fuel filter change on 2011 jetta

wruben said:

Just had my fuel filter done today, 2011 sportwagon, and I watched the whole swap...

He did not empty it out, just swapped old and new filter and orings... Cap back on and torqued.

He cycled the ignition switch on / off twice and then started it.

I asked him if he needed to hook up to the system to prime and he said the 2011 and newer did not need that due to the in tank pump... Not needed.

Makes me want survey a few more dealer tdi techs to see if that is fine..

Click to expand...

My dealer said the same thing when I got to my 40K service. They just take the filter out and put a new filter in. So I ended up doing the fuel filter change myself without the VCDS per their instructions.

There is no need to use a software to prime pump after fuel filter change. Just refill the fuel filter container with either extracted fuel from canister or new fuel. The software should be use if there is a major job on the fuel system.

gemduo said:

There is no need to use a software to prime pump after fuel filter change. Just refill the fuel filter container with either extracted fuel from canister or new fuel. The software should be use if there is a major job on the fuel system.

Click to expand...

What basis are you making this claim on? To me its worth priming with VCDS, considering the risk of a 6-8k fuel system if it goes out.

gemduo said:

There is no need to use a software to prime pump after fuel filter change. Just refill the fuel filter container with either extracted fuel from canister or new fuel. The software should be use if there is a major job on the fuel system.

Click to expand...

pdt165 said:

What basis are you making this claim on? To me its worth priming with VCDS, considering the risk of a 6-8k fuel system if it goes out.

Click to expand...

There are people who have changed the fuel filter, pre-filled the canister without software, and the car started right away. There have also been cases where this technique resulted in long cranks before the car started. I do not know if any damage occurs when this happens (but it is possible). All I know, for sure, is that the Bentley Service manual states that any time the fuel system is opened up, the system should be "primed" (filled) using a scan tool. Since I have VCDS, I will always use it. I choose to follow the service manual. Others may choose to do it other ways. The choice is yours, and the results will be whatever they will be. This has been debated here many times, and nobody knows exactly how necessary the priming procedure is. I prefer to error on the side of caution but YMMV.

Have Fun!

Don

Any air, or even air bubbles in a high pressure pump is MURDER on them. Sure, your car may start and run just fine the first time, the 2nd time, and so on. But if air is going through the high pressure fuel pump it's not improving it's life any. You might go the life of the car without issue....or you could be shelling out several thousand dollars because of cavitation damage to your HPFP. Plus any damage from cavitation is cumulative and if it occurs on a wear surface will greatly increase wear and friction at that point. If you have VCDS or access to VCDS there is zero reason not to run the purge. If you don't....then it's a question of risk vs cost. If you decide you would rather run the risk then don't complain if your HPFS goes south.

Heck, maybe this might be an opportunity for RossTech. They could make a 'maintenance tool" that would have a few push buttons on it. 1 could reset the service reminder, another could activate the fuel prime. That's all it would do. A few very minimal and basic service functions. Sell it for the right price and I could see DIY owners potentially buying it.

I replaced the fuel filter on our 6MT yesterday. I found that the filter bowl top was very difficult to remove. Once I got the cover off it went smoothly. I used the Pella oil extractor to empty the filter bowl. Thoroughly cleaned the filter bowl and found a few grains of sediment but nothing unusual. I then filled the bowl with a bottle of "Diesel Purge" and installed the new O-ring and filter. Ran the VCDS fuel pump on/off cycle 3 times and had no leaks or issues. Took longer to get the old laptop working then it took to replace the filter

I would think that using the pumps to prime the fuel system would be the ideal situation. This would actively flush air bubbles to the tank. It also has the benefit of being quick and easy.

If you were to fill the filter with fuel prior to installation, that would greatly reduce the amount of time that the high pressure end of the fuel system is exposed to air.

Cycling the key would have a similar effect to using a scan tool to turn the pumps on, except that the pumps would only run for a short time. If you prefilled the fuel filter with diesel and cycled the key a couple of times, I would think that this would eliminate almost all the air in the system. Without pre-filling the filter, you would probably have to cycle the key alot of times to work all of the air through.

I would definitely not be comfortable with changing the fuel filter and starting the car. The fuel acts as lubrication for the HPFP and injectors. Although this damage is probably not catastrophic, I don't know why someone would risk it for any reason other than lazyness... If you are going to go that route, you'd probably be better off not changing the filter, since it's purpose is to protect the HPFP and injectors from damage.

Procedure for priming the fuel system after a hpfp change out




Procedure for changing the fuel filter, no mention is made as to the priming procedure after the filter change

^So I'd say this proves the whole "priming bs", as BS...

It does indeed seem like it's optional for a filter change. Most interesting. Maybe they figure there is enough fuel left in the low pressure side to operate until the lift pump clears out the air.

However, I do have one thought. What happens if everything is quite cold (ie well below 70F) is there enough recirculation back to the tank to handle pushing a large volume of air out of the filter housing? If the thermo allows even a slight flow then a lot of air could continue to flow back to the tank.

Since I have VCDS, I'll probably continue with priming under the idea of "it couldn't hurt".

Okay just did this today with an oil and filter and cabin filter change.

The hardest part was replacing the filter housing again had to tap it back in from the top as the O ring is pretty tight.

Did the VCDS pump method after cleaning out the housing.

Why can we have the old cannister type fuel filter?

Why can VW nimber the tightening sequence on the filter housing?

As for the Oil and filter changing over to a 32mm nut is a little bit of a pain. Used to the old oil filter cap with flutes.

From the alldataDIY site for the 09 jsw TDI, in the section titled: Fuel Supply System, Safety Precautions

If fuel system components between the fuel tank and high pressure fuel pump were removed or replaced, the fuel system must be filled in order to bleed it. Refer to --> [ Fuel System, Filling ] See: Service and Repair\Procedures\Fuel System, Filling. (Avoid running the high pressure fuel pump dry.)

it seems to me that the filter is between the fuel tank and the HPFP.

MF1160 said:

......

Procedure for changing the fuel filter, no mention is made as to the priming procedure after the filter change........

Click to expand...

Y because Bentley manuals are written by bunch of idiot Technical Writers. They aren't Designers/Engineers. They wouldn't know how to pre-fill fuel filter with Diesel fuel, and priming it to prevent dry start-up at the injectors. Injectors are lubricated by Diesel fuel not air.

fdizz said:

So I'd say this proves the whole "priming bs", as BS...

Click to expand...

No, pre-fill fuel filter with Diesel fuel and priming it aren't BS.

Before the fuel filter or any part of the of fuel system i.e. hose is removed , the system is pressurized with Diesel fuel. Therefore, when you open the FFH, the fuel system is depressurized. So when the FF is replaced with a new one, the FFH has to be pre-filled with Diesel fuel - there was Diesel fuel in the FFH wasn't it? - and fuel system needs to be pressurized - it was pressurised wasn't it -. This will prevent dry start-up since injectors are lubricated with Diesel fuel not air.

Remember this rule of thumb:

- Always replace fluid that is removed before starting.
- Always pressurise system when it's depressurized before starting

Btw, have you ever done Brake, A/C system etc. flush? Same concept

DieselMann99 said:

What happens if you don't fully prime the fuel system or use the VCDS? Will it just take longer to start until it pumps all the way through? Or is there some damage that could occur?

Click to expand...

No or half pressurized fuel system, dry start-up etc. are not a good thing