fuel issues - help

[uma79]

Hey volks folks,

So my '79 Westy was running like a champ when I drove her into the barn for storage last fall. I'd put the battery back in every month or so and started her up. No problem.

After a few months, she just decided to stop starting up. Seemed odd, but it happens, I guess.

Checked fuses and wire connections - seems ok. Thought maybe the old gas was a problem, so I replaced that. Still nothing.

Checked the spark - no problem there. Checked the spark plugs to see if there was gas reaching the cylinders - none, so I checked the fuel line access port and hardly a trickle came out (instead of fuel at ~20-30 psi). So...I replaced the fuel pump and the fuel filter.

Now I'm not even getting a trickle through the fuel port and the only thing I'm getting is frustrated. I've spent the summer without my bus and I think we are both lonely. I really need to get her back on the road for the next couple months before I put her to sleep for the winter.

Any help you could offer would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

Todd
Marne, MI

[dubfreak1]

Sounds like a ethanol problem to me. It does not age well.

Did you use Stabil or any other fuel treatment when you stored it? I'm not familiar with Busses, but if it were a Beetle there is a screen in the tank on the outlet that could be clogged.

[airehead]

I am assuming it is EFI? If so, your injectors could be fouled up from sitting. Run some cleaner through them, or remove them, clean them up and replace maybe that will get them spraying again.. If it is naturally asparated, the same issue could be it in the fuel float, and it may be sticking the float valve closed. If they sit for a long time, it's good to be sure those are cleaned up from old fuel and gum.

[uma79]

Thanks for the idea.

No, I didn't put any stablizer in when I stored it I did add some fuel injector cleaner hoping that would clean things up. When that didn't work, I siphoned all the old gas out and put in fresh gas. That didn't work either.

When I replaced the fuel pump and filter, I drained all the gas from the tank and it poured out without a problem when I pulled the filter off the fuel line. This leads to believe that if there's a filter in the tank, it's probably not clogged...but course, maybe I'm being fooled.

Thoughts?

[uma79]

Yes, it's fuel injected.

I thought about the injectors being clogged, but I would think that if that's the case, then fuel would squirt out of the access port in fuel line that comes before(upstream of) the injectors. But again, maybe I'm off base.

Thanks for the ideas - I'm brand new to the site and am diggin' the help that you're all willing to give

[dave]

Could be the fuel pump If you get fuel just before the pump and nothing after it.
With the key on you should be able to hear it run.

[uma79]

Hey all,

It turned out that I had a bad fuel pump, so I replaced the pump. It turned out that the new $180 fuel pump didn't work. So...got another new pump, just installed it. Things are looking up - I've got gas a flowing, she fires up for a second or two, but I can't quite get her to idle (I don't blame her, she's been sitting for 1.5 years).

So..my question...anything obvious that I should check? To remind you, she fired up and idled, etc. without a problem before the fuel pump went bad, so the air/fuel mixtures should be fine.

Also, I did drain all the old gas out (in fact, I let the tank air dry and vacuumed out the tank) and have a new fuel filter.

Any thoughts?

Thanks.

Todd