Just a heads up

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Mr B
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Just a heads up

Post by Mr B »

Hi all,

As the title says this is just a heads up.

I have a Mk 1 GXL parked in a garage in my back garden, she has been in there a while and all of a sudden my partner and I started to smell petrol emanating from the garage, so went in the garage and could find no evidence of leaks but the garage is full of stuff checking properly was impossible without pulling everything out so i didn't bother (bad idea) as the petrol smell had a slight difference to it I wrongly assumed the petrol was off or in the the process of going off, cue next stupid idea, I put more petrol in her thinking it would dilute the 'off petrol' and left it at that - the smell appeared to go away...

Next day however my neighbour complained about the smell of petrol wafting into her back garden and was very worried as this was the time of the recent fires, I rushed home from work....this time I did pull all the stuff out, got under the front of the car and the carpet she is parked on (don't ask) was saturated in petrol, it definitely looks like a furry critter had chewed it's way through the material part of the fuel line and all that petrol I put in there had ran straight out on to the carpet.

Lucky the whole lot never went up especially as I smoke, if you don't use your car often then learn from my stupidity and check those fuel lines!

P.S make sure to use R9 fuel line as it's ethanol resistant - Thanks Martin (Caprigear)

Wayne
Last edited by Mr B on Sat Aug 13, 2022 11:42 pm, edited 2 times in total.
If an honest man is wrong and after demonstrating that he is wrong he either stops being wrong or stops being honest
Mc Tool
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Re: Just a heads up

Post by Mc Tool »

R9 fuel line ? Ah yes but is it furry critter proof. Can you get R9 spec fuel hose with braided stainless outer?...........that would fix the little cnuts .
Dont tip no more petrol in tho aye , not till you fix the leak 😉. At least you didnt use a wet n dry vacuum cleaner to suck fuel out of the carpet.......I know someone who did and I think he still hasn't found all the bits.
A bit of workshop carpet is a good thing ......small parts dont bounce and roll away when dropped
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Mr B
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Re: Just a heads up

Post by Mr B »

Hi Hamish,

Fuel leak fixed lol

Replaced the 'chewed bit' with R9, don't quote me on this but the old fuel line had like a material type braiding around it, perhaps it was this stuff that attracted the little shits..
If an honest man is wrong and after demonstrating that he is wrong he either stops being wrong or stops being honest
Mc Tool
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Re: Just a heads up

Post by Mc Tool »

Im pretty sure there is some of that old line still on my Capri :)
Sometimes I talk to myself ... and we both have a good laugh
Mr B
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Re: Just a heads up

Post by Mr B »

IIRC that material type fuel line is used in 2 places on a MK2/3 Capri fitted with a carburettor, at the back - it makes the join from the metal fuel sender pipes to the main fuel lines (may only be 1 line if the car doesn't have a fuel return) and at the front where the main lines connect to the metal lines in the engine bay just behind the N/S front wheel, the bit that was chewed through on my MK1 shouldn't really be there - a power steering conversion called for some improvisation with the routing of the fuel line ....
If an honest man is wrong and after demonstrating that he is wrong he either stops being wrong or stops being honest
Mc Tool
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Re: Just a heads up

Post by Mc Tool »

Yeah , just short bits , maybe 2" long at either end of the main and return fuel line . I think my main fuel hose is plastic.😁
Sometimes I talk to myself ... and we both have a good laugh
Mr B
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Re: Just a heads up

Post by Mr B »

Mc Tool wrote: Sun Aug 14, 2022 8:18 am Yeah , just short bits , maybe 2" long at either end of the main and return fuel line . I think my main fuel hose is plastic.😁
Spot on Hamish.

Now that you mention it, does that plastic fuel line need to be or is it ethanol resistant or does ethanol only attack the rubber parts in the system, any ideas?
If an honest man is wrong and after demonstrating that he is wrong he either stops being wrong or stops being honest
Mc Tool
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Location: Invercargill New Zealand

Re: Just a heads up

Post by Mc Tool »

Dunno about the ethanol proofness as we dont (yet ) have ethanol in our fuel, but it is something I have thought about as it will effect probly all my vehicles ..............far out ! Ive just had a add up and I have 26 i.c.e,s ( internal combustion engines ) and two external com...... Thats inc weed eaters , chainsaws, cars , bikes , boats and quads . And a mamod steam engine and a stirling engine . Not just the fuel lines but also the rubber carb bits .
A while ago ( like probly 25 years ) we had cars etc bursting into flames as rubber components were effected by some wonderful new additive in the fuel ( might have been when we went unleaded ) .
Sometimes I talk to myself ... and we both have a good laugh
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