1984 Jetta GL TD.
Yeah, you said Jetta so I was thinking MK2... MK1 has a different fuel pickup system iirc.
Put in a new, freshly topped fuel filter and replaced the copper washers at the banjo bolts... And it fired up and primed from the tank!
I think we may have just plugged the fuel filter on the last attempt with the tank level so low.
First start:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQ-8-pzRmq0The smoky aftermath of dumping unburnt fuel during the priming...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlnYqugpkDMAnd trying to find some gears:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nfjsjb5HPwkNext topic:
It doesn't want to idle. I was able to hold the throttle very low, at what sounded to me like idle, but if I let it go all the way back it died. I assume that I might just need to mess with the idle screw some.
Also a lot of white smoke on that start attempt. I think mainly because of all the unburnt fuel that was getting cranked into it during the priming (I did not disconnect the injector lines or anything).
We will have to see how the smoke does long term.
I need some shift bushings stat... Couldn't find reverse at all. But excited that it is running!!!
if the injectors are old they might need new nozzles as well. quantum has a post in the FAQ section i think about an idle issue solved by new nozzles. worth checking if you haven't had them spray/pop tested.
Messed with the idle screw today and got it to idle nice and smooth, even with the cold start pushed in. Ran it long enough to bring it up to temp and the radiator fan came on! Not overheating, so very good there. Pretty much no smoke this time either, of any color, which is very good. The coolant gauge is not moving, rear lights are very dim, and the turn signals are touchy at the stalk, so some electrical cleaning is probably in order. Got a little steam from the side of the radiator, can't tell if it was some spilled when I drained it earlier while flushing or if it has a small pinhole leak. Either way its running pretty good, and will work on the bushings this weekend and see how it moves.
You should still investigate the pickup screen in the tank. If you clogged your fuel filter, it probably also has some crap on it. If you had a mk2, I'd be suggesting that you delete the water seperator at this point
after running/driving the car for a while you'll see that its running better and better then before