Suggestion for plastic fuel hose replacement in engine bay(5/16" Fuel Inj Hose)

[iladelf]

Hello all,

Wanted to chime in a tip I found out about from.... website (a tip of the cap), and would concur that it works. If some of your clear fuel line hoses in the engine bay are brittle (let's face it, if you have a W123, they likely are due to age), this trick will work as a permanent fix.

Buy 5/16" fuel injection hose and clamps. Then, cut off the plastic hose AT THE BARB, leaving the remaining plastic hose on the barb. The 5/16" hose fits easily, but still snug, over the plastic; tighten with non-cutting 5/16" fuel injection hose clamps and, voila! No more fuel leaks.

My nephew was assisting me with this work, and said, "Hey, watch this!" The plastic line was so brittle, that when he went to cut it off at a barb, it already had a crack, that started squirting fuel when he simply tried to move it. My guess: simple gravity and pressure were holding the pieces together previously, keeping the fuel from leaking all over the place. No telling how long I had driven with it like that!

Of note, I did not have to prime the fuel system after replacement; my vehicle started and ran fine after doing so. Also, I've read elsewhere that the yellow Tygon hose (which I saw available per foot at a local auto parts store) will work, since it's basically used for lawn mower fuel lines. My guess is it's more of a PITA, only because you then have to cleanly remove the old plastic from the barbs (might be difficult), then really shove the Tygon on for a good fit.

[charmalu]

Thanks for posting your repair. Iam sure someone out there is having this issue.
This has been posted before, and searching the archives something will come up.

The original factory fuel lines were clear, now with 30 or so years of heat and fuel, they look like my morning coffee in color.
If they are brown, they are getting brittle.
I leaned on the 3 way one and it snapped like a potato chip. That was a $46 dealer replacement at the time,
think that was back in 07 when I was installing my new engine.

The clear lines are to help to see if there is an air leak to show any bubbles.
If that isn`t a concern, then rubber hose works just fine.


Charlie

[Diesel911]

I replace the Plastic Fuel Line with I think it was 1/4" Fuel Hose. But, in my case I used a Butane Lighter to heat the plastic line on the Hose Barbs and yanked off the old plastic hose with a Pliers.

Not if you apply too much heat the plastic melts and stays on the barb and then needs to be scraped off.
So just enough heat to soften and stretch the plastic.

If you do this with the banjo removed remember the banjo is going to get really hot if you hold it in your hands while you heat the plastic hose with the lighter.

[iladelf]

Originally Posted by Diesel911

I replace the Plastic Fuel Line with I think it was 1/4" Fuel Hose. But, in my case I used a Butane Lighter to heat the plastic line on the Hose Barbs and yanked off the old plastic hose with a Pliers.

Just thought of something that might work better if fully removing the plastic from the barbs; how about using a utility lighter (the long red ones folks use to light backyard barbecues)? Since those have a holdable trigger, probably easier to pinpoint your flame than a typical Bic lighter.

[iladelf]

Originally Posted by charmalu

The clear lines are to help to see if there is an air leak to show any bubbles.
If that isn`t a concern, then rubber hose works just fine.


Charlie

Of course, the clear lines are handy; that's why I'm guessing the Tygon idea is a fairly good one. My question is whether it will stretch to go on the barbs properly.

[funola]

I think you meant 3/8" fuel injection hose, not 5/8", which is way too big.

[ROLLGUY]

Originally Posted by funola

I think you meant 3/8" fuel injection hose, not 5/8", which is way too big.

I thought almost the same thing, but in my mind it is 5/16. I could be wrong though. I remember that I came across a car that had all the clear (brown) lines replaced with 5/16 fuel line clamped over the broken off plastic on the barbs.

[Rogviler]

It's 5/16 or 8mm for hose that will fit OVER the plastic left on the barbs.

-Rog

[ROLLGUY]

Originally Posted by Rogviler

It's 5/16 or 8mm for hose that will fit OVER the plastic left on the barbs.

-Rog

Thank you.

[funola]

Originally Posted by ROLLGUY

I thought almost the same thing, but in my mind it is 5/16. I could be wrong though. I remember that I came across a car that had all the clear (brown) lines replaced with 5/16 fuel line clamped over the broken off plastic on the barbs.

You are right, 5/16"

[vstech]

I have used nylon clear hose from lowes and it works fine.
Tygon is great for return hose also.


Oh... And tipping your hat to someone who grossly overcharges for support and sells photocopies of manuals for use as help... Is the reason you had to use the guy's name instead of saying his website...

His website name is blocked on our free help site.

Just an FYI...

[iladelf]

Oops! I really screwed up on the 5/8" thing---guess I combined 8mm or 5/16" into...5/8". Any way for me to edit the thread's title?

Oh, and vstech, thanks for the tip on the Tygon, the Lowes nylon clear hose and...the Name Which I Will Not Mention again here on The Great Peach Parts odyssey known as "Diesel Discussion".