Screwed Fuel Connector

[Kingsmill]

(Originally posted in the Camper section, but I think is more suited here)

Question in a nutshell followed by a bit of explanation:

Can this 90degree elbow that connects the fuel hose to the sender unit be replaced, and if so, what is the part number / where can I buy it?




Hello all.
I bought my first T6 on Saturday, nice little van and I can't wait to get stuck into it ready for the summer

The first thing I needed to do was get some seats for the back so I set to work removing the floor and the plyboard to locate the seat fixing locations.
got it all back to bare metal, went to start the van to move it back onto my drive and fuel shot out of one of the screw holes at some fair pressure covering the inside of the van.
based on that I new pretty much straight away it would be a hose rather than the tank.
Unlucky really, if the previous owner had put the screw 4mm in almost any direction, he would have missed it but lets not talk about him aimlessly screwing holes in his floor....

I can't seem to find out if these elbows can be replaced independently from the pipe, I'd really like to avoid having to replace the pipe for the sake of one elbow.

Cheers all
Aaron

 

[Martinw]

Can you disconnect, clean it up and fill the hole with slow-setting araldite?

 

[Kingsmill]

Yeh, cleaning it up and gluing it had crossed my mind, but I'm concerned with the hole being so small that there may not be enough surface area for the glue to take properly too. if the repair fails AFTER i've put the floor back, I may not know about it straight away and i'll be leaking diesel everywhere. there's also the risk of glue getting in and blocking it.
I'm considering taking it off and sealing the hole over with a soldering iron, and then maybe applying a glue coat to thicken it up again. ~

Both of these however are second options to buying an elbow new if I can. I don't want to buy the whole fuel line If I can really help it.

 

[oldiebut goodie]

For the sake of a £5 elbow I would replace it. You will only worry that any repair will fail. The worst bit is getting the old one off the pipe and getting the new one to seal, heat is the only way that I have found to do them.
That is the pressurized side to the engine by the looks of it so I wouldn't trust a repair.

 

[Kingsmill]

Oh I 100% want to replace it, that is my first choice. but what is the part specifically and where can I buy it? it seems like a bespoke connection of some kind, not just a standard elbow.
it's definitely pressurised, I can assure you. the diesel on the roof of the van that jetted through the hole can testify to that.
I'd much rather replace it, but I can't find the part?

 

[oldiebut goodie]

Just a standard elbow isn't it? Like these: 4 6mm 8mm 10mm Quick Connect Disconnect Release Fuel Line Coupler Hose Connector | eBay
The spigot that they go on is like these:

 

[Kingsmill]

oh! amazing.
I didn't realise they were a general connector, I thought they were VW specific.
Perfect.

Do you know the size the hose is?
You say resealing it has been a pain in your experience and that you used heat? What did you use to do that ?

 

[Dellmassive]

You can buy the hose assembly as one piece, I'm just not sure of the part number.... Without looking it up.

If you drop the reg or VIN, @Pauly may be able to look it up?

 

[Pauly]

I’m on holiday away from a pc so not for a few days

 

[Dellmassive]

I’m on holiday away from a pc so not for a few days

You lucky git

 

[Kingsmill]

Thanks for your efforts guys.
I've ordered a couple of different sizes of as I managed to get some for delivery today, even at the late hour I ordered them.
I will report back later.

 

[Kingsmill]

So oldie was right in that the elbow is nigh on impossible to remove.

Realistically I would likely damage the fuel line if I pulled it any harder, a heat gun would probably have softened it enough to remove, but then again as Oldie has pointed out, resealing with the new elbow might be difficult. - Amazon also let me down with the delivery of my new elbow.

based on this, I opted to attempt a repair on the elbow since if I can't fix it, it only has to be replaced anyway.
My method was to use heat from a soldering iron to push the softened plastic back together and then smooth it over which has worked a treat and it looks almost new, I've then applied a layer of plastic weld to give extra strength.

I have also widened the screw hole through the floor that caused the damage so that I can inspect and monitor the repair over the next few weeks before the floor goes back in.
I'm confident that being as the hole is SO small, (the actual hole into the inside of the elbow is less than 1mm) that there is little risk of further problems and that the repair will be fine.
Although for people reading this thread in the future, follow my method at your own risk, the proper advice here is Oldie's advice if you can manage to remove the elbow, or Dellmassive's advice to replace the whole fuel line.

Thanks for the help in identifying the parts and the suggestions folks.
I'll come back and introduce myself properly soon.
Aaron

 

[mmi]