TheSamba.com :: View topic - Fuel line kit replacement clamps: 2nd time finding them loose

Mon Jun 19, 2017 7:31 am

Just a shout out on the fuel line replacement I have done, and witnessed my kid's same kit also in need of tightening. Both kits from reputable big vendor.

I had my first experience a few weeks ago, when I noticed a smell and a small drip of fuel under my van. I tightened all the clamps up significantly, to what I estimated to be on the verge of as tight as they could get before breaking the clamp. I am completely sure that I did not break them, and I am completely sure they were well seated. No leak after re-tightening. I drove about 1000 miles, let it sit for a couple of days in an underground safe parking garage. When I took it out yesterday morning, getting ready for another few hundred miles, I was just by luck parked temporarily on the street while the other car was put in the underground spot. I was horrified to see and smell the fuel leak! I am so luck to have not gotten it out on the road and got the engine hot. I found the exact same clamps loose again that were the culprit of the first leak.

This is frustrating. This is scary. I mentioned it to the kid, and he immediately checked his clamps.. We found them to have loosened up on his as well. Not leaking yet, but certainly loose.

What is the deal here, if anyone knows.

Do I take the clamps off and drill the heads so a safety wire can be used? Some other way of making sure they are not just spinning loose/out with engine vibration? Do I add an additional clamp at each location? Maybe the kind that is similar to the coolant hoses that keep tightening over time?

I hope to avoid loosing my rig to yet another fuel leak in the future.

-bobby

Mon Jun 19, 2017 9:07 am

Maybe try different clamps?

Mon Jun 19, 2017 10:15 am

I've had this happen with coolant hoses. This also happened to a friends Vanagon. Small weep at one or more fuel hoses at engine after a "fuel line" job.

I see that you tightened the clamps twice but my guess is that heat cycling causes changes in the hose that requires the clamps to be checked retightened as needed. To my mind, this is "normal".

Maybe differences in hose material and-or actual percentage of Ethanol in the fuel you were using figure into this?

I've used the Gates Ethanol, FI rated 5/16" hose on two or more fuel line jobs. No fuel weeps or leaks on either job.

Neil.

Mon Jun 19, 2017 10:31 am

Put a picture of your hose clamp to see the type?

Mon Jun 19, 2017 10:43 am

bobbyblack wrote: . . . I found the exact same clamps loose again that were the culprit of the first leak. . .

. . . What is the deal here, if anyone knows . . .

I doubt if anyone can offer anything useful without first knowing:

1/ What clamps (style/brand) did you use?

2/ At which connections did the leaks occur?

3/ How old is the hose?

Richie (near The Burgh)

Mon Jun 19, 2017 10:48 am

ALIKA T3 wrote: Put a picture of your hose clamp to see the type?

Yep. Ultimately my aim is to replace everything fuel related in our van with Oetiker ear/crimp style clamps, which are supposedly superior to anything else, functionally, given that they need to be sized closely to the hose (which means the curvature, prior to clamping, is already very similar to the hose OD, limiting variances in the applied clamping force — and they retain spring tension after crimped, meaning they're not liable to loosen off.

At present, however, I'm using Tridon EFI clamps (screw style — screw interfaces with a captive nut in the clamp ear / not a worm drive), and they seem fine too. The trick, I've found, to getting the correct tension, is to clamp'em down until the band on the clamp is just shy of flush with the hose surface, and then re-snug them after a couple of days running (ie. couple of days driving the engine, so the hoses get warmed up a bit), since the hoses tend to 'give' a little bit in that initial period. They may 'give' some more when the temps drop in the fall/winter, so re-check then too, after a new hose/clamp installation, to make sure they're at tension for those temps.

Overall, as long as you're not using worm style clamps (you shouldn't be), I've found, in my admittedly limited experience, that procedure and inspection is probably as important as clamp style selection (from among proper EFI compatible clamps).

Additionally: if the hose isn't a good snug fit to the hose barbs in the first place (should be a minor struggle to get them onto the barbs, without requiring a herculean effort, and should be fairly difficult to remove even before its clamped), then no clamp is going to compensate for that problem.

Mon Jun 19, 2017 10:52 am

Vanagon Nut wrote:
I've used the Gates Ethanol, FI rated 5/16" hose on two or more fuel line jobs. No fuel weeps or leaks on either job.
Neil.

Yep, I'm using the gates 5/16 FI hose (from NAPA | 225psi working pressure, 900psi+ burst, ethanol compatible 'barricade' type) as well, with Tridon clamps. So far its been snug as a bug in a rug. I think the current version of it, circa maybe this year, is called "Gates Barricade MPI" http://www.gates.com/oreilly/PDFs/Fuel%20Systems.pdf

Mon Jun 19, 2017 12:18 pm

RicoS

I am not able to get a shot of it 'til tonight, van is at home, I'm in town at desk.

Here is a link to the kit(s) we used:

http://www.van-cafe.com/fuel-line-replacement-kit

Order date was 6/23/16, and work done shortly after arrival.

Leaking occurs at the fuel regulator junctions. But, the other clamps seem to loosen as well. All clamps were able to be tightened a little each occurrence.

Thanks

Mon Jun 19, 2017 12:31 pm

I prefer these fuel injection clamps. http://www.ebay.com/itm/132153714880

Mon Jun 19, 2017 12:31 pm

So this is the clamp in question...

I know there will be differing opinions but this is what I have used and I experienced no loosening nor need to re-tighten:

Mon Jun 19, 2017 12:39 pm

Ahwahnee wrote: So this is the clamp in question...

I know there will be differing opinions but this is what I have used and I experienced no loosening nor need to re-tighten:

My engine had some of those blue clamps, and I was never impressed with them. Found one actually stripped on a hose recently when I was rebuilding/refitting my Aeromotive regulator, and altering some hose runs.

I've used the second style (mine are Tridons, but there are other manufacturers as well) a bunch, and they've been solid once tightened properly, 'bedded in', and re-snugged.

Mon Jun 19, 2017 12:40 pm

Ahwahnee,

Thanks for the suggestion. I feel rather ill that this has happened, and that I have to go through all these and do them again. But, as I SEE this happening, and start to wonder how I came to order a kit that seems inferior now, I will have to do something before I run Flossie much more.

Maybe 1 year of mostly sitting around (I put on less than 3000 miles since the replacement) with 100% gas (not ethanol blend) wasn't easy enough on my rig :-(

Much appreciated.

Mon Jun 19, 2017 6:00 pm

Ahwahnee wrote:

I know there will be differing opinions but this is what I have used and I experienced no loosening nor need to re-tighten:

Same here! (Got my clamps from McMaster Carr)