Cool Pic Of Fuel Leak!!

[PM7]

I Kept smelling fuel out side my house, so had a look under my 7 and found the short rubber pipe between the fuel sender and steel fuel pipe had split. Check out this pic.

Patrick.

1981 DHC
Premium X 2

[Gubi]

Well *that's* not good.

Gasoline shouldn't freeze like that, I'd think. Maybe you had some water in the lines that froze and split the hose?

-----
Tom
'79 TR7
'87 Alfa 75
'91 Alfa Spider

[PM7]

I think the ice is due to the how cold the fuel is as it hits the air and reacts, as the actual air temp was about +8c at time of pic .

I fixed this today and had to drain off 35L of fuel before i could refit new pipe and clips. A smelly old job!!

[FI Spyder]

That's right as the fuel evaporates it cools down the air and the water vapour in the air will freeze. It doesn't have to be all that cold although I don't know if the guys in So Cal or Florida have seen it.[;)]

Fuel lines don't last forever and should be replaced on all our cars. Not as critical on a 2 lb. pressure of a carb compared to a 34 lb. of a FI car. Started my car and popped the hood to see if I had any water leaks after changing my water hoses. While I was checking the heater hoses I noticed what looked like a spider web and it was a fine spray of fuel going onto the bulkhead. Shut it down and replaced the high pressure fuel lines with the gas lines at the fuel tank the following year as those weren't original but of unknown age. Regardless leaking fuel can mean a mean fire. Change those hoses.



TR7 Spider - 1978 Spitfire - 1976 Spitfire - 1988 Tercel 4X4 - Kali on Integra - 1991 Integra - Yellow TCT

[tencate]

In addition, many of our old fuel lines are not compatible with ethanol blends. How old are your rubber fuel lines? I have a photo of the inside of a mushy fuel line which was rather surprising and disturbing when I replaced it!

[Rblackadar]

def looks like moisture settled in at that low point and froze...Yikes!!!!

[Wayne S]

Looks like the venturi's on my weber downdraft carb if the temp drops below 5c - common problem in winter with fuel leaks, its like nitrous oxide on your hands if you have to fix this stuff on the roadside .... I know!!!!

<b>Red 4.0 Litre V8 DHC Grinnall (with huuuuuge arches...!)</b>

[Morley Faulkner]

Interesting pic of fuel line.Looks like moisture freezing around pipe, not fuel.
Fuel does freeze not like an ice lolly, but it tends to gel. I know that in the 1966 Monte Carlo Rally ( Triumph 2000's)we had to put I.P.A. ( Isopropyl Alcohol) in the fuel to prevent gelling/freezing of the fuel.
We carried jerry cans in the boot and you could not pour then out if you had forgotten the IPA.
That year it was -14C on the Turini. No fun parked in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night as a service crew.

[fiveliters]

Totally agree with F1 Spyder-I had my fuel pump replaced,as I knew it was leaking (and I could smell a strong fuel smell in the car when running). About a month after that,I began smelling fuel again and thought the hoses to the pump had become loose or something. I checked,and they were dry. However,while changing out the individual K&N filters,I noticed that the fuel hose from the carb going forward seemed to be damp. I felt it,and it was like a sponge-a very wet one![:0] Closer inspection revealed spider web-like cracks in the rubber. I replaced every fuel line I could find that day,and have been OK since,hopefully!