From my random reading on the subject I too think the swirl contraption is a petrol fuel injection addition (so I don't think carbs and diesels have it)

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1992 W201 190E 1.8 171,000 km - Daily driver
1981 W123 300D ~ 100,000 miles / 160,000 km - project car stripped to the bone
1965 Land Rover Series 2a Station Wagon CIS recovery therapy!
1961 Volvo PV544 Bare metal rat rod-ish thing

I'm here to chat about cars and to help others - I'm not here "to always be right" like an internet warrior



Don't leave that there - I'll take it to bits!

Yes, it seems one of it's functions is to mix the hot fuel returning from the engine bay with cooler fuel in the tank. Most of these early fuel injected cars had a hot start problem and this probably helped. Porsche and others used a similar set up.

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Graham
85 300D,72 350SL, 98 E320, Outback 2.5

I reckon it is a Bosch CIS thing - probably find a similar system on Ferraris and Lancias too!

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1992 W201 190E 1.8 171,000 km - Daily driver
1981 W123 300D ~ 100,000 miles / 160,000 km - project car stripped to the bone
1965 Land Rover Series 2a Station Wagon CIS recovery therapy!
1961 Volvo PV544 Bare metal rat rod-ish thing

I'm here to chat about cars and to help others - I'm not here "to always be right" like an internet warrior



Don't leave that there - I'll take it to bits!

And yet, what is probably the largest single marque installed base, Volkswagen w/K-jet, et. seq., seems not to use the device!

Car of the people innit? Load of old crap! Not a prestige vehicle!

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1992 W201 190E 1.8 171,000 km - Daily driver
1981 W123 300D ~ 100,000 miles / 160,000 km - project car stripped to the bone
1965 Land Rover Series 2a Station Wagon CIS recovery therapy!
1961 Volvo PV544 Bare metal rat rod-ish thing

I'm here to chat about cars and to help others - I'm not here "to always be right" like an internet warrior



Don't leave that there - I'll take it to bits!

Apparently early carb VWs had no swirl pot in tank. So when converting from carbs to FI, owners would try and add a swirl pot. Not wanting to replace the tank, they added one externally. Some later VWs had external "cache tanks" which served same purpose and could be retrofitted to earlier models.

Warm recycle fuel needs to be cooled and mixed. Given that Porsche used a swirl pot, you would think VW would have done same on their FI engines?

Like almost everyone, I once owned a Beetle and my daughter an early Golf. But I paid no attention to them! Not my favorite cars!

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Graham
85 300D,72 350SL, 98 E320, Outback 2.5