Injection pump damaged by forcing cold start cable at TDC?

[MeidleMose]

Working on resetting the timing on a Bosch VE pump equipped with a cold start cable.

Set the timing, started it up, but it wouldn't stay running unless I pulled the cold start knob out--too retarded.

Shut it down, began resetting the pump timing and got some crazy-high readings until we realized the cold start knob was still pulled out. My helper pushed the knob back in, found it more difficult to move than usual, then repeated this before informing me. I suspect this was because the engine was currently set at TDC.

My question: is it likely this damaged the pump internals, by forcing the cold start mechanism while at TDC?

The cable end and lever set screw all appear to be undamaged, unkinked, etc..

Thanks--appreciate any advice!

[fatmobile]

No that won't hurt anything.
There is basically a cam disc that rotates.
 As it turns it pushes the timing piston to advance it.
 It just works against a spring on the other end of the timing piston.

 Sometimes the plastic bushings in the end of the lever on the pump are gone
and it makes it hard to operate.
That's right, the barrel the cable is bolted to is supposed to ride inside a couple bushings in the lever.
I think that's something you can only get at the dealership.

 You got high readings on what? What was reading high? RPMs or timing advance?

[MeidleMose]

Great, good to hear--THANKS!

All the cable-end bits were recently replaced and are in good order.

You got high readings on what? What was reading high? RPMs or timing advance?

High readings on the timing advance--rookie mistake:

Set the pump advance to, say, .92 mm of lift
Fire it up, runs rough until the cold-start knob is pulled out
Shut it down
Install the dial indicator again to reset
Find that instead of the expected .92 it's now 1.08 or something
Scratch head until realizing that's about equal to cold-start advance

Thanks again!

[ORCoaster]

When my plastic parts went all cracky on me I just went to the hardware store and in those bins with tons of different-sized nylon washers and bushings, I found one that fit the inside diameter of the bracket and then just slowly filed the inside to fit the pin with the hole in it that pulls on the bracket.  I have several of them and for most of the pumps I worked on, I had to replace those bushings.