Fitting stainless braid covered fuel hose

JumbleDuck

JumbleDuck

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OK, I confess, this is for a car, but it could equally well be for a boat, so ...

I have some stainless braid covered fuel hose to fit. I have the hose, the rubber end caps and the proper hose clamps. All looks fine, except that I am not sure how to cut the hose neatly. Any tips would be most welcome.
 
JumbleDuck said:
OK, I confess, this is for a car, but it could equally well be for a boat, so ...

I have some stainless braid covered fuel hose to fit. I have the hose, the rubber end caps and the proper hose clamps. All looks fine, except that I am not sure how to cut the hose neatly. Any tips would be most welcome.
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In days of yore, anyone without pro equipment would wrap the hose tightly with tape (masking tape worked) and tackle it with a fine-toothed hacksaw. Today you'd perhaps use a Dremel with cutting disc.
 
zoidberg said:
Tell to me the advantages - and otherwise - of stainless braid-covered fuel hose....
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I'm hoping it will deal with two problems. First of all, I'm hoping that it will keep the fuel a bit cooler. I have issues at the moment with fuel in the pipes vaporising when the car is stopped after a long run. Secondly, I'm hoping it will be reasonably mouse-resistant. When I tried to start the car a couple of weeks ago petrol poured out, because the wee beasties (or maybe just a wee beastie) had made eight large holes along an 18" section of hose.
 
macd said:
In days of yore, anyone without pro equipment would wrap the hose tightly with tape (masking tape worked) and tackle it with a fine-toothed hacksaw. Today you'd perhaps use a Dremel with cutting disc.
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Ta. Do you take the tape off afterwards or cover it up with the rubber end cap?
 
macd said:
I never used rubber end caps, JD, so afraid I can't help you there. If they fit neatly over the tape, can't see any harm in leaving it on.
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Don’t leave the tape on. It turns to a nasty mess very quickly.
Have used all the cutting methods except the dermal. That, with a fine disk, would be my next method.

Another way to tackle the heat may be an exhaust wrap. Easy to apply and very effective. Depending on the design it’s often the carbs getting hot tather than the fuel line but every little helps.

Edit. Using braided fuel line doesn’t actually make a lot, if any difference as the heat soak while stationary isn’t effectively reflected by the braid. I have used a large bore fuel hose over the top of a fuel line on a race car in an attempt to keep fuel cool(er). No evidence that this helped it didn’t help restarting a hot engine either.
There have been papers I have read that look into different coatings and finishes. Reflective chrome and matt black paint for example on exhausts to see if any reduce underbody heat and none do. New ceramic coatings seem to work but exhaust wrap has been the most cost effective so far.
 
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blxm said:
Another way to tackle the heat may be an exhaust wrap. Easy to apply and very effective. Depending on the design it’s often the carbs getting hot tather than the fuel line but every little helps.

Edit. Using braided fuel line doesn’t actually make a lot, if any difference as the heat soak while stationary isn’t effectively reflected by the braid.
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Thanks. It's the opposite site of the engine from the exhaust manifold which lives, very snugly, under a heat shield. The heat by the fuel lines is from various water hoses and the LPG vaporiser. It sounds from what you say as if I may not be able to do much about the heat soak, but I certainly hope to keep the rodents at bay ...
 
I second the Dremel.

For the vaporising problem, perhaps running the fan might be the answer?
I assume this vehicle has a carb?

The meeces will eat something else instead.
Do you have a cat fitted? IGMC.
 
sarabande said:
There are a variety of techniques on Youtube.
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Thanks - I shall have a look.

lw395 said:
I second the Dremel.

For the vaporising problem, perhaps running the fan might be the answer?
I assume this vehicle has a carb?

The meeces will eat something else instead.
Do you have a cat fitted? IGMC.
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1975 Citroën DS, Weber carb. There is an electric fan, run automatically from a thermostatic switch in the radiator. It was previously unswitched but during restoration work last winter it went back to switched with the ignition as Citroën intended, so no longer comes on, as it did, two minutes after stopping the car. I may undo that improvement over the winter.

I don't have a Dremel but I do have the Lidl equivalent, and I need to buy some cutting disks anyway.
 
penberth3 said:
One disadvantage is you can't check the condition of the rubber hose.
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I agree. My MGA has S/S braided fuel hoses in the engine compartment and once I was surprised to find a profuse leak due to an inner rubber hose having perished. Fortunately I was alerted by the continued clicking of the SU petrol pump so no harm done. ....that's a handy safety feature of the old SUs.
 
reeac said:
I agree. My MGA has S/S braided fuel hoses in the engine compartment and once I was surprised to find a profuse leak due to an inner rubber hose having perished. Fortunately I was alerted by the continued clicking of the SU petrol pump so no harm done. ....that's a handy safety feature of the old SUs.
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I have an electric pump as well as a mechanical one, in order to refill the carb after running on LPG (system currently not commissioned) and it was the constant running of that which alerted me to the evil work of my rodent friends. Mind you, the great big pool of petrol under the car was a fairly strong clue as well.
 
Stainles steel braid covering of fuel and oil lines is a requirement in aircraft to make them more fire proof.
However for the fuel vaporisation problem the best fix is to have a metered fuel return back to the tank so more fuel is returned than is used so keeping a good flow of fuel in the line so no vapour locks. Rodent attack is not a thing I can imagine however again (as used to be under CASA orders but now under manufacturers requirements) in aircraft rubber engine area hoses are replaced on a 3 year basis for engines with turbocharger or 6 years on normal piston engines. However teflon hoses are just inspected. If i remember correctly. olewill
 
Do you have an electric pump at the tank end? Having the fuel line under pressure rather than vacuum may help in raising the vaporising temperature.
 
gordmac said:
Do you have an electric pump at the tank end? Having the fuel line under pressure rather than vacuum may help in raising the vaporising temperature.
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It's a nice idea, but unfortunately not. There is a nylon hose which runs from the bottom of the hose to the engine compartment, and then as stock is linked by a short length of rubber hose to the mechanical fuel pump. On my it goes nylon - fuel filter (original filter in tank removed) - electric pump - engine pump - carb. It would be great to have a pump and filter at the tank, but there simply isn't any room.
 
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