Braided line ?
Thread Starter
Race Director
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 19,610
Likes: 778
From: Forked River NJ
Braided line ?
Ok pulling my hair out on this one, what is left of it. I replaced my carb with a fuel injection unit this winter. I ran a braided line from the tank up to the FI rails. Then from the rails a return line back to the origianl steel line and that is the return back to the tank. I now am getting a raw gas smell in the garage. Not a real bad one but it is there. I have checked all the fittings no leaks. I have even wrapeed the lines with toilet paper thinking any small leak will be absorbed by the TP. No leaks. I put the car on the lift and started sniffing. I get a smell from the braided line. It is after the fuel filter. I have about 10 feet of line and the smell is from about 4 feet before the rail right to about 1 foot before the rail. The return line with about 2 feet of braided line has no smell. Is it possible that the braided line is porous or has a small crack in it somewhere? I bought about 25 feet of it and this seems to be the only spot it is bad. I guess anything is possible but no fluid is dripping or even wet. Car runs fine and no leaks while running just a slight smell of gas in the garage overnight. Wife is 
not happy with this. 
not happy with this.
Thread Starter
Race Director
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 19,610
Likes: 778
From: Forked River NJ
Here is my setup. #8 line feeding the pump and #6 line from the filter to the rails. No smell in the feed line to the pump and no smell in the line from the filter to about the wheel well. I ran the line right along the frame and I start getting a bad smell right about when it goes through the cross member to about a foot before the fuel rail.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 5,202
Likes: 10
From: cincinnati ohio
St. Jude Donor '09
I had a fuel smell in the garage that I traced directly to the steel braided lines from pump to carb and no signs of leaks. I've heard this complaint from others.
I replaced all fuel lines from tank to carbs with Aeroquip socketless hose and no more smell. Seems some hose actually will pass the fuel smell.....
http://www.bakerprecision.com/aqp1.htm
I replaced all fuel lines from tank to carbs with Aeroquip socketless hose and no more smell. Seems some hose actually will pass the fuel smell.....
http://www.bakerprecision.com/aqp1.htm
Team Owner
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 37,637
Likes: 3,118
From: Crossville TN
Is it possible that with suspension movement that line flexes? If so, the line may be failing from fatigue. You need to install several hold-down clamps along the way to keep that flexing to a minimum. Since you are oozing fuel from the line, you'd best cut that section out and [maybe] replace that section with a solid line segment.
Thread Starter
Race Director
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 19,610
Likes: 778
From: Forked River NJ
The line is brand new. No flexing of the line. I have put maybe 2 miles on the car. It started as soon as I primed the system and put fuel through the lines. If I have to replace it the whole line is coming out.
Thread Starter
Race Director
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 19,610
Likes: 778
From: Forked River NJ
I had a fuel smell in the garage that I traced directly to the steel braided lines from pump to carb and no signs of leaks. I've heard this complaint from others.
I replaced all fuel lines from tank to carbs with Aeroquip socketless hose and no more smell. Seems some hose actually will pass the fuel smell.....
http://www.bakerprecision.com/aqp1.htm
I replaced all fuel lines from tank to carbs with Aeroquip socketless hose and no more smell. Seems some hose actually will pass the fuel smell.....
http://www.bakerprecision.com/aqp1.htm
Race Director
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 17,676
Likes: 201
From: Who says "Nothing is impossible" ? I've been doing nothing for years.
Question they make braided lines for different purposes, are you sure yours is computable with gas ? I know the usual stuff you get is but maybe you got some other material 
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Le Mans Master
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 5,202
Likes: 10
From: cincinnati ohio
St. Jude Donor '09
I think most manufactures claim gasoline compatibility, but from what I understand there are varying degrees of quality of construction, materials etc.
Race Director
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 14,957
Likes: 3,353
From: NYC NY
If this helps at all back in the 80s I installed a Russel line kit from the fuel pump to the carb. When it came time to start the engine it would run and shut down. If you cranked and cranked it would fire - run - stall. After checking EVERYTHING by dumping gas into the carb the engine would run. Pulled off the line from the carb to the pump and tried to blow through it and it was restricted. It turned out that the inside of the hose was twisted and that's why the engine wouldn't run. It looked fine. The point of the story - yes you are correct there could be something wrong with the steel braided line even though it looks fine and passes the T/P test.
Race Director
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 17,676
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From: Who says "Nothing is impossible" ? I've been doing nothing for years.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 895
Likes: 4
From: whitman massachusetts
Braided Line
It is one of the first things an oil furnace tech checks, when it is used as a transition from hard line to burner. It will show no outward indication of failure, but it is pretty common that it fails. Replace it with a better alternative.
Drifting
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 1,798
Likes: 13
From: Southeastern VA
Gordon,
I would recommend using a 3/8 steel or aluminum line for the longer run forward, it offers better protection and is much less likely to fail over time. Aeroquip has AN style fittings to go from hard line to flex line.
I would ditch the braided line and go with the Aeroquip socketless hose and fittings, the stuff is awesome, I have some #6 left and can bring it up with me for Easter if you want.
Jeff
I would recommend using a 3/8 steel or aluminum line for the longer run forward, it offers better protection and is much less likely to fail over time. Aeroquip has AN style fittings to go from hard line to flex line.
I would ditch the braided line and go with the Aeroquip socketless hose and fittings, the stuff is awesome, I have some #6 left and can bring it up with me for Easter if you want.
Jeff
Drifting
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 1,951
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From: Shore NJ
Team Owner
Joined: Apr 1999
Posts: 21,953
Likes: 1,445
From: Reno Nevada
2024 C3 of the Year Finalist- Modified
The rubber inside the line goes bad just like common rubber hose. All braided lines are not the same. As the cost per foot goes up so does the quality
Thread Starter
Race Director
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 19,610
Likes: 778
From: Forked River NJ
The Russell line is brand new but I'm finding quite a few people who have had this issue with the Russell line. I am going to replace it with Aeroquip line and make a lot of it hard line. I will probably only have at most a 2 foot run of braided line.
Team Owner
Joined: Apr 1999
Posts: 21,953
Likes: 1,445
From: Reno Nevada
2024 C3 of the Year Finalist- Modified
Race prepping cars often mean replacing every steel braided line with new stuff. I couldn't afford what we throw away. The end's, unless they are dorked up or scratched get reused.
Your setup really looks nice
Le Mans Master
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 5,000
Likes: 1
From: Minneapolis, Mn USA
This is an old thread I had to bring back to life as its right on what Im concerned with - gas smell through the flex lines.
I'm looking at doing some gas line mods for an LS1 motor swap. I'm thinking of using as much 3/8 aluminum hard line as possible, along with the braided in some areas.
Coiuple of questions:
Is this aluminum hard line stuff easy enough to form as needed without requiring any special tooling?
Is the Aeroquip braided stuff that much better then the Russel or other brands? I'm using aeroquip fittings-lines on the hydroboost set-up with good luck so far.
B.
I'm looking at doing some gas line mods for an LS1 motor swap. I'm thinking of using as much 3/8 aluminum hard line as possible, along with the braided in some areas.
Coiuple of questions:
Is this aluminum hard line stuff easy enough to form as needed without requiring any special tooling?
Is the Aeroquip braided stuff that much better then the Russel or other brands? I'm using aeroquip fittings-lines on the hydroboost set-up with good luck so far.
B.