TheSamba.com :: View topic - HELP! about to get stuck-fuel filter?

Thu Oct 29, 2009 4:02 pm

i am in albany, ny. when i step on the gas the bus hesitates, loses power for a second, lurches and then takes off. does it sound like a cloged fuel filter? i dont think im going to find the right one here. is there a sustitute?

Thu Oct 29, 2009 4:10 pm

No there is no substitute for the stock filter, it has a 7mm inlet and a 10mm outlet. Nothing off the shelf is gonna work. Fuel filters for late FI Buses are at a premium right now, not the easiest thing in the world to find for whatever reason. Don't rule out there being a FLAPS nearby that might have one in stock, especially a Foreign Auto Supply or a NAPA. Being that it's 7:00 you may be out of luck tonight unless by some chance an Auto Zone or Advance Auto is open and has one. From your symptoms, it could be a fuel filter, but since you just got this Bus, shouldn't it be brand new, replaced along with the fuel lines?? Too bad you're in Albany, if you were a little further down the thruway I could head out and give you a hand. I have a brand new fuel filter for a late FI Bus right here. Where are you headed? If you're coming my way and can maintain speed, get on the thruway and get to Syracuse, it's a little over 2 hours away. I'll pm you my information if you need a hand. I checked for foreign auto shops in albany and came up with one, but no answer. Let me see what I can find out...

No answer at Napa in Albany either. Your problem could be ignition related also, did you tune the Bus up fully when you got it? I had a similar problem with my '79 and found that the point gap had worn to almost nothing. Set the points and it was good to go again. Anything below 70 I couldn't hardly keep it moving. I made it from Baltimore, MD to Syracuse, NY like that....dreading all of the construction along the way.

Thu Oct 29, 2009 4:15 pm

does it sound like a fuel filter? im picking up my son at the airport. his flight is delayed until 11. im in the pep boys parking lot, no luck. using my phone so not concerned about gramatical form.

Thu Oct 29, 2009 4:46 pm

Start by looking for a vacuum hose that fell off.

If you have a dwell meter, put it on and see what the point dwell angle is. 0.016-0.018" will get you close.

Make sure your temp sensor II is on nice and tight and that the electrical connections are good.

Thu Oct 29, 2009 5:54 pm

thanks, thought it could be a vacuum hose too. i wil check. got some offline help from vdubtech, he also said to check temp 2 sensor. its ben driving ok for the last 20 minutes. haven't pushed it. before when i punched the gas in first or second it just gave out for a few seconds. almost like a hard downshift feeling. gonna enjoy my dinner in the bus with 2 dogs and mr. heater and then take a look in back.

Thu Oct 29, 2009 8:34 pm

well i only made another 10 miles and then it kind of choked and died. waiting for AAA to tow me home. :cry:

Thu Oct 29, 2009 8:39 pm

aopisa wrote: well i only made another 10 miles and then it kind of choked and died. waiting for AAA to tow me home. :cry:

Well, be happy you have AAA! :)

Easier to work on with the sun up.....

Thu Oct 29, 2009 8:46 pm

Yep, just upgraded my membership. It's 38 miles to the house.

Thu Oct 29, 2009 9:09 pm

Damn!! Sorry to hear it didn't make the trip home, but better safe than sorry. I've always carried AAA Plus with the 100 mile towing, it doesn't make sense to me to have regular AAA with a 3 mile tow. What's the chances you'll EVER break down within 3 miles of a place you want your broken down vehicle to be? When you pinch that hose line off and pull off the old filter, cut it open to see if there is a lot of debris inside. As we discussed on the phone, the fuel blockage could be from something foreign in the tank blocking the outlet, or it may not even be a fuel problem at all. Check your dwell as Randy said and also the tightness of the TSII in the head as well as the connection. Give me a shout if you get stuck with anything or have questions. Wish I were closer, I'd be happy to give you a hand.....

Thu Oct 29, 2009 10:54 pm

VDubTech wrote: ....I could head out and give you a hand.....

VDub, that was cool as crap of you to make that offer! Seriously - once in while you come off a "little grouchy" :shock: on some of the threads, but I think there is a heart in there. :D All joking aside, when I read that I just thought it was extremely thoughtful to help a fellow VW bay owner on their travels, especially when experiencing difficulties with their bus.

Thu Oct 29, 2009 11:00 pm

ddwbeagles wrote: Seriously - [s]once[/s] ALL in a while you come off a "little grouchy" :shock:

But, hey...we all have our "moments". :D

ENABLE STRIKE THRU MR. BARNES

Fri Oct 30, 2009 12:04 am

Touche' Yeah - some more than others :shock: :lol:

Fri Oct 30, 2009 6:07 am

ddwbeagles wrote: VDubTech wrote: ....I could head out and give you a hand.....

VDub, that was cool as crap of you to make that offer! Seriously - once in while you come off a "little grouchy" :shock: on some of the threads, but I think there is a heart in there. :D All joking aside, when I read that I just thought it was extremely thoughtful to help a fellow VW bay owner on their travels, especially when experiencing difficulties with their bus.

Thanks ddwbeagles, I've helped my fair share of Bus owners get back on the road when trouble strikes around here.

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=329317&highlight=syracuse

Sure I get an attitude in the forum every now and then, but I'd drop everything in a second to help someone in a VW get back on their way. Ask anyone here who has met me, I'm not as big a prick as everyone makes me out to be. :twisted:

Fri Oct 30, 2009 6:59 am

When you figure out what the problem was, tell us the solution.

Fuel filters are cheap & I always have a few on hand. When they plug up it is usually from rust in the fuel tank. Cut up the old filter. While that is work to fix, it must be done correctly. Usually that will cause the pump to make noise as it cavitates from not getting adequate fuel from the tank. Sometimes it gets so bad that the pump will get warm before it just quits running. the pump you are trying to save is $150, so it is worth saving.

While you are dinking around in there, spend some time cleaning the connections at the battery, starter, chassis ground, and the double relay. Mke sure the pump is really getting 12 volts to the pump and clean those connections also.

A $20 fuel pressure gauge that goes from 0-60 psi is really helpful to assist in figuring out just what is happening in there.

You can fix this.

Fri Oct 30, 2009 7:34 am

So I broke the rule clearly printed on the cover of the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy-DON'T PANIC. Though I did have my towel :lol:

What's the first thing everyone does when this happens? What have I read in countless cross country or circumnavigation bus blogs when this problem is encountered?

What did all you forum members assume I probably did before I jumped to conclusions, hit the panic button, get towed 40 miles, have the tow truck get stuck in my yard at 2 AM and completely tear up my lawn???

Check the connections to the coil. :oops:

Went out to the bus this morning, unplugged and reseated all the wires running from the coil and she fired right up!

Still I learned some valuable lessons:

-AAA Plus is a necessity and unbelievably easy to use.

- The knowledge contained in this forum cannot have a value put on it. Three weeks ago I didn't even know what a coil was or that I would even suspect it as the culprit.

-The forum members are willing to answer a call for help at the drop of a hat. Thanks to all of you and my deepest gratitude to VdubTech for his and reassurance and most generous invitation to personally help.

-and DON'T PANIC

[/list]

Fri Oct 30, 2009 7:57 am

Great news!! Like I told you on the phone last night--gotta be somethin simple!! Everytime you fix something like this yourself on your Bus you'll just be that much more confident if it happens again that you'll be able to fix it.

This bring to light a very important piece of gadgetry that you should always carry in your Bus--a flashlight!! I had a minor breakdown at the end of September that was my own doing, and of course it was dark and the one thing I didn't have was a flashlight. I ended up buying a disposable at a gas station so I could peer into the engine compartment and figure out what I did. A flashlight can definitely be the difference between being helpless on the side of the road and finding the problem and fixing it.

Nice job Aopisa, sometimes having it towed home is the right thing to do until you can get right in there with good light and figure out the problem. Congrats!!

Fri Oct 30, 2009 8:13 am

Glad you're up and running but be careful to assume that your problem is completely resolved. It could be something that happens once the engine is warm. As said earlier, be sure your temp sensor 2 is well seated. It screws into the #3 cylinder head; there will be a wire coming out of the tin around the #3 cylinder that plugs into the FI wiring harness. IIRC it's 13mm. A deep socket helps - unplug the wire, stuff it into the socket and tighten down the sensor. If this sensor goes bad or comes loose from the head it can cause the engine to run poorly. It's good cheap insurance to carry an extra with you ($20).

Also wise to replace the fuel filter and inspect the inside of the one removed, as well as adjusting your dwell, timing, and idle. Follow the directions and you'll do fine. You might consider springing $70 or so for electronic ignition (i.e. Pertronix). It replaces the points in the distributor and eliminates the need to gap the points for dwell adjustment. Good to know how to set your points/dwell, however, and carry them with you just in case.

Welcome to bus ownership! Think of these setbacks and challenges as opportunities to learn about how your vehicle works.

Fri Oct 30, 2009 9:18 am

Yeah, I'm not going to rest on my new found diagnostic laurels. Good point on the points. I did want to install a Pertronix, but still know how to adjust points. I'm also thinking that it could be something when the bus warms up like the temp 2 sensor. Although the bus sat 45 minutes waiting for the tow, an hour on the truck and then another 45 minutes while I helped him tear up my lawn getting the tow driver unstuck and it still wouldn't fire up. And it certainly won't hurt to change the fuel filter and do an autopsy on it.

Fri Oct 30, 2009 9:36 am

I missed all this? I am glad you got in there and figured it out yourself. You're going to fit in great around here. You can take all the advice you want, but when it comes down to it...the infantryman wins battles...you gotta get out there, figure it out and fix it.

Start a maintenance log book of what you've done to the bus. List the problem, mileage and what you did to the bus to fix it on each entry. It'll give you a written account of what you did when in the history of your ownership. It'll also give you a sense of accomplishment and encouragement when times are tough. Mine is up to 4 sections of a 5 subject notebook. It's full of instructions, diagrams and drawings for my son. When I'm pushing up daisies and he's trying to figure something out someday, I like to think it'll be there with him. :D

Enjoy your day.

Frank