IP doing absolutely nothing!

[watsongs]

Ok, so I've gone through just about everything (see all my previous posts on bad stop solenoids) and after putting a priming bulb on the inlet line and squeezing like hell (already checked for leaks) while cranking, nothing comes out of the IP.  I've even removed the fuel rails to the injector to see if it might be clogged there, but nothing - not a drop comes out of the fuel rail ports.  When i short the stop solenoid, it clicks very loud, so I'm pretty sure it can't be that, but I don't have the correct wrench to remove it.  Any other ideas?  I can't believe that the IP is so far gone that narry a drop comes out, but could it be?  Thanks -

Greg

[watsongs]

Well, it's as I suspected.  I finally got the stop solenoid out, and it works absolutely fine.  Just for kicks, I screwed it back in minus the plunger so there would be absolutely no way it could stop the flow.  I cranked and cranked (while madly pumping the primer bulb), and still nothing came out (the fuel rails are completely disconnected at this point).

So, it looks like somehow the IP has stopped not only pumping but allowing any fuel through whatsoever.  Looks like I'm in the market for a new (used) IP... does anyone know what year range I can use (for my '79 1.5l)?

I'm tempted to take the old one apart, just to see what has me so knackered.  Anybody ever peeked into the dark abyss of one of these?  I found an article online, but it wasn't very helpful.

[chrissev]

you might want to try taking the timing belt off, and turning the pump by hand.  If you put fuel in through the out port (hook up your primer bulb to the out port - return port) then turn the pump by hand while pumping fuel in there, it should come out the in port.  Then hook up the primer bulb to the in port and pump the fuel in while turning the pump by hand.  There should be resistance right at TDC on the pump, followed by fuel getting sucked in at the in port and coming out where the lines connect.  Sometimes the pump gets air in it then no fuel will go through.

[toomanycars]

Sounds very frustrating! I reckon that there has been absolutely no fuel in the pump body. If the car has been standing in this state all seals will have shrunk and pressure will not build up. You probably have already done this, but disconnect inlet and outlet and pump clean diesel into the pump under considerable pressure. When it flows from the union it's full.
The internals of the VE pump are really quite simple. It's a "distributor-type" pump with it's own vane pump that pressurises the fuel (no lift pump or electric pump as in some diesels). The problem could lie there. Unlike in-line, multi element type pumps, these pumps (assuming you run clean diesel and don't let them run dry by running out of fuel too often!) should last the life of the car with no maintenance.
For a full description of how the pump works, go here. http://www.cs.rochester.edu/u/jag/vw/engine/fi/injpump.html

[fspGTD]

Did you prime the pump?  If you've got your fuel stop solenoid removed from the pump, an effective way of doing this is to use a turkey baster and squeeze clean diesel into the stop solenoid hole, and keep doig that until it overflows and the pump won't take any more fuel.  You want the fuel level inside the pump filled right up to the fuel return line (you can remove that banjo fitting and inject fuel into that hole also.)

In a turbo pump setup, the LDA device gets in the way so we generally look to other methods besides the turkey baster (I've used a marine outboard type squeeze bulb in the fuel supply line before to successfully get fuel to flow into the main pump cavity.)  But I would open a fuel return banjo or stop solenoid in your case with the naturally aspirated setup as it is easily accessible and then you can eliminate the guess work of whether or not the main pump cavity is completely filled with diesel.

There are no seals in the high pressure section of the pump - it is a metal plunger riding in a metal bore.  Although it may be worn with dirty fuel and/or high miles, if the main pump cavity is filled to the brim of the fuel return hole and the injectors are disconnected, it is very likely that it will pump fuel through the delivery valves.

[watsongs]

Frustrating is a mild term... although the learning curve has beem great.  I've had the website description next to me; they don't bother to label the important suff (like the fuel adjustment screw), still it was somewhat helpful.

I've opened every orifice on the pump that was vertical and filled it to the brim on every hole.  The primer bulb is a marine bulb like you're talking about - still no luck, although when I take out the fuel adjusting screw, fuel pumps out of there.

How can I drain the pump so I can fill it with ATF to maybe loosen up the seals?

[fspGTD]

Frustrating is a mild term... although the learning curve has beem great.  I've had the website description next to me; they don't bother to label the important suff (like the fuel adjustment screw), still it was somewhat helpful.

I've opened every orifice on the pump that was vertical and filled it to the brim on every hole.  The primer bulb is a marine bulb like you're talking about - still no luck, although when I take out the fuel adjusting screw, fuel pumps out of there.

How can I drain the pump so I can fill it with ATF to maybe loosen up the seals?

I have not run into that situation before...  You could try filling the fuel filter with ATF and using the squeeze bulb to pump it through, but I am skeptical it would help, since there are no seals in the high pressure section of the pump.

Suggestion: try removing a delivery valve and see if any fuel comes out then when turning over the pump.  Although it's hard to believe that all 4 delivery valves are bad... I suppose it's possible.  I've got some delivery valves in my garage and some of the moving parts are stuck at least when trying to work them by hand... others move freely.  I have not heard of them going bad before but maybe they can get frozen up.

Another potential cause of the no fuel problem could be that the governor mechanism is messed up (adjusted way wrong, or broken) and so it is bleeding off all the fuel and so nothing gets past the delivery valves.  Do you have knowledge that the pump worked before it sat for a long time?  Or could it have been disassembled and incorrectly put back together since it last ran?

[watsongs]

I'll try one of the delivery valves, but like you  said, hard to believe they're all bad.  The PO, an older guy, said it was running when he parked it 3-4 years ago, got too old to drive it.  

I don't think that the governor is the problem because no fuel is going anywhere - none through the return lines (have clear hose on to check status).  It's just blocked, period.