What I find unsettling about this is that Go Westy seems to be selling fuel
hose that only lasts 3 years.

Larry A.

On Sat, Feb 16, 2013 at 10:57 AM, Steve Williams <sbw@sbw.org> wrote:

> Thanks for the advice.
>
> I posted earlier that my '84 camper was leaking gas badly from both
> injector manifolds.  I asked a bunch of questions.  I'll try to
> answer them for myself, based on what I learned.
>
> David Beierl suggested tightening the hose clamps to temporarily stop
> the leak, so I could safely drive to the shop.  But GoWesty uses
> clamps with no adjusting screw that require a particular tool, with
> which I'm not familiar.  So I didn't pursue that.  Here's GoWesty's
> kit with a link to the tool:
>
> http://www.gowesty.com/ec_**view_details.php?id=4393<http://www.gowesty.com/ec_view_details.php?id=4393>
>
> I called the always-reliable Dick's Automotive Transport for a
> flatbed to carry the camper down to the VW experts at Peninsula
> Automotive in Campbell, California, about 6 miles from me in Santa
> Clara.  Dick's is across the street from Peninsula, and they've
> carried several VWs and an Audi for me over the past 15 years or
> so.  Here's me in the Rabbit chasing the Beetle on Dick's flatbed in 2007:
>
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?**v=bMRkunKQPyY<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMRkunKQPyY>
>
> (Peninsula is generally a lot more expensive than Van Cafe in Santa
> Cruz, but it's wonderful to have so many knowledgeable shops around
> the Bay Area.  I'm also a fan of Fred's Garage in Redwood City.)
>
> Peninsula couldn't reproduce the leak.  That's one of the mysteries I
> was trying to understand.  But they replaced all of the fuel lines in
> the engine compartment and installed aluminum injector
> manifolds.  They also installed a metal firewall fitting to replace
> the grommet installed by GoWesty with the 2.3L engine in
> 2009.  Peninsula prefers not to have the fuel line pass through the
> firewall, even with that grommet.
>
> Here's that metal fitting next to the plastic original:
>
> http://urlzr.mp/xbb (redirects to www.tk-carparts.de)
>
> Here's a copy of that image, in case the German web site goes away:
>
> http://sbw.org/big_wp_7685.jpg
>
> I don't know whether Peninsula got the manifolds from GoWesty, but
> they look very similar:
>
> http://www.gowesty.com/ec_**view_details.php?id=23458<http://www.gowesty.com/ec_view_details.php?id=23458>
>
> The old manifolds weren't leaking, but I just don't like the idea of
> 30-year-old plastic thingies filled with pressurized fuel directly
> above the exhaust.
>
> Peninsula used screw clamps, and I notice they arranged the clamps so
> the heads of the screws face up, making it easier to tighten or
> remove them when the time comes.  I trust GoWesty, who eschew screw
> clamps, but I trust Peninsula, too.  I'd welcome your thoughts on this.
>
> So, on to my questions.
>
>
>  Is it more likely the hoses or clamped connections are leaking than
>> the manifolds?
>>
>
> Certainly the manifolds can be damaged, but I haven't read anywhere
> that they fail solely due to age.  In this case, Peninsula says the
> hoses were leaking.
>
> The hoses were new with the GoWesty engine in 2009.  GoWesty
> recommends replacing hoses every three years, unless you pay more for
> their "high quality" German fuel line.
>
>
>  Is this the sort of leak that can start small and get worse over time?
>>
>
> Yes, since it appears the leak was due to the fuel lines
> aging.  Peninsula said it wasn't until they removed the fuel lines
> that they could see they were cracked inside.
>
>  Why did the leak always stop after the engine warmed up?
>> Why did the leak generally NOT occur when I drove every day?
>>
>
> I asked Dave at Peninsula.  He pointed out that the fuel lines dry
> out after the fuel pressure bleeds down, which takes time.  When
> filled with fuel under pressure, dried out, cracked fuel lines will
> leak more until they become saturated with fuel and "swell up."  OK.
>
> When I drive every day, the fuel lines don't dry out.
>
> This was a more expensive fix than I like.  Next time, I won't have
> to replace the firewall fitting or the manifolds, and I hope I'll
> have time to do it myself.  So maybe it won't be such a painful experience.
>
> Glad to be back on the road without leaks!
>