I'm a few weeks behind on posting this, but this the first chance
I've gotten, as house and birth prep have kept me plenty busy.

     Two weeks ago on a Saturday, I packed the wife and kid in the van
for our weekly trip to Home Depot or Lowe's, I can't remember, and for
the first time in this van's history, it didn't start in one crank.

     RRRRR, RRR ,rrrr and I let up.  Luckily I had opened the window, so
I heard the splash on the driveway under the engine.

     Then I smelled the gas.

     Everyone out, where's the fire extinguisher?  Unhook the battery.
My wife swears I said "Kiss the van goodbye" as I was rushing around and
they were standing apprehensively next to the Jetta.

     Luckily, there was no fire.

     What had happened was something that had never occurred to me before
as a possibility:  The fuel injector rail/distributor connected to the
injectors and supply/return lines as a cap on the end of it.  That cap is
held on by a nice metal clamp, pressed in place by the factory.  The
clamp had rusted away, and trying to start the van shot the cap out and
fuel followed.
     Nicely, both of these point right at a nice, hot exhaust pipe, so if
this had happened at speed, or anywhere once the van was warmed up, poof!

     It took the dealer a week and a half and $46 to get me one so I
could get up and running.  I've got two more on backorder at the BusDepot
at $25 apiece.

     This is a good thing to add on to your safety inspection list, and a
good item to replace when you do your fuel lines.

_________________________________________________________

Bob O'Shaughnessy,         Columbus, OH
vanagon@columbus.rr.com
99 A3 Jetta TDI
85GL with basic Westy interior
74 Bus (Dad's)
72 Wife, 94 Rabbit, 95 Cat, 96 cat, 98 Kid 11/00 Kid!
52 House