Re: More problems...

[brett@kodak.com (Brett VanSprewenburg)]

> 
> > > My car won't start dammit.  It starts and then dies about 3-4 seconds
> > > later.  Would could it be?  Maybe it's related to my last post about
> > > the RPM thing?  Fuel pump maybe?
> > 
> > When was the last time you replaced your fuel filter?  If your filter is
> > way past due, it could be causing a fuel pressure drop which in turn
> > will cause one or more fuel injector nozzles to close, then car stops
> > running.  Just one more thing to check...
> 
> Hey yeah, good idea, but where the hell is it??  :-)  


Please excuse me if you find this too verbose, but I didn't want to leave
any doubt. :-)

  Well, standing in front of your car with the hood open, find the battery.
Should be in the right front corner to the right of the radiator.  Directly
behind the battery, moving towards the rear of the car, you should have the
air box/mass air flow sensor/fuel distirbutor system. Lots of silver fuel
lines and such. At the right edge of all this 'plumbing' you should see a large
silver canister.  It's between the fuel distributor and the drivers side
fender, on top, in the engine compartment.  It's the filter! It's a flow 
through design, flowing toward the front of the car, with two connections. 
It's mounted with an attachment strap of sorts.  Undo the fuel connections
before disconnecting this attachment strap, just trust me on this. ;)
 
  The filter should have nut type wrench moldings (I don't know any other 
way to describe: a place to put your wrench. :-) ) at both ends, 
closer to the filter then the connections. You'll need to have a pair of 
wrenches, pushing one while pulling the other to undo both connections. 
(it's forward threaded, so you should be able to figure this out, just 
remember to reverse it at the other end of the filter).   However, the
sizes are not the same at each end, so you'll actually need 3 different open-
end wrenches.  Sizes escape me, although 7/8 rings a bell for the big connection
on the fuel delivery end of the filter.  

  Anyway, the connections that attach the fuel lines to the fuel filter 
canister are actually big hollow bolts with holes in the sides to let fuel 
in and out.  To seal the bolts to the fuel line and to seal the fuel line 
to the fuel filter, small rings of 'crushable' brass are used.  
DO NOT reuse these rings.  Go to the dealer, they'll know exactly what you're 
talking about, for new ones.  Get extra ones.  The engine compartment in this 
area seems to swallow these when dropped.  Quite an interesting phenomenon 
really. :-)  Anyone care to comment or explain this?
 
  Oh, don't forget that the Scirocco uses a high pressure delivery
system, so when you crack open these fuel lines, you and everything else
within range will be treated to 'wheel' of spraying fuel.  (Anyone else who's
done this probably knows what I'm talking about. :-) )  Take appropriate
precautions.  

After you put a new filter in, your engine will take quite a bit of cranking 
before the filter is filled with gas and the proper fuel pressure
is built back up, so don't despair when your car doesn't start right up. 
Now check for leaks around the connections you put back on.  Hopefully, you'll
be motoring on down the highway!  Fuel filters should probably be changed
every 4-5 oil changes, or about 15k miles. YMMV.

Why have I been writing so much about fuel delivery lately...hmmm...

Whew, my fingers hurt.

Laytron!

==Brett
--
To subscribe or unsubscribe, send email to scirocco-l-request@privateI.com,
with your request (subscribe, unsubscribe) in the BODY of the message.