I have the same car (around 400,000KM). Last Oct. the tube between the accumulator and the pump rusted through and leaked fuel. When I disconnected the fuel lines to replace the tube, I cracked the housing. Fuel dripped from the pump assembly when the pump was running. I managed to patched it with some steel-filled epoxy. It worked for several months, and fuel started leaking again last week. The new housing is expensive, and the other tube (badly rusted) must be also replaced when changing the housing. Another option is to replace the whole assembly with one from a junk yard. I am not sure I can do it without cracking the housing again. I am thinking of giving it up. Good luck.
Peter
Hello,
>
> I believe that I have a defective fuel pump, but I would
> appreciate any advice, constructive criticism, or good-
> hearted ribbing that I can get. The car is a 1985 VW
> Jetta A2 with CIS-E Fuel Injection and 160 K miles. To
> make a short story long:
>
> I put the car in the under-house garage Sunday evening,
> but it was soaking wet from rain. There was less than 1/8
> of a tank of gas in it. I did not drive the car Monday (yesterday).
> This morning, I tried starting the car and it did not even crank.
> The starter motor made a grinding noise like the flywheel had
> some bad teeth, so I turned the key off quickly. It never did this > before.
>
> I turned the key again and the engine fired up normally
> like every time before. I backed the car out of the garage
> and I noticed a trail of gas following me. I turned off the
> key and noticed gas puddling under the Main Fuel Pump
> by the rear, right tire. After a little while of scratching my
> head, I started the car again and watched the fuel pump.
> Gas was spraying out the end of the fuel pump (the same
> end as the output fitting going to the fuel filter). The gas
> was not coming out of the fitting; it was tight. The gas
> seemed to be coming out the end of the fuel pump where
> the guts of the pump meet the pump case. I am pretty sure
> that it was not coming out from between the pump case
> and the plastic housing.
>
> The Main Fuel Pump with O-Ring, Fuel Filter, all of the
> sealing washers, and Transfer Pump were replaced 11/99.
>
> My feeling is that something ahead of the Fuel Pump (maybe
> pressure regulator) was/is seriously impeding the fuel flow
> (something was rusted shut from condensation build up?)
> and the Main Fuel Pump blew an internal seal when I first
> cranked the engine (what was the grinding noise?). After
> the car started on the second try, gas started spraying out
> of the burst internal seal. The funny think is that the car
> seemed to idle normally, even with the gas spraying all over
> the place.
>
> Has anyone ever seen a fuel pump blow its brains out? I
> would like to just replace the pump (dealer $300, Adirondack
> $180), but if something else is bad, I would probably blow
> up the new pump.
>
>
> Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
>
> Mike