Fuel Pump Timing on 244

Ok, trick question: Do I need two "special" wrenches to set fuel pump timing on 244 engines, or am I (like the locomotive) just that rusty?

I'm not aware of any special wrenches needed to set fuel pump timing. Last time I attempted this (about 2 years ago) I just used a couple of off the shelf Craftsman tappet wrenches. Even those wrenches were not thin enough to properly fit into the window to make your adjustment. It seems to me that it would be actually easier to pull the fuel pump off, pull out the roller and stubby push rod and make any adjustment needed. Problem of course is re-mounting the fuel pump and then finding out that the push rod still needs adjustment.

If I remember correctly, the Alco manual just indicates using a couple of standard wrenches to do this job. Unfortunately, no way are you going to fit two wrenches of standard thickness in through that adjustment window. I'm curious to know how the "professionals" did it. On a similar subject, I'm curious to know what the torque value is on those fuel pump hold down nuts. "Tight" is not a torque spec.

244 engines were not designed for ease of maintenance. If I were you, I would ask this question again over on www.rypn.org There's a lot more people in tune to maintaining Alcos on that forum then here.

Okay,

Now, I'm not a diesel mechanic, nor am I going to start pretending to be one, and I by no means know what the inner workings, adjustment nuts on a 244 fuel pump are like...

However, let me ask this question. Are sockets not the same as wrench heads? Would a ratchet and socket setup work in this situation?

ATK mentions that wrenches are too thick to fit into the window, so I'm not sure if your clearance problem is due to the space between the bolt and a "wall" down a "shaft," or if it's a matter of there not being enough space for a wrench to sit square on the bolt and be able to torque the wrench to make your adjustment.

Another trick, if you don't mind buying a new wrench, is something I saw on "American Hot Rod." One of the mechanics in the shop couldn't get the wrench to fit in the tight space between the engine and wheel well of a '65 mustang, so he went to the workbench, and gripped the open end in a vice. He then took an Oxy-Acetaline torch and heated the "neck" closest to the head and bent the wrench to fit the angle of the bolt in the engine compartment. If you want to do that, just remember to watch your heat, so you don't undo the temper of the steel.

Just thinking you could "modify" a tool to better fit the situation, if a "specialty" tool for said adjustment doesn't already exist. (At least, if you made one, then you'd have it around for future adjustments!)


So, Paul, I don't know if I helped you by "thinking outside the box," or if I've just been an annoyance. Like I said, I have no clue what a fuel pump on a 244 (or any locomotive for that matter) looks like. Just wish we were sitting at a bar with a pen and a piece of paper...

Anyway, good luck on the adjustments, and sorry if I've been more of a hinderance than a help.

Snap-On tools used to make a set of extremely thin wrenches that might be usable for this application. We had a special military application for these, they were the only type of wrenches available that were suitable for the task. The only other option was taking another manufacturers thin wrench and grinding the jaws thinner in a flat bed grinder, then recontouring the head of the wrench so that it could fit through the access opening. The Snap-On wrench got in there with no modifications.