Venting questions

[ChugBug]

Ok, I recently purchased a 2000 NB and I have a question about venting. Now, I was told to never top off the tank because diesel expands. Isn't venting like topping off the tank? Do you only vent if you are going to drive a long distance immediately afterward and therefore will be using at least 2 gallons of fuel? How do you tell when you are full enough when venting? Newbie questions her, thanks

Jolene
2000 red NB TDI
1999 cosmic green GTI VR6

 

[itsmejerry]

Now, I was told to never top off the tank because diesel expands. Isn't venting like topping off the tank? Do you only vent if you are going to drive a long distance immediately afterward and therefore will be using at least 2 gallons of fuel?

#1 Yes And #2 No.. 1. venting is topping off the tank, and then some. (You're filling up an expansion tank). 2. Diesel doesnt expand. Check in the search feature for the complete story, but.. long story short, more than one club member has vented, filled and topped off to the tippy, tippy top on a cold morning, let his car sit undriven as the temps have gone up 40 degrees F. or more. (50F to 90 F) with no fuel expansion, leaks, etc.
It is not necessary to drive 2 gallons worth when venting.
Do NOT Vent a Gasoline Engine's tank. The gasser needs the benifit of the expansion tank, and the charcoal Fuel Tank air filter, which is never to become saturated with gasoline. Diesels dont have the charcoal canister, so there's nothing to saturate with fuel.
to vent, when filling up-- fill up until you cant get more in. It's not necessary to let the foam completely settle, but the more you do, the quicker it will be to top off when it's really top off time.. When you think you're full push the button and let the fuel drop, and fill up the extra room you've just made. Repeat until you cant get another drop in.
I've never leaked when I'm vented, topped off, and full.

 

[mobe]

I think this the original "ventectomy" thread .
It's a long one but I think there some stuff in there about the NB being a little different. GeWilli's pics are in there too.

 

[bigun]

Yeah, great thread. Ventectomy was so much easier and time saving.

Every time I have vented, I have filled until there was absolutely no more room and then drove the 2.4 miles home from the station I normally fill up, back to my house. When I get home, first thing I do is open the fuel door and I can't even see the diesel fuel. You don't have to worry about spilling because within the first few miles, just the normal effects of driving, (turning, going over bumps, etc...) will keep it far enough from the top that it won't expand the amount needed to spill out.

Of course, about 1 mile of the 2.4 mentioned above is on a dirt road to get to my house so, I guess with the jarring and shaking, it helps settle the diesel fuel more so that just sitting at the pump.

 

[tadc]

no leaks, but I did notice when I did my ventectomy the other day that the seam around the filler neck was wet with fuel. Hmmmm....

 

[Old Navy]

Believe me diesel fuel has so little expension that for all intents and purposes it does not expand. The NB is the best for venting, due to location of filler pipe and the straight down look almost into tank.

No worry about over flowing, because you can watch about a foot and a half of filler pipe fillup. Can't do that on the others.

’00 NB GLS, 5 Speed, Cool White, Luxury Package, Euro Switch, Cold Weather Package, Turbo Diesel Badge, XM Satellite Radio, GPS, OEM Steel Skid Plate, Fuel Line Shield, Mufflerectomy, Screenectomy, CCV Filter installed, Mobil Delvac 1, Vented…. Mine.

’02 Jetta GLS, Silver Arrow Metallic, Automatic, Cold Weather Package, TDIHeater, Turbo Diesel Badges, OEM Steel Skid Plate, Fuel Line Shield, Screenectomy, CCV Filter Installed, Mobil Delvac 1, Vented, …Wife's.

 

[n1das]

Yeah, great thread. Ventectomy was so much easier and time saving.

Every time I have vented, I have filled until there was absolutely no more room and then drove the 2.4 miles home from the station I normally fill up, back to my house. When I get home, first thing I do is open the fuel door and I can't even see the diesel fuel. You don't have to worry about spilling because within the first few miles, just the normal effects of driving, (turning, going over bumps, etc...) will keep it far enough from the top that it won't expand the amount needed to spill out.

Of course, about 1 mile of the 2.4 mentioned above is on a dirt road to get to my house so, I guess with the jarring and shaking, it helps settle the diesel fuel more so that just sitting at the pump.

I just finished doing the ventectomy mod on my '02 Golf TDI. After 51k miles and bone stock, I'm tired of having to push the vent valve open with the fuel filler nozzle to properly vent it while I top it off. I always vent it and have had no problems with fuel overflow, but there has to be an easier way to vent.

So, I finally decided to step up to the plate and ventectomize it. The mod was real easy to do and only took about 10 minutes. I used the ventectomy mod pics that have been posted elsewhere on this site.

The only hazard with doing the mod is that you need to be careful to avoid having the valve assembly fall into the inside of the car when you pop it out of the housing. It's a minor PITA to retrieve from the space between the wheel well and the rest of the car body. I learned this the hard way. The rest of the mod was easy.

The Ventectomy mod is the way to go!


~ n1das