No fuel in cold - filter probs (IDI)

[Smokey Eddy]

So, this happens every single winter. The GP's are all good and the compression is excellent but the fuel filter ALWAYS everytime bottle necks the fuel to the pump and i can't start the car in the cold.
I COULD replace the fuel filter every time i started the car below freezing OR has anyone put some sort of warming pad on the filter and ran it off the battery from an inverter?
I have a 600 watt inverter on the back shelf of my jetta. I recall seeing a warming blanket (about the size of a large binder) rated for 60 watts.
How long do you fellas reckon i could run the warming blanket (wrapped around the filter) and then the glow plugs off my battery at -5 to -20 centigrade?
The battery is 120 ampere hours or something. Standard battery that canadian tire (for you fellow canucks) would give you for a mark 2.

[Smokey Eddy]

OR should i find a couple extra lengths of hose and just go tank, filter, open oil (in my case ATF) bottle, injection pump...
OR should i start it from the bottle. drive to the nearest town, fuel up and then dump in like 10 times the amount of cetane booster the bottle recommends? That will keep it from freezing up right?
OR add kerosene?
OR add something else? Mineral Spirits?

It always starts out of a bottle but makes such a huge mess... and i hate having to do it every time i want to leave... its not hot where I am right now! (ski resort)

[R.O.R-2.0]

why dont you put a helper pump behind your filter, so its being pressure fed?

my car did amazing things when i added a lift pump..

[Smokey Eddy]

why dont you put a helper pump behind your filter, so its being pressure fed?

my car did amazing things when i added a lift pump..

Have a good source? I've been contemplating this for ages. I love your photo.

[Smokey Eddy]

according to this link diesel begins to gel at 32f/0c??? that seems way too low...

[guy plain]

 ntheres a lift pump for diesel at lord - co for $45 ... its 4 to 6 psi i think...

[Smokey Eddy]

Mmmmmm $45... I think I've seen it before as well

[guy plain]

 thats the price i get through my account tho....not sure what the normal price is...theyer accounts can be strange... great discount on one thing and almost nill on another....

[Smokey Eddy]

And the highest discount for something is just the normal price elsewhere.

[R.O.R-2.0]

you can get lift pumps for old fords, and chevys, but the universal solenoid fuel pumps have no rubber inside them, and you can usually get them for under $20.. someone was getting them for ~13$ at napa auto parts on there account.

[damac]

I haven't seen the need for this on my jetta yet.

But I put a carrier electric pump on my old f250 and love it.  It is also a lower pressure fuel delivery.  The pump is meant for constant duty diesel fuel, I have read it does not like thicker cocktails.  This pump cost me about $80 shipped, then I had to pay for hoses, fittings and sealant and wiring.

[R.O.R-2.0]

I haven't seen the need for this on my jetta yet.

But I put a carrier electric pump on my old f250 and love it.  It is also a lower pressure fuel delivery.  The pump is meant for constant duty diesel fuel, I have read it does not like thicker cocktails.  This pump cost me about $80 shipped, then I had to pay for hoses, fittings and sealant and wiring.

i ran a thicker cocktail once, and my pump didnt like it either..

my setup was WAY LESS than 80 bucks tho..

and im in love with the fact that i have a primer pump, and it actually makes more available power on the top end. gets rid of that little bit of throttle lag too. made my car alot more throttle response, its not nearly as lazy..

the power gain alone was worth it for me..

(you can hear the pump running when the engine is off, but not while its running)

[RadoTD]

I can't remember the exact price right now, but I can get you a Mr Gasket 12D pump, probably $35 or so. I could send it up to Randy if you want

I'm planning to run the same one; have it wired both to my glow plug circuit and 3/4 throttle switch or high EGT or something, then let the IP pull through the rest of the time

[81 vw pu]

While an electric fuel pump will help deliver the fuel to the filter, its still gelled fuel and not good for the filter, injection pump or injectors.
I personally would run some anti-gel and heat the filter with a 12v heating pad. A thermos of hot water poured over the injection pump and filter helps as well.
I've had the fuel filter plug from gelled fuel in my caddy twice, but it started and idled fine both times. Once it did'nt have enough power to move out of its own tracks, and the other time
I had made it a mile or so from my house and slowly lost power. Both times I still had a small amount of bio-diesel in the tank when it suddenly turned cold.

Something like this one wired in on a toggle switch.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/WOLVERINE-FUEL-FILTER-HEATER-DIESEL-BIO-FUEL-HEATER-12-VOLT-50-WATT-NEW-/180757353923?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&vxp=mtr&hash=item2a15fa55c3

[vanbcguy]

Check out the filters that Giles is selling here:

http://www.vwdiesel.net/forum/index.php?topic=14836.0

He's got superior filters to what VW used, and they are available with a built-in electric heater or even a lift pump if you want to go that route.  Will be a bit more than the cost of just a cheap lift pump though!!