[T3] Electric Fuel Pump Issue

[Jim Adney]

Richard,

The electrical connection on the pump is one of the common places for 
leaks, on pumps that have been out of service for years, but it's unusual for 
pumps that have been working. The problem is that, over time, the O-rings 
get saturated with gas, leaching out some of the original plastizers. This is 
fine as long as the gas is there, because the gas swells up the O-rings, 
helping them seal. But if the car is parked for years, the gas dries out and 
the O-rings shrink and no longer seal.

IIRC, your car was out of service for years, but then you got it going again. 
I'm guessing that the dried out O-ring was sealed by a combination of 
corrosion and dried gas residue, but eventually the fresh gas dissolved the 
old gas residue and now it's leaking.

I rebuild these pumps, and leaks are not the most common problem, so fixing 
yours now will avoid future problems. In your case, I'd take everything apart, 
clean it all up, replace all 5 O-rings, plus the rubber tip on the relief valve 
piston, and the alum relief valve cap. This is a lot of work, which is why it 
costs $165 plus postage. I should be able to turn it around in under a week.

You're lucky this happened now. ;-)

Here's my ad on theSamba. There are photos there, too.

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=1821211

Jim

On 30 May 2024 at 17:22, Wisconsin Spryers wrote:

> In my preparations for the 2024 Type 3 Invasion, I've been taking my 1971
> VW Squareback (Fuel Injected; Manual Transmission) out on longer and longer
> trips around town. I returned yesterday and this morning noticed the smell
> of gas and gas dripping directly under the fuel pump location. I pulled the
> pump off the mounting bracket, checked all the hose connections (no leaks).
> After wiping away the excess gas, with the fuel pump just hanging down, I
> ran the engine for a few minutes and it appears that gas is seeping out at
> the base where the electrical connection joins to the body of the fuel
> pump. Couple of questions:
> 1) Is this a common leakage point?
> 2) Can the pump be repaired?
> 3) If I need to replace the pump, what sources are recommended?
> 4) Are there any recommendations for any compatible after-market 12-volt
> fuel pumps?
> 
> Note: My pump was original with the car (as far as I can tell). I also
> recently (April 2024) replaced all the hoses in the front as I was noticing
> some leaks. The prior hoses were installed in 2018.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> -- Richard Spryer
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-- 
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Jim Adney, jadney at vwtype3.org
Madison, Wisconsin, USA
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