fuel line question - help!

[ghettosled]

i searched to no avail. the supply fuel line is leaking pretty bad. i smelled fuel when i go out of my car and noticed it was dripping about 3-4 drips per second. my question is, since its the supply line (i removed the cover to confirm the culprit, and man, ALL of the lines look in bad shape but only one leaking), can i buy one pre-bent? is this is dealer only item? many thanks for any help.

[Eye8Pussies]

when you say that you lifted the cover and saw the leak, I presume you mean that it's leaking right at the pump? do you have a pic of where it's leaking exactly? at a joint? or at one of the straights?

because you can always cut the lines where it's leaking and replace it with a high pressure hose with fuel clamps...what's what I had to do when I installed my walbro because I couldn't get my old lines off and ended up cutting it and clamping it with a hose instead- works great as long as it's a high pressure line (since it's the supply line). wouldn't worry so much if it was the return line.

[ghettosled]

thanks for the reply. the cover i removed is the black plastic tray looking thing that runs the length of the car and holds the fuel lines and rear brake lines. its leaking in the middle of the line where it makes some bends under the driver's side floor. (this shows how noobie-ish i am with some things) i didnt know they make high pressure rubber fuel lines. this would be by far the easiest solution.

speaking of which, this tray holds 5 lines. 2 rear brake lines, 1 fuel pressure line from the tank, but are the remaining 2 lines both return lines?

[Eye8Pussies]

ahhh....under the car....

and...I'm really not sure about the extra line and I'm too lazy to check my shop manual...but yes, quite definitely- you can use high pressure fuel lines to replace the hard lines that are leaking. You'll just have to remember to continually check the clamps and inspect the hose (like, every time you change your oil) for loose/broken clamps and worn hoses since it's going to take a decent amount of abuse under there...plus, make sure that it is well protected by the plastic cover.

it wouldn't even hurt to put it in some big wire loom as well for extra protection

[Kep]

If you go the hose route consider using a little longer piece of hose so you can put two clamps at each end. That way if one fails between inspections you won't have a fuel leak. You should still inspect this at frequent intervals.

Kep

[ghettosled]

thanks for the help fellas. i ended up using a neoprene hose to replace the bad section until the new line comes in. i cant believe the other lines are still holding up. here are some photos i snapped...

bad section



replaced photo



quick shot of the other lines

[Eye8Pussies]

wow....good god....

maybe it's time to replace all the hoses....or, at the very least, get as much rust off as possible to check for any weak spots, and then spray it all down with rust inhibitive paint...then start doing rust treatments every year...

[dino420]

Been there done that. You gotta love Cleveland's winters and her salty roads! Now beware of Camry eating potholes, especially on 271! I just had to replace my fuel filler neck and a return fuel line. The return line was rusted where is runs around the side of the fuel tank and to the fuel pump. I just snaked new high pressure fuel line around the side of the tank and clamped it on both ends. I used a larger diameter line as a chafe guard for the new rubber line.

[ghettosled]

talking about adding insult to injury...



for a couple of days i was able to shove a small screw driver in the broken part to still use the handle, but not its completely gone. now i have to do the hillbilly roll-down-the-window-and-use-the-outside-door-handle to get out of my car.

[Kep]

And then, right after the handle breaks the window switch is scheduled to fail!

Kep

[ghettosled]

im finally getting around to replacing the fuel lines. wouldnt you know it, i cant break the last connection loose! granted i gave the back of the line the grade school try with using a 19mm wrench and a pair of vice grips. tomorrow im running out to buy a 14mm flare nut wrench so i have my fingers that will work. what a PIA.

[Eye8Pussies]

pbblaster is your best friend....that, and just cutting the hose and keeping the fittings

let us know how it goes...

[ghettosled]

last night didnt go as smoothly as i hoped. i let some PB blaster soak on the connection over night. i didnt buy a set of flare wrenches, because i thought a 14mm 6-point socket would work better. so i cut the old fuel line and used an impact wrench on one side and a huge wrench on the other. i ended up with a perfectly round 14mm nut. i then used a grinder to grind 2 flat spots in the nut and use a pair of vice grips and a cheater bar. finally i started to turn. struggling all of the way i made it about a turn and a half then the head snapped off. so now im also replacing the plastic (is it plastic?) fuel line that runs to the fuel pump assembly.

does anyone know if i have to drop the tank to run the new line? i tried slipping out the old, but it wasnt coming easily. there might be a second clip holding it in place that i dont see.

[Kep]

Do you have enough remaining on the broken hose to splice in a permanent make-up piece?

Don't know if this will help but I believe that it is the fuel pump assembly from a 1995 I-4:



I'm pretty sure that you can access the two tubes from under the back seat but I don't know if you can snake the replacement tube from the bottom of the car to the tubes easily.


Kep

[Eye8Pussies]

the plastic fuel line hose is actually stiff enough to connect a rubber high pressure fuel line hose using fuel line clamps, if that helps...