After only about 18 months fitted and 15months of little use i noticed my fuel feed pipe to the carb had cracks in the outer rubber,i wouldnt have
noticed this if i hadnt been cleaning up a spillage in the engine bay.
Luckilly it was not leaking and i had some spare but it didnt look too healthy,i think i'll invest in some quality braided fuel line in
future.
The pipe in question had plenty of length from the fuel pump to carb and is under no strain,the slight bend in the picture is about as much as it has
to cope with and the only hot area it is close to is the water pipe that feeds from the manifold through the carb.
http://www.locostbuilders.co.uk/photos.php?action=showphoto&photo=fuel%20pipe%20002.jpg
[Edited on 24/8/05 by bob]
i noticed my rubber fuel pipe has cracked too, on a tight bend - this was after 1 mile, and a year in the garage! Pretty useless really. Again, no
leak, but i now see why people use copper pipe!
http://www.locostbuilders.co.uk/photos.php?action=showphoto&photo=fuel%20pipe%20001.jpg
I've put an even longer piece on now less bend,but the original bend looked okay and i've seen tighter.
I didn't realise my fuel pipe was cracked and on sunday night the worst happened. I had my own bbq under the bonnet after pulling out of a tee
junction
I have never moved so fast in my life!!
The socks went up, the carbs kept going for a little bit, the wiring needs replaceing at two
points, The hose was only three months old!
It could have been worse!?
Mark
I'll add that my fuel pipe is also cracking, replaced it though with the same stuff (it's all I had). I'll replace it with some decent stuff next time I'm out shopping.
quite a worryingly common problem. What would be the perfect tubing? How is copper tube connected up, would you just use rubber at the ends?
I'm now using the steel braided hose. If that goes then I give up!!
Mark
yeah but steel braided hose is still using rubber hose beneath the braid.
If the rubber hose cracks, you will not know until petrol starts to leak everywhere. Braided is binger, resists abrasion better and probably in these
cases will not let you fit in such a tight bend.
Are you guys using cheap hose? A few months or even a year doesn't seem too good - or is it the tight bend that is causing this?
It may well have been the bend or arc of the pipe,i have since refitted the pipe to carb and added a couple of inches so the bend isnt so tight.
I must add that the hose was not leaking but i just didnt like the look of it after only one year on the car,the pipe was not a cheap one and is BS
marked as fuel pipe.
allways worth adding to regular checks i think
i hope braided is Ok - that is what i have used right through from the tank to carb - difficult to inspect in the tunnel.
What do the OEM's use? Copper to point of use then rubber i guess.
quote:
Originally posted by DarrenW
i hope braided is Ok - that is what i have used right through from the tank to carb - difficult to inspect in the tunnel.
What do the OEM's use? Copper to point of use then rubber i guess.
I bought some fuel hose from Westfield when I ordered some other bits. About 3 months later they sent my a letter and some more hose saying that the
other stuff was known to break down and had been recalled.
If you fit your fuel pipes in a similar manner to Mini's, you'd be doing it about right. This puts hard pipe in all the long runs, and uses
flexible at the joints, in short pieces.
Although copper is used frequently, it can age harden and crack. Much better to use the copper/nickel alloy stuff, as in brake pipe tube. Steel will
do the trick as well.
Syd.
quote:
Originally posted by Syd Bridge
If you fit your fuel pipes in a similar manner to Mini's, you'd be doing it about right. This puts hard pipe in all the long runs, and uses flexible at the joints, in short pieces.
Although copper is used frequently, it can age harden and crack. Much better to use the copper/nickel alloy stuff, as in brake pipe tube. Steel will do the trick as well.
Syd.
Domestic copper pipe doesn't get vibrated continuously for hours on end, like it does on a car.
The stuff that REALLY scares me is the tubing I saw someone drooling over at a show - thin-wall aluminium tube with a plastic cover. Aluminium will
age-harden, let alone work harden. It's probably fine for a competition car where it would get replaced frequently, but in a road car? No
thanks!
David
Took the old pipe out today - this is the worst bit, just next to the fuel tank outlet.
Rotted fuel pipe
The white flecks you can see are the internal reinforcement threads!
quote:
Originally posted by 02GF74
quote:
Originally posted by Syd Bridge
If you fit your fuel pipes in a similar manner to Mini's, you'd be doing it about right. This puts hard pipe in all the long runs, and uses flexible at the joints, in short pieces.
Although copper is used frequently, it can age harden and crack. Much better to use the copper/nickel alloy stuff, as in brake pipe tube. Steel will do the trick as well.
Syd.
Syd, do you really believe that? how many thousands of miles of copper tubing is used in domestic water and heating systems - have you heard of the tubing cracking? It is much thinner, runs with highter pressure and goes trhough a bigger temperature cycle than a fuel line in a car.
Not convinced myself but then I don't have any plumber mates.
You guys sure you are using rubber hoses rated for fuel? Petroleum rots/cracks rubber unless it is designed for it. All fuel hose here is
specifically marked, and will last many years before rotting/cracking.
All hard lines can crack. Even steel ones. Aluminum and copper are much more likely to though. I still pucker up when I see you guys using copper
mix for brake lines........ steel is definitely the way to go there.
Yep - the rubber has to be marked with the appropriate standard, else you don't pass the SVA inspection. Unfortunately some are better than
others... I have some Gates hose in the line, and that's in decent condition, unlike the rest.
As for the 'copper mix' brake tube - if it's good enough for Volvo, it's good enough for me. It's quite an exotic mix of
copper, nickel and iron (Cu-Ni-Fe, trade name Kunifer). I'd rather use that knowing that it won't corrode, rather than steel, which I know
WILL corrode!