Fuel line chafe - what to do?

[MagicalArmchair]

In this post, many moons ago, I tried to repair the bleed screw on my fuel filter housing - VP D2-55 fuel bleed screw stripped?. It worked, however it was always a worry. Over the winter I decided to treat the engine to a new filter housing with the primer on top, replacing the fuel shut off valve, and all the nasty rusty and flaking armoured fuel hose right back to the tank.

I've fitted this up as below and ran the engine for a few hours up and down the river and then inspected the new set up. Where the line exits the assembly, it appears to rub on the oil dip stick.

• Put a second jubilee clip on where the rubbing is occouring to prevent it chafing there?
• Grind off the plastic of the dip stick where it is rubbing?
• I might try and loosen the bolts holding the housing on and angle it slightly away.
• Ignore it (seems like a mighty bad idea that one)?

As hateful as armoured fuel hose is, you can see why Bavaria used it in the first place. I'll go and hunt around and make sure there is no chafing elsewhere.

 

[Freebee]

or fix a couple of cable ties over the hose in the area of wear, can be fixed without removing the fuel hose

 

[Ammonite]

In this post, many moons ago, I tried to repair the bleed screw on my fuel filter housing - VP D2-55 fuel bleed screw stripped?. It worked, however it was always a worry. Over the winter I decided to treat the engine to a new filter housing with the primer on top, replacing the fuel shut off valve, and all the nasty rusty and flaking armoured fuel hose right back to the tank.

I've fitted this up as below and ran the engine for a few hours up and down the river and then inspected the new set up. Where the line exits the assembly, it appears to rub on the oil dip stick.

• Put a second jubilee clip on where the rubbing is occouring to prevent it chafing there?
• Grind off the plastic of the dip stick where it is rubbing?
• I might try and loosen the bolts holding the housing on and angle it slightly away.
• Ignore it (seems like a mighty bad idea that one)?

As hateful as armoured fuel hose is, you can see why Bavaria used it in the first place. I'll go and hunt around and make sure there is no chafing elsewhere.

You'd need to be mindful of the clearance as you dont want the dipstick to foul anything but can you put a washer or two under the bracket that attaches the dipstick to the block to move it outboard a couple of mm? Option 3

 

[Norman_E]

You'd need to be mindful of the clearance as you dont want the dipstick to foul anything but can you put a washer or two under the bracket that attaches the dipstick to the block to move it outboard a couple of mm? Option 3

The second picture makes it look as if the dipstick bracket can just be bent slightly away from the cylinder block.

 

[gregcope]

I would use a bit of (decent) old hose and cable tie it on top. Which is similar to @Freebee suggestion. Your new hose may be a fraction bigger OD than the old (which implies it is thicker, which is good).

 

[Plum]

In this post, many moons ago, I tried to repair the bleed screw on my fuel filter housing - VP D2-55 fuel bleed screw stripped?. It worked, however it was always a worry. Over the winter I decided to treat the engine to a new filter housing with the primer on top, replacing the fuel shut off valve, and all the nasty rusty and flaking armoured fuel hose right back to the tank.

I've fitted this up as below and ran the engine for a few hours up and down the river and then inspected the new set up. Where the line exits the assembly, it appears to rub on the oil dip stick.

• Put a second jubilee clip on where the rubbing is occouring to prevent it chafing there?
• Grind off the plastic of the dip stick where it is rubbing?
• I might try and loosen the bolts holding the housing on and angle it slightly away.
• Ignore it (seems like a mighty bad idea that one)?

As hateful as armoured fuel hose is, you can see why Bavaria used it in the first place. I'll go and hunt around and make sure there is no chafing elsewhere.

I would go for option 3 even if that means filing a bit off one of the bolt holes. I would certainly not go for any of the othe three options.

Www.solocoastalsailing.co.uk

 

[Refueler]

I have used lengths of plastic pipe slid over fuel pipes to avoid chafe of the fuel pipe itself ... so a similar sacrificial piece of any plastic hose piece of suitable size held by clips or cable ties should do the job.

I would not go modifying anything ...

 

[jamie N]

I used 'spiralwrap' as it was lying around.

 

[Baltika_no_9]

The dipstick tube seems to be retained by a bracket, presumably bolted to the engine. An alternative to other suggestions perhaps is to add a spacer behind that bracket and ease it away slightly?

Edit - I've no idea of course if there is any "give" in the tube and wouldn't myself be happy about applying much force to relieve the stress if there wasn't but just undoing the bolt might indicate whether the tube will come away sufficiently unaided.

 

[LadyInBed]

The input pipe has two clips on so the filter connector is long enough to take two clips.
If the filter outlet connector is only long enough to take one clip, then swap the two filter connectors over so you can put two clips on the output pipe.
Obviously if the two connectors are the same length then you can just add a second clip.

 

[KevinV]

I'd definitely go for your #3 - try and rotate the filter housing a little anti-clockwise, even if it means opening out the bolt holes on the bracket a little. It's on flexible hoses, so no harm done.

Whatever you do about the chafing, turn that jubilee clip round - the tail is going to catch your fingers ever time you check the oil as it is now

 

[Ammonite]

See post #3.There shouldn't be any need to wrap things around the pipe or open up any holes. See parts 27 and 31 in the attached schematic.
D2-55D Lubricating System - marine diesel engines

 

[MagicalArmchair]

I did try loosing the bolts holding the housing on and angling the housing slightly away from the dip stick, but there just isn't enough give in the holes to give complete clearance. I could take the brackets off entirely and machine a bit off the holes on either the housing or the bracket, however, the sun is out, and for now I just want to make it safe so I can go sailing. I added a second jubilee (which I had intended in the first place anyway), the reverse way around to the other.

This has two effects in squeezing the pipe onto the connector it has given a slight bit more clearance, and secondly it will provide protection to chafe against the dip stick.

Its no struggle to use the dip stick, and the most that will wear will be the plastic of the dip stick handle.

 

[Ammonite]

I did try loosing the bolts holding the housing on and angling the housing slightly away from the dip stick, but there just isn't enough give in the holes to give complete clearance. I could take the brackets off entirely and machine a bit off the holes on either the housing or the bracket, however, the sun is out, and for now I just want to make it safe so I can go sailing. I added a second jubilee (which I had intended in the first place anyway), the reverse way around to the other.

This has two effects in squeezing the pipe onto the connector it has given a slight bit more clearance, and secondly it will provide protection to chafe against the dip stick.

Its no struggle to use the dip stick, and the most that will wear will be the plastic of the dip stick handle.

I'm slightly confused by your reply. Can't you just remove bolt 31 on the schematic (Post 12#) and put a washer between the bracket and the block to move the top of the dipstick out by a couple of mm? Why would you need to open up any holes?

 

[MagicalArmchair]

That braket

I'm slightly confused by your reply. Can't you just remove bolt 31 on the schematic (Post 12#) and put a washer between the bracket and the block to move the top of the dipstick out by a couple of mm? Why would you need to open up any holes?

That bracket will also move the filter assembly out by the same amount (as it shares the mounting bolt, which isn't shown in the schematic). I am also uncomfortable bending the oil dip pipe out, even by a few mm.

Thank you for all your responses and your time friends. This will get me sailing for now and make it safe and I can suck my teeth at it over the winter when I change the filter and the pipes are all empty of diesel. The holes in the new filter housing are slightly misaligned to the bracket, hence modifying the mounting bracket slightly (that bolts onto the side of the engine selerately) on the piller drill appears to be the the least worse option, but that decision can wait.