[Vwdiesel] biodiesel requiring a rebuilt injection pump on an '84 Rabbit

[LBaird119 at aol.com]

  If the seals go then you'll have a leak, diesel deteriorates rubber 
type stuff pretty well.  It does take some time though.  Heater hoses, 
belts, motor mounts, all will go to crap if constantly exposed to a 
diesel leak.  You certainly should see and smell it long before it 
blows a belt and crashes the head though.
  From everything I've heard, it's the alcohol that *can* be left in 
biodiesel from the manufacture of it, that damages the seals in 
a pump.  If it's commercial then there shouldn't be alcohol in it, 
but I guess you can never be positive.  It's also supposed to be 
a bit more "detergent" so if some sort of buildup is keeping things 
from leaking then cleaning it out would cause leakage by indirect 
means.
  As James said, most front seal leaks are from a worn input shaft 
bushing.  
  I wasn't aware of any options for types of seals available for a rebuild 
or reseal.
     Loren

In a message dated 3/20/2006 7:21:11 PM Pacific Standard Time, 
bryankwalton at machlink.com writes:

> Would Chris's scenario happen slowly enough that I could fix the
> injection pump before there was engine damage? Or are we talking about
> something that would happen almost immediately?  What symptoms would I
> see if Chris's scenario started happening to my IP?  Is there anyway I
> can determine what the seals are made of on my IP, short of waiting for
> disaster to strike?
>