280i Fuel Tank connection hoses

[mgpete]

Hi Everyone,
After losing precious fuel yesterday I found a bad leak from one of the short pieces of flex rubber hose that connects the 2 tanks. Does anyone know the best place to obtain this from as it will be crucial to have the right inside diameter to form a good push on seal before jubilee clips go on. I am just in the process of removing the rubber & will start trawling local car shops etc to see if I can find anything. Thanks, Pete

[mrzigazaga]

Hi Mate..If its the piece under the 2" section between the tanks then a good motor factors should have it, It doesnt need to be high pressure hose..I think it was 5/8" the last time mine was replaced...Check to be on the safe side...Ziga

[pasogrande]

Pete,

On my 280i the hoses from the tanks to the swirlpot and from the swirlpot to the pump are all 5/8" diameter. This is not a common size on cars. Here in the US it is easily obtained from any marine dealer (it is common on boats) Make sure you get the one approved for fuel; do not use heater hose.

In my case I needed a total of three feet for the three hoses; cost under US$15.

It is not a fun job changing them, but very worthwhile.

Wilf.

[mgpete]

Thanks guys but it's the large hose (approx. 2" dia)? that's gone. It runs between the 2 tanks with a rigid metal pipe which I presume to be the fill pipe to the 2nd tank but where in any of the wedge diagrams I've seen this shows as a straight pipe on mine the metal pipe drops in the middle forming a 'U' shape so it then has 4 of these rubber hoses, 2 on the bottom & the 2 on the top which connect to the tanks.
I've undone the top problem rubber hose but there's not enough of a gap to get it out so will mean I will have to undo bottom hose which means draining a load of fuel to get it below this bottom level.
This will probably now be a job for my local garage as I only have 1 arm so ideally I would like to source the hose before I take it so they have the parts to do the job.
As the fuel level has now dropped below the top connection it's now no longer leaking so the car is back to being driveable so long as I don't put as much fuel in!
If anyone can tell me what the hose i.d is or where I can source hose in the UK this would be a great help.
Cheers, Pete

[mrzigazaga]

Hi pete...Here is a link to a past thread...I found a really good company that sell the old style 2" fuel hose instead of the steel helix type which doesnt seal properly...Buy some high torque norma jubilee clips also..When replacing the hose make sure that the clips are as near to the end of the hose as possible otherwise the ends will flare out causing leakage...The part you need is in the last post of mine on that thread.....Cheers...Ziga
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
Lantech solutions...Product code:H-T650AA-2"

[Wedg1e]

I've just bought replacements for the hoses on my car from a couple of Ebay sellers; as Paso says the 5/8" is a marine size. I needed the 2" to tie the tanks together (about 18" for a tenner!), 5/8" for the tank outlets to swirl pot (and a link pipe between the inner faces of both tanks), 1/2" for swirl pot to fuel filter, 1/4" for the air bleed from swirl pot to left-hand tank and 8mm for filter to pump and the low-pressure return from the fuel regulator... what a bloody mix. The filler neck also uses 2" and the vapour vent from there to the rear left corner of the car is 1/4" IIRC. Total cost was about 30 quid, new Fram filter (Ebay again) was 9-quid odd.

[jmorgan]

Got mine from TVR car parts when they were still around but took a bit of finding apparently, locally in Devon (OK, not much help I know). Think they used a marine supply. Not been fitted yet, try to find it for a makers mark but no chance until tomorrow.

Needs doing soon though I think, but I cannot get at the tanks on my drive or in my garage so its off to the MOT/Service garage. If the garage replace it with their own supply it may be up for grabs but not sure when so could be a few weeks yet.

[mrzigazaga]

The 2" hose is the hardest to get...The one i got from lantech is for fuel delivery and can be used where fuel sits..I found the marine hose starts to leak if this is the case..It is ok for the filler neck but if it has a steel helix running through it i wouldnt bother..Trust me i have tried various makes of 51mmID hose and the lantech one is very close to the original...Ziga

[Wedg1e]

It was Ebay seller 'autoperformanceonline' that I used for most of it; the 2" was from Jay Wolfe Metalwork IIRC.

Edited by Wedg1e on Sunday 28th April 12:17

[mgpete]

Hi & thanks to you all for great help as I looked on ebay & googled but didn't find anything. I know from past experience that hose like this is re-inforced so is crucial in getting a good 'push on' fit. I will contact
Lantech tomorrow Ziga with your H-T650AA-2" product code which should do the trick.
Thanks once again everyone for taking the time & trouble to help, much appreciated, Pete

[mgpete]

Just as a last bit of info on this I contacted Jay Wolfe Metalwork who could supply me with a half metre length for £10 + £4 del'y but it turns out this is Marine hose so after Ziga's info I decided to go with the Lantech hose which was just over £11 for 2' but they charge £13.50 for delivery which is a bit steep!
Now looking at the hose pieces on my car which I haven't removed yet they look in really excellent condition. The guy I bought the car from said he had fitted these probably 5-6 years ago, now I wonder if this was Marine hose & it has indeed started to perish from the inside so this could be well worth considering to everyone not to buy Marine hose.
Thanks again to all

[pasogrande]

Peter,

There are many types of marine hose. The hose that Mark (Ziga) describes, with the steel helix is used for the exhaust on inboard engines (sea water is mixed with the exhaust) For fuel we use Coast Guard approved hose which doesn't have any steel in it.

Boats use a specific hose for each purpose. Each one is clearly marked, whether for potable water, coolant, fuel, oil, hydraulic oil, etc. The temperature and pressure limits are also marked. The "wrong" one must not be used, except in a get-you-home emergency.

Honestly I haven't checked on 2" or 51 mm diameter hose. It is used for the fuel filler line and that may be okay to use.

Wilf.