[Vwdiesel] VE pump problem

[sandy cameron]

Well, I'm beat.

I've tried all the external fixes I can, without success. I swapped the 
pressure control valve, same results.
It's the vanes.

I can't get it thru my head that  the car has run perfectly for about 
180,000 miles, and on the disaster day, did 30 miles with no problems at 
all, then, parked nose up for and hour, lost its ability to pump.  It 
would not even have cooled off significantly.

I have run a brew of ATF, fuel system cleaner, and diesel thru it, let 
it soak over a couple of days, and run it again, with no luck. The fuel 
from the elevated 1 gal jug runs thru the pump and up the return line by 
gravity until it reaches the level of the fluid in the jug, then stays 
there. (the pump is not "plugged").

The pump body does not pressurize, so acceleration and top rpm is 
limited by the lack of injection advance. I have tried full "throttle" 
to try and fling the vanes out, but it tops out about 2800 / 3000 rpm 
without doing anything..

I believe the pump rotor is driven by a woodruff key, but if something 
had grenaded in there, the pump would be full of aluminum chips and not 
functional. It runs perfectly at lower speeds.

I don't understand how it sucked fuel from the tank to drive, it brought 
me home 30 miles as long as I didn't try to push it over 45-50, and 
avoided hills. The  tank was full, gravity assist, I guess.

It's damn cold here, and I hate to burn all my firewood heating the 
shop. I think I have an electric in-line  pump somewhere here, I might 
rig that, for local driving, and perhaps  sometime it will kick in, leap 
forward, and heal itself.

Someone explain to me how the vanes in a working pump suddenly stick 
without warning, and stick so tight it won't pump at all? "Is a puzzelment".

For now, I'll just drive my son's A2 with the short legged "Eco" tranny, 
(What a pig!) and wait for warmer weather to change the pump.

Sandy,
VE3AAC.
Stittsville (near Ottawa)