I'm looking to swap out the bendy section of steel fuel line that attaches to my throttle body (TBI)
They're just unbelievably annoying to work with any time I have to mess with the top of the engine, and I would love to have the lines be flex from the transmission to where they connect to the throttle body.
Trying to decide between
AN compression fittings to transition to and from hard line, with PTFE AN in between.
Cut the hard-line and slip nylon tubing over it with a couple of clamps on each end
Has anyone had successes or failures with either of these methods? They're not super different in price for me as I have access to either style of tubing where I work, so I'd just have to buy fittings.
I know on the Dodge TBI, the fuel pressure is 14psi. There are rubber lines, but the clamps are specialized and have rolled edges.
Any mechanical fuel pump would be OK with rubber fuel line and clamps, but I'd still lat east use the special clamps if you don't go with the upgraded line.
Engine fire in a Van would get interesting real quick.
BBC Blue 1990 Chevy G30 L19 7.4 EXT Church Van, maternity division
DogVan 1988 Dodge B250 LA series 318 Wedge 5.2 TBI A500
Cabin Cruiser '94 Dodge B350 www.xplorermotorhome.com/ Xplorer MH model 230 230 hp LA series 360 Wedge MPI 5.9 A518 OD auto
I 'll post a pic later I ran braided line and AN fittings tank to TBI. They make adapters to connect to the TBI. It will come down to how far you want to go. Trying to connect to old hard lines is iffy. Consider going at least all the way filter on the supply and maybe taking a chance on the return. If you ever decide to replace the tank you can always finish the rest later. I can't remember but I thought there where connections at the frame rail to go up to the engine.
You can use regular parts store "brake line" for fuel lines. TBI fuel pressure is only around 15. I've run clamps and hose before, but usually only on each side of the filter, so I can take the whole thing off and put it in a vise or whatever to get the connectors off the filter without destroying them.
AN line would probably be overkill but also unlikely to ever wear out, so if you have access to it you may as well. Just cover it with something anywhere it might rub.
1994 G20 2002 Express, sitting dead 1988 G20 conversion, stored
So I decided to just splice in some steel fuel line from the parts store and re-route it around the ignition coil.
I did this after talking with some people and the general consensus was that GM used hardline there for a reason and an engine fire in a van would be totally catastrophic and difficult to put out.
I used a tubing bender from harbor freight to get the radius and a double flare kit from the parts store to make my connection to the old hardline, where I used a flare union.
I had a small weeping leak at the fitting where the fuel pressure gauge goes so I took it all apart, cleaned it, and put it back together using Permatex #2 (this stuff is fantastic) and let it cure for a week and now I have zero leaks. Obviously it's something that i'll probably monitor regularly for a while just to be safe, but it worked out really well.
One of my Suburbans prior to me had the trans cooler lines replaced with hose all the way from somewhere underneath and run through a bracket on the right front of the motor on the way to the radiator. Eventually one of them rubbed through about 80 miles from home, and I had to un-plumb the add-on trans cooler to come up with enough pieces to patch it together on the side of the road. So yes good call on the hard line.
1994 G20 2002 Express, sitting dead 1988 G20 conversion, stored