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jetta fuel tank question



 
 
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  #1  
Old July 13th 05, 06:12 AM
Dino
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Default jetta fuel tank question

Hi,

I've got a 99.5 Jetta IV (107,000 miles) and had a problem last week and was
wondering if anyone had any ideas. I was going uphill in 5th gear with the
tank near empty but the reserve light wasn't on yet. It started loosing
power and then was fine again, and did this again on the next hill. It
acted just like it was running out of gas, so I go fill it up and it only
takes 11.5 gallons. I'm pretty sure it will hold up to 14.5 gallons, so I
don't think it was out of fuel. Since then I drove 1200 miles back home and
didnt' have the problem again (ran fine up and down hills), although I never
let it get to where the guage read less than 1/4 tank left since I was kind
of worried about running out of fuel.

So the second part of this is that a few weeks ago I hit a large object (an
irrigation pipe elbow of all things) in the freeway at 75 mph, which
shattered the oil pan and really bonked the bottom of the car good. It hit
the bottom of the engine with enough force to pop the windshield washer
motor off of the reservour, and it also looks like it put a dent in a fuel
tank (near the rear of it) too.

So I guess I could see how the dent in the fuel tank would lower the
capacity, but it's not that large of a dent (about 5 or 6" across) to reduce
it from 14.5 gallons to 11.5 or 12. And I also wonder that even with
reduced capacity, why it would run out of fuel going uphill. but be ok
level. I'd had it with less fuel in it (i.e. has taken 12 and 12.5 gallons)
prior to this out-of-gas problem (but after striking the object).

So I was wondering how the fuel system handles going up/down hills. Is
there a center low spot it in the tank if draws fuel from, or multiple
spots? Maybe something got knocked loose in the tank? Maybe this dent is
somehow strategically placed so that fuel doesn't move to were it needs to
be on uphills.

thanks,
Dean.


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  #2  
Old July 13th 05, 11:44 AM
Woodchuck
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Posts: n/a
Default

Check the tank for damage. Also the fuel pump is attached to the tank bottom
so it may have broke loose. Sounds like a new tank is needed.


"Dino" > wrote in message
...
> Hi,
>
> I've got a 99.5 Jetta IV (107,000 miles) and had a problem last week and
> was wondering if anyone had any ideas. I was going uphill in 5th gear
> with the tank near empty but the reserve light wasn't on yet. It started
> loosing power and then was fine again, and did this again on the next
> hill. It acted just like it was running out of gas, so I go fill it up
> and it only takes 11.5 gallons. I'm pretty sure it will hold up to 14.5
> gallons, so I don't think it was out of fuel. Since then I drove 1200
> miles back home and didnt' have the problem again (ran fine up and down
> hills), although I never let it get to where the guage read less than 1/4
> tank left since I was kind of worried about running out of fuel.
>
> So the second part of this is that a few weeks ago I hit a large object
> (an irrigation pipe elbow of all things) in the freeway at 75 mph, which
> shattered the oil pan and really bonked the bottom of the car good. It
> hit the bottom of the engine with enough force to pop the windshield
> washer motor off of the reservour, and it also looks like it put a dent in
> a fuel tank (near the rear of it) too.
>
> So I guess I could see how the dent in the fuel tank would lower the
> capacity, but it's not that large of a dent (about 5 or 6" across) to
> reduce it from 14.5 gallons to 11.5 or 12. And I also wonder that even
> with reduced capacity, why it would run out of fuel going uphill. but be
> ok level. I'd had it with less fuel in it (i.e. has taken 12 and 12.5
> gallons) prior to this out-of-gas problem (but after striking the object).
>
> So I was wondering how the fuel system handles going up/down hills. Is
> there a center low spot it in the tank if draws fuel from, or multiple
> spots? Maybe something got knocked loose in the tank? Maybe this dent is
> somehow strategically placed so that fuel doesn't move to were it needs to
> be on uphills.
>
> thanks,
> Dean.
>
>



  #3  
Old July 15th 05, 03:48 AM
Wake
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Or it's pushed up at an angle from the bottom. I had this happen in an old
Chevy Vega. The vent froze in the winter and the suction popped the tank
bottom up with a big bang. Immediately afterword the guage showed empty,
and the engine stopped, even though I had gas in the tank.

Thankfully the fix was easy, they just put an air nozzle in the filler,
sealed the filler neck with a rag and the tank popped right out (well, not
completely, but it worked ok).

Woodchuck wrote:

> Check the tank for damage. Also the fuel pump is attached to the tank
> bottom so it may have broke loose. Sounds like a new tank is needed.
>


--
Wake
  #4  
Old July 18th 05, 05:15 PM
Dino
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

That's an interesting one! Thanks for the tip. I was wondering if I could
use a auto-body repair suction thingy to pull out the dent too, but I'm not
sure if that requires drilling a hole or not. I ran the tank low again and
it did they same thing...I just wanted to make sure it wasn't bad gas or
something that one time. Also, I was looking at a dent in the spare-tire
well not the fuel tank. Duh. I need to go underneath and take another
look. Anyway, something is wrong with it, at the very least maybe something
got knocked loose.

Thanks for the ideas...

Dean.


"Wake" > wrote in message
...
> Or it's pushed up at an angle from the bottom. I had this happen in an old
> Chevy Vega. The vent froze in the winter and the suction popped the tank
> bottom up with a big bang. Immediately afterword the guage showed empty,
> and the engine stopped, even though I had gas in the tank.
>
> Thankfully the fix was easy, they just put an air nozzle in the filler,
> sealed the filler neck with a rag and the tank popped right out (well, not
> completely, but it worked ok).
>
> Woodchuck wrote:
>
>> Check the tank for damage. Also the fuel pump is attached to the tank
>> bottom so it may have broke loose. Sounds like a new tank is needed.
>>

>
> --
> Wake



 




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