another pump, put in backwards, with grit or varnish...

[libbydiesel]

I'm not going to cut up the piece.  I will save it on 'the wall'. 

I'm quite meticulous when assembling a pump but grit/particulate is certainly possible.  I don't think the issue was with the vanes, tho, as they all came free of the hub without much doing.  I also try to be very careful to maintain the relative positions of the vanes, camplate rollers, flat bushings, etc.  That said, it is certainly possible that I flipped one or more of the vanes.  I have fumbled bits and dropped them before.  My typical approach is to wipe the bits off, blow them off with compressed air and then wipe off again before lubing them up with vaseline in order to install. 

[745 turbogreasel]

It seems really weird to me there would be enough  force  going that direction to stick the parts to each other. Which leaves heat...
Lightning strike from under the car  hits the pulley, and  in grounding through the pump-plate interface welds the two together
It still looks good at the  front of the pump housing right?

[libbydiesel]

I like the lightning strike theory although I didn't see a flash.  The pump case looks decent.  There is a bit of marking where the screws broke and from the outer ring spinning but really quite reasonable.  No galling of the aluminum or any wear that can catch a fingernail on the area where the hub spins.  The case side of the hub is a little shiny but really looks good.  There isn't any wear on that side that I can feel with my finger or fingernail.  The whole thing is weird.  The internal parts of the pump all look really good except that the vane hub is welded to the cover, the bolts are sheared in the case and the shaft/sprocket are both galled.  If I get the sheared bolts out I will install another vane pump, clean up the pump shaft and reassemble and have a pump that's good for another 200,000 miles or until someone over-tightens the belt... 

[745 turbogreasel]

If the fasteners are broken, maybe they are the suspect.  Imagine in previous  service, something was cocked in the bore, and the plate was  zipped in with an impact, stretching the screw to near breaking, and or bending the plate.  You pull it out, give it a wipe, and throw it back together
 

I'm not  to clear on how this scenario ends in seized parts though.