hey, i just bought a 82 rabbit diesel, the problem is, u have to fill up the fuel filter completly and get all the air out for it to run, then after a while it just goes dry, like no new fuel can get there,tank is full, and line is not blocked, and new fuel filter, someone told me to check return line for small hole, because that could make it unable to pull in the new fuel,i found a small hole on the return hose from the pump to where it goes into the metal line, replaced that, and it ran in my drive way for a couple of days (havnt got to drive it on the road yet) but then it went dry, and now it just sits there and cranks. the motor is in great shape, only 160K miles, and nothing is leaking, i also replaced the lines between the injectors since they were original w/ the good german line. any ideas on what its doing? and what to do to fix it? thanks!
hey there have been several posts of this nature if you want to go searching.
what i would do to eliminate everything from the filter-back, is get it to run from a gas can filled with diesel.
GASCAN -- FILTER -- INJ PUMP
if that works then you know your problem is with a rotted/clogged tank or lines before the filter.
if it doesn't work then it would be the filter, line, or injection pump or anything past that.
do you have a clear hose going to the injection pump from the fuel filter? monitor that clear line to see if it is all fuel, fuel with bubbles, or all air. it should be all fuel. if you shut the car off and the fuel slowly creeps back down the clear hose toward the fuel filter (filling the line with air) then you have a leak in the pump or the return system.
sounds like you already replaced some of the return lines. might as well do them all in case you haven't already to rule that out completely.