I pulled my fuel solenoid to trim the rubber off a little before turnin the pump up some more. After I put it back in it seems to want to seep fuel between the outside and the plastic in the center? Anyone else have this problem? I looked at one of my dads trucks and someone had put a bead of silicone there. Is this a common problem with these?

 

Well, a while back I discovered the source of the godawful fuel smell that dogged me for hundreds of miles across the West. I'd just pulled a 5000 pound trailer up I-80 into Wyoming from Utah...and that is one MONSTER of a hill...and then had to do around 90 mph or a little more with the big rigs so as to not be eaten alive and run right off I-80 into the snow up there. What a nutty state, Wyoming. I loved it in a way, can't wait to go back in the summer some time.

Now, I bypassed the crummy Mopar wiring loom ages ago with a few switches leading right to the shut off solenoid and the KSB. Keep it simple, yunno ?

Went to switch the motor off one night after pulling that load for hours and hours and hours, and it stayed on. Had to kill it by hand the rest of my trip, as I didn't have a spare shut off solenoid on hand. As soon as this problem developed, I could smell a serious fuel leak. Looked and looked and looked, and couldn't find it...this was by the side of the road while trying to make serious time though.

As we all know, when you turn your fuel up high on the Bosch VE and run it really hard, it can tear the rubber off the end of the plunger of your fuel shut-off solenoid.

As soon as I replaced the shut off solenoid and plunger...learned to always carry a spare too from this experience...the leaking fuel smell went away. Instantly.

What I DO know is that all the rubber wasn't there anymore...it was about half torn off or more...and so much fuel was coming through uncontrollably that it overwhelmed something and I could smell it.

BTW, for future readers of this thread, when you need another fuel shut-off solenoid and plunger some fine day, and don't want to pay Dodge or Cummins anywhere from $60 to...and I am not joking...$314, check this out.

10 bucks.

http://www.dieselvw.com/PumpSolenoid.htm

https://www.dieseltruckresource.com/...08#post2533008

The exact same unit was used on a Bosch pump for VW applications !

Cheapskate that I am, I wonder if you can just buy the plunger part somewhere ? Or just make it if you are so inclined. Anyone ?

Oh, and my mileage went from about 17 per gallon towing that load (!!!) to around 10 once the rubber on the end of the plunger was torn. This fuel bill, oh, how do I put it gently, was most definitely the suck.

Saved the torn off plunger, I ought to take a picture of how it wore and tore for the purposes of Science.

 

It is not a common problem, but not unheard of either.

There isn't really a good fix other than a new one.

It is recommended to tap and pipe-plug that portion of the solenoid when "gutting" it and going full-mechanical, just to prevent such an occurence.

 

Easiest fix is larget sticks......
Haven't lost a solenoid since I went to my 6x.016's