I was adjusting my SLS today and noticed diesel dripping from the subframe on the driver side. The fuel lines rotted through under the subframe. I went to Pepboys and bought two 4' pieces of 1/4" rubber fuel line and 8 clamps. I cut the lines to remove the rotten section but left them attached to the car with the brackets. I ran the rubber line along the old line, under the subframe and attached it with zip ties. I used 2 clamps on each end of the rubber lines and it works great.

Lines at the fuel tank:


Lines at the splice:

__________________
Chad
2006 Nissan Pathfinder LE
1998 Acura 3.0 CL
OBK#44
"Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work." - Aristotle (384-322 B.C.)

SOLD
1985 300TD - Red Dragon
1986 300SDL - Coda
1991 - 300TE
1995 - E320
1985 300CD - Gladys

Good job.

How old do you think the lines where that you replaced? I'm looking at replacing my lines that come straight out of the tank to the metal fuel lines under the car. But I'm afraid I will have to go to the stealership because they screw right into the fuel tank.

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Professional greasecar installer
Austin TX


98 Jetta TDI with grease car kit + veg-therm (totaled)
87 MB 300SDL running on B99 / greasecar kit + 30 fphe
www.austingreaseguys.com

The lines I replaced were original to the car, so over 20 years old. On my car the rubber lines between the tank and the hard lines were held on by hose clamps. Once the clamps were removed the hose just pulls off. The rubber lines on my wagon were fine, it's the hard lines that rotted under the subframe so I just made the rubber line 4' long instead of the 10" it was originally.

__________________
Chad
2006 Nissan Pathfinder LE
1998 Acura 3.0 CL
OBK#44
"Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work." - Aristotle (384-322 B.C.)

SOLD
1985 300TD - Red Dragon
1986 300SDL - Coda
1991 - 300TE
1995 - E320
1985 300CD - Gladys

Very helpful thread!

I'm dealing with the same issue right now, but I'm not sure what to use to cut the lines while leaving them attached to the car.

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87 300SDL

Are you talking about this line? Click on the picture to expand it.



Unscrew it rom the tank, cut off the crimp. It will expose the brass Barb fitting. use 5/16" fuel hose and a clamp.

Make sure you are on an almost empty tank, drain it, and you might as well at this point remove the fuel strainer and clean it.

Charlie

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there were three HP ratings on the OM616...

1) Not much power
2) Even less power
3) Not nearly enough power!! 240D w/auto

Anyone that thinks a 240D is slow drives too fast.

80 240D Naturally Exasperated, 4-Spd 388k DD 150mph spedo 3:58 Diff

We are advised to NOT judge ALL Muslims by the actions of a few lunatics, but we are encouraged to judge ALL gun owners by the actions of a few lunatics. Funny how that works

That line seems to be fine, it's the first 18 inches of metal fuel line that has rusted through and cracked. I'm not sure how to go about cutting out the bad section of metal line. Obviously, I'd want to drain the tank first, but I don't know what I should use to cut the metal lines.

I haven't done a lot of wrenching, but I'm trying to learn, and I'm grateful for any suggestions.

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87 300SDL

Hacksaw is probably easiest. If you have access, a tubing cutter may be better.

__________________
1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

Yeah they make a small tubing cutter maybe 3" long. has a wheel and 2 rollers, crank down on the handle/knob and rotate it around the tube. Of course you will have to drop the tube enough to do it.

Gently clamp down on the rubber hose with some 6" Vice grips to cut off the fuel flow. Gently now, don`t want to damage the rubber.

Charlie

__________________
there were three HP ratings on the OM616...

1) Not much power
2) Even less power
3) Not nearly enough power!! 240D w/auto

Anyone that thinks a 240D is slow drives too fast.

80 240D Naturally Exasperated, 4-Spd 388k DD 150mph spedo 3:58 Diff

We are advised to NOT judge ALL Muslims by the actions of a few lunatics, but we are encouraged to judge ALL gun owners by the actions of a few lunatics. Funny how that works

I was ready to go the hacksaw route, but I think a tubing cutter might be better. I've got one in a drawer somewhere that I used to cut some copper pipe to install a dishwasher last winter. Do I need a special cutter for steel, or will that work?

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87 300SDL

When I cut my lines, I started with a piece of hacksaw blade. It was working, but the tight space made it slow. I ended up using my dremel with a cutting disc and it worked great.

__________________
Chad
2006 Nissan Pathfinder LE
1998 Acura 3.0 CL
OBK#44
"Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work." - Aristotle (384-322 B.C.)

SOLD
1985 300TD - Red Dragon
1986 300SDL - Coda
1991 - 300TE
1995 - E320
1985 300CD - Gladys

Another member suggested a dremel via PM.

I've never actually used a dremel tool before, and I'm just slightly concerned I might wind up slicing into my brakeline...

Slow and miserable with a hacksaw or pipecutter seems best for me now, but maybe if it's really miserable I'll wind up grabbing a dremel tomorrow. There are plenty of other times I've wished I had one in the past.

No danger from all the sparks I'm assuming the dremel will throw?

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87 300SDL

I'm thinking Dremel tool. Watch for sparks and heat that might ignite fuel - should be dry and clean in the area of work.

__________________
Codifex
1981 240D ChinaBlue (Got her running with a donor engine.)
1983 300DTurbo w/sunroof.
1984 300TD manual sunroof. (Electrical Gremlins)

I used a small cutting disc so there was less risk of nicking the brake line. I went slow and the fuel lines were empty when I used the dremel. Safety glasses are a must.

__________________
Chad
2006 Nissan Pathfinder LE
1998 Acura 3.0 CL
OBK#44
"Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work." - Aristotle (384-322 B.C.)

SOLD
1985 300TD - Red Dragon
1986 300SDL - Coda
1991 - 300TE
1995 - E320
1985 300CD - Gladys

See, now I just want to do it this way because I want to buy a dremel.

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87 300SDL

So, in the course of liberating the return hose from it's brass fitting, I managed to damage the brass barb fitting.

Can I just get a brass barb fitting from a plumbing supply place, and if so, does anybody know what size?

It seems silly to purchase a new return hose/fitting assembly if I'm just going to cut the fitting off (carefully this time).

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87 300SDL