Yes, Karl and everybody else, this is quite a bit of wit and wisdom,
and, though not the most dexterous way of repairing this fuel leak, it
worked so far. I did relieve the fuel pressure, removed the injector in
question and slid a rubber (heater) hose over it. The leak is gone, and
there was no damage to the rail or anything else. The only problem: This
would not pass the "DM" certification if old Doc Tim had his way. At
all.
So how do I replace that rubber at the injector??? VW dealership told me
I needed to buy an entire outfit of an injector: $106.00 +tax, a-ootch!.
Karl mentioned a 6mm high -pressure hose, but do you just slide this
over, too or what? Cause I don't see how to remove and replace the stock
hose, which seems to be glued to the injector body. Any help
appreciated. Really.

Choreboy      '84 Wolfboxer

Karl Bloss wrote:

> On Fri, 02 Jun 2000, Choreboy laid this bit of wit and wisdom upon us:
> > John,
> > Here's a source of a gas leak I encountered last week on my '84 WBX: The
> > fuel injector rubberboots that connect to the fuel rail on both sides of
> > the engine. I temporarily fixed that by slipping a piece of heater hose
> > over it and clamping it down with worm clamps. It seems pretty much
> > fixed. My fumes are gone and so are the little puddles (!!!), thank god.
> >
> > Just might be the case with your vanagon...
>
> Whoa, that sounds like a dangerous jury rig to me.  Do not fool around with
> this.  The fuel rail and associated lines are high pressure.  The last thing
> you want is a tiny leak that sprays a fine mist of fuel around the engine area,
> particularly since the fuel rails are awfully close to exhaust parts.
>
> Just get the 7mm high-pressure hose from your favorite list.vendor along with
> the _correct_  clamps (i.e. NOT worm clamps), depressurize the system, and go
> at it.
>
> BTW, I replaced the stupid ring clamps on the injectors with the flat band
> clamps from Vanagain.
>
> While you're at it, check the integrity of the fuel rail, especially the
> press-fit ring on the end.  Make sure it's not loose or cracked.
>
> -Karl
>
> --
> Karl & Kristina Bloss - vanagon@makarov.com
> 1987 Westfalia Weekender "Bev" - 197K Miles
> http://www.enter.net/~bloss/vw
> VW Shop List: http://www.enter.net/~bloss/vw/vwshops