[chittychittybangbang]

The original article which covered both mk3 and mk4 cars has been replaced with generation specific articles. I changed a lot of wording, added some more pics, verified links to parts, and added a video of diesel vs gasoline vapor fires. Although it's important to make sure all fuel vapors are quickly evacuated, it does show that gasoline vapors are more flammable than diesel vapors at room temperature/pressure with an open flame.

The mk5 writeup was always separate but added notes and part number for the 2009 Jetta. I suspect the 2010 Golf fuel filter will probably be the same procedure since it's the same engine.

mk3: http://www.myturbodiesel.com/1000q/a3b4/fuel-filter-change-passat-jetta-tdi-1996-1997.htm

mk4:
http://www.myturbodiesel.com/1000q/a4/fuel-filter-change-TDI-engine.htm

mk5:
http://www.myturbodiesel.com/1000q/a5/fuel-filter-VW-Jetta-TDI-2005-2006.htm


On a totally unrelated topic, when old aircraft carriers used to carry gasoline for their airplanes, they flooded the fuel tanks with CO2 to prevent explosions.

 

[LIQUIDSILVER]

Cool video...is that why Priuses have a fuel bladder? To prevent the smug buildup from spontaneous combustion? lol

 

[chittychittybangbang]

Cool video...is that why Priuses have a fuel bladder? To prevent the smug buildup from spontaneous combustion? lol

Interestingly enough, that's close. It's to prevent excess gas vapors. Normal gas cars use plastic fuel tanks and a evaporative canister or other holding device for vapors that gets burned up when you drive. That's why you hear the hissing when you open the gas filler tank - it's built up vapors escaping. That's why it's not a good idea to light a cig at the gas stationeek US made WW2 airplanes used fuel bladders and self sealing fuel tanks so that the airplanes wouldn't blow up when hit by a bullet.

The bladder is another reason why the fuel economy gauge on the prius is often off - you are not filling the bladder with the same amount of fuel that you did last time because the bladder has slightly changed shape, especially in cold weather.

 

[chittychittybangbang]

Added a video to 2 of the articles, it should cover up to around 2006 mk4 and b5. The mk5 2005.5-2006 had a new style so see the other article for that.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qM0TH-IsvMQ

 

[chittychittybangbang]

I reworked the video slightly and reuploaded a new version. Here's what I learned when cutting open the filter. Fuel return line from engine and filter feed line both empty on top of the filter element. Fuel goes down to bottom of filter housing through element and up through a tube which leads to fuel line to engine.

Now that I've cut open the filter, I think an acceptable way to refill the housing (aside from using new clean fuel) is to:

1. Use water drain at bottom and discard first bit of fuel. This flushes out anything that has managed to get past the filter and is settled at the bottom.
2. Drain rest of filter housing into new filter through the water drain at bottom, not the top as shown in the video. The fuel at the bottom is all filtered fuel. I should have used a coffee filter or something to filter out any dirt that got backflushed through the element.

Pouring fuel from the old filter back into the fuel tank is no different than pouring it as shown in the video. It still makes its way back to the filter and gets filtered there.

Here are the pics. On a side note, I wouldn't have tried this with a gas filter since gas is much more flammable Nonetheless, I still did this outside!