Draining water from fuel filter, vehicles without water separator sender G63 — VW
Draining water from fuel filter, vehicles without water separator sender G63 on VW: 14 steps, engines CWXA, CWXB.
Diesel cars with CWXA and CWXB engines, on the platform codes listed below, have no water separator sender G63, so water in the fuel filter is not flagged on the dash and has to be drained by hand. The filter is unclipped and lifted out of its bracket with the fuel lines left attached, the drain plug is opened and fluid is let out until only clean diesel runs, roughly 100 ml. The plug goes back hand tight and the filter is clipped back into its bracket. The real decision comes next: if there is a lot of water, the tank has to be drained via the fuel delivery unit and cleaned, the filter renewed and the system primed by running the guided fuel pump activation, which runs the pump for 30 seconds.
🧭 Before you start
Unclip the fuel filter and lift it out with the lines still connected, open the water drain plug and drain until only diesel flows, about 100 ml, switching the ignition on if needed. Tighten the plug hand tight, switch off and clip the filter back in. Where the tank is contaminated, remove the fuel delivery unit, clean the tank, renew the filter, refuel and run the guided fuel pump activation to prime the system.
Fits: platform codes 602, 604, 603
Don't miss
- Leave the fuel lines connected; just lift the filter out of its bracket.
- Drain until clean diesel runs, around 100 ml, and tighten the drain plug only hand tight.
- Check the filter is properly engaged in its bracket afterwards.
- Heavy water contamination means draining and cleaning the tank and renewing the filter, not just draining.
- Prime with the guided fuel pump activation; the pump runs for 30 seconds.
Written for this job from the workshop steps below · TorqFix editorial.
📋 Procedure
- Unclip fuel filter (1) from fuel filter bracket.
- Take fuel filter (1) upwards out of fuel filter bracket. Fuel lines remain connected to filter. [Note: Collect escaping fluid using suitable methods.]
- Loosen water drain plug until fuel flows out.
- Drain fluid until only diesel flows out (approx. 100 ml). Switch ignition on, if necessary.
- Tighten water drain plug hand tight.
- Switch off ignition.
- Insert fuel filter into bracket and check it is engaged correctly.
- Draining fuel tank
- Remove fuel delivery unit .
- Clean fuel tank with, e.g. diesel extractorVAS 5226.
- Renew fuel filter 28.1Description of procedure; Fuel filter: renewing (diesel engine).
- Fill vehicle with prescribed fuel .
- Switch ignition on.
- Connect , and carry out guided function "“Fuel pump activation (checking fuel pump)”". [Note: The fuel pump is now actuated for 30 seconds.]
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TorqFix was built by a mechanic — after a 2,700 km drive with five roadside repairs that no diagnostic tool could explain.
The figures on this page come from manufacturer workshop documentation and are shown as they are. The page is assembled automatically from that data — it is not written by an AI. The AI works in the chat, where it answers for your specific car. It writes nothing here.
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The story behind TorqFix →Workshop data on this page last updated 20 Sep 2026.