Hi List,
Today I decided to replace my fuel filter. A couple weeks ago I ran out of gas
while discovering that my fuel guage wasnt exactly reading accurately.
Refilling the tank with a gas can stirred up some sediment and clogged my old
filter. The car ran fine everywhere except on the highway from 3500-4000rpm,
but ran fine around town at the same rpm in a lower gear.
While getting ready to replace the filter I noticed the hoses from the rear
fuel line to the fuel pump were weather cracked so time to replace them. My
fuel filter is in the middle of this hose. While trying to tighten and loosen
clamps in the confined space the rear fuel line suddenly came loose in the
engine bay and peering under the car revealed a rather large amount of gas
spewing out along the frame rail.
This is where the adventure part comes in. To make a long story short, I of
course, didnt have anything handy to plug the line and didnt have any help
handy to get something. So there I was holding the line while under the car in
my dirt driveway. It doesnt do any good to hold your finger over the end of
the hose when you have to let go at some point to find something to plug the
hose with. Well, I discovered the hose isnt very long and is at a very bad
angle and nothing I could find would plug the hose. A quick sprint to the shed
and I was finally able to find something to plug the hose with. At this point
I am covered in gas and have been laying in a puddle of it. Not very pleasant.
After hosing myself off and diluting the gas as much as possible I headed to
the shower. Luckily fellow lister Rick Patton stopped to check up on me and
ran to grab a jack since I didnt have one nearby.
Here is the real reason for my post. I never new that there was a two inch
hose connecting the rear metal fuel line with the short metal fuel line that
angles up to the fuel pump. I am actually lucky that things happened the way
they did judging by the very poor condition the hose was in. I was also lucky
that the tank wasnt full and when I jacked the front of the car up it tilted
the remaining gas away from the fuel line and allowed me to complete my repairs
without a spewing fuel line while I was under the car. So, if you have the car
up on jack stands, or in for service, or on a lift, check out that little hose.
Mine also had no clamps on that section. I can only imagine the hose letting
go while traveling down the road with a full tank of gas.
Thought I would pass along my tale of adventure so others might be able to
avoid the same tale of woe.
CheersAaron(washing the gas covered shorts for the third time)Topsham Maine
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