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Date:         Mon, 11 Apr 2011 13:05:26 -0700
Reply-To:     Richard Koerner <rjkinpb@SBCGLOBAL.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Richard Koerner <rjkinpb@SBCGLOBAL.NET>
Subject:      Re: Oil/gas leak from passenger cv joint
Comments: To: Zach Hale <zach@zachhale.com>
In-Reply-To:  <1977219538189548316@unknownmsgid>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1

Zach,

I've heard guys do both ways regarding replacing fuel injector line; if you run all the way to the fuel filter, you eliminate one place for a leak.  If you use a shorter piece (I guess about 4 feet long), you have one more connection than if you ran the hose all the way forward; but, that's the way I did it and a lot of others I think, keeping the rigid hose that travels back towards the engine.

If you are confident that all fuel injection hoses are new, you may be OK.  The idea here is that rubber ages and develops cracks....so your car is 25 years old so it's likely that the rubber has deteriorated.  Sometimes these cracks are hard to see, maybe be out of direct view.  So the easiest approach is just to replace everything, then you are good for probably another 10 years.  Maybe the previous owner had all fuel lines replaced and it's only the plastic firewall fitting that is cracked and leaking. 

If you're sure its the plastic firewall fitting that it bad, perhaps you can bypass it by adding a short section of hose, and use brass barbed hose fittings and clamps to splice in a new section.  Temporarily...just to get you home.

Oh...another thing.....the factory uses "crimp style" hose clamps...by now you've seen those.  If you replace those, be sure to "try" to get official fuel injection hose clamps with rolled edges that won't bite into the hose, the cheapo "flat" hose clamps are only a short-term solution to get you home so you can do the job right.  By the way, several of the Vanagon List vendors sell complete kits to redo your fuel lines, with all proper hose and clamps and everything.

Do your best to try to do it right, I know it's tough on the road.  Maybe you can make it to a real Vanagon shop and have them confirm your repair.  Find one nearby using this site  http://www.roadhaus.com/shops.php

Rich

--- On Mon, 4/11/11, Zach Hale <zach@zachhale.com> wrote:

From: Zach Hale <zach@zachhale.com> Subject: Re: Oil/gas leak from passenger cv joint To: "Richard Koerner" <rjkinpb@sbcglobal.net> Cc: "Vanagon List" <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com> Date: Monday, April 11, 2011, 12:31 PM

I'm trying to disconnect the hoses to bypass the firewall plastic piece. Are you saying I should replace the entire hose from the spot where it splits to the fuel injectors all the way to the fuel filter or just from the split to the injectors to the hose that's already running forward from the firewall? The engine and fuel injector hoses from the engine are almost brand new. Is it reasonable to just use some hose to connect the pieces similarly to the firewall plastic piece or to what extent do you suggest replacing hose here? Thank you!Zach On Apr 11, 2011, at 10:52 AM, Richard Koerner <rjkinpb@sbcglobal.net> wrote:

Zach,

I thought about your situation some more...most likely, the fuel leak is coming from the plastic bulkhead fitting on the "firewall", that is, the sheetmetal wall in the engine compartment most towards the FRONT of the vehicle.  Basically, the fuel hose hose attaches to this fitting from both sides; the fitting was put there at the factory to AID MANAUFACTURE of the Vanagon.  It doesn't really do anything else.  But it gets old and brittle, and then cracks due to the flexing of the hoses attached to it which vibrate with the engine.  Many owners, including myself, have REMOVED AND THROWN AWAY this white plastic fitting. Instead, run a LONGER piece of fuel injector hose from the engine THROUGH the firewall and onto the stiff plastic fuel line which continues on to the fuel pump and fuel filter and gas tank.  You will need a grommet or something (I used a larger diameter piece heater hose, about 6 inches long, and ran the FI hose through it) to protect the hose from the sharp edges of the sheet metal firewall.

OR, you don't even need to run the longer piece of Fuel Injector hose through the firewall....it can run BELOW it....then you won't need any abrasion protection on it. Again, all of this assumes the leak is at the firewall fitting.  It may get you on the road again quickly.  But, you MUST replace ALL the fuel injector hoses ASAP...you are now gambling and on borrowed time!!!!!  Seriously!!! Yes, you could replace the broken plastic firewall fitting....but difficult and expensive to find.  There are even metal versions available. 

The fuel injector hose size is 5/16....just noticed on Ben's website. Rich San Diego

--- On Mon, 4/11/11, Richard Koerner <rjkinpb@sbcglobal.net> wrote:

From: Richard Koerner <rjkinpb@sbcglobal.net> Subject: Re: Oil/gas leak from passenger cv joint To: "Zach Hale" <zach@ZACHHALE.COM> Date: Monday, April 11, 2011, 8:21 AM

Zach,

Sounds like fuel from the supply line or one of the fuel injectors lines is leaking and dripping onto your transmission, making it appear that it is coming out of the CV joint (by the way, am assuming its the CV joint near the transmission not the one outboard by the wheel).  The fact that fuel is leaking is VERY SERIOUS!!!  Many Vanagons are lost to out of control fires in engine compartments each year due to this kind of leak!!  Needs immediate fixing!!!

First, open up engine compartment and take a look.  You might need to start up engine to see where the leak is coming from.  DON'T LET THINGS GET HOT THOUGH....COULD IGNITE AND YOU WILL HAVE A RUNAWAY FIRE AND WILL LOSE THE WHOLE VEHICLE !! How far from town are you?  You will need to buy some Fuel Injector hose.  Others on the list will be quickly getting in touch with you regarding size of hose.  But NOT fuel hose, it's not strong enough, must be Injector Hose.  Maybe you can ask someone in the campground to give you a lift into town to an auto parts store; maybe a taxi back to the campground.  DRIVING YOUR VEHICLE WILL BE EXTREMELY RISKY, DON'T DO IT!!!  You're lucky to have discovered the fuel leak.  The tools you will need are basic....screwdrivers, socket & ratchet set, knife to cut the tough fuel injector hose to proper length, also an X-acto knife with a #11 blade.....see http://www.benplace.com/fuel_line.htm   That site will show you what you need to do and how to do it. By the way, the clicking is just noisy hydraulic lifters; will go away after a few minutes, very common with this engine.

What part of the world are you currently in?  Help may be nearby on the Vanagon list. Good Luck, we're here to help.

Rich San Diego

--- On Mon, 4/11/11, Zach Hale <zach@ZACHHALE.COM> wrote: From: Zach Hale <zach@ZACHHALE.COM> Subject: Oil/gas leak from passenger cv joint To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM Date: Monday, April 11, 2011, 7:55 AM

Hello all,

I'm at a bit of a loss for what to do right now as I'm at a campground intending to drive a full day so any help is much appreciated. This morning I checked my oil and coolant as I normally do and all looks good. Start up my 85 vanagon and noticed a slightly louder than normal clicking noise (normal to hear but it got my attention) so I went to listen in while it warmed up. Then I noticed something dripping from around the passenger side rear axle boot. I can't tell whether it's oil or gas. It smells like gas, but it sometimes does when I start the van up. The cvs are only about 6000 miles old and seem to be in good shape. The liquid stopped dripping after I turned the van off and has since (20 min) dissapeared almost completely from around the boot. Based on that I'm thinking its probably gas and I only thought it was oil from scraping the ground where it was dripping and would have mixed with dirt. I really don't know. Smells like gas. I doubt the clicking is any worry and is just the van warming up. The oil level is full and it seemed to be warming up like normal before I stopped. Gas tank is almost full as well. I did notice that after my last oil change a month ago the oil level was a little bit above max for what that's worth. Seems a normal max level now. At least while cold.

Any thoughts/worries? I appreciate any help as I'm eagerly ready to leave this camground. :)

Thanks, Zach


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