Thread: How to Test TD5 Fuel Lines?

It seems these things happen in threes. I took the car off the road for three months last year and did an overhaul. No problems. In the last 2 weeks, I have had:

• Harmonic Balancer "shatter", taking the fan with it;
• ball joint on drop arm,
• and latest, a big puddle of diesel on the ground under the tank.

I read the threads on whether to take the tank out, or not... Heard JC say the lines can be played with with the tank in situ....but, hey, its all about learning. Pulled the pump, dropped the tank yesterday. I can see how you could play with the lines in situ if you knew what you were doing, but I didnt even know where they ran until I did this. Now, the tank, chassis, and all lines are soaked with diesel. I have no idea which line is leaking, and from where. Whats the best way to test them, or, in a 2003 car/165k km, is it better to just get new lines for all of them, sheath them, and put them back knowing they are good.

If it is new lines, is this a part which is going to make me clutch at my chest when I walk into Ritters? Or can you just buy nylon line from somewhere and refit the hose fittings?

ANd while Im at it, the tank seems to have a considerable wax build up on the bottom....Im thinking steam clean with a good degreaser, the leave it out in the 30 degree sun for a couple of days to make sure its dry.

The green one was the one that started leaking for me too.

I suspect that you can recycle the connectors although I have not tried to pull them of the hose/pipe. They look like they are barbed, I suspect heat must be used to get the hose on as they appear to have formed around the barbs.