| Re: So my car almost caught on fire.... |
Subject: Re: So my car almost caught on fire.... by Slalom4me on 2008/9/2 5:24:58 Do not take chances with fuel lines. The C4 L98 lines run adjacent to the passenger side exhaust manifold and the flexible hose segments are near #2 exhaust port. A fuel leak at start-up of a cold engine may not ignite if discovered quickly, but my vote is that a fuel leak on a warm engine has a high likelyhood of igniting. On an engine that is working (road/track) it is a certainty. The rubber sections of the OEM hard lines have collars swaged into place at the unions where the rubber and steel lines meet. These unions are similar in appearance to power steering lines.  A first step might be to check whether replacement supply and return lines are available from GM. If not, then check aftermarket sources like Classic Tube - they list FI feed and return lines in either OE or SS styles for 89-90 C4s. I am unaware of whether field repair of these OEM types of unions is possible. Presumably, there may be local industrial hose firms that have the equipment to do so, or perhaps national firms might offer a rebuild service. Alternatively, it may be possible to use products such as Aeroguip's Versil-Flare Flareless AN Tube Nuts and Ferrules to modify the existing lines to accept a section of braided hose to replace the OEM rubber hose. (Note that bend radius of SS braid may not be adequate for this purpose.) One requirement for this approach is for there to be tube nuts and ferrules available in the correct size to fit the metal portions of the OEM fuel line.  A different, more common approach seen in the past is to use Metric-to-AN adapter fittings to replace the supply & return line sections. The OEM sections that run from the fuel filter under the passenger footwell forward to the L98 fuel rail are removed, adapter fittings are installed in the OEM fittings and then hoses with AN fittings are used to complete the supply & return fluid paths. . |
