Date:         Thu, 20 Jun 1996 14:14:40 -0700
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         Edward Wilson <edwils@ix.netcom.com>
Subject:      RE: Stranded in L.A. - 81 won't start

I have an '81 and have run out of gas once with no problem after filling up.
I have also had the fuel pump fail (after replacing it and taking the old
one apart, I found a tiny rock that had got itself stuck in the gears,
preventing it from moving).  Anyway, here are some ideas, along the lines of
the following one to help you test the fuel pump:

The fuel pump will run when the key is on AND there is air flow to the
engine (measured by the air-flow sensor flap).  So if you want to test the
fuel pump without cranking the engine for a long time you can either run a
jumper wire to the pump as Ron suggests below, or you can remove the air
filter, turn the key to the on position, have your girlfriend push the
air-flow sensor flap open and you can go and feel the pump.  It should be
vibrating - if it's not, it could be an electrical problem or clogged gears
inside it.  If you can feel it vibrating, it might not be a bad idea to let
it run for a while as Ron suggests.

Also, as you will be able to see, the pump is not designed to come apart and
go back together, so you can't really take it apart and check it out.  

Also, in case you haven't done it yet - replace the fuel filter.

Good luck.

Ed Wilson
'81 Westfalia

>> For those who remeber, Last week my vanagons fuel gauge stopped
>> working so I ran out of gas (didn't know this until I was towed 
>> mechanic and he dertimed the problem).  Well, I picked up the 
>>van, determine/ fix this?  Gas must be fine, I assume fuel pump is 
>>also.
>>
>I did the same thing with a '76 bus, which also had a bad gas 
>guage.  After trying everything, I asked the advice of a German 
>friend who's been fixing VW's since before I was born.  He 
>suggested that the pump might have lost its prime from running 
>empty.  Told me to be patient and run the pump for a few minutes, , 
>and eventually it would very likely start.  I hooked up a jumper 
>cable from the positive terminal of the battery to the fuel pump, 
>and ran the pump (with gas in the tank) for about two minutes, then 
>hooked the pump back up and the bus started right away. (This after 
>making sure the fuel filter hadn't clogged, etc.).  Maybe I was 
>lucky, but this worked for me.
>-Ron Salmon
>
        Edward Wilson, Ph.D., P.E.
        Scientist, Neural Applications Corporation
- Visit us on the World-Wide Web at http://www.neural.com -