I finally found somebody to help me get my bus running again. I'm having shifter problems. Now I'm afraid to tell him, once the battery is charged, the old fuel might have mucked up the injectors as well. I'm afraid it's been sitting for just over 2 years. If it makes any difference, the injectors were spanking new when I parked it. If they're clogged, how hard is it to clean them out? Thanks for reading.
Do you have E5 or E10 fuel in the States? If not, it's less of a problem but they will still gum up eventually. I'd be draining the old fuel and replacing it with fresh and a good dose of injector cleaner.
It's very hard to find pure gasoline in the states. It's all E5 or higher. I don't even know when that happened. It's like they slipped in the ethanol while we were sleeping. People are always shocked to hear they've been using ethanol. They'll drive around all day, convinced they will find pure gas someplace. In fact, there is only one station in the entire Houston area ( over 599.6 square miles (1,553 km2)) that has it. Are there any good tricks for getting the old fuel out? I've tried the old fashioned siphoning from the filler neck but I can never get the hose submerged. Would it be possible to disconnect a fuel line and run the fuel pump somehow? Of course, I have the fuel injection system. While it may be more fuel efficient, it looks like they've packed a space shuttle engine in there. I'm lucky if I can find the damn dipstick half the time.
I thought the fuel lines are gravity fed - i.e. no lift pump, which is why they make such spectacular sparklers when they catch fire, fuel line melts, out comes the tank contents. Could you not just take the bottom hose off the tank?
I'm riding on the coat tails of others when it comes to knowledge, don't worry....! If you were over here, the scummy modern scooter riders would have you syphoned in seconds no probs! How full is your tank? My understanding is that the fuller they are, the less prone the fuel is to go off....I'd wack some injector cleaner in it then try starting it, what's the worse that can happen, you end up syphoning the tank and refilling it with fresh? An alternative is to take the fuel line and put it a container with fresh fuel and see what happens when you try to start it.
Take the pipe off before the fuel pump and gravity will do the rest. Make sure you have enough cans to hold it in. Use fresh fuel and injector cleaner.
Nobody yet, Para. I was just asking if anybody thinks they might be. I was trying to prepare for the worst while the battery was charging. They were clogged so badly when I bought the bus the VW dealership had to replace all the injectors, but it had been sitting for SIX years that time. Back then, one jack-wipe told me the whole fuel injection system was shot and that I would have to convert it to a carburetor for $1500! I immediately suspected he just wanted my fuel injection system for himself, so I got my bus the hell outta there.
More likely he didn't know how to troubleshoot it and repair so it is easier for then to say, " convert to carb" Mine at for 18 months and fired up fine
No. He's supposed to be Houston's guru of vintage VWs. (possibly because he's about the only mechanic in Houston who will touch a VW bus) He's sitting on about half an acre of gorgeous parts buses, ghias, things, and dune buggies. What little work he managed to accomplish in 6 weeks, (cleaned and sealed the fuel tank was about it.) he charged me over twice as much as his original estimate. He's an @-hole. I had to tow it 3 hours north to a VW dealership in Austin. I'm in the heart of the bible belt, as well as cowboy country. "If it ain't a pick up truck it ain't American." Rolls eyes heavily
I recon my us import bus hadn't run for 10-15 years. There was 6 inches of rat poop on top of the block and FI system. I put a gallon in and a bottle of injector cleaner. It ran but had so many air leaks from other pipes. Drive it - fix it IF it needs it If the injectors have been done once it should be ok
Wow. I love epic tales of old buses, forgotten in time, miraculously resurrected from ash, rust and rat droppings.
