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Post by chickenwing on May 7, 2023 13:31:34 GMT -8
Hi guys, Been a while! I went to take my bus out of storage today for an oil change and wound up finding a pretty nasty looking leak. Hoping you guys can help me diagnose and fix the problem. Things I know: - only leaks while engine is running - most definitely leaking gasoline - rear drivers side, just inside of the rear left wheel Things I don't know: - everything else... I have a couple of roadtrips planned soon, any help would be greatly appreciated. I've added the youtube links of my videos for reference. Thanks  |
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Post by chickenwing on May 7, 2023 14:38:44 GMT -8
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Post by PICTUP on May 7, 2023 17:31:37 GMT -8
Hey Claire,
It has been a while since I replaced those fuel lines and you took possession, so yes they could very well be leaking. Make sure you get proper "for Fuel Injection" rubber fuel hose to do the job. Ethanol in gas has shown to degrade the newer rubber lines, so I now look for ethanol free fuel and generally grit my teeth when I pay the cost, lol!
Cheers,
Don
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Post by chickenwing on May 7, 2023 17:37:49 GMT -8
Thanks Don. I will place an order for some new fuel line shortly. Hoping for a quick install and fix here...
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Post by PICTUP on May 7, 2023 17:43:25 GMT -8
I don't know about you, but I never find anything to be a "quick install and fix", lol!!  |
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Post by Volktales on May 7, 2023 19:02:26 GMT -8
Looks like leaking at the outlet of the fuel pump. Those fuel lines do need to be checked regularly. I have replaced all the lines on my orange bus for the second time now, as one of them pinholed... Glad to hear you are still out there, and going camping again!
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Post by chickenwing on May 15, 2023 13:56:27 GMT -8
Phoned up my local VW mechanic shop- Adria Imports in Vancouver and got a small bit of fuel hose from them along with two small hose clamps. Easy install and no more leak! Looks like the old hose I pulled out was actually braided cotton and had been rubbing on a piece of the frame. Feels much safer driving around now   I also (finally) got around to replacing the clutch cable in my bus today. I think there's a thread already on that topic so I will post my experience there. |
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Post by PICTUP on May 22, 2023 20:16:00 GMT -8
Phoned up my local VW mechanic shop- Adria Imports in Vancouver and got a small bit of fuel hose from them along with two small hose clamps. Easy install and no more leak! Looks like the old hose I pulled out was actually braided cotton and had been rubbing on a piece of the frame. Feels much safer driving around now I also (finally) got around to replacing the clutch cable in my bus today. I think there's a thread already on that topic so I will post my experience there. When you do these things yourself, the more confident you will be driving down the road because you know it is done right. Good job! |
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Post by chickenwing on Jun 6, 2023 15:27:13 GMT -8
Another day, another leaking fuel line! This time I had to pull the belly pan off to find the source- one of the lines supplying the gas heater (that I never use...) A pretty quick leak at about one drip per 4 seconds, enough to make the garage reek of gasoline. I guess this line and the one I found leaking before (see above) were probably the same type of line and were done at the same time? They both failed within a couple weeks of each other. As you can see in one of the photos the rubber in the line is completely cracked. Anyway, it's been replaced now along with the other mini (frustratingly a different diameter) fuel line. Not a hard job but boy was that messy! Any tips for not having gasoline spill all over myself next time???  Leaky!   Yikes.   |
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Post by Volktales on Jun 7, 2023 21:52:49 GMT -8
Here is one other thing to consider. That "German" braided hose is not always what it seems. There are variable qualities, and avoid anything made by the company "Meyle". Another thing to consider is the German hose does not seem to stand up to Ethanol fuels very well. I run premium non-ethanol fuel in all my vintage VWs. If I were you, I would think about checking all the fuel lines carefully, and replace any that are looking even a bit iffy. The last time I did fuel lines on my bus, I replaced all the braided type with ethanol resistant fuel injection hose (Gates Barricade). Hopefully it will last better than the braided stuff...
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Post by chickenwing on Jun 13, 2023 8:04:50 GMT -8
Thanks Russ for your input. Since the first leak I've made an effort to switch to non-ethanol fuel (jeepers that stuff is pricey!) From what I can tell there aren't any more braided lines left on my bus, other than the one thinner, new one that I just replaced at the gas heater. Any tips, Russ, for not leaking fuel all over my face next time I replace some of these lines??
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Post by CrazyBrit on Jun 13, 2023 11:27:14 GMT -8
I have a simple brass valve installed on mine just outside of the fuel tank spigot. When I need to disconnect anything, I turn off the valve and the fuel stays in the tank.
I'm contemplating a solenoid valve, so that the fuel valve shuts off with the ignition. That way if I ever experience a fire, I can shut off the fuel by just turning off the ignition and starve the fire of fuel.
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Post by 1hotvw on Jun 14, 2023 20:01:51 GMT -8
just to add, do not use the worm gear type hose clamps,fuel injection style hose clamps are the best as shown in the above two pics. i use them on all hoses.
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Post by magikbus on Jun 15, 2023 8:38:07 GMT -8
Just to add to Mark's (crazybrit) how to make your bus safer there is another tip to consider. Find a junk yard that will let you go searching for older ford cars with a safety shut off in the trunk just forward (front is front) of the left rear signal and brake lights. It's a small black box about 1" square with a red button on it. IF you install that little box in the same place on you bus (drivers side rear corner) it will shut of the power to the fuel pump if wired in correctly when a significant jarring occurs such as a rear end collision a head on collision. That will prevent you from waking up in a ditch one day with the fuel pump busily pumping gasoline into an engine compartment with damaged fuel lines in the event of an accident.
I was personally present at an accident on the Pat Bay highway last summer when a young guy in a ford truck hit the center cement divider and launched itself approx. 8 feet in the air and landed in the ditch upside down, still running. It took myself and a big beefy guy a couple of minutes to wrench the passenger door open and get the driver out. I had to crawl over smashed glass into the cab and turn off the ignition to kill the still running engine. Big diesel smell. I know it's not the same system but still the same result.
Stan
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Post by CrazyBrit on Jun 15, 2023 15:55:38 GMT -8
Let me guess. The truck was jacked up to prevent his balls dragging on the ground (and to line up his frontal crash zone with the heads of the occupants of the average car), with tyres protruding past the wheel arches to make it more stable when rockcrawling (on the Pat Bay highway centre median) and to scare off unwary pedestrians from coming too close, lest they get dragged into the wheel wells.
I know that many of us have modified our vehicles, myself included, but it pisses me off when I see these kids in huge jacked up trucks with dangerous and completely illegal wheel offsets cruising around. Imagine being hit by on of these things!
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