Thanks for the reply - I learned a few other things last night.

Although the gage said 1/4 full, I think the gas tank was empty. I was attempting to check the fuel pump by removng the gas line at the filter. When I turned the ignition on I got very little gas out of the hose. Just to be sure I added a few gallons to the tank and tried again. It had no flow with the ignition on and a reasonable flow when I engaged the starter. This is a bit strange but I suspect there is some kind of interlock (when the motor isn't running the pumpengages only when the starter is running)but my repair manual dosen't give enough detail to confirm this.Can someone confirm this?

I put it back together and it runs, but I am concerned that I might be missing something. Tonight I'll check power at the pump to see what that tells me.

 

You'd be correct on the 98 Jetta that the fuel pump will only work with the crank turning, whether it be from use of the starter or the engine running. The newer 2.0T engines on the A3 will prime the fuel pump when the driver's door is opened.

You might be very correct about the car being out of fuel, which I consider a good thing because you can get clean fuel running through it right away. How does the fuel gauge work now? Did it "stick" for a while before reading the correct volume?

All in all, if the car is running well, then everything is peachy.




Cheers!

 

Thanks Chief -
--Knowing that the pump dosen't run unless the crank is turning is great information. It helps me understand the problem and stops me from changing a bunch of stuff that is OK. I am beginning to feel better about the car.

I'm not sure about the gage. Itshowed just below1/2 when I picked the car up and I drove about 100 miles to get it within 5 miles of my house. Itwas at1/4 tankwhen the car stopped running. My current guess is that the gage is messed up and your probably right about it sticking. I'll fill the tank, add someinjector cleaner,dry gas, and see what happens. I'll assume 25 MPG to be on the safe side andhopefully the gage will free up. If it dosen't I can always pull the pump assembly and really mess things up!


Thanks again!!