Date: Sat, 16 Feb 2013 20:04:04 -0700
Reply-To: Karl Wolz <wolzphoto@Q.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Karl Wolz <wolzphoto@Q.COM>
Subject: Re: Copious Fuel Leak at Both Manifolds
In-Reply-To: <CA+r=JhreBWduyi96kXugBtkj00GyyU6+mGeaxZERAVzaOpX13A@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
But they're selling a lot of it!
Karl Wolz
Sent from my electronic umbilicus
On Feb 16, 2013, at 6:10 PM, Larry Alofs <lalofs@GMAIL.COM> wrote:
> What I find unsettling about this is that Go Westy seems to be selling fuel
> hose that only lasts 3 years.
>
> Larry A.
>
>
> On Sat, Feb 16, 2013 at 10:57 AM, Steve Williams <sbw@sbw.org> wrote:
>
>> Thanks for the advice.
>>
>> I posted earlier that my '84 camper was leaking gas badly from both
>> injector manifolds. I asked a bunch of questions. I'll try to
>> answer them for myself, based on what I learned.
>>
>> David Beierl suggested tightening the hose clamps to temporarily stop
>> the leak, so I could safely drive to the shop. But GoWesty uses
>> clamps with no adjusting screw that require a particular tool, with
>> which I'm not familiar. So I didn't pursue that. Here's GoWesty's
>> kit with a link to the tool:
>>
>> http://www.gowesty.com/ec_**view_details.php?id=4393<http://www.gowesty.com/ec_view_details.php?id=4393>
>>
>> I called the always-reliable Dick's Automotive Transport for a
>> flatbed to carry the camper down to the VW experts at Peninsula
>> Automotive in Campbell, California, about 6 miles from me in Santa
>> Clara. Dick's is across the street from Peninsula, and they've
>> carried several VWs and an Audi for me over the past 15 years or
>> so. Here's me in the Rabbit chasing the Beetle on Dick's flatbed in 2007:
>>
>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?**v=bMRkunKQPyY<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMRkunKQPyY>
>>
>> (Peninsula is generally a lot more expensive than Van Cafe in Santa
>> Cruz, but it's wonderful to have so many knowledgeable shops around
>> the Bay Area. I'm also a fan of Fred's Garage in Redwood City.)
>>
>> Peninsula couldn't reproduce the leak. That's one of the mysteries I
>> was trying to understand. But they replaced all of the fuel lines in
>> the engine compartment and installed aluminum injector
>> manifolds. They also installed a metal firewall fitting to replace
>> the grommet installed by GoWesty with the 2.3L engine in
>> 2009. Peninsula prefers not to have the fuel line pass through the
>> firewall, even with that grommet.
>>
>> Here's that metal fitting next to the plastic original:
>>
>> http://urlzr.mp/xbb (redirects to www.tk-carparts.de)
>>
>> Here's a copy of that image, in case the German web site goes away:
>>
>> http://sbw.org/big_wp_7685.jpg
>>
>> I don't know whether Peninsula got the manifolds from GoWesty, but
>> they look very similar:
>>
>> http://www.gowesty.com/ec_**view_details.php?id=23458<http://www.gowesty.com/ec_view_details.php?id=23458>
>>
>> The old manifolds weren't leaking, but I just don't like the idea of
>> 30-year-old plastic thingies filled with pressurized fuel directly
>> above the exhaust.
>>
>> Peninsula used screw clamps, and I notice they arranged the clamps so
>> the heads of the screws face up, making it easier to tighten or
>> remove them when the time comes. I trust GoWesty, who eschew screw
>> clamps, but I trust Peninsula, too. I'd welcome your thoughts on this.
>>
>> So, on to my questions.
>>
>>
>> Is it more likely the hoses or clamped connections are leaking than
>>> the manifolds?
>>>
>>
>> Certainly the manifolds can be damaged, but I haven't read anywhere
>> that they fail solely due to age. In this case, Peninsula says the
>> hoses were leaking.
>>
>> The hoses were new with the GoWesty engine in 2009. GoWesty
>> recommends replacing hoses every three years, unless you pay more for
>> their "high quality" German fuel line.
>>
>>
>> Is this the sort of leak that can start small and get worse over time?
>>>
>>
>> Yes, since it appears the leak was due to the fuel lines
>> aging. Peninsula said it wasn't until they removed the fuel lines
>> that they could see they were cracked inside.
>>
>> Why did the leak always stop after the engine warmed up?
>>> Why did the leak generally NOT occur when I drove every day?
>>>
>>
>> I asked Dave at Peninsula. He pointed out that the fuel lines dry
>> out after the fuel pressure bleeds down, which takes time. When
>> filled with fuel under pressure, dried out, cracked fuel lines will
>> leak more until they become saturated with fuel and "swell up." OK.
>>
>> When I drive every day, the fuel lines don't dry out.
>>
>> This was a more expensive fix than I like. Next time, I won't have
>> to replace the firewall fitting or the manifolds, and I hope I'll
>> have time to do it myself. So maybe it won't be such a painful experience.
>>
>> Glad to be back on the road without leaks!
>>
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