Date: Thu, 11 Jun 2009 09:25:36 -0700
Reply-To: Poppie Jagersand <poppie.jagersand@YAHOO.CA>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Poppie Jagersand <poppie.jagersand@YAHOO.CA>
Subject: Re: Diesel questions
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
When the pump is dry it can take a minute of cranking to bring
fuel into the system. Did you do a total of a minute (in say 20s
intervals) and it would still not start?
Fuel filter is a suspect, and should probably be changed anyway.
Another possibility is a fuel leak someplace either in the inlet
or return look (yes a leak in the return will also drain the system).
You say this is a car, not a van. Some of the cars (e.g. Diesel
Quantum/Passat from 80's) have parts of the fuel lines using metal
tubing. Look near the tank and under the car. With the age of these
cars it has often rusted and the problem starts as a pinhole leak
that is often to small to drip much fuel out, but large enough to
have air leak in, thus prevtening the fuel loop to be fully purged
of air.
The 80's cars/vans has a clear piece of fuel line between filter
and injection pump. The idea was to be able to spot any bubbles moving
through the system to help trouble shooting. If bubbles go forward when
cranking, then it is a problem in the supply part of the loop. If after cranking/running bubbles move backward it is on the return side.
Sometimes the Diesel will eventually start, but take a minute cranking
each time. This is almost always a pinhole leak letting the fuel system
drain.
Similarly, if it eventually starts, but have drive ability problems, air
in the system can limit the effectiveness of the pump, making the motor
cut out on the uphills (less common symptom, but has happened to me).
Martin
--- On Thu, 6/11/09, Robert Keezer <warmerwagen@YAHOO.COM> wrote:
> I'm helping a friend get a 1.6 Diesel
> engine running that had'nt ran since 2004. Success! It
> finally started last night and runs perfect.
> Well, I thought it should because the car only has 61,000
> original miles.
>
> The fuel smelled like varnish, so according to a source on
> the net , I loosened the injector line unions and cranked
> the engine, flushing it with Diesel injector cleaner in a
> can from the filter -end of the line.
>
> Tightened back up the unions, stuck the end of the fuel
> line from the filter into the can, sealed the spout with a
> rag, inverted the can and the engine ran perfectly for five
> minutes till it used up the can of cleaner.
>
> I connected the line back to the filter, put two gallons of
> fresh Diesel into the tank, put the pump isn't getting any
> fuel.
> The filter is now suspect.
>
> I'm sure those who are Diesel experts here know what to do
> in this encountering this problem.
> Might bad fuel have clogged the fuel filter ?
>
> It's looking like the owner's car had a fuel supply problem
> all along.
> I know nothing about the fuel filter /seperator. Is the
> little bolt on top of the filter bracket a air bleeder?
> And how often do you have to drain the filter from the
> bottom?
>
> thanks for your input.
>
> Robert
> 1982 Westfalia
>
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