Replacing original plastic fuel lines with stainless

green71 · 10-12-2013, 07:24 PM

Hi all,

It's time to replace the plastic fuel lines in the tunnel -- one broke today and I narrowly averted catastrophe. I've got a couple of questions before I dive headlong into this, though. (The car is a '71, 1.7l, d-jet with stock fuel pump.)

1. For now, I only want to replace the lines between the tank and the fuel filter / fuel pump. Can I do this by purchasing only the lines, or do I need anything else?

2. Will it be necessary to find a tapered adapter (914-356-525-00-OEM) to complete the installation? I know one line goes to the fuel filter, and I *think* the other goes to the fuel pump (didn't look before I quit for the night) -- I'm not sure if it mates right up or what . . .

3. Is it necessary to pull the gas tank to do this job? If so, no biggie I guess, I've heard that's not too painful.

Any other observations or advice are very much welcome!

Thanks,

Mark

lorenzoscribe · 10-13-2013, 04:51 AM

Yes you will have to pull the gas tank to get at the connections on the bottom. Also remember to pull the right rear wheel. My instructions said to do that, and I ignored them and fought for some time till I re-read the instructions, pulled the wheel and the fuel line slipped right in. DUH!

I used a premium grade fuel line to connect the tank to the stainless line along with some high quality radiator type clamps. On the other end I used the same fuel line to connect the stainless line to a 3 psi electric fuel pump as I am using Webers.

Larry Steckel
1971 Porsche 914

PFM · 10-13-2013, 07:27 AM

Mark,

If one of the lines failed the other is close behind. If you are still using both lines (EFI) it would be wise to replace both lines that pass through the tunnel. As you know a failure inside the car can be a bit un-nerving.

Just my 2 cents worth.

TheCabinetmaker · 10-13-2013, 07:45 AM

you can also pick up new plastic tubing to replace the old, since it is very flexible, it should be easy to install. for the rubber hose use lined hose such as 30R9 hose rather than 30R7 (not lined) the lined hose will resist todays government mandated corn lobby alcohol infused crap gasoline that cost more, gives worse mileage, and actually uses more energy to produce than good old gasoline. (it takes a lot of energy to ferment all that corn, distill it and even to grow and harvest). the corn lobby is big business!

green71 · 10-13-2013, 12:28 PM

Thanks for the responses, guys. What's the appropriate connection between the fuel line and the pump? (Not the one that goes to the filter, but the other one -- is that the return line?) Is 30R9 all you need other than the two steel lines?

And yes, I'll definitely be replacing both -- no need to do this twice just to see how close I can get to setting my car on fire.

I don't see the plastic lines on Pelican's site. Where do you source them? (If you'd rather not say out of respect to Pelican, that's OK -- they've always treated me well & offered this great resource.)

BTW -- right there with you on the corn fuel. I have one source for non-ethanol fuel that's fairly close to home, and gladly pay the premium for it. But even if one were to use the lined fuel line, would the car's injectors still hold up to the ethanol?

luskesq · luskesq's Garage

The tapered line is as I understand to take care of the size change from the line to the fuel filter. Tangerine racing has the entire fuel line kit or just the individual pieces, including a metal adapter, proper clamps, and hose for a reasonable price.

Good luck,

Keith

green71 · 10-15-2013, 07:39 AM

Thanks again for the help with this, everyone. One last question (hopefully) -- how many feet of rubber hose is required in total to get from the plastic supply tubes to the filter & pump, and then from the pump to the J-shaped plastic tubes that go up to the injector rails? I'm planning to replace all of that.

Mark

green71 · 10-28-2013, 05:53 PM

Hi all - just wanted to say thanks again and provide some closure for this thread. The Tangerine kit was just right, though the adapter was a lot longer than it needed to be (for my car, at least.) I replaced all plastic with stainless and the job was pretty trouble-free -- no surprises or leaks, and nothing broke mid-repair or otherwise went pear-shaped.

As it turns out, however, what I thought was a jagged, broken end of the plastic supply line turned out to be a trimmed, crimped end that was crimped so that it would squeeze down into 7mm fuel line . . . I just couldn't tell that when it was spraying fuel all over me. (Thanks for the booby trap, previous owner . . .

)

The 914 is back on the road & ready for some more miles. With any luck it'll be my commuter this winter.

Mark