Yet another reminder to check your fuel hoses!

[CJH]

This topic comes up fairly regularly, but I make no apologies for bringing it up again.

One of the first jobs I did to my van was to replace all the fuel lines, thanks to dire warnings on this forum. That was a mere 20 months ago. I didn't expect to be doing it again so soon. I used R9 hose, which I thought was the right stuff, and I had it ordered in specially by a reputable local motor factors.

I noticed today that all the R9 hose in the engine bay is already cracking. Maybe the hose I used was fake, or maybe R9 isn't up to the job because of current levels of ethanol in our fuel. Who knows. Anyway, I've now replaced it all with FPM/ECO as supplied by Brickwerks, which is apparently good for 100% ethanol.

[Oldiebut goodie]

Have you thought to slice the old pipe open lengthwise to see if the cracking is internal also? I am wondering if there is a different compound on the exterior and some external compound/action is doing the damage. I would do it myself but I am diseasel and haven't any problems. It does seem to be common but I haven't seen anyone post concerning which way the deterioration is going. To me it just looks external. Just intrigued.

[CJH]

You may be on to something there. The interior seems fine in fact (apart from the longitudinal mark from my knife blade). So maybe the interior is better at dealing with the fuel than the exterior is at dealing with the elements. The R9 hose pieces at the tank connections were in the same shape, so it isn't the heat of the engine bay doing the damage.

It would be difficult to confidently leave the cracked pipe in place though, even knowing that the interior is probably better.

[Smosh]

Out of interested, can you tell how much the crack penetrates?

[CJH]

Out of interested, can you tell how much the crack penetrates?

It's not easy to tell. It doesn't seem to go beyond the woven layer though.

Well thanks both - you've turned this eminently sensible 'check your fuel hoses' thread into a 'don't worry about a bit of cracking on the outside of your fuel hoses' thread. Exactly the opposite of what I was going for.

[Oldiebut goodie]

I wouldn't be confident leaving it in place either - it would be handy if others posted that they have the same exterior cracking only. I have seen several posts about cracking but haven't bothered about thinking about it as it hadn't happened to me. Then we need a tech bod that could identify what is happening. Atmospheric pollution of some sort? Possibly ethanol isn't to blame.

[Smosh]

Well thanks both - you've turned this eminently sensible 'check your fuel hoses' thread into a 'don't worry about a bit of cracking on the outside of your fuel hoses' thread. Exactly the opposite of what I was going for.

Haha! That wasn't my aim. There is no way I would leave hoses like that in my van. You'd feel foolish saying "there was only a few splits in my fuel hose, I never thought it would catch on fire".

[Emma&Al]

I had a friend come and change the fuel lines in a 1981 high top I had - they were in bad condition..
I'm wondering if I can do this job on my own - how dificult is it? Thanks for flagging it up again .... the friend who helped me had a T2 which set alight on a road trip, due to this - so god, yes, its so important.

[CJH]

I'm wondering if I can do this job on my own - how dificult is it?

It's not a difficult job. There'll be a short piece of hose either side of the filter just after the tank outlet (replace the filter while you're at it), a piece from the end of the polyamide tube up to the pump, and a piece from the pump to the carb. At least that's how it is on my '83 DG. I know nothing of the Aircooled setup - is yours a CU, does it have twin carbs? If so, there'll be more hose after the pump than there is on mine, maybe via a T-piece (and more clips).

If someone's replaced your original polyamide line(s) with rubber hose then you're looking at quite an expense to replace all of that with the 'right' hose - it's not cheap. Probably better to reinstate the polyamide lines with one of Brickwerks' kits (that's for the 2.0 CU, they also do one for the 1.9 DG). Their kits include all the right hose and clips too. As well as those feed line kits they also do a kit for the return line for the DG, but I'm guessing the CU doesn't have a return line - is that right?

The hose after the pump is not included in the Brickwerks kit, so you'll need to order that in. You should check hose and spigot sizes before ordering. In my setup there are two different sizes of hose needed - all the connections to the carb have 6mm spigots and all the tank connections have 8mm spigots, and you need different sized hose for each one - I used 5.5mm FPM/ECO and 7.3mm FPM/ECO respectively.

Also, pay attention to hose clips. If you buy new you won't have to worry about salvaging the old ones - it can be easier to unpeel the old ones than slide them along the hose, but this makes them unusable. Proper hose clips will have a lip that stops them cutting into the hose. Get stainless too, to make them easier to undo in future. I got mine from here - 11-13mm for the larger hose, and 10-12mm for the smaller hose.

The hardest bits - removing the old hoses, as they tend to stick to the spigots. And the tank connection, since you'll have fuel in the tank. I used a pair of mole grips to clamp off the old hose while I replaced everything downstream, and then just made the last connection 'really quickly'! It only takes a few days for the petrol smell to leave your nostrils.

[Emma&Al]

Thanks for the description CJH thats really helpful - mines a 2.1 fuel injected petrol..watercooled.

[CJH]

... in a 1981 high top I had...

Ah, ok, I misread that. I've no idea what the connections to the injection system look like, and your pump will be an electric one somewhere. I'm assuming you'll also have a return line to the tank, with a non-return valve and possibly a step-up adapter. So you really need to get in there with a calliper and measure all the spigots, and also tot up the total lengths of the different diameter hoses and then order hose and clips to suit.

[porthyt]

Hi,

I'm just about to order that brickworks kit for my 2.0 cu. does anyone know what size hose I need to replace the line to the expansion tanks? And or another hose I need? Don't really want to take it off until I have the bits to replace it with?

If you could let me know ASAP it would be much appreciated so I can put an order in tonight!


Cheer
Sjosh

[itchyfeet]

And if you don't check your fuel hoses at least check your fire extinguishers are in date ( less than 5 years) and man enough, 1kg-2kg costs 20 quid no reason not to have a new one under your passenger seat.

[Verlog]

I noticed the other day that mine are like this ,same grade pipe and not very old. its good to hear that the inside is ok. you might expect it to be the other way around.
I suppose I ought to do something about changing them again.
I have read bad things about what the higher percentage bioethanol can do to lots of parts ,carbs, petrol tanks etc.
I did have a near miss with my old fuel lines as I happened to be looking in the engine bay for the first time in a while and fuel was coming out in a steady stream between pump and carb . I had read the warnings ages before that and not got around to changing them.

Worth talking about

[AdrianC]

R9 is a US spec. US fuel is 10% ethanol (minimum, some's higher) and, often, oxygenated - which is even nastier to hoses. UK fuel is 5% ethanol. If it was genuine R9 (I can't see markings in your pic), then it should have taken that just fine.