What fuel pipe to use. Tank->pump?

[Barreti]

Morning chaps,

I've got the tank out of the car to replace the fuel line that goes from the tank to the pump. Ages ago I bought a bit of pipe to do the job but its so different from the one I've taken out I thought I'd ask the collective for their input.

The one I've taken out is '3-core'
Rubber inner hose, covered in braided steel which is 'wrapped' in rubber. When new I'm not sure how obvious it would be that it was 3-core or that the top rubber layer was wrapped around.

This pipe is absolutely knackered. Top rubber cracked and split with lumps flaked off, braiding rusty and split.

The new pipe was supplied by Clever Trevor as a replacement part but looks like standard hose, not the industrial grade stuff I've just taken off.
Is it wrong?

Also, while I've got your attention, the pipe obviously gets rubbed by the lower wishbone, as the pipe was sitting on the wishbone with a piece of rubber with a notch cut out slid between the two.

This will continually flex the pipe though and is surely the reason the pipe is in such a bad way. Has anyone else spotted this and 'resolved' it?

I do have a photo of the hose and piece of rubber. I'll post it later if its needed.

Thanks.
Ian

[Johno]

KFC straws, not McD's as KFC ones have a corrugated flexible section that'll help around the wishbone. HTH.

[Barreti]

[K4000JB]

slightly off topic
i noticed mine is suffering from the same prob (old age i guess) how difficult is it to remove the tank? i havent had chance to look yet. it looks to me as though its like an hydraulic type hose

[spend]

Sounds like: "ends over tightened and gnarled; trim the end off and push back on..." has lost the excess loop that allows clearance from the wishbone. I also think pipe clips with ties through them may be better than squashing the pipe when refitting, I always wonder how many tank venting problems are because the pipes have been clamped shut with cable ties to the chassis?

[Barreti]

Thanks guys and yes I suspect you're right on the trimming until there's nothing left scenario Spend.

Adrian@ - is the hump brass or copper? I'm at work not at home so can't check but I'm wondering if the hump is made from the same stuff as the rest of the line down the chassis. I could make up a copper version but if its brass where do you get them?

[Johno]

It won't be brass. It'll be copper.

[Johno]

I imagine if it's not copper like the rest of the fuel system it is made from a material more resistent to impact due to it's location ?

[350Matt]

I would fit some stainless steel pipe down the length of the car (copper leaches stuff out when exposed to petrol, not entirely sure on what it'll do but I've rather not risk it)

and do the flexible ends with some silicon rubber hose with the red-fuel safe liner

If you were feeling flash you could use some swagelock fittings and make some JIC ends up to the solid line and then use braided hose

[GreenV8S]

350Matt said:

copper leaches stuff out when exposed to petrol

I'm struggling to work out what reaction there could be. Copper is pretty darned passive, and unless you're connecting it electrically to another metal (so electrolysis can occur) I can't see much happening. We even use copper head gaskets without any problems so obviously even with massive temperatures/pressures in situations where small edge effects matter there's nothing much going on. Copper however might even be safer than stainless steel in long runs where long term fatigue problems might be an issue.

[Torque Matters]

Original hump back pipe is brass.

If you need a pic let me know mine is off the car a the moment.

[Barreti]

Torque Matters said:

Original hump back pipe is brass.

If you need a pic let me know mine is off the car a the moment.

YHM Duncan

And thanks for your help Adrian@

[Torque Matters]

Adrian@ said:

Torque Matters said:

Original hump back pipe is brass.

If you need a pic let me know mine is off the car a the moment.

Thanks for that TM, I'd been waiting for a late car to come in, to confirm, it being either brass or Zinc passivated. It would be nice to know the length if your going to post a picture.
Adrian@

I will post a picture tomorrow with measurements however my pipe is not ideal as the highest part of the hump doesn't correspond exactly with the centre line of the wishbone tube so it did make contact. It is a good idea but poorly executed, you'll get the idea of what is needed though.

[Torque Matters]

Here we go.

The measurements of the original are irrelevent because it all depends on the exact position of the fuel tank.



The set up I have at the moment is just 13mm petrol hose bent into a hump to clear the wishbone and cable tied to the chassis. The jubilee clip at the top of the hump is there to keep the pipe round.

[Torque Matters]

Adrian@ said:

The measurement was to compare the plumbers copper version to the OE unit....the art of not clashing with the wishbone is to fit a smaller piece of pipe to the tank side drilling the shell to allow doing a clip up with the tank in place next to other 3 drain holes. As I said the factory used to put a piece of rubber tyrap'd to the top of the bush on the wishbone, I've never felt the need to.
Adrian@

Edited by Adrian@ on Wednesday 28th January 17:41

My set up is such that the brass pipe is touching the exit pipe from the fuel tank inside the short hose so it cannot move any further toward the back of the car to align the hump.

I can either make a new pipe or move the tank back 10mm.

I have no problems getting to the clip on the tank exit.

[Barkychoc]

Adrian@ said:

What about soldering a ring of wire around the hump, to create your own swage'ing (not a real word!) a little further along and reducing the overall lenght to get the hump into the correct position. I have had to do that before.
Adrian@

A plumbers copper olive works well if thats what you're thinking rather than a bit of wire?