Been a while...

[8v-of-fury]

...since I've posted diesel related questions

I recently acquired an 81 Jetta Diesel from a fellow forum member, car runs pretty good for having just over 400k on it 

Now my questions are related to fuel lines. The clear OEM feed line from filter to pump had a big hole in two spots so i ripped it off and used some outboard boat lines for now (just temporary), However I believe they are still allowing air in.

Question is what size diameter tube needs to go there? also what size is used for the returns between each injector?

Thanks alot guys!

Pics for Kicks 



You just gotta love the SHAG SEAT COVERS!! lmaooo

[catlin_cava]

Nice Car Man,

[Smokey Eddy]

For the return lines between the injectors the vw shop in my town gave me this very thick tubing with a cloth covering... It wasn't cheap either. Like $10/foot or something. 1/4 might work or you could try and ram 1/8 over it? but they get really hot which is the issue...

[maxfax]

I think the line for injector returns is 1.9mm ID..  I've used 3/16"  clear vinyl tubing but it doesn't like the heat so much..  I got some chainsaw fuel line that was better at taking heat, but not real cheap..

I know the regular cloth covered stuff isn;t too terribly expensive ($1.10 / foot), but watch out for the cheap china crap as usual...  If you need I went on a binge and bought a 20 meter roll of the Meyle injector return line..  It's gonna last me forever I think..

CHeck out this thread for your inlet line if you would like to keep it clear..   Otherwise a good quality fuel hose (rated for fuel injection), or better yet low pressure hydraulic line works dandy...

[Wayland]

Injector return line is 3mm. You can get it from the dealer fairly cheap, as you only need a couple of feet. Last time I went in and asked for it, the VW parts guy gave me a piece for free!

[maxfax]

Injector return line is 3mm.

Yes, that's it!  The 1.9mm is for something else...  (But if you want some of that I have tons of that too)  And yes I've gotten it for free from the dealer and other vendors as well..   Generally helps though if you are buying something else at the time..

[8v-of-fury]

 

Thanks everyone! Hmm words or pics first? PICTURES!!

Runs pretty good with over 400,000KMS! ;p









OK SO! where to start? that one pic it is super smokey because I am running an ATF, 2 Stroke mixture at the time. Few questions off the top of the head.. when I had the car running of either the bottle of ATF or the Jerry can of diesel it ran fine and would sit there and run all day. As soon as i hooked it back up to the cars fuel lines it would only run if i kept priming the it myself while running with the little primer ball. If not it would stumble to a deathly low stutter and eventually shut down. This can be combated by keeping the engine at about 3/8ths throttle and not needing to pump the ball. I figured maybe it was the filter after the ball, so i took that out.. still does it. Either it is the ball itself providing a restriction at idle.. or the lines are gummed up..? When holding it in the higher revs it runs great.. not like it is sucking in any air or anything.. which is weird..

Also it has little bullet style fuses.. where in the hell do i get those!? The car had AC so it has that whole ac is selected on the slider and the rad fan comes on which i thought was really freaking cool! I replaced the fuse for the fan with another fuse from an unused spot because it was all melted looking.. and then the fan would be on regardless of selector position when the cabin fan was on. I don't think it was doing it today to be honest... (as in acting normal...)

The car seems to run reasonably well! I mean for having over 400k on the old girl.. its doing quite good! I was driving it up and down the road.. and I was definitely doing 65mph in 4th gear and it didn't sound like it was screaming too too badly.. this excites the CRAP out of me! What tall transmissions came in 81 diesel jetta's?!?

AND HONESTLY WHO THE HELL DOES AN ANTENNAE DELETE!?!?!?!?!?!?!

Tell me your guys thoughts

[fdnyguy]

Well, keep the shag covers. It gives it that uniqueness...lol

Glad it runs well. Looks great for a 28 year old car with all those Canadian winters. Didn't see a lot (if any) rust on it.

What's with the Cordoba? I had a 77 and loved it. Best riding car I ever drove.

Good luck with it.

Stay safe, stay well. Jimmy.

[motorcarman]

Looks like canyon brown (LE8Y). Great color. I had a 1980 Caddy with the same color. I put a Callaway stage 2 turbo setup (gasoline) on it back in 1983 but I bet a TD or TDI setup could match the performance 'now a days'. I still have the tailgate from that pick-up. I have a 1982 Rabbit 1.6D (CR) with an early FN 5 speed (.75 5th?) and I get 68 MPH @ 3000 rpm. I have another (MF) 1.6TD with the later .71 5th gear and 3.89 gearbox attached that is supposed to be 73MPH @ 3000rpm. I need to install it soon. I found a 1985 Jetta instrument cluster with the Tach and installed/modified the wiring and connectors to the 82 rabbit. Might be a good swap for you if you need a tach. Look for a later car with a Diesel Tachometer and the alt with a 'W' terminal

quote
"The car seems to run reasonably well! I mean for having over 400k on the old girl.. its doing quite good! I was driving it up and down the road.. and I was definitely doing 65mph in 4th gear and it didn't sound like it was screaming too too badly.. this excites the CRAP out of me! What tall transmissions came in 81 diesel jetta's?!?"

bob gauff

[Wayland]

You should be able to find the Euro style fuses anywhere, ie Can-tire, Wal-mart, any autoparts store.

[catlin_cava]

I agree with fdnyguy, Keep the Hot Shag seat covers...I wish I had a set... ,

[8v-of-fury]

Catlin, Stop being Jealous of everything you don't have! lol

What are your guys ideas on what to do about the antenna delete? Put a new one in the fender? keep it hidden? I like that idea.. how well will it work though is the question? lol The awesome tape deck works and the 80's pioneers sound pretty good blastin the Bee-Gee's lol

[Black Smokin' Diesel]

OK SO! where to start? that one pic it is super smokey because I am running an ATF, 2 Stroke mixture at the time. Few questions off the top of the head.. when I had the car running of either the bottle of ATF or the Jerry can of diesel it ran fine and would sit there and run all day. As soon as i hooked it back up to the cars fuel lines it would only run if i kept priming the it myself while running with the little primer ball. If not it would stumble to a deathly low stutter and eventually shut down. This can be combated by keeping the engine at about 3/8ths throttle and not needing to pump the ball. I figured maybe it was the filter after the ball, so i took that out.. still does it. Either it is the ball itself providing a restriction at idle.. or the lines are gummed up..? When holding it in the higher revs it runs great.. not like it is sucking in any air or anything.. which is weird..

The fuel lines in these cars has no pressure until it gets into the injection pump. Otherwise the pump is sucking from the tank. Check the fuel lines for cracking or wet areas. The water separator under the car is know to cause problems in MK2's. I don't know if MK1's have them (they most likely do) but it's something to check. The common fix is to bypass it altogether. It should be near the passenger's side rear wheel.

[rabbitman]

The water separator under the car is know to cause problems in MK2's. I don't know if MK1's have them (they most likely do) but it's something to check. The common fix is to bypass it altogether. It should be near the passenger's side rear wheel.

I don't think mk1's have the separator.. I've never found it on my bunny anyways..........

[8v-of-fury]

I have not seen any Mk1's with them either.

I know there is no positive pressure on the fuel lines (Pushing), but there is negative pressure (Pulling) and I think the lines are clogged.. there is bad diesel, or a combo of the two. The car will not run properly when it is hooked up to the lines from the tank, but will run all day long on the bottle of newer diesel under the hood. SO either the lines are not allowing sufficient fueling.. or the fuel is gone to crap.

But why would keeping a manual prime on the primer ball keep the engine running correctly? if it were bad fuel or a clogged line? I mean how much pressure does the IP actually make while it is sucking from the tank? 3 psi? maybe? little enough to be clogged by a very small thing i'm sure? I was thinking of finding some cheap rubber fuel line to run from the tank forward for the supply.. and then utilize one of the hardlines for the return as to not raise the cost of this too much.

Anyone know where in Ontario they have the cheapest diesel safe rubber fuel lines?