PMD- remove without pulling intake?

[Yesterday]

OK, now I have PMD extension cable and heatsink in hand.
Question: Do I have to pull intake manifold to remove PMD from pump?

Ken

[rogers]

Short answer is no. I used a torx bit (#25 I think) and a 1/4 inch box end wrench to loosen the four screws. Tight fit but it can be done.

[Robyn]

Best solution

Abandon in place and replace with a DTECH on a remote cooler.

The one mounted on the IP is not going to come off with the manifold in place, plus the IP must be rotated to allow access to the screws.

Technically, yess it can be done BUTTTTTTTTTTTTT not worth learning all the new words you will find useful during the process.

Hence the reason I said what I did.

The DTECH is far and away a better PMD.

Install a #5 or 7 resistor in the new PMD before installing the setup.


IMHO any PMD that has been subject to any length od run time on the IP is not worth the time and grief to get it off.

Missy


Hope this answers the ???????????????? :)

[Yesterday]

I just had the new (gray) Stanadyne PMD installed. Only type available in this area. The tech used a #7 resistor. Is the DTECH better than the new Stanadyne?

Ken

[Robyn]

The New Stanadyne unit has very little track record so far so to make any real comment is of little value.

In my personal and very jaded opinion I would not patronize Stanadyne at all.

They gave us nothing but excuses over the many years that the PMD's failed repeatedly on our trucks.

The Dtech has done a good job in the last couple years with no failures that I have heard folks ragging about. (And you can bet someone would be)

I will spend my PMD Dollars $$$$$$$$$$$ on the Dtech for the reasons mentioned above.

Hope this is helpful

Robyn

[a4stargen]

Install a #5 or 7 resistor in the new PMD before installing the setup.






I am curious, why do you recommend a #5 or #7? In other words, why not a #6, #8, or #9?

[Yesterday]

Would have used the Dtech PMD if I could have found one quick. No one
in this area stocks the critters, needed truck soonest, so went with the
Stanadyne. Oh well, warrantied for two years, will worry about it then.

Ken

[Kennedy]

Dtech has very little track record as well.

Dtech testing showed that they passed GM's tests and yada yada yada, but then the Stanadyne units (black) also passed this test so this proved NOTHING.

When the Dtech has survived 5 years we'll know something about it, BUT the Dtech also has the benefit of the remote cooler options that the early and many currently installed Stanadyne units do not.

[surfbeetle]

My Dtech lasted 15 months, I got it from a shop in Florida that also sold me the extension wiring harness and heat sink. I mounted it up front where it got plenty of air flow and the damn thing still failed. They had sent me a heat pad along with heat paste to put between the pad and the heat sink.

Today I picked up the new grey PMD. This new PMD has only the heat pad, no processor paste. Since I work on computers, I verified with a coworker who does the hardware repairs about the absence of paste, he said that some of the new processors don't use it.

I will attempt the install tonite. The issue is that the wiring harness plug is different from the old style. I have to see if I can modify my harness to fit into the grey pmd. They must want you to use the new harness for some reason if they went through the hassle of changing it. Can the harness be removed off of the pump easily with the intake manifold on? I am referring to the factory pump harness, not an extension harness. Thanks.

[DmaxMaverick]

In regards to the thermal pad/paste:

One or the other, never both. If the heat transfer gap is too great, and filled with paste or pad, it can actually insulate the heat. Paste is better than pads, in every case, but pads are more simple, less messy, and much easier to maintain QC in an automated process (robotic installation). Ideally, the mating surfaces would be machined to exact tolerance, and no thermal medium would be used. The pad/paste solution is intended to offset the variance, and ensure a gap-free contact area. Paste can do this without a specific thickness and compression rate. Most all late computer builds use a loaded tension type retention mechanism to ensure a specific pressure between the surfaces. If the surfaces are simply bolted together, they can loosen over time, as the thermal medium, pads or paste, relieves tension over time and heat cycles, and within temperature variables. The same principal is used for exhaust manifold outlet connections to maintain a leak-free seal (the reason for the springs on the bolts). In the end, thermal gap solutions lend absolutely nothing to an ability to transfer heat.

Interesting you've had a D-Tech fail. I haven't heard of any here. It had to happen sometime. Unfortunately it was you. Realistically, I wouldn't attribute the failure to anything other than a defective unit or externally caused (physical or electrical) damage. The reports of failures are certainly well within any standard of quality. Even NASA has more than a 1% failure rate, which would be absolutely unacceptable for automotive electronic components, and the NHTSA requires a recall, or some other form of resolution, for less. If the D-Tech drivers last 5 years or more, on average, it will be more than Stanadyne can claim, under the best of conditions.

[surfbeetle]

I had originally mounted mine behind the driver's side battery then later decided to mount it just behind the front grill next to the oil cooler. It got plenty of air up front, not so sure about the battery location. Like I said, the kit I got which included the harness and heat sink had a pad and paste to use when attaching the PMD to the heat sink. That one had a 1 year warranty, the new one has a two year no questions asked warranty from Stanadyne. We'll just have to wait and see.

[surfbeetle]

Here's an update...
Got home this afternoon and needed to install the grey PMD. The wiring harness has different notches on the plug so that you are not supposed to use the old harness.

I trimmed the plug so that I could plug the extension harness into the grey pmd. Wouldn't start. Tried the old pmd, no start. disconnected the extension harness and plugged the old dtech pmd into the pump, it started. plug the extension back in, plug dtech into it, no start.

Now I was getting frustrated contemplating actually having to change the wiring at the pump, I didn't want to pull the intake manifold off just to change out a wire, I was thinking that maybe the wires were in a different order or something. I was able trace out the wires and match the colors, while the plug is slightly different, the wires are in the same order.

At this point I cleaned the ends of the extension harness and then tried the dtech pmd. Damn truck started and ran fine. Then I put on the grey pmd on the extension harness and it started and seem to run a bit better than with the other pmd. Probably because I forgot the Dtech no longer had a resister in it? I don't know.

Anyway I ended up not using the new wiring for the injection pump, keeping the cleaned extension harness on it and modifying the extension harness end at the pmd so it would plug into the grey pmd. I mounted the grey pmd on the heat sink with the heat pad and then mounted that in front of the condensor. So far, I have driven about 40 miles and it runs great.

Sorry for the long post but I thought it was important to document everything for those who have not dealt with the grey pmd. So I can no longer say that the Dtech failed on me, I think it was the extension cable contacts. I went ahead with using the new PMD because I can't return it, it comes with a two year warranty and now I have a spare with the Dtech.

[Robyn]

Soo good to hear that your "UP and Running" again

The DTech PMD"S have a very good record.

Does not take much corrosion to foul up the soup on these things, NOT EVEN.

Having the resistor MIA likely won't cause any immediate issues.

Only when the ECM resamples the system and finds out that one of its "Children" is missing, will it complain.

The resistor is a fine tuning tool for the fuel calibration on the IP anyway.

A #5 is usually a safe choice if you dont know what was there originally.

The worst case scenario is that the ECM will show a code if it sees the resistor missing.
This will normally not create a NO start condition.


Missy

[surfbeetle]

I figure that the Dtech with no resister is good for a spare, it's in the glovebox until needed. I went ahead and installed the grey PMD from Stanadyne with my #9 resistor. I think since it wouldn't be too much cash involved, I will get another heat sink and extension cable and set it up to swap out easily in an emergency. It's my wife's car and I don't want her and my daughters to be stuck somewhere.

[Robyn]

Get another resistor and set the spare unit up ready to I have the Regular PMD situated under the radiator on the splash pan. (INSIDE)

Have an old SOL D unit on the air plenum and ready to plug in if the PMD takes a leave.

Takes about 30-45 seconds to pop the hood dash out, swap the plugs, slam the hood and jump back in. Did it one night at a stop light, all without blowing the light.

I was at the light and the thing died, spun it and no happiness, jumped out, swapped the plugs and joy returned at the twist of the key :)


Gotta keep Mom and the kiddies safe.


Missy

[surfbeetle]

Yes, that's the plan. Now if someone could make an internal switch to change from one to another that would be great. (Now I'm just being lazy..LOL)