fuel filter change without vag-con

bigmikeinil

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 22, 2015
Location
central illinois
TDI
2014 jetta
2014 jetta, getting ready to do the 40k service, dont have vcds, is there a link to the procedure for priming the fuel system without vcds so i dont damage the fuel pump?

thanks guys
 

stoner-tdi

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 24, 2015
Location
cypress, TX
TDI
jetta sportwagen
trust me on this one..... I just asked the same question a few weeks ago...

just fill it and start.. don't worry

this is what I did on mine after everyone told me to.. my car started fine didn't miss a beat

I filled it half way then started to install the filter and added fuel until it looked like the oring would seal before fuel spilt out...

this is how I will do it from now on no questions asked...
 

iadubber

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 7, 2015
Location
Iowa
TDI
JSW
VAG actually change the procedure to exactly this, just fill up the canister after replacing the filter.
 

dirtysouthjacket

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 5, 2009
Location
Charlotte, NC
TDI
2012 Jetta TDI Premium 6MT, 2004 Jetta TDI GLS (sold)
This was a major point of contention for several years with votes for and against using VCDS to fill the fuel filter. So when searching here, you might be pulling up a lot of that old debate.

I was previously on the side of following the VCDS procedure to a T, however, these days I'm not sure.

I'm not sure of anything with my VW anymore! Ahhh :) jk

iadubber, can you reference the change? This is the first I've heard of them changing it. Not saying you are wrong, but it would be nice to bury the hatchet on this very old debate. It could be the procedure is different for 2015 engine.
 

xjay1337

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 26, 2014
Location
United Kingdom
TDI
Scirocco CR170.
Never had an issue. Just change it. cycle the ignition a few times. Allow it to idle, don't rev it for a couple of minutes.
If the cannister is empty then top it up but I've had it 1/4 full before and had no issues.
If you do get issues just remove the cap, fill with diesel and replace cap and crank.

E-Z
 

Gotenks

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 22, 2013
Location
Edmonton, AB
TDI
2015 Jetta Comfortline
I was shocked the last time I changed the fuel filter and thought there was a problem of epic proportions occurring. Before, my fuel used to be clear but it seems I'm getting blue dye for fuel these days. Was really worried until I saw the jerry cans fluid was also pouring blue dye diesel.
 

meerschm

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 18, 2009
Location
Fairfax county VA
TDI
2009 Jetta wagon DSG 08/08 205k buyback 1/8/18; replaced with 2017 Golf Wagon 4mo 1.8l CXBB
VAG actually change the procedure to exactly this, just fill up the canister after replacing the filter.

I do not think they ever changed the procedure.

the caution to purge air from the fuel system is an overall one, to prevent damage, "whenever the fuel system is opened between the fuel tank and the engine"

this was not a specific step in the fuel filter change area of manuals.
 

ecupip

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 27, 2016
Location
Somewhere
TDI
2012 TDI
I just did mine a couple of weeks ago, changed and started right up. No purging necessary.

On a side note I am surprised it still ran before hand....the previous owners never changed the fuel filter after the 20,000 mile service at the dealer. The filter that was in there had 60,000 miles on it :-O
 

turbobrick240

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Nov 18, 2014
Location
maine
TDI
2011 vw golf tdi(gone to greener pastures), 2001 ford f250 powerstroke
I just did mine a couple of weeks ago, changed and started right up. No purging necessary.

On a side note I am surprised it still ran before hand....the previous owners never changed the fuel filter after the 20,000 mile service at the dealer. The filter that was in there had 60,000 miles on it :-O
Doesn't surprise me a bit. My fuel filters have looked brand new at every change.
 

turbobrick240

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Nov 18, 2014
Location
maine
TDI
2011 vw golf tdi(gone to greener pastures), 2001 ford f250 powerstroke
Definitely a bit darker than mine typically are, but I bet that old filter would have functioned fine for another 60k. I believe the interval is 40k miles in europe. I'm not advocating neglecting maintenance at all, just that the fuel filters only really tend to clog if you get a tank or two of REALLY crappy fuel. Or many tanks of quite crappy fuel.
 

bigmikeinil

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 22, 2015
Location
central illinois
TDI
2014 jetta
i got my oil and air filters changed, didnt have any extra diesel on hand so i will do the fuel filter the next day or so, resetting the oil change reminder on the dash is a bit of a pain and it changed my clock (i really dont like how you change the time on this clock) i used the mightyvac which did an awesome job now i just have to get rid of the oil in it
 

stoner-tdi

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 24, 2015
Location
cypress, TX
TDI
jetta sportwagen
i got my oil and air filters changed, didnt have any extra diesel on hand so i will do the fuel filter the next day or so, resetting the oil change reminder on the dash is a bit of a pain and it changed my clock (i really dont like how you change the time on this clock) i used the mightyvac which did an awesome job now i just have to get rid of the oil in it[/QUOTE

the "reset service" resets the clock??? maybe you did a factory reset? my clock changed when i did my DSG service, but that was expected
 

TDI RED

New member
Joined
Sep 24, 2018
Location
Tampa bay area
TDI
2012 Jetta TDI DSG
Hey guys,

This is my first post on TDIclub! I just bought a used 2012 Jetta TDI DSG with 120k miles from a one owner. He had the vehicle maintained at dealership but I want to do the fuel filter myself. So if I am correct, I can just fill up the canister with clean diesel and drop in the new filter with the o-ring? Please correct me if I am wrong because I would love to be able to do this myself I just am working in an apartment complex without Vag:(
 

turbobrick240

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Nov 18, 2014
Location
maine
TDI
2011 vw golf tdi(gone to greener pastures), 2001 ford f250 powerstroke
Yes, but I would drop the filter in before adding the fuel. Less likely to make a mess that way.
 

notabiker

Active member
Joined
Feb 14, 2014
Location
Near Colorado Springs
TDI
2012 jetta tdi 6m
I used a boat fuel tank primer bulb I acquired (ahemm) while working at a snowmobile place because I had to siphon gas from sleds that were getting air freighted to bush villages and just kept the thing. Anyway I just disconnect the hose from the tank and put the bulb in-between there with a bit of hose to the filter lid nipple and pump fresh fuel in from the tank. Gotta have half a tank or so to siphon but I might just say ef it and pour diesel into the housing now and save five minutes of bulb squeezing.
 

Lyons238

Member
Joined
Sep 13, 2018
Location
Rhode Island
TDI
2014 Jetta TDI
I personally wouldn't trust doing it without a VAG-COM. I just recently did my fuel filter and I pumped the old fuel out, cleaned, filled the fuel canister up to those two dots inside about 1/3 full then put the fuel filter in which pushes the fuel up to the top of the filter. I prefer not to pour fuel into the filter as that eliminates filtering that fuel (maybe that's OCD). then when I use my VAG-COM to prime the fuel pump and rest of the system I can definitely hear air being pushed out for the first 10-15 seconds. To me the $199 for a VAG-COM is absolute cheap insurance, why risk it it's so cheap and easy in the grand scheme of things and it will more than pay for itself over the life of the car. seems like a no brainer rather than trusting random people on the internet to tell you you don't need to prime the system when the shop manual does state whenever the fuel system is opened up, the system should be primed for at least 30 seconds to 3 minutes tops depending what you do. do what you want at your own risk but personally id rather spend $200 then potentially cause more sever problems, also it could be something that causes a little bit of damage each time you do it.
 
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