fuel lines
- Thread starter u63af
- Start date
James_G
New member
Following on from this earlier thread I have now been to see Pirtek and while they can make up some replacement fuel lines for me they need some information. The scenario is that prior to my ownership the original lines have been cut and replaced with fuel line and the dreaded jubilee clips right back to a short piece of pipework just in front of the fuel filter. Rather than muck around I think it's best to get a pipe with a compression joint on one end, and the right screw fitting for the fuel filter on the other and replace in one go. So can anybody help with the following: 1) Does anybody know the diameter of what's left of my original fuel line, or shall I just measure with some vernier calipers? 2) And the thread on the fuel filter - anybody know what spec it is? Finally, is it just a case of undoing the current pipe, or do I have to release the pressure somehow first? Thanks James
u63af
New member
James, Since the previous report, I have cut out the rotten section and used high pressure rubber fuel hose with fuel clips. I have had no probs. What I would say prior to cutitng the hose is to disconnect the fuel line at the fuel pressure reg and blow down it to drain out all of the fuel. I did not do this first and it caused a syphon effect which meant fuel pissed all over my drive. I still think that the high pressure fuel hose is fine so long as fuel clips are used rather than jublillees. I cut the original fuel hose and swaged (flared) the end and then used two fuel clips on each end. Seems to be fine at the moment.
James_G
New member
Thanks for the update, that's good news. Further investigation shows that I have a problem because two pieces of braided fuel hose pipe have been (badly)joined together some how, and it's here that it is leaking, so some new pipe and fuel clips sounds the perfect solution. Longer term, I'd like to get them done properly but what with new suspension and brakes all round last week, I just want to get on with the job of driving it! ETA: By the way, where did you get the hose and clips and can you remember the internal bore size? Thanks.
Alpine
New member
same topic, but slightly different issue, how bad does rust on brake pipes need to be before they need to be replaced? Not sure if you can see on the pic below, but I have some surface rust on my pipes which I have sand papered off. I've been told by one garage that they are fine, and another says they need to be replaced
George Elliott
New member
Phil, One garage is a bit short of work, the other is a good honest garage. From your (very good) image, the fuel lines in the lower part of the image are the "worst". They are covered by the arch liner and therefore dont get seen so often. I would etch prime the lines carefully with a pencil brush, after you clean with emery paper, then thinners to degrease them. Then most important, give them a load of wax/oil/grease type proofing from dampness. My opinion for what its worth. good luck George
James_G
New member
Right, have now found some petrol clips, but I've had to buy a series of sizes as I've not had the chance to get under the car to measure the diameter of the existing fuel lines. So unless anybody knows the diameter of the factory fuel lines (and thus what bore diameter of the hose I will be attaching) I shall break out the verniers sometime this weekend and report back. One day, many moons from now, all these little irritating jobs will be done, and I can just get on and drive it.
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] [] [] That made me laugh! Unfortunately, these cars are a labour of love as long as you own them ... sorry to say, but your car will never be 'done'; there will always be something to do to it or on it. The day it is 'done' is the day you sell it. (And you will only have 'done' everything then because it is for sale!) Like it. Or hate it. That is the joy/pain of owning a decent 944. Oli. P.S. Sorry, I don't know what bore of tubing the fuel lines are - I noticed you have asked before. Take the verniers to it, get a good few readings to eliminate local variation, and take them into Pirtek. You will almost certainly find that such tube comes in standard sizes, and they will be able to identify the standard size from the readings you give them. Oli.
James_G
New member
I was being slightly flippant of course, since I know old cars are a labour of love but, as you know, I had just replaced all the shocks, and fitted new brakes and I thought I'd have a month off from needing to get underneath it. Still I am happy to report that my new Pagid pads/Sebro discs combination is working very well, and with the benefit of your alignment settings but with slight more negative camber at the front it really does corner fantastically, which bodes well for Friday's track day. Anyway, I'll try again with Pirtek and report back.
David Hooper
New member
Interesting topic this as 944 owners are flagging up issues that will, and already are affecting 968's. Mine is a '94 & has spent nearly all it's life in Bristol, sea air etc. My fuel lines and brake lines are very corroded at the rear and I have replacements ready for when I drop the rear torsion bar to polybush it and the swinging arms. The OPC fuel lines, feed & return, were £56 + vat altogether & the brake lines, front to rear, left & right off the brass tee piece & the tee piece itself, were £102 + vat altogether. I didn't think that too bad. Although I can see me having to renew all the retaining clips when I start the job[] The real cost is labour if you don't diy. Cheaper than a fire though[] Cheers Dave
] The real cost is labour if you don't diy. Cheaper than a fire though[] Cheers Dave
James_G
New member
Nick, I don't have the packaging to hand but I can only presume that they were Pagid OEM spec, because they were quite significantly cheaper than Pagid blues (4-2) or blacks (4-2-1), which show as over £200 for a set on their website. Either that or I've been very very lucky, as mine were only £45 for an axle set. They are vastly better than whatever was on there before though, so I'm very pleased. They'll be getting a proper testing this coming Friday though at Castle Coombe.
James_G
New member
Another fun afternoon dealing with the motor trade. In short nobody has high pressure fuel hose in the local area and everyone I have spoken to says that replacement with original lines is the only option. They're wrong of course but I particularly liked one guy's approach to the problem, synopsis below: Motor Trader - Your only choice is to replace the fuel lines with original parts Me - It's 10 hours labour and quite frankly I don't want to afford it, new brakes and suspension and all that Motor Trader - Well, buy a new car then. Brilliant. Still, I will find a more cost effective and safe solution because as we know I am not the only one who isn't keen on spending £££s dropping the rear of the car.
pauljmcnulty
Active member
I couldn't take mine to my usual specialist as they are 20 miles away, and my fuel lines were pouring rather than dripping. It went to the local lock-up mechanic, who just used a flexi pipe to repair it. I know people hate this idea, but it's caused no problem over the years and not been mentioned in the MOT. He did mention that they are only a car, like any other, and he's been repairing them this way for decades. [8|] I was discussing this with RPM recently. They have a method that doesn't involve dropping the rear, so far cheaper. I'm sure other specialists would have found a cheaper fix by now.
RPM use braided PTFE hoses I think. So they can just remove the old ones and route the flexi hoses through without dropping the rear axle. I will go with rubber hose when I do mine. Worth noting that with rubber hose that some compounds are fuel resistant but will allow fuel vapour through and some are fuel and fuel vapour proof. Not really that is very important unless hosing is going through the inside of the car.
Diver944
Active member
Yes, Have a look at the last item on this page: http://www.rpmtechnik.co.uk/porsche_upgrades/upgrades.php Similar in price to the genuine article but a lot less labour to fit. I'd always prefer the factory parts myself as they have stood the test of time over 20 years in most of our cars and should last a similar length of time when replaced
OK... I know that sooner or later I'm going to be playing the "replace the fuel lines game", and I had Swagelok piping in mind when I come to do so. Working in the chemical industry, with stuff that goes bang or kills you by more subtle means, we tend to use good quality gear. Swagelok tube and fittings are available in 316 Stainless steel, and are designed to go up to bonkers pressures (100s of bar) in a wide range of sixes and fittings, metric and imperial. I reckon that it will offer a choice of either swaging onto the existing pipes where they are sound, or replacing the tube to the next connector. the tube is annealed and can easily (ish) be bent - proper bending tools are available. No connection with the company other than as a satisfied customer. Put it this way... if there is a problem with a piece of equipment, and there are Swagelok fittings involved, the problem lies with the other gear! Oh, and I think a very small fraction of the range (but probably straight connectors and tube) is available through RS. Hope this helps some-one, Tref.
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