oneohtwo

Ah thanks. I used the clamps that came with the HEL fuel lines they sent so assumed they were suitable, but having checked again they are just worm drive type clamps with an aluminium capping piece. I did notice that when I found the leak and retightened they did seem a bit loose. I will swap them out. The only nice thing is they finish off the braided hose quite nicely and stop any fraying.

I managed to get in contact with Bosch parts supply and they confirmed the pump would get up to 4 bar/run at 4 bar OK, so I think Keyo may have been mistaken. Can't find anywhere that mentions flow rate, or what that needs to be, but I think I am just going to go ahead with the Bosch pump as it is listed as a replacement part and there's now no question about the pressure issue, relevant or not.

Had a frustrating day with it last Weds. Finally got around replacing the sunroof motor I bought last year, and decided to investigate the clunking noise when the sunroof opens. Found the source of the clunk but in fiddling about in the to see what had made it start clunking I managed to break off the lug on the sliding mechanism that the spring catch clamps onto. Was very dumb as all I needed to do to fix it was replace the rubber O-ring on the spring catch so it would sit a bit lower when it engages with the slider. To cap it all I found the (expensive from classic parts) motor I bought last year was completely the wrong part. I didn't realise there are two part numbers. Really should have checked what was in the car before buying. So now I am lumped with a motor I can't use, and can't really return as it's been a year.

Yeah, I'm not sure what to think here. It is listed in the parts catalogue (7zap) as 4bar. This is for the Pierburg diagram so I guess listing the 4 bar VDO as a replacement: Perhaps it's a pressure rating for what it can withstand? Although that seems a bit on the limit. Or is it saying it can deliver the flow rate at that pressure? Keyo seemed to think the Bosch part is 3bar after calling them up (earlier in the thread). Does seem odd it is listed for that part number and not have the correct specs. I can't find the flow rate either.

The Lucas part has arrived, in an unbranded box with a Lucas sticker on it, so I suspect it's the same part as all the other unbranded sellers. No great surprise there though. Unfortunately this also means it has no specs on it anywhere to confirm whether it is 4bar or not. I've not been able to identify it anywhere else either, so unsure whether to just go ahead with it or send it back. Edit: I've thought on it some more and I think I am going to send it back and get a Vemo version instead. That is listed as 4bar, and although Vemo isn't really a big brand they are at least a global company that do manufacture some parts in Germany and brand their products accordingly. Most parts are probably manufactured in China, but they have a presence out there so perhaps have a bit more input into their supply chain, rather than just slapping a sticker on a box and shipping onwards. The part is also listed in their parts catalogue, unlike Lucas, which is a bit more comforting. The only visible difference I can see from pictures is the Vemo uses Torx screws for the top casing rather than plain crosshead on the Lucas part. That in itself doesn't mean it's better quality, but it is suggestive of a bit more thought into the design and manufacture process, using more specific parts, so potentially it indicates better quality.

Managed to check and I've got the Pierburg so mildly annoying as it's an extra £100 quid. Have gone for the Lucas pump as hadn't got a response about the pressure, so will see when it arrives.

Ah I better double check that. I thought it was only the very early VRs that had the Pierburgs. Mine is a 94 as well.

Ah, gotcha. That makes sense. So there's no joint in the hard line by the chassis rail? I guess, as you say then, it can only be from the where the rubber hoses connect. Will have another look around there. I suppose the slow start from cold could also be due to a leak especially if it's small. The pressure in the hose will drop over time, and air will get in. Then the pump has to overcome the pressure difference and force the air out before fuel starts getting to the injectors. Once it's running it can probably maintain it a bit. Pump might actually be fine. I'll tighten up all the hoses again and see if that makes a difference.

I'm slightly unsure where it's coming from, I've run the engine again and can't trace it. It's definitely towards the front of the car and I think it is the fuel lines under the car. There seemed a bit of fuel residue on the chassis near where the fuel lines run into the chassis before the engine bay, so will investigate a bit more around there. Not sure if there is a join there, but those lines are a lot older. The new fuel lines all look dry now. What's the connection with monitoring the temps when starting?

Thanks both. I searched for the part number in the Lucas catalogue and it doesn't appear which isn't helpful! I'll ask the question. Was also looking at ones from Hitachi and ERA. Hitachi you'd think should be pretty good, given the brand, and I believe they make OEM parts. ERA I can't find as much about, other than they have been around a while. Think they probably just rebrand and distribute parts judging by their website.

Would you mind having a look to confirm if this was the one you bought? Swirlpot, fuel pump fits VW PASSAT 2.8 91 to 96 AAA Lucas 1H0919651Q VOLKSWAGEN | eBay Your link has expired. It says Lucas so presume it is, but does seem a bit on the cheap side. It's so hard to tell with all these unknown brands floating about. They could all be manufactured in the same place for all we know, and I suspect Lucas these days is the same, but I guess it it is at least known.

Still getting some gremlins on the car. Getting a very slow start from cold, usually needs a couple of turns of the key, with a lot of turning over. Once it starts it's very very sluggish before finally firing properly. Also seem to still have an on/off minor fuel leak somewhere. Noticed a couple of drops on the road but this seems to stop again. First port of call is the fuel pump I think? not especially looking forward to trying to sort a replacement. I think I may look at the cam sensor and FPR after. Still need to replace the sunroof motor, which I have had sitting around for a year. Seem to have less time to do car jobs at the moment which is a bit of a shame.

You probably don't need the rear speakers, but there is a fairly well priced Alpine alternative that are the same range as the one's that fit for the doors and dash, so people including me, have just used all three: SXE­4625S (rear) SXE-1325S (door) SXE-1025S (dash) The 1025s in the dash need some fettling to fit, you can see in my build thread what I did, although I think just keeping stock tweeters here might be fine. You will also need to make up a short wiring connection to replace the crossover in the stock tweeters if you did, as the doors connect to these. This will make a world of difference to your sound without resorting to amps and subs, as the stocks end up pretty knackered. The only thing, as I say, is potentially leaving out the dash speakers as I don't think this made a lot of difference. I keep meaning to put the tweeters back in to compare the difference.

Unfortunately I am not familiar with the valver, but if it's anything like the VR then it seems quite hard to avoid leaks around here, and you end up living with it a bit. The breather pipe/PCV is plastic rather than rubber, so it doesn't seal well even with new clips and whatnot. Might be the same for the Valver.

Nope, this wasn't finished! Started the car at the weekend and thought I'd double check for a fuel leak myself and sure enough it was leaking from the fuel line at the rail connection. With the engine off the leak stopped until I wiggled the pipe and then it'd spray out again. Not entirely sure why this would have happened now, the fuel pipes are only a couple of years old and decent quality Hel items, and the clips used are the ones that came with the pipes. Anyway, I adjusted the clip and retightened, so that is that one solved.

Garage couldn't find anything in the end, so this one goes down as a mystery. Runs all OK again.

If it was me I'd leave the non-return valve off. I had one fitted and regret it a bit now - initially it leaked, which is obviously fixable, but it's just a potential weak point in the fuel line. It doesn't solve the warm start issue either, as it's not a fuel pressure thing. Interesting about the cam sensor though. I might try this as well.

Yeah, it's what the garage thinks as well. They're not getting any leaks either. He's going to leave it over the weekend and see on Monday, but looks like it might just have resolved itself.

You can, yes. If you pop the wipers off and undo the larger spindle nut, the spindles will just drop through. Nothing is connected to the plastic trim. It takes a bit of wiggling to get the wiper mech out from under the scuttle, but that's the same whether the plastic trim is on or not. I can't remember if you picked up one of my sets of wiper bushes, but that's exactly the sort of play in the connecting rod that they will get rid of.

Shiny! Do heat shields start to degrade over time? Other than getting dirty and less reflective I suppose! I'm not sure if it's just pressed from a single sheet of metal or if it has a sandwich of something in between. Engine bay looks great!

Well this is very odd. Couldn't really see any obvious issues, and when the tow truck arrived to pick the car up it started and ran perfectly. No misfire or lumpyness, and more importantly no fuel spraying out! I've had it taken to the garage anyway to get checked out, and speaking to the mechanic apparently that does happen with fuel leaks. So we shall see.

I used one of those easy bleeder kits which actually seemed to work OK, except I forgot to bleed the master cylinder so the brakes still didn't work. I'd hope if I had done that as well it would have been OK. In fairness two separate garages missed it as well. Not a pleasant job though!

Yeah, fairly sure. The pipes were new braided ones from Hel and didn't see any traces of fuel around them. Good shout on the clips, I'll have another poke around and see if I can see anything, but I think I am just going to get it towed to a garage. Don't really feel like I have the time and energy trying to fix this one... and it's not ideal with it parked on the road!

Not had much to report recently as hadn't done anything to the car and it has been running well since the rebuild... until disaster on Sunday. Started her up and immediately the idle was lumpy and sounded like a misfire. Tried revving a bit to see if it would pick up and settle down, but it didn't. There was also a strong whiff of fuel (which sometimes is normal starting from cold with the rich running) but this time it was because fuel was pissing all over the road. I mean loads of it, not just a trickle. Had a quick look under the bonnet and all I could see was a bit of fuel around the injectors, so I presume the seals have started leaking. I could see fuel all over the front cross member as well, and it was dripping off the splitter. No idea what's happened. Had the injectors refurbished when I did the rebuild so they should all be fine, and the seals new. Only been using E5 fuel as well, so shouldn't have had any degradation there. And last time I drove it, it was running perfectly. The only thing is I don't get to drive it that often, last time was around 4 weeks ago, and things always seem to go wrong through not using it, but I am still a little baffled and deflated. The rebuild was supposed to mean things like this didn't happen!

I was going to ask if I could add my name to the list if they were still being made, but I see it is already there! Did anything come of this?