Fuel leaks I have found in Vanagons:
 1 -  plastic fuel supply tubing leak at fire wall
 2 -  engine compartment small metal hose clamps rusted away
 3  -  plastic cigar tubes at each head: these crack, ends cap leak,
split at seams
        These are IMHO the problem.  I've never found one of these
         in an engine fire still intact.

                                           ERic

Ben huot wrote:

>This as nothing to do with late Vanagon!
>It as everything to do with the "flat" FI engine/oposed cylinders design.
>
>Most inline 4 or V6 have solid fuel rail, on those engine there is basicaly
>only one main flexible fuel line, even then, they use rigid pipe from rear
>to front, the use of flex line is sometime no more than a few feets.
>
>The flat4 by design need many flexible Fuel line to get fuel to each cylinder.
>Pre-80 VW bus's had the same problem!
>http://home.comcast.net/~patcal096/burnedbus.htm
>
>To answer your question,
>Maybe late Vanagon are not old enough!!!! people asume that the line are
>still ok.
>
>And here is what i think,
>If you own a Vanagon/Bus and you never replaced / double check / or at least
>know the maintenance history of the fuel line.... DO IT, NOW!!!!!!!!!!! is
>that clear enough! I didn't know better when i bought my first 87, i
>traveled 8000 miles with rusted line ready to explode....
>
>Before:
>http://www.benplace.com/engine/engine_before2.jpg
>After:
>http://www.benplace.com/engine/engine_after1.jpg
>
>In other words, VW can be a "time bomb" if not well maintain. Like someone
>else said, the fuel tank in the front doesn't help much. Big leak from this
>one would result in a instant fire!
>
>Take care
>http://www.benplace.com/
>
>
>
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