Dead Car

[cricketseed]

My wife and I have a 91 Jetta Eco Diesel. We ran bio diesel in it for a while, but are not now. When we switched back, we changed out the filter.

Yesterday, my wife couldn't start the car. I heard it pop some and figured there was water in the filter. I managed to start it and asked her to get some fuel at the station in a can so I could drain the water and refil the filter. She didn't, she just ran her errund and came home. SHe had no problem starting it.

I decided today to go to the gas station and get the fuel myself. I tried to start the car and couldn't. No pop at all.

I hitched a ride to the station and got some fuel. when I got home, I first opened the filter and saw no fuel in the top (I thought this was a red flag). I drained the water and got about 1/4 cup out. I filled the filter to the top with diesel, waited a few minutes for it to settle (it happened slowly), topped it off, put the top on, and tried to start it, but again, not a cylender fired.

I suspect the fuel pump. We haven't had the car long, and this is my 1st diesel. Is the fuel pump near the tank? I don't have the book on it. Would anybody suspect the problem could be something else?

[fillmore]

yes the pump is in the tank and it is very easily accessable from the trunk in behiend the rear seats.

[Dr. Diesel]

I don't believe there is an electric pump installed in these cars.

[chrissev]

My wife and I have a 91 Jetta Eco Diesel. We ran bio diesel in it for a while, but are not now. When we switched back, we changed out the filter.

Yesterday, my wife couldn't start the car. I heard it pop some and figured there was water in the filter. I managed to start it and asked her to get some fuel at the station in a can so I could drain the water and refil the filter. She didn't, she just ran her errund and came home. SHe had no problem starting it.

I decided today to go to the gas station and get the fuel myself. I tried to start the car and couldn't. No pop at all.

I hitched a ride to the station and got some fuel. when I got home, I first opened the filter and saw no fuel in the top (I thought this was a red flag). I drained the water and got about 1/4 cup out. I filled the filter to the top with diesel, waited a few minutes for it to settle (it happened slowly), topped it off, put the top on, and tried to start it, but again, not a cylender fired.

I suspect the fuel pump. We haven't had the car long, and this is my 1st diesel. Is the fuel pump near the tank? I don't have the book on it. Would anybody suspect the problem could be something else?

91 Eco will have a 1.6 with a turbo.  Mechanical pump.  No fuel pump in the tank.  The only fuel pump is the one attached to the front of the engine.  Your problem is probably that the fuel injection pump has lost it's prime.  So first you want to figure out why.  Chances are there is a hole somewhere and the pump just sucked all the fuel out of the line and then sucked air into itself, and the prime was gone.  So check the lines for leaks.  To reprime the pump, pour fuel into the out hole and turn the pump by hand (in your case, turn the crank because you probably don't want to remove the timing belt) until the fuel comes out the in hole.  Then reconnect the lines, fill up the filter, fill up the line from the filter to the pump, and crack open one of the lines to #1 injector.  Crank until she kicks, then retighten #1 injector line and start her up.

[fillmore]

oops, eco-diesel :oops:  sorry for the mis guiding