2001 Jetta TDI..High pressure fuel lines

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Jess
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2001 Jetta TDI..High pressure fuel lines

Post by Jess »

I bought my Jetta about 2 years ago, It was in pretty bad shape mechanically and I have fixed everything that was wrong with it just as soon as it goes wrong plus what was wrong with it when I got it. The mechanics in this car are great now. The reacuring problem that has come up is that I have now went through 3 out of 4 high pressure fuel lines, I have replace #2 first then about 6 months later #3, and now this morning I noticed that #4 is leaking and I have to replace that one tomorrow. I feel and have been told that this is NOT a normal thing that happens with these cars, this is my first diesel and it has 225,000 miles on it so I am not complaining about fixing them, because they are not that expensive and easy to replace. I just would like to find out if there is a malfunction elsewhere that may be causing this to continue to happen.

The "hard" high pressure fuel lines...Please Help!!
Jess
coke

Re: 2001 Jetta TDI..High pressure fuel lines

Post by coke »

Are the rubber vibration dampeners on them? There should be two or three that clamp around multiple lines. The other thing is, if the lines have a hard bend in them it helps to bend them carefully so they aren't strained when the car is just running. Common mistake is retiming the pump with the lines attached and not loosening them first.
Jess
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Re: 2001 Jetta TDI..High pressure fuel lines

Post by Jess »

I have 2 plastic vibration clips on there, one on lines 1 & 2, one on lines 3 & 4. I am not too sure what you mean by retiming the pump with the lines. I was informed to replace them....start the car and if there are no leaks I did good...lol
I do not use the "girl" excuse but I would really like to know if it is necesary that I do this, and if there are a way to get directions on how to do this?
coke

Re: 2001 Jetta TDI..High pressure fuel lines

Post by coke »

Well, I've never heard of plastic vibration clips. They should be two metal pieces with a piece of rubber in them that the lines sit in and are surrounded to keep them from vibrating. Timing the pump with the ilnes attached: moving the pump back and forth / retard / advance/ with lines attached. Sounds like you've never done this. I would bet its the vibration clips. They shouldn't be plastic.
Fatmobile
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Re: 2001 Jetta TDI..High pressure fuel lines

Post by Fatmobile »

Yeah, turning the pump will twist the lines, put a strange stress on them but it doesn't sound like you've turned the pump with lines attached.

I have heard of this happening with a few cars but never got an answer as to why certain cars break metal lines often and others don't.
'91 Golf gasser converted to a 12mm pump, M-TDI.
'84 1.6TD Rabbit with a VNT-15 turbo, still setup to run on vegetable oil.
'84 GTI with 1.7TD pistons and intercooled.
2003 TDI wagon
2000 TDI Jetta.
Redneck truck
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Re: 2001 Jetta TDI..High pressure fuel lines

Post by Redneck truck »

Are you sure the lines are failed, or is it possible they've just been installed dirty or incorrectly? I've had numerous headaches with this after installing my TDI motor, installing the injectors, cracking the lines to bleed them, installing a new pump, and re-sealing that pump (in that order). It's always been a line that appears to be seated properly but isn't.

If yours have ever been apart before, I'd suspect prior repair work before I'd suspect faulty parts.

If you tighten one end of the line before the other is seated, the line will likely be preloaded by the time you seat the other end. It is very difficult to correctly seat the other end when the line is preloaded - it will tend toward one side of the fitting and end up binding up, resulting in a loose connection that seems tight when you put a wrench on it.

Make sure that you wobble the line from limit to limit while gradually installing the nuts on both ends of the line simultaneously. This will ensure that the line does not bind up in the fitting, and it is properly seated upon tightening.

It is also a good idea to carefully wipe away any debris that might have gotten on the line or in the fitting, as this can interfere with proper seating of the fitting.
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