TheSamba.com :: View topic

Sat Sep 27, 2008 7:59 pm

I agree with Rhinoculips, I bought my line from smallcar. Their line is 7.5mm not 7mm, (or 8mm like some vendors) Very pricey, but whats a few dollars compared to your beloved van? This line is very heavy duty and even has the manufacturing date stamped on it.

Sat Sep 27, 2008 8:08 pm

Oh yeah, P.S.

I did buy the protective sleeve the fuel line runs though from busdepot. There has been many posts here (see the search) about goo coming out of the sleeve. Most agree that its collective grime from old lines. Time will tell if the money I spent for new sleeve is worth it. If I get goo I'll post back.

Sat Sep 27, 2008 8:31 pm

If you are uncomfortable with that brand X fuel line , you can resource injection line at any NAPA, or local mom & pop FLAPS.

Use Gates #4219D 5/16's / 7.9 mm injection hose.
It goes on all of the fuel fittings as tight as a fat ladies sox, is reinforced plus has the internal liner, and is Multi Fuel rated so it won't come apart with alcohol--

This is maybe why the BD imported stuff failed--

You won't have this problem with Gates,Parker, or Goodyear fuel line.

Big Pain to change it all again--But I would sure consider it as a necessity.

Sun Sep 28, 2008 8:20 am

I agree with Terry. As I noted in another post. I had the experience with the Cohline hose failing after exposure to fuel. Two diffiernt sections failed and most of the lines swelled. I replaced all my line a month after using the Cohline with the Gates 5/16 from NAPA. Really good stuff. There is no oozing from this line when inside the old sleeves. The Cohline oozes. I bought the Coline from BD. They have been very good with quality parts for me, but this fuel line is suspect. I recommend against the Cohline. I have peace of mind now. I didn't before.

Sun Sep 28, 2008 7:16 pm

I've heard guy's bitching about fuel line coming apart--more than just here-at the shop, and it's always the econo stuff that fails.

Well, maybe at one time it was OK to use just for plain old gas--but with the alcohol being more of an accepted additive latley--I think it tears the hell outa the single layered reinforced old time fuel lines.

A Vanagon is the worst vehicle to have fuel leaking on any hose.
You can't smell it because it's behind you, and by the time you figuer out you have a BBQ going on out back--it's too late--smoke on the water.

I'd be doing some fuel line swaping here pretty quick if any of you have been using the imported stuff.

Gates fuel hose is an awfully safe bet.

Sun Sep 28, 2008 9:14 pm

This is interesting:

http://www.mercedesshop.com/shopforum/showthread.php?p=1870281

Sun Sep 28, 2008 10:21 pm

I'm just wondering, amidst all this, when someone in the aftermarket will come out with at least SECTIONS of metal fuel line that we could mount in the more dangerous areas, as well as a permanent metal replacement for the firewall connector. On THAT, there was this post on the subject of AN(Army-Navy) bulkhead adapters:

http://tinyurl.com/4o5bgd

I just feel like the Fuel Line of Damocles is suspended over all our beautiful vans... and I don't want it to be! Adapters such as those can be found at...

http://www.pitstopusa.com/SearchResult.aspx?CategoryID=2885

I want to follow the original design of the Vanagon by those who knew it best as closely as I can... I have a feeling no one back then thought there'd be any left on the road, now...

Mutter, mutter, fume, fume...

:shock:

Best!

Mon Sep 29, 2008 12:42 pm

one caution about using NAPA for fuel hose - i recently went into one in ashland oregon looking for 7mm hose. the only 7mm hose they had was very thin crushable soft rubbery stuff with a fabric sheath on the outside only, marked:
MADE IN GERMANY 35/07/51 NBR

thankfully someone on this list warned me off of this or i'd be toast (literally) by now. they swore up and down it was the right stuff and that they sell it all the time to people with fuel injected VW's....

i think each one is semi-autonomous and may have different stock?

Mon Sep 29, 2008 1:46 pm

You don't need 7mm hose 5/16 works just fine as does 8mm hose sold in kit form by several VW specialty houses. Just make sure that it says right on the hose for use with FI, if it says not for use with FI or says nothing, don't use it.

Mon Sep 29, 2008 2:02 pm

I got the kit from Van Cafe, BMW stamped hose. The goo I see on mine is coming from the protective sleeves I reused. I'm not concerned about it.

Mon Sep 29, 2008 3:01 pm

That goo is not from the protective sleeves it's from the new hose. It has some petroleum product on the surface of the new fuel line. When it warms up it comes off under the protective sleeves. I had the goo and I cleaned the sleeves. No goo when I used the Gates FI line.

Mon Sep 29, 2008 3:39 pm

I used the Van Cafe line with new sleeves and no goo! It does not come from the new line. It seems that only those who re-use the old sleeves on new fuel lines get the goo.

Mon Sep 29, 2008 4:05 pm

Goo or no goo, I agree wholeheartedly with Msinabottle.
Why can't we replace all the fuel lines with those shiny metal ones we see on the Subaru conversions?

Mon Sep 29, 2008 4:52 pm

BoneStock67 wrote:
Why can't we replace all the fuel lines with those shiny metal ones we see on the Subaru conversions?
That is a really good question, and I can not think of a reason why not. I just did mine VanCafe style recently otherwise I would seriously consider doing it stainless, unless of course there is a good reason not to.

Mon Sep 29, 2008 5:16 pm

Perales wrote: BoneStock67 wrote:
Why can't we replace all the fuel lines with those shiny metal ones we see on the Subaru conversions?
That is a really good question, and I can not think of a reason why not. I just did mine VanCafe style recently otherwise I would seriously consider doing it stainless, unless of course there is a good reason not to.

You can do just that if you want, here are several pictures of my Vanagons and Bays with much of the rubber fuel line replaced with steel, especially from the tank to the engine compartment. In all cases the rubber joins to the steel high in the engine compartment to prevent gravity feeding gas in case of a failure of the rubber hose.

91 Vanagon with 2.2 Subaru

84 Vanagon with 1.9(?) WBX

74 Bay with Holley