NadaGasser
Veteran Member
Help! My 1999.5 New Jetta was running fine on B20 here in the sunny, warm state of Arizona, and since we will be driving to Wisconsin on May 11, I decided that the fuel filter should be changed, since it has not been changed since I bought the car last Fall. There were no fuel leaks before the filter was changed. There is a mechanic at a Texaco station here in Green Valley who is knowledgeable about VW cars (owned 16 of them in the past) and has worked on diesels, so I had him perform the filter changout. The filter was a Meyle with 2 new thermostatic valve o-rings.
Two weeks later, I noticed a rather strong odor of unburned fuel from under the hood, and when I looked, the ridge on top of the filter was full of fuel; and there were air bubbles in the clear fuel line from the filter to the injection pump. The leak appeared to be coming from the filter connection with the fuel return line to the tank. I stopped the engine and wiped off the top of the filter until no more fresh fuel was present. I then double-clamped the leaking connection and restarted the engine. Fuel again proceeded from the leaking joint and filled up the ridge on top of the filter. When I shut the engine down, a slight whistling sound was heard coming from the top of the filter .... where exactly I do not know.
Can anyone offer some clues as to what has happened? I spoke with the mechanic and he said he changed the o-rings on the thermostatic valve. I know in reading about fuel filters that mishandled o-rings can leak, but this does not appear to be the problem. Is the thermostatic valve prone to cracking if not handled with great care? HELP, please!
Mike in Green Valley, AZ
Two weeks later, I noticed a rather strong odor of unburned fuel from under the hood, and when I looked, the ridge on top of the filter was full of fuel; and there were air bubbles in the clear fuel line from the filter to the injection pump. The leak appeared to be coming from the filter connection with the fuel return line to the tank. I stopped the engine and wiped off the top of the filter until no more fresh fuel was present. I then double-clamped the leaking connection and restarted the engine. Fuel again proceeded from the leaking joint and filled up the ridge on top of the filter. When I shut the engine down, a slight whistling sound was heard coming from the top of the filter .... where exactly I do not know.
Can anyone offer some clues as to what has happened? I spoke with the mechanic and he said he changed the o-rings on the thermostatic valve. I know in reading about fuel filters that mishandled o-rings can leak, but this does not appear to be the problem. Is the thermostatic valve prone to cracking if not handled with great care? HELP, please!
Mike in Green Valley, AZ