Author Topic: Leaking water seperator? (Read 4392 times)

RacerZX · « **on:** July 11, 2006, 05:40:21 pm »

Hey all, I just got a 1985 Jetta 1.6 NA with 393K miles on it and I'm refurbishing a few things and turning it into my daily beater car. Latest issue is that it looks like the in-line water separator reservoir under the car next to the fuel tank is slowly leaking a puddle of Diesel on the ground. It's not cracked or in any way damaged that I can tell, it's just slowly seeping out the drain spout. I tried draining it and then tightening the knob back up, and it held for about two days, but then it started leaking fuel again.

Is there any user serviceable gasket or seal of some sort in there I can replace, or do I have to replace the whole thing?

Thanks, Carl

LeeG · « **Reply #1 on:** July 12, 2006, 02:04:51 am »

click for bigger

Seal in picture has been pulled out of the groove visible below it. Seal has 2 functions, it is a gasket when the cap is closed and it works like a o-ring when the cap is opened so oild doesnt pour out all around the cap.

I would assume stealer only for a replacement.

RacerZX · « **Reply #2 on:** July 12, 2006, 01:06:59 pm »

No luck with the dealers. They say they don't have any, VWoA doesn't have any, and I just called the one single dealer in the database that showed to have one and he said he sold it already and it took over 2 months to special order from Germany.

Arg.

Okay, so, can I just pull the bugger out and bypass it with a piece of fuel hose? The fuel filter has a water seperator, and diesel fuel is probably much higher quality today than it was 20 years ago, so...thoughts? Will normal gas fuel hose I can buy at the local autoparts store work fine or do I need some sort of special diesel fuel safe hose?

LeeG · « **Reply #3 on:** July 12, 2006, 04:07:27 pm »

You could replace the seal with a piece of flat gasket material cut to fit. That should stop the leak when closed. Unless you can cut the perfect outer circle, it will leak around the cap when you open drain.

Hacking a new seal then forgetting about it would be easier than removing it altogether. And you would still have the option of draining it at the expense of bathing your arm in diesel.

RacerZX · « **Reply #4 on:** January 14, 2007, 01:02:21 am »

Finally fixed this issue once and for all a few days ago.

First off, I burned the tank down very low, then slid a 12 quart oil change pan under the water separator and cranked off that cap completely and drained the fuel out.

Then I took that whole *#$*@#* water separator tank off. Start with the four 17mm nuts, then you can move it around and take off the two hose clamps, and take the several screws off the water level sensor so you can pull it out of the tank. Take that tank and plunk it in the dumpster.

The two remaining rubber hoses are semi-permanently crimped onto the hard plastic fuel lines, one going to the fuel tank and the other to the engine, the later being longer and juuust the right length... I used a dremel cut-off wheel on my electric drill and carefully dissected the rearward crimping that holds the rubber hose to the plastic fuel line that goes to the fuel tank and got that hose off and out of the way without damaging the plastic fuel line (be careful!).

Then, the fuel hose crimped on the to-engine side was long enough and easily supple enough to bend over and connect right onto that plastic fuel line leading to the tank. To secure that on, I actually got some of the nice crimp on fuel hose clamps from the local VW dealer, but a normal screw type hose clamp would probably do just fine too, YMMV.

Lastly, I just zip tied the water-level sensor onto something solid down there to keep it out of the way. I guess it's possible if it's really raining hard and there is spray everywhere it might light up the bulb on the dash, but who cares.

burn_your_money · « **Reply #5 on:** January 14, 2007, 07:21:42 am »

Quote from: "RacerZX"

I guess it's possible if it's really raining hard and there is spray everywhere it might light up the bulb on the dash, but who cares.

It's pretty scary when you are zipping down the 401 and all of a sudden your glow plug light comes on. You don't know if your relay is fritzing and firing up the glow plugs, which will melt off and blow holes in your engine, or if it's just the stupid sensor. And it's not like you can pull over and check....stupid 401

RacerZX · « **Reply #6 on:** January 14, 2007, 10:15:53 am »

Hahahaha...okay, maybe I'll go put some heat shrink tubing over those two probes coming out of that sensor :wink: