Injector pump tips and tricks

[GREENME@U]

Hello there, come to think of it when my L300 delica was leaking diesel pretty bad it still ran like a top,not one problem at all.Drove right down to the shop

Barry i would not worry where all friends here!
Cheers!

Marty

[bobenns]

I just uploaded a description of the repair I made to the Delica Wiki, under technical FAQ and repairs. Included a couple of pictures and link to a very good article on the Pajero usergroup for the identical pump to ours.
Just getting over this horrible cold.
Bob in Kelowna

[bae146]

Those are Volkswagen pumps, the diagram came from a VW related web site. Ours pumps have very subtle differences. All are the Bosch VE type. The biggest difference in all of them is between the turbo and naturally aspirated engines. The tops are very different. The top seal is the same in all of them though. The rectangular looking seal. It fits in a channel in the top and is supposed to protrude slightly from the channel so that it makes good firm contact with the machined surface on the base when bolted down. Mine didn't show outside the channel at all. It seems to dry out and get hard, shrinks a little and doesn't make tight contact with the surfaces. It's a little tricky getting the top back on right without changing the volume adjustment screw, but there is a way without changing any adjustments as I finally found out. After doing it over and over again it seems so simple now. Moving that volume adjustment screw just a quarter turn makes significant changes in the way the engine runs. Now I know why they said not to touch it.

I'm suffering from a horrible cold the last couple of days, but I have pics of what I did and will post with all the other information I found as well.

Bob in Kelowna

Hey Bob. What year of vw jetta did you give the parts company for the seal kit for this pump?

[bobenns]

Just fixed the other leak on the bottom of the pump.

So after doing the top seal repair in the spring I still had a small but annoying drip from the bottom of the pump. Although diesel fuel doesn't smell as bad as it used to with all the sulfur removed you could always smell that odor when you got out of the van.

Seeing as it wasn't fixing itself I decided to take a closer look. The pump was still clean and dry on top from my original repair, but fuel was dripping from below onto the front drive shaft.

Looking from underneath I could see the fuel was coming from the area where there are two small cover plates opposite each other on either side of the pump at the bottom. Checking the diagram and exploded photo of the pump I saw there is an O ring behind each plate. I checked the bolts and they were tight. Next I phoned Butch at CVI and picked his brain a little as there is a spring in behind the one plate and I don't like it when I take something apart and various springs and check-balls etc. go flying, never to be seen again. Butch said there was little pressure behind the spring and it would be alright to change the O rings.

One O ring is on the outside of the pump, away from the engine, while the other is on the engine side with very little room to work. I did the outer one first. After removing the radiator overflow line and a fuel line I could get at it fairly easily from the top. Once the two #10 bolts were loosened with a socket, I was able to turn them out by hand and remove the plate.

I picked the O ring out and went over to Lordco. The guy there gave me two each of two sizes for free, one a little smaller just in case. The old one was very thin, flat and hard compared to the new ones.

I fitted the new O ring and replaced the cover plate. Pretty simple so far.

The one on the engine side was more difficult but do-able with a little patience. I positioned the van on my ramps so I could get under the front axle easily. I used a large old couch cushion to prop myself up. There is not a lot of room and you have to reach way up from the ground. Getting comfortable is important. The ground cable is attached to the engine block right in the way, you might want to remove this first. Seeing as I didn't want to get out of there and go look for a wrench I just worked around it, but it would have been easier with it out of the way.

Using a short #10 box end in my left hand and a flashlight in my right I was able to loosen the two bolts. As it is rather hard to see anything when your hand is up there I decided to pull one bolt and just turn the other one out part way to let the cover plate hang from it. This made it much easier for putting back on.

I had to make a little bent pick tool out of an old small screwdriver to pick the O-ring out. Again little space to work in and can't see what you are doing. After several tries the O ring popped out and landed on my chest.

Putting the new O ring in is done by feel. It took a few attempts. Check with a flashlight to be sure it is properly in place. Once the O ring was in I had to get the one bolt back in without being able to see what I was doing. All this is done with one hand only by feel. Glad I left the other bolt in and the plate hanging. Again several tries and I finally got it started. Then it was just a matter of tightening the bolts finger tight and using the short box end to snug them up. Again by feel. Take your time, be sure they are both good and snug.

That was it. It took about a half hour to do the outer one and an hour to do the inner one. With the pump out these could be changed in 5 minutes, including a pee break, a cup of coffee and a good cigar. If you don't want to take the pump out it takes a little longer.

The leak is now gone. Everything is now clean and dry under there. Well worth the effort and should be good for many years to come.

The repair I did in the top seal is still 100%, however if you can get the new seal to put in I would suggest getting it for good measure. In my case the system I used worked just as well, seal kit couldn't be found locally and so I spent more time, but less money. Various shops seem to be charging anywhere from $500 to $1200 to repair leaky pumps. I would have had to take the pump off and send it to Vernon for $900 and then would have had to install it again, deal with the timing belts, pump timing etc. etc. and been right in over my head. Anybody who has rebuilt a carb with a kit could handle taking the top off the pump and changing the seal right in the truck. If you've never done a carb, then find a friend who has and provide the beer.

Anyone who wants to attempt these pump repairs can call me anytime. 250 862 2863

Bob in Kelowna

[Details Monster]

Another IP leak... Cleaned the pump up and it is leaking about one drop every 8 seconds from the what I think is the "air drain" that is located between the four injector lines on the pump head. I think there is an o-ring behind the drain. Is this something that can just be unscrewed and the seal replaced? Do I need to worry about air getting it the system? Does anyone have any tips on replacing this seal?

[macro]

Hi all,

Engine oil stop leak.
This stuff has seal softener in it. When added to engine oil, it works by softening hardened seals in engines so that they seal again. It was mentioned on one of the UK sites to add some to the fuel tank and it will soften hardened seals in the pump, probably add a can to a full tank of fuel when needed, or a couple of times a year for maintenance, put it in before filling up so it gets mixed into the fuel well.

Automatic transmission seal softener would work too. The fuel is oil, these products are petroleum based and will mix in.

Cold starting, hard starting, stalling after starting problems.
This is often related to the lift pump not being able to deliver fuel pressure when cold (bad seals), but works good when warm. This from a fellow on one of the UK groups. He installed a used inline electric fuel pump from a car near the fuel tank in his Deli. It is wired direct to come on with the ignition switch and delivers instant fuel pressure for sure starting.



Bob in Kelowna

Exactly the problem I'm having!!! Hopefully a little stop leak will sort it out good as new. Thanks for your research!!!!!

[axisofelvis]

Having this same problem! I tried Kleen Flo injector lubricant on today's fill, and will try Engine Oil Stop Leak next time.