coolant bleed rail (DJ)

[jpennington]

On the DJ 2.1l engine there is a coolant bleed rail which runs around 3 sides of the engine compartment, just below the top edge. Its shown as part 1 on ETKA. My engine is an early DJ (manufactured November 1985) and has a steel bleed rail, this was superceded on later DJs by a plastic pipe.
My steel pipe has rusted, leaked and been repaired a few times, so I have decided to take out a bank loan and fit a new plastic one.

There are a couple of points on which I would welcome expert advice:
Can I use metal hose clips to attach the various rubber pipes, or are the plastic ones shown in ETKA essential?
The steel pipe is rigid and held in place by about 4 plastic clips, of which 2 are broken. Does the plastic pipe use the same type of clip - it seems like it would need at least 6, and where can I get them from?

jp

[billy739]

any hose clip the correct size is ok.

have you tried VW for the clips , you may need to try the commercial dept rather than car dept tho

[Hacksawbob]

You can make one from plastic T-pieces and rubber hose. secure in place with cable ties and drilled holes if necessary.

[jpennington]

Grateful for the replies.

Hacksawbob - I've been the rubber and t-piece route. The van has served me well for 27 years,so I am hoping that £100 to do a proper job will serve me for the next 20 years.

Billy739 - thanks for confirmation re metal pipe clips. I have to say that I feel very uncomfortable visiting my local VAG dealer. They do not appear to have a specific commercial dept., so I have to hang around in a showroom full of new Audis, then sit in front of a desk occupied by a teenager in a suit who wont let me see the parts pictures on his monitor, and doesn't know a T25 from a T3 .

Experimentation with the plastic bleed rail suggested it can be bent to shape by gentle heating (I used steam) so maybe getting it to stay in place will not be too difficult.

jp

[jpennington]

Just to finalise this thread:

I should apologise to my local VAG dealer. I visited this morning and got to sit at the desk of a grown-up in a suit, who understood DJ as well as T25. After making 3 trips through the door to the mysterious inner sanctum (which I guess in the good old days would have been the parts dept.) he was able to point out the part on ETKA (nowhere near the pipe) and inform me that there should indeed be 6 of them and it is NLA.

The good news is that I now have the part number, and they are in stock at VW Heritage. Result!

jp

[AdrianC]

The good news is that I now have the part number

Feel like sharing?

[jpennington]

Of course:

Part no: 255-121-046

VW Heritage link: http://www.vwheritage.com/vw_spares_Cli ... try_GB.htm

On VAGcat/ETKA its part 1A on the diagram, or part 2 on Heritage's diagram. Strange?

jp