Date: Mon, 22 May 2006 14:03:51 -0700
Reply-To: Zoltan <zolo@FOXINTERNET.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Zoltan <zolo@FOXINTERNET.NET>
Subject: Re: Cohline fuel line failure
Content-type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset=iso-8859-1; reply-type=original
What is the "high pressure" it is made for or stamped on it?
Zoltan
----- Original Message -----
From: "Kenneth Wilford" <kenwilfy@COMCAST.NET>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Monday, May 22, 2006 1:54 PM
Subject: Re: Cohline fuel line failure
I have never heard anyone on this list ever recommend the cloth covered hose
(no matter who it is made by or where it is made) for the high pressure fuel
injection application. I have never sold it for this application (in case
you are wondering). We only sell German high pressure hose in our fuel line
kits. It has the smooth rubber surface on the outside and reinforcing in
the middle layer. It is usually either made by Continental or CRP in
Germany. I would strongly recommend against using the NAPA fuel injection
hose. I installed some on a customer's van several years ago and within a
few weeks it became as hard as a twig. I went to remove it and it snapped
because it was so hard.
Just FYI,
Ken Wilford
John 3:16
http://www.vanagain.com
http://www.strictlyvwauctions.com
http://www.eurovan.org
http://www.vwcabrio.org
Phone: (856)-327-4936
Fax: (856)-327-2242
-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
Robert Harris
Sent: Monday, May 22, 2006 12:40 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Cohline fuel line failure
hi y'all,
It's been ages since I have posted to the list but this bore mention. I
pulled my '84 Westy out of winter storage last week and just about burned it
to the ground right on the spot. How? Everything looked ship shape and it
started right up on the first try, so I wandered off to let the motor warm
up before attempting to move the bus. Came back a minute later to find
gasoline spraying under the bus and in the engine compartment. Yikes!!! My
fuel line had failed in multiple places, and gasoline was spraying
everywhere under pressure. I immediately shut the motor down that that was
that. I am so lucky the bus didn't burn!
Now the other scary part. This was the recommended expensive, German-made
Cohline high pressure hose, installed new only 18 months ago. Cohline is
the stuff with a braided black fabric sheath on the outside. On inspection,
I found that the rubber was cracking/hardening throughout. I have not used
any alternative fuels or fuel additives that might cause the rubber to fail
prematurely. Maybe I just happened to get a bad batch of hose or something,
but I don't trust the stuff anymore. It should not have failed in such a
short time. Has anyone else had problems with this brand?
And a friendly word of advice, for what it's worth... if you have really old
fuel lines, REPLACE THEM. You can use 5/16" fuel hose from any auto parts
store. Just be sure to get true fuel-injection rated line, not the cheap
stuff. The right stuff will cost $4 a foot or so, and have "SAE 30R9"
stamped on it. Run a single piece all the way back from the fuel filter to
the engine, bypassing the white plastic junction fitting on the engine bay
forward firewall if your bus has it. (This plastic barb fitting is
unnecessary and is also a known potential leak point as it ages and gets
brittle. You are better off without it.) Short of a wreck, there is no
surer way to total your bus than to have a fuel fire.
older and wiser,
Robert
Ithaca, NY <www.people.cornell.edu/pages/rdh24/vw/index_vw.html>
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