[Vwdiesel] No Power, bogging down, etc

[Sandy Cameron]

At 09:44 AM 07/11/2006 -0800, you wrote:
>All-
>
>My Cabriolet (w/'81 Rabbit NA motor) suddenly has no
>power.
>

My bet: Your main filter is plugged.

Here's how it happens.

Over time the media fills up (with used veggie oil, the fine, unfilterable
brow powder that colors the used oil , ash, I guess.) and although it may be
handling straight fuel, or even mix, there is not enough "clear" media to
pass the thicker slug of vegie. 

If you heated the filter, it would work for a while, but in the end , it's
doing its job , sacrificing itself for the engine. You know how that works.

You could

A. heat the filterwith a propane torch untill it is warm to the touch, but
as soon as cold oil from the tank hits it, it would slow down again.

B. When this happens to me (twice in last 5 years, once on each car), I just
disconnected it, stuck in a fresh pre-filter cartridge in the line, and
drove home.

I always carry a couple of the cheap filter cartridges in the support box in
the trunk
[along with the booster cables, air compressor, tire plugs, extra coolant
and oil, a few hand tools and 3 wire coathangers.]

Your block heater start works well untill the cold veggie hits the
nearly-plugged filter, then it starts dragging down.

Some of the veggie-kit people have filter can heated by coolant to ease the
problem and extend filter life.

A hot engine will run fine on straight veggie, but getting it through the
OEM filter in cold weather is almost impossible...unless heated.

Sandy