Sealing the Fuel Injection S-Boot

I don`t know about using the term "refurbish". More like "add some life". But "refurbish" is easier to say. So REFURBISH it is!

The S-boot on my 78 fuel injected VW Bus was old, dry, brittle, and had many tiny cracks. It leaked horribly, no matter how much RTV silicone goop or electrical tape was applied.

So I was cruising Home Depot a couple weeks ago, and saw that Plasti-Dip has a spray applicator! I`ve used Plasti-Dip to rubberize tools and handles and such and the stuff lasts a long time.

Why not coat my S-Boot with it? Into the cart it went:

Day before yesterday I pulled the S-Boot (pic above), gave it a quick cleaning, and started spraying the Plasti-Dip. The instructions said as many coats as desired, 30 minutes apart.

Here it is after one coat:

I used the entire can, for a total of 6 coats. Then I hung it to dry overnight.

Yesterday morning I reinstalled it using some black RTV to seal it to the throttle body and air flow meter. I let it set for a couple hours while I finished up the installation of my westy bed.

Then I took it for a test drive. No apparent leaks! I know my intake gaskets are leaking, but that`s another project. It runs smoother than it did previously.

I`ve now been driving it for 2 days and am VERY happy! Let`s see how long it actually lasts!