Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[lovebus (jack)]

  Goodf job Rick that shift bushing ca be a pain in 

[Rickles (Rick)]

Thanks, Jack. I hope I never have to do that bushing again.

[Rickles (Rick)]

Repaired a gas leak late this afternoon. Fortunately, it was 33* degrees out because if there's anything I hate, it's trying to work on my VW when it's warm and balmy. I just hate it when it's 75* and mild; it's so much better when my fingertips can become numb and there's raw gas running down my arm.   

Came home to see a little puddle of gas forming by the left rear wheel. A plastic fuel filter was installed inline in the area behind the LR wheel. Looks like the short length of hose on the inlet side was starting to leak. that side had a "rubber" hose whereas the outlet (and underhood) has the braided German stuff (incidently, I add Sta-Bil Ethanol everytime I get gas). The LR wheel had to come off, and, of course, all I have is the VW jack (I know, don't say it). I just put in a single piece of braided fuel line instead of fighting with putting another filter in right now. It's really my own fault because a couple times recently I noticed a slight odor of gas at the back, but couldn't find a leak. I never even thought of that filter that Chris installed for me just before I got the car. He relocated it from above the distributor area.

Now that the temperature has dropped to 26*, I'm going back outside to do the whole job all over again because, unfortunately, this afternoon it was still light out. Now it's dark and much colder. If only it would start raining. 

I think I read, recently, to use a glass filter. Any problem with them breaking? Is there something better? Needless to say, it won't get installed until spring.

[lovebus (jack)]

        Nothing wrong with using the plastic filters they work fine but the old braided hose HAS TO GO.............

[Rickles (Rick)]

What's the best hose and size Jack? I know the braided is 5mm and I've heard SAE 30R9 hose is good but doesn't come in that size exactly. Recommendations?

[Rickles (Rick)]

I ordered some Gates Barricade (27303) for carb. cars; 1/4" seems to be the closest, since 3/16" would be too small. I read somewhere on the Samba that our carb. metal lines are actually 6mm; could that be correct?

Now to think about a proper (and inexpensive) jack. I won't buy Harborfrieght hand tools, but what about their floor jacks? Any good?

[lovebus (jack)]

tHE Barricade HOSE IS GOOD, i USE IT AND HAVE HAD NO TROUBLE WITH IT. You have to usee hose clamps with it.
I use this floorjack
https://www.amazon.com/Goodyear-Aluminum-Racing-Jack-GY1100/dp/B00U1IOZQG?SubscriptionId=AKIAJO7E5OLQ67NVPFZA&ascsubtag=709310523-16-2088136902.1482249157&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B00U1IOZQG&linkCode=xm2&tag=d_2b_a_o-20

Higher end  price  but has a high lift. All around good jack and you dont have to pump it as much as a cheap jack.
I got it at Sans Club.

[Richard]

J30R9 is ethanol resistant fuel injection hose. Rated for high pressure fuel injection systems.
There is also J30R7 which is ethanol resistant but not rated for fuel injection pressures.

I discussed this with some of the more knowledgeable folks in the club and most prefer the J30R9 (or better) as it adds an impermeable  layer to the inside of the hose. Some of the higher rated hoses also have an external protective layer. The down side for me is that the R9 and higher is stiffer than the R7 and I've had difficulty getting a good seal on some of the metal lines in my car - which I believe are 5mm. So, after tightening the hell out of the R9 hoses (using fuel injection clamps) and still having one of them leak I decided to go back to the R7 hose. It probably won't last as long as the R9, but it will certainly last significantly longer than either my fuel hose change schedule or the braided German stuff. Once in place it sealed completely on the metal lines and did it with much less tightening than the R9 took.

This is just my opinion. Someone posted here (don't remember who) and said his R7 cracked within months with no fuel in them. There has to be more to that story than that, in my opinion. The hose I bought is, I believe, Gates. I don't know what hose brand "he" used.

Any hose rated to the J30R7 standard should not have problems like that. Again, my opinion.
So, for now, I'm running the R7 in my Bug. You can be sure I'm going to keep a VERY close eye on it.
YMMV.

BTW, I moved my plastic filter from the engine compartment to the front of the car just under the fuel tank. No controversy about causing engine fires and it filters the entire system. Just in case the old metal lines running through the tunnel have any debris, I'm also going to put a plastic filter where the line exits the pan horn near the transmission. Can't hurt.

[Rickles (Rick)]

I ordered the Gates hose for carb. (according to the Gates online catalog) because it's not so stiff. Amzaon has 2ft. lengths for $12.63 each or a 25ft. spool for $26.79! Go figure (I bought the spool). I also ordered some ABA mini stainless steel clamps to fit from another place that was a lot cheaper. They have the nice, up-turned edges.

Jack: I've heard some jacks won't pump until the handle is practicaly straight up in the air. Will yours start pumping when it's only a few inches up, in other words if the jack is way under the car?

Jack and Richard: I'm guessing you're both using 1/4" ID and that's fitting well?

[Richard]

Yes, 1/4" ID. It fits my 1/4" brass fittings perfectly, but is still just a bit too big for the stock metric lines in the tunnel, the line coming from the fuel tank and the stubs coming from the carburetor and fuel pump. That's why I went with the softer R7 and the fuel injection clamps.

I searched for the metric sized fuel hose and could find none that would work. I'm thinking that changing the hose every two years should be more than good enough. Still, I'll keep a close watch on it. I'm going to fill a length of spare hose with fuel and use a double ended fitting to make it into a loop. I'll just keep it in the shed and check on it from time to time, in addition to checking the lines on the car.

[Rickles (Rick)]

Is it the old German braided hose your testing as a loop or the new R7? The stuff I ordered is the R7.

The Sta-Bil 360 Performance stuff is supposed to protect metal and rubber from ethanol damage, so, maybe, with that and changing the hoses every couple years, the braided hose would be OK. Seems like that's the only hose that fits properly. Wolfsburg West and aircooled.net still recommend the braided stuff.

John, at aircooled.net, says changing the 5mm braided hose every two years should make it OK to use it. They only have e-hose in 7mm.

[Rickles (Rick)]

Forgive me for hijacking. I had this bookmarked from some time ago and just re-discovered it.

5mm ID (11mm OD), German-made, Multi-fuel including up to E85, SAE J30R7, $6.03 per 3ft, company's in Mass. I ordered some of this, too; I can always return the Gates to Amazon if this looks good.

https://www.belmetric.com/rhm5-flennor-multifuel-hose-5mm-p-3718.html?zenid=9at85b1n6jlej9q8gd982dmn32&cPath=14_662

[Richard]

Rick,
No, the loop of gas filled hose will be the R7 type. It's just a little playing around to easily see if anything is going on with it. I'm really more interested to see if the fuel remains for an extended time or if it evaporates through the hose.

I'm glad you found the metric sized hose, but I've got my system pretty well completely plumbed. Only need to drop in the fuel tank, so I'm not going to replace it now. Besides, I'd have to get all new metric fittings for the fuel shut off and where I re-routed the hose to keep it away from the heat exchangers.

Honestly, I wouldn't touch the German braided hose if it isn't ethanol rated. I don't care what they say. I've got WAY too invested in both time and money to take a risk like that.

[Rickles (Rick)]

I hear ya. I forgot about your shut-off valve having different fittings. I have to reinstall a filter in the spring anyway, so I'll try the metric stuff there; underhood is easy enough.

[Rickles (Rick)]

I picked up a 1.5 Ton jack from Harbor Freight  today. It appears identical to the one in Jack's link above; my guess is they are all made in the same Chinese factory. Since it was $59 with a coupon, I decided to take a chance. Got a pair of jack stands too.