Date:         Fri, 24 May 1996 20:48:34 -0400 (EDT)
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         Eric Baden <ebaden@warren-wilson.edu>
Subject:      Re: Balls O' Fire ! !



> The typical VW engine fire results not from a lack of clamps but from:
> 
>    A - Abrasion of the fuel pipe where it passes through the forward breast
> tin, and
> 
>    B - Failure of the pressed-in brass pipe in either the carb or the fuel
> pump.
> 
> 
> A clamp provides no benefit when fitted to a hose hardened by age.  The
> externally reinforced hose used by Volkswagen works perfectly well, as
> history has shown, so long as it is in good condition.  The major problem
> here is owners who fail to replace the hoses when they harden.
> 
> Internally reinforced hose should always be secured with clamps.
> 
> My first 'sermons' were posted in response to the fire hazard in older
> Volkswagens.  In those articles I explain how to prevent the fuel pipe from
> being worn through by fabricating a simple bulkhead fitting, and how to
> re-install the brass tube in the carb or fuel pump, which always warns of
> impending failure by leaking, often for months before it finally lets go.
> 
> The saddest part of fuel-related fires in air-cooled Volkswagens is that they
> are preventable.

Is VW's externally reinforced hose suitable for the high pressure of fuel 
injection? I've used it on the return line but have stuck with the 
heavily reinforced version of high press. fuel line for the supply.