Repeat after me.
Replace your fuel hose regularly. Replace your fuel hose regularly. Replace your fuel hose regularly. Replace your fuel hose regularly. Replace your fuel hose regularly. Replace your fuel hose regularly. Replace your fuel hose regularly. Replace your fuel hose regularly.
I service and maintain our cars pretty well, and I do know about the fuel lines being an item to be regularly replaced. I was driving the Beetle the other day and smelt petrol through the heater. I was just home, so I looked under the engine lid, and noticed the fuel hose to the carby was wet with petrol. It sits about 2cm above the distributor which creates sparks to make petrol into fire.
I went to the local VW parts supplier and bought the proper fuel hose that is the right size for the Beetle. I changed the hose, and all good. Inspection of the hose I took off show age cracks on the end, a result of age hardening. Now some items of common discussion and the outcomes.
- Change the hose regularly. The one from the metal line to pump and the one from pump to carby. I would suggest 5 years.
- Use only high quality hose of the correct size. Some cheap generic fuel hose is often too big, some are too small
- I would not recommend a fuel filter be placed in the engine bay. Plastic ones especially are prone to failure in the hot VW engine bay, and it is two more joins with a possibility of failing. Under the car up near the fuel tank or before the firewall would be safer.
- I will add that fuel pumps and carbies have barbs for the hose to attach, and it has been known for the barbs to come out of them. Someone will now add some more info on fuel system barb retaining procedures.
- A fire extinguisher in the vehicle may help, however be aware that opening the engine lid on a Beetle on fire will allow a rush of air and oxygen to get to the fire, so care needs to be taken to not have a fire in your face.
mmmm and dont use the original holes in the tinware to bring the fuel through ( i was with my 1968, and it was pretty much two separate pieces where it wore through the metal pipe.
you missed 1 there, cover the battery so it cant arc out on the seat springs.
“We all pay for life with death, so everything in between should be free.” Bill Hicks
the chaos project - click me
"Someone will now add some more info on fuel system barb retaining procedures"
Yep! Tap carbs M7 x 1 and screw these in. No slipping out to cause leaks.
DH
helbus wrote:Inspection of the hose I took off show age cracks on the end, a result of age hardening.
I hate to think how many older vw's there are out driving right now with fuel lines so hard you can literally snap them like a twig...a dry twig at that!
.
always carry a fire extinguisher in a vw.. period! n a big one at that
$100+ odd one extra cheap insurance if ya need the extra white stuff to put out the evil hottness
$100 too dear..? how much did you spend on ya radio in ya ride?? 🤓
fractal geometry; the inner most limits of mind altering abuse
Fantasy
http://seventhchronicle.com
Z = Z2 + C1/r = 1/0 = infinity
Barrels
www.barrelman.com.au
VW Workshop - aircooledgarage.com.au
allcooled.com.au
Yeah make sure it's a decent one...those small $20 ones give you only a few precious seconds of use!
.
eraser wrote:mmmm and dont use the original holes in the tinware to bring the fuel through ( i was with my 1968, and it was pretty much two separate pieces where it wore through the metal pipe.
its OK to run Your fuel lines thru that hole with a new rubber grommet plus a piece of PVC or copper pipe over the original pipe... even a piece of fuel hose will stop the fuel line from moving up and down....
and wearing thru...
naturally the original grommet has well & truly past its use by date..
many fires are caused by the pipe coming out of the carburetor or fuel pump..
if You have a fuel filter in the engine bay moving about, it can loosen the copper/steel pipe in the carby or fuel pump
A Fuel fed fire is very difficult to extinguish...
as everything is hot... and can ignite the fuel again...
If You have a pair of small vice grips, You can crawl under the front and place the vice grips on the furl hose stopping the fuel... the fire will now be easier to contain.
I know this is probably the hardest thing to do with the rear end of your car on fire..
One of those .9k fire extinguishers do have a punch..
My Wife told Me the BBQ was out of gas.. so I undid the hose on the cylinder... and whamo....
a HUGE Gas fed fire... I tried to extinguish it with a wet towel.. then My remembered the fire extinguisher on the wall in the laundry....
Just two seconds is all it took to stop the fire....
Gas still spewing out the gas bottle... hose now melted..
but No oxygen... no fire...
My first experience with a fire extinguisher...
LEE- Helping keep Air Cooled VWs on the road - location: SCONE in the Upper Hunter Valley - Northern NSW 320 kms NNW of SYDNEY---
if you have a fuel filter in the engine bay well it deserves to burn down as that is the most hazardous place to put such a thing..
get under the car n put it up outta the way not in the engine bay..
lessens the fire risk and anyone who had their car burn down in front of them will know the gutted feeling of
'if only..'
fractal geometry; the inner most limits of mind altering abuse
Fantasy
http://seventhchronicle.com
Z = Z2 + C1/r = 1/0 = infinity
Barrels
www.barrelman.com.au
VW Workshop - aircooledgarage.com.au
allcooled.com.au
yep my kg convertable caught fire just after i detailed and chromed the whole engine bay, the fitting blew out of the fuel pump and the small fire extinguisher i bought 2 hrs before because i was bored was not enough to put it out so i will never use one of those fuel pumps again and i always buy the bigger extinguishers, lucky the guy driving behind me ran out with his and put it out or the car would have been gone!He even said merry christmas to me and gave me the empty extinguisher as it was christmas eve🙅
1 1963 356b porsche coupe
2 1960 karmann ghia cab
1 1965 karmann ghia cab
1 1966 karmann cab
1 1961 split ute
1 1967 split p/van
1 1952 standard bug
1 1963 ragtop
1 1960 ragtop
2 1954 ovals
1 1956 oval baja project
1 1957 oval flying flea
Dont use the braided line. Its crap and hardly lasts. Fuel Injection hose of the CORRECT size will last heaps longer.
This disclaimer does not reflect the thoughts or opinions of either myself, my company, my friends, or my dog: don't quote me on that; don't quote me on anything; this disclaimer is subject to change without notice; text is slightly enlarged to show detail; resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is unintentional and coincidental; dry clean only; do not bend, fold, or mutilate; anchovies or jalapenos added to this disclaimer upon request; your mileage may vary; no substitutions are allowed; for a limited time only while supplies last; offer void where prohibited; this disclaimer is provided "as is" without any warranties expressed or implied
I was reading this post today, and on the way home, the barb on the carb came out! This was in peak hour traffic on Canterbury Rd! Thankfully it didn't catch fire, the hose just dropped over the dissy to the tinware. Man oh man was I lucky 😀.
So my question is where can I buy one of those threaded barbs?
Thats not rust, it's ah ... orange primer ... yep that's what it is ...
You don't buy them. What type of carby? Give me a PM..
koolkarmakombi wrote:Dont use the braided line. Its crap and hardly lasts. Fuel Injection hose of the CORRECT size will last heaps longer.
while all the purists go around raving about german braided i agree with KKK, its crap
the wall is rediculously thin which is prone to kinking and that useless cloth braiding only hides perishing, which you dont know is there till its to late
6mm EFI lines are multiple layer and reinforced
this topic came up yesterday on the samba
a member installed a filter in his bug and it ended up like this in his own driveway
2 reasons, he installed it in the engine bay and it was an empi filter
on the very few models of bug that vw actually installed fuel filters they were in the line under the fuel tank
Wow, He was lucky....
rest of the car is still OK....
Lee
- Helping keep Air Cooled VWs on the road - location: SCONE in the Upper Hunter Valley - Northern NSW 320 kms NNW of SYDNEY---
Front wheel drive Minis were much worst than beetles catching on fire after an accident...
The fuel tank , electric fuel pump , and battery were all in the boot...
the front of a mini was as strong as a paper bag so any accident in which the fuel hose came off....
the battery,electric fuel pump and fuel tank....
pumped petrol into the engine bay....
and burnt and burnt.....
LEE
PS: I also read somewhere recently, that the Chevrolet Corvair was a Firetrap waiting to happen...??
they also leaked oil badly.....
- Helping keep Air Cooled VWs on the road - location: SCONE in the Upper Hunter Valley - Northern NSW 320 kms NNW of SYDNEY---
Ive always used the fuel hose you get from Supercheap /Clark rubber and such. Never had a problem. But I replace it at least once a year , which might be overkill but its cheap as. The fuel injected hose is pretty darn good though.
the other great fire trap with minis was the fuel cap that protruded out from the body on the left rear corner
in accidents the caps got knocked off and if the lights were on and smashed directly below it...kablamooo
most ppl know the old ford pinto story
a design fault with the fuel tank placement meant they went up in flames in accidents
ford worked out it was cheaper to pay out insurance claims than recall all the cars and fix the problems
rob53 wrote:I was reading this post today, and on the way home, the barb on the carb came out! This was in peak hour traffic on Canterbury Rd! Thankfully it didn't catch fire, the hose just dropped over the dissy to the tinware. Man oh man was I lucky 😀.
So my question is where can I buy one of those threaded barbs?
maybe tap the barb back in and araldite it back into place..
been a little favorite trick i've done over the years..
never had a problem since..
anothery to stay away from..
fractal geometry; the inner most limits of mind altering abuse
Fantasy
http://seventhchronicle.com
Z = Z2 + C1/r = 1/0 = infinity
Barrels
www.barrelman.com.au
VW Workshop - aircooledgarage.com.au
allcooled.com.au
I fully agree with replacing all of the fuel lines every year or so.
I recently bought a 1970 Beetle and when I clamped the fuel line under the tank to remove it, it crumbled into bits.
Don't be fooled by the fact that the fuel line is flexible. IF it's a few years old it's almost certainly perished and unreliable.
I replace my lines with 6mm high pressure hose. They are a little bit loose, but they clamp up OK.
rob53 wrote:So my question is where can I buy one of those threaded barbs?
You can buy as many as you want. You only have to ask!
DH
Dallas,
Have you ever thought of making adapters to do away with the rubber hose altogether and run a steel line like the 36 hp engines?
Regards,
Matt.
do you mean a full steel line? or steel braided line? because i guess there would be a bit of movement between the chassis as the engine.. (or am i missing something)
solid steel line with flare fittings all the way
😉
thats how they do it old school 36hp style lol
fuel pump and carb are solidly mounted to the engine so theres no movement there
altho ive seen alot over the years that have been cut and fitted with plastic fuel filters with abit of rubber fuel hose
🤪
thats hot 😉 did you just buy generic metal hose and DIY? got an upclose look at the carbi/fuelpump connection?
I would prefer the threaded fitting and rubber hose..
If You are taking the metal pipe off frequently they are a pain....
Lee
- Helping keep Air Cooled VWs on the road - location: SCONE in the Upper Hunter Valley - Northern NSW 320 kms NNW of SYDNEY---
A mates said to me today:
"The VW beetle is no more.....
This happened on the way to work this morning, was friggin scary. Jussy is pretty shattered that her car has gone.
Got a whiff of fuel the night before, and I was driving to work thinking to myself I’ll have to fix that up on the weekend when I smelt some smoke , I was on Queens rd (near the Albert park golf course) so I tried pull onto a side street when it died and I coasted thru traffic and just got off the main road before coming to a stop. I jumped out and saw flames coming out of the top grill above the engine so I dove back into the car and grabbed as much stuff as I could. The fire engines (2 of them) came about 5 minutes later and put the flames out. If I had a fire extinguisher I reckon I could have minimised the damage."
Sorry to hear about it Nick, let us know how bad it was, and if the Beetle can be saved.
Please please learn from this everyone. It is one of the biggest causes of Beetle loss that is easily preventable.
Real pity, except for the wheel it was pretty much original from the day my mates wifes granny bought it!
I'll find out if its an insurance job or off to the wreckers
If so Ill get him to post it on the the site for those who would be interested in it
Matt Ryan wrote:Dallas,
Have you ever thought of making adapters to do away with the rubber hose altogether and run a steel line like the 36 hp engines?
Regards,
Matt.
Hi Matt. Hadn't thought about that. Never had any probs with the Type 3 carbs with this mod. I use good qual rubber hose and clamps all round. Most fires in this area is caused by lack of maint or using NOS hose which is past it's use by date just to be a complete purist. This of course doesn't include the straight piece of brass tubing popping out of the carbs which no clamp can fix but a tie wire from the clamp to a top screw will do the trick.
DH
