GreenF350
Member
Just finished installing a Bosch “044” fuel pump and thought I would share the information I had learned in the process as there wasn’t much I could find searching all over the internet before I did it and would have appreciated a write up or two with some better information. I have no idea just how big of injectors you could run with it, but I can say with certainty, that it runs 238/80’s great. I have had these injectors for over 40k miles and have never been able to run my highest tune from one tuner or even the top two from another. I had been wanting to upgrade for quite awhile, but with a short bed, super cab the dual setups available wouldn’t fit inside the frame rail and I am leery of the aeromotive and fuelab pumps in regards to longevity. I was considering fabricating my own setup, but really didn’t want to deal with it since my work space is very limited right now. That pretty much meant the Bosch or Walbro was my only option and since my stock pump is still kicking at 320k+ mi I decided I trusted the Bosch the most. Also worth noting for anyone just starting a search and seeing this that the Bosch and Walbro are not rated for diesel fuel. I didn’t add the cost up exactly, but I think it was right around $400 for everything.
In starting the search, first thing I found was that the part number had changed since years ago when I was researching this topic. The “044” pump now has the part number 61944. The second thing worth noting is apparently the fuel pump market is full of counterfeiters selling Chinese (or other) knockoffs. It got bad enough that they now put a holographic sticker to seal the box with a number that you can go put in on Bosch’s website to verify it is a real Bosch pump. It seemed the same thing is happening to Walbro, but that didn’t concern me right now. Also, the price on them has come down quite a bit as I have been able to find it from reputable sellers for well under the $200 mark.
I was already running a pre-pump filter/kit and post pump with fuel bowl ******. I ordered the pump, the fittings for both ends of the pump (Outlet was 12mm x 1.5 to -6 AN, Inlet was 18mm x 1.5 to -10 AN), the filter housing (2ea #10 ORB to -10 AN), and the required -10 AN pushlock fittings/fuel line. (In my case I should have got one 45* fitting for the inlet to my pre pump filter, but the straight one did work, just have to watch my line where it rubs on the edge of the fuel tank). I also ordered the 5/8” pickup tube and universal relay harness to run the pump.
I followed the directions for the pickup. It went pretty well, although drilling the hole for it was harder than I expected and definitely needs a good drill bit. I also found that my check valve and plastic pickup piece had disintegrated and was laying in pieces in the bottom of the tank. Good thing I don’t run it right down to empty. I used the old fuel line to cut the right lengths and then installed the pushlock connectors. What a PITA...I ended up using a heat gun to get the fuel line toasty (sun isn’t putting out much heat in February) and a bit of oil and still had to fight to get it all the way on. The “044” pump fits in the factory bracket, but I had to remove the foam surrounding the factory one, I used some thin plastic I had laying around to wrap the new one and install it in the bracket. Seemed to work well. To use the fittings I did, you have to removed the check valve on the pump outlet that comes with the pump and then install the AN fitting. I don’t think you need it and don’t notice any issues, but if you are concerned, they do make high flow inline valves that you could get. Then I installed the wiring.
I tried to prime the pump as best as I could by pouring fuel in the line from the filter to the pump, but don’t know if it helped or not. Then turned on the key. This fuel pump is definitely a bit louder since I couldn’t ever hear it in the cab with the OEM pump. This one has a slight whine/whir, but I can’t hear it at all with the truck running. I cycled the key a handful of time until I didn’t hear any air being cycled through the system and fired it up. Ran like before and had solid fuel pressure. Took it for a drive to warm it up and put it in all three tunes that wouldn’t hold pressure before and hammered on it a few times and the fuel pressure needle doesn’t budge. So far, I couldn’t be happier with the choice despite it not looking like a very popular option these days or maybe ever based on my research. I’ll report back in this thread if/when the pump dies just to close the loop since I found a few people using them for diesel and having them die, but most of those posts referenced a cheap eBay purchase so I’m hoping they were fakes.
Sorry it was so long, but I use the forums for tons of research and ideas and rarely have something like this I feel might be useful and figured I’d give back a bit. I can’t tell you how many times a thread will have everything I need to know except one or two things I need to know or dead ends without a conclusion. I know a lot of you are well beyond this, but hopefully someone can make use of it.
In starting the search, first thing I found was that the part number had changed since years ago when I was researching this topic. The “044” pump now has the part number 61944. The second thing worth noting is apparently the fuel pump market is full of counterfeiters selling Chinese (or other) knockoffs. It got bad enough that they now put a holographic sticker to seal the box with a number that you can go put in on Bosch’s website to verify it is a real Bosch pump. It seemed the same thing is happening to Walbro, but that didn’t concern me right now. Also, the price on them has come down quite a bit as I have been able to find it from reputable sellers for well under the $200 mark.
I was already running a pre-pump filter/kit and post pump with fuel bowl ******. I ordered the pump, the fittings for both ends of the pump (Outlet was 12mm x 1.5 to -6 AN, Inlet was 18mm x 1.5 to -10 AN), the filter housing (2ea #10 ORB to -10 AN), and the required -10 AN pushlock fittings/fuel line. (In my case I should have got one 45* fitting for the inlet to my pre pump filter, but the straight one did work, just have to watch my line where it rubs on the edge of the fuel tank). I also ordered the 5/8” pickup tube and universal relay harness to run the pump.
I followed the directions for the pickup. It went pretty well, although drilling the hole for it was harder than I expected and definitely needs a good drill bit. I also found that my check valve and plastic pickup piece had disintegrated and was laying in pieces in the bottom of the tank. Good thing I don’t run it right down to empty. I used the old fuel line to cut the right lengths and then installed the pushlock connectors. What a PITA...I ended up using a heat gun to get the fuel line toasty (sun isn’t putting out much heat in February) and a bit of oil and still had to fight to get it all the way on. The “044” pump fits in the factory bracket, but I had to remove the foam surrounding the factory one, I used some thin plastic I had laying around to wrap the new one and install it in the bracket. Seemed to work well. To use the fittings I did, you have to removed the check valve on the pump outlet that comes with the pump and then install the AN fitting. I don’t think you need it and don’t notice any issues, but if you are concerned, they do make high flow inline valves that you could get. Then I installed the wiring.
I tried to prime the pump as best as I could by pouring fuel in the line from the filter to the pump, but don’t know if it helped or not. Then turned on the key. This fuel pump is definitely a bit louder since I couldn’t ever hear it in the cab with the OEM pump. This one has a slight whine/whir, but I can’t hear it at all with the truck running. I cycled the key a handful of time until I didn’t hear any air being cycled through the system and fired it up. Ran like before and had solid fuel pressure. Took it for a drive to warm it up and put it in all three tunes that wouldn’t hold pressure before and hammered on it a few times and the fuel pressure needle doesn’t budge. So far, I couldn’t be happier with the choice despite it not looking like a very popular option these days or maybe ever based on my research. I’ll report back in this thread if/when the pump dies just to close the loop since I found a few people using them for diesel and having them die, but most of those posts referenced a cheap eBay purchase so I’m hoping they were fakes.
Sorry it was so long, but I use the forums for tons of research and ideas and rarely have something like this I feel might be useful and figured I’d give back a bit. I can’t tell you how many times a thread will have everything I need to know except one or two things I need to know or dead ends without a conclusion. I know a lot of you are well beyond this, but hopefully someone can make use of it.
