Nope, you aren't missing anything. Early vans (up to '85, I believe) had a
pre-pump filter *only*, the small square one with the different inlet and
outlet.

Later vans have a post-pump filter (a larger canister style filter)
*only*... I've heard rumors that the later vans came from the factory with
both, but the pre-pump filter was removed at the first dealer service.

Tim

At 08:36 AM 4/20/2005 -0700, TJ Hannink wrote:
>Just went out and looked (again) at my '87 Camper and it doesn't have a
>pre-filter, it has the large (11mm?) fuel line running between the tank
>and the pump input just like my '91 Carat had. Both the tank and fuel pump
>are original (the fuel line isn't though, I replaced it when I bought the
>van). Am I missing something here?
>
>Thanks
>
>Tim
>
>
>The Bus Depot <vanagon@BUSDEPOT.COM> wrote:
> > Very few modern-fuel injected cars have filters before the
> > pump. The main problem with a pre pump filter is that any
> > restriction on the suction side of the pump will create a
> > vacuum and cause the fuel to vaporize or even boil at the
> > pump inlet. Particularly in warm weather this can create
> > vapor lock problems, intermittent, unexplained fuel
> > starvation etc. This is probably why VW discontinued the pre
> > pump filter although vapor lock is rare on these vehicles. It
> > is a major nightmare on some of the CIS cars.
>
>
>True, but as you say, not on Vanagons Virtually every fuel injected Bus or
>Vanagon has this configuration (all fuel injected busses and almost all
>Vanagons except mid 1990 to 1991), yet vapor lock is almost never reported
>on either the Type2 or Vanagon lists. If this were even a remotely common
>issue on Vanagons we'd be hearing about it often, or at least sometimes.
>(Also, I've never had a customer who added a pre-pump filter and then
>reported a vapor lock problem.) I think this is a case where VW was simply
>"fixing something that wasn't broke." However, I recall reading on the list
>that VW offers a small bypass hose that does the same job (different inlet
>and outlet size) for those who prefer that route, although I'm not sure of
>the part number. (Also I have a sample coming of what the supplier _thinks_
>may be an aftermarket 90-91 tank. If they do offer it I'll keep one or two
>on hand. But I am not confident that this is really what it will turn out to
>be. I think it may be a European spec tank.)
>
>- Ron Salmon
>The Bus Depot, Inc.
>www.busdepot.com
>(215) 234-VWVW
>
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