Club 80-90 Forums

Hi there,

Proud owner of an '84 Autosleeper conversion... first trip planned this weekend and thanks to this forum I've ironed out a few minor niggles myself.

But - I read alot about perishing fuel lines - what and where should I be checking to see how they're aging ?

Advice is more than welcome....


'84 Type 25, Autosleeper, 1.9 Petrol

There are some thin black plastic pipe sections which should be OK, it's the rubber bits that need checking mainly. Just work your way round starting with the tank exit (& filter). Initially check their general condition. Look for cracks on the outer surface - gently flex the pipe. If you have the outer braided type you may see or feel damp patches. This is the big problem with braided pipe, you can't see where the damage is. Replace any suspect pipes with new rubber ones and hose clips, not jubillee clips.

The other area of concern is the inter-connecting pipes on the 2latic bottes in your wheel arches. These are to compensate for the badly designed fuel tanks and shouldn't normally contain fuel - especially if you ensure you never fill right up!

dbroada wrote: the 2latic bottes in your wheel arches. These are to compensate for the badly designed fuel tanks and shouldn't normally contain fuel - especially if you ensure you never fill right up!

the fuel tank is NOT at all badly designed, it was designed around the aircold "HEATING" ducts - it was just never redesgned when the watercooled engine were installed..... and if checked , and maintained is a good system, these tanks dont rot out like othe vehicles tanks of the same design age......

The REALLY important petrol pipes to check are in the engine bay area, under the bus isnt too bad safety wise...

Heh heh - once you start checking rubber based components you can go on and on - they have a habit of perishing as a bunch I've found.