Help! What would you take with you?

calebessent · Post by **calebessent** » Sun Sep 30, 2007 3:56 pm

I'm traveling across Texas to pick up a 1971 411 wagon that I've purchased. (I'll be in Weatherford, Ray.) The guy says it doesn't run. He's obviously not a mechanic, because he said he paid somebody to put a bunch of ignition components on it and he couldn't remember exactly what was replaced. My guess is that his mechanic put new plugs and battery in it to try to fire it up. I know he didn't have much money in the car, so hopefully the mechanic didn't do anything else. He said it turns over, but it won't start. It's been sitting for at least one year. It has new tires.

I'll be stopping on the way home to spend a day with friends, and I'll have access to a barn with a cement floor and a bunch of tools at a friend's house where I can work on the car. Running or not, I will trailer it all the way home to protect that precious front suspension before I can inspect and modify it with new boots and grease zerks in the ball joints.

Here's my question: What would you take with you?

I want to replace hoses and belts and change fluids. What else can I do? I've ordered a couple of manuals, but they're not in yet. On top of that, I don't know which manual is best for which parts of the car. I've read in several posts that some are only partially usefull and accurate.

I think I can get hoses in the specifications like the ones listed here:
http://www.vwbughead.com/412/412engine/ ... agram.html
That is, unless anybody knows why I shouldn't get those diameters and lengths. Also, being manual-less, I don't know what kind of oil and filter to take with me. Also, does anybody want to outline an oil system flush for me? I'm not new to wrenching, just new to Volkswagens.

Any help is greatly appreciated. Here are some pictures of the car.

I'm not sure if those pictures will work because I'm at school and the filter blocks Flickr and its images. I'll edit this when I get home if they don't.

-Cale

wildthings · Post by **wildthings** » Sun Sep 30, 2007 4:14 pm

D-jets have two sets of points, there is one hidden in the bottom of the distributor that fires the fuel injection. Don't know enough about D-jet to help you beyond that.

As far as oil any quality oil will do. If you don't have a source for a recommend filter a Ford Motorcraft FL300 or equivalent will work fine and will be available anywhere.

You are going to want to replace all your fuel lines very soon as well. Be sure to use FI rated hose.

raygreenwood · Post by **raygreenwood** » Mon Oct 01, 2007 4:49 pm

The most probable causes if it has not been run in a year...is either crappy fuel, or inoperative fuel pump or regulator. It would be wise to as wildthings said...to replace all of the fuel lines. I would score a used pump as well if you can for a spare.
Just bear in mind...that no vaccuum leaks aree allowed. You might also find some spare type 3 or four injectors....the ones from the 1600 type three can swap in in a pinch.
When these things sit still,,,the inhectors and fuel pump can rust up. Nice ride. Ray

calebessent · Post by **calebessent** » Mon Oct 01, 2007 5:27 pm

That's all good advice. Thanks a lot, and keep the comments coming.

dogguira · Post by **dogguira** » Mon Oct 08, 2007 6:29 pm

So how is it coming?

calebessent · Post by **calebessent** » Tue Oct 09, 2007 6:47 am

I got the car off the trailer yesterday. When I turned the key, it would crank, but not start. We couldn't hear the fuel pump running. We checked the spark plugs, and they've got spark.

Our next step was to pull the fuel pump off and see if we couldn't clean it. I guess I read these forums wrong, because I was under the impression that the pump would be in the tank. It was external, so we took it off and made note of where the hoses were hooked up. The pump got partially dismantled and cleaned. The spinner and the weights were rusted and siezed. They're free now.

After putting it back on and replacing hoses, the pump spins freely, and it even sounds like it's got a load on it, but it won't pump fuel.

Currently I'm looking for hose schematics or pictures so I can verify that the hoses are where they should be. They look new, so my guess is that a mechanic put them back on in the wrong configuration.

-Cale

raygreenwood · Post by **raygreenwood** » Tue Oct 09, 2007 9:09 am

Two things. First...drain the tank. It has a plug in the bottom just for this. Then get a crescent wrench or proper sized open end wrench and take off the nut that is around the intake and outlet pipes on the bottom of thee fuel tank. When it is loose...you will be able to pull out the fuel intake pipe assembly and see the "sock" filter/strainer that is attached. It will be permanently packed with crud. Use a sharp scissors and cut the filter off.
You now need to open the trunk...pull out the fuel sending unit...so you can peer into the tank with a flashlight.
If you have only light surface rust....you can....and wear a respirator mask using OVP-100 filters and goggles with this.....get a pump sprayer with a bendable plastic wand and fill it with a pre-mixed mixture of 60/40 or 70/30 muriatic acid (swimming pool acid) to water. Be careful and read the mixing directions and do this in a well veltilated place. You can use 100% acid...but its easier this way. Put the plugs and lines back in teh bottom of the tank and plug everything up.
Spray the inside of the tank...everywhere...through the hole for the sending unit. This is why you need a bendable plastic or metal sprayer wand. get a cheap one you will throw this away later. Do not get any on the sending unit...as it is aluminum and will disolve.

What this will do...is to dissolve all the way to bare metal....all rust......gone! If there were flaky rust and potential rust throughs...they will dissolve as well and you will then have a leaking tank...but you will know the next step. If nothing leaks after this...then you go to the next step.

Do two or three treatments of the acid. When it is done right......you will be able to see that all rust is dissolved through the sending unit hole...leaving pitted...but clean metal.

Drain the acidout of the tank....and dilute it 10:1 with water then add a couple pounds of regular baking soda...and poor it down the drain. Next fill the tank up with water and drain it....then fill it again and drain it.....and let it sit overnight.

This will almost instantly start rusting. But it will be a fine, even surface rust.
Lat step. Go to the hardware store and buy 1 gallon of Ospho or any other phosphoric acid type of rust neutralizer. After you have rinsed the sprayer out ......through the sender hole...spry the whole inside of the tank with phosphoric acid.
This solution converts the surface rust to iron phosphate...a solid black permanent coating....that will never rust again.

The first acid was to get all excessive crusty rust....which is whats clogging the sock filter....dissolved. The phosphoric acid is to convert the new surface rust to a pemanent coating that won't rust.
The iron phosphate makes a fabulous primer also. At this stage...if you wanted to....you could get some POR-15 gas tank epoxy sealer...and seal teh tank. By the way....the method above is exactly what POR-15 recommends as the pre-stage for using their product.....but this way is about 10 times cheaper and better than what they sell in the kit.

Also if you had no rust throughs.....and you pre-rust and convert the surface...there is really no need to seal the tank.

I hope you don't have any problem with the pump. The o-rings in those pumps are "fitted" meaning that they are square edge and very specific and generally not available. If you put any o-ring back in other than what was designed for the pump.....the tolerance will be off and the pump will not work. I have never been able to disassemle a pump and get it to work right on reassembly. Ray

Lars S · Post by **Lars S** » Tue Oct 09, 2007 10:57 am

The Glenns Fuel Injection manual which you can find at
http://www.vwtypethree.com/technical/index.html
has on page 22 a diagram showing fuel pump hoses.

Lars S

calebessent · Post by **calebessent** » Thu Oct 11, 2007 11:11 am

Ray, I've been beating about this forum for 2 months, and I haven't come across a tank cleaning method as complete as that one. Thank you. That is my next step.

Lars, I've ordered manuals for the 411 from Amazon, but they aren't in yet. Glenn's website is a life saver! I have my fuel lines hooked up wrong. No, ignorance is not bliss.

I'm going to post later about my refurbishing of the fuel system: hoses, pump, injectors. Those things belong in another thread, but for now I will say that I did get the pump working. It was merely siezed up with light rust.

Thanks for the help, all of you.

-Cale