[Vwdiesel] leaking injection pump

[Andrew .Libby]

I've resealed quite a few pumps and can do it fairly easily in less than 2
hours.  The seal kit usually now costs $25 plus a $15 main shaft seal.

I would not recommend getting any pumps from dieselvw.com or emiata.com,
etc, etc.  Those sites that all look alike are run by Pete Rothenbacher who
has a horrible reputation on the web for supplying pumps that do not run and
never giving people refunds.  Caveat emptor.  I would also mention that the
rest of the parts on that site are Chinese knock-offs of which many are of
very questionable quality.  I know of a couple people so far who have gotten
the turbos to find out that they were junk.

I would start by pulling the stop solenoid.  The main distributor o-ring can
then be swapped by placing the pump in a vice with the shaft pointing at the
floor and loosening the distributor head just far enough to pick the old
o-ring out and stretch the new one over the head.  As a precaution I like to
keep pressure on the plunger inside the pump using a longer bolt in the
timing plug location and tighten it when I loosen the distributor head bolts
and loosen it when I tighten them.  Once the head o-ring is swapped, replace
the solenoid o-ring and install it.  There is a large o-ring around the big
plug in the center of the distributor head that has a triangular shape to
it.  That requires a modified socket.  I forget the size, but I used a
dremel to enlarge a socket that was correct for the three faces but needed
the points of the triangle enlarged.  That large center plug should be
torqued to 70 ft. lbs.  The top seal requires the removal and replacement of
the springs which is a pain, but accomplished easily enough with a couple of
needle nose pliers.  Mark the lever to shaft orientation before removing
it.  The accelerator lever shaft then gets pushed through the top when the
top is pulled up.  There is an o-ring on the shaft.  The pressure regulator
requires another modified socket.  Use a 10mm six point and round out 4 of
the sides.  The rest of the seals are pretty easy.  There is an o-ring on
the governor shaft and the max fuel screw.  Be sure they go back where they
were (count turns or measure before hand).  The cold start lever has a large
o-ring and a small one on the shaft accessible after the little c-clip is
removes and the shaft pushed out.  The other cover opposite the cold start
is a simple o-ring.

As has been mentioned, don't use any used pumps that have been sitting open
to the air for more than a couple of months. The seals may leak, but more
often the vanes of the vane pump stick due to fuel drying on them, causing
the pump to not run. Very common.  Furthermore, if the location has
significant temperature swings, then moisture will accumulate inside the
pump and rust it internally.  Any pump sitting open to the air for more than
a couple of months is at best a rebuildable core.

Andrew

Andrew