merchauser

have read all about the potential disasters awaiting with fuel line neglect.

while removing my front hose under the oil filler, I noticed a nice groove in the middle.
of course, it will be replaced.

wondering if there is one single hose in the engine bay that is responsible for the majority
of catastrophes???

77tony

Replace all engine bay fuel lines and high pressure power steering line. Call Roger or Greg Brown for^^parts...they'll know exactly what you'll need. T

Speedtoys

The rubber one.

merchauser

got it: will do

but, with the fires that I have read about, is there ONE specific underhood hose, that is primarily, to blame??

Speedtoys

The one that burst.


The ALL will. They all do. And at the ever increasing ages, they are not just the fuel lines.

The lest likely is the rear soft fuel line, but yes, those have burst, too.

The next issue, is if left entirely alone, they tend to last longer than if you've been working around them and disturbed them in any way. At 30-40yrs old, they want an excuse to go. Like doing top end work, but not replacing them...will significantly reduce the time they have remaining.

Rob Edwards

Jeff is being snarky, and correctly so, because it would be dangerous/irresponsible to answer in any other way.

Ducman82

Replace them. We see many burned up cars from fuel lines that were put in the "I'll do this one, and get the other one next time" category" ... throw the high pressure power steering line.... they like to cause the next fire.

Wisconsin Joe

I gotta admit, when I read the thread title, my first thought was "the one that lets go".

I wasn't going to be snarky and post that, though.

But the simple reality is that they are all vulnerable, they are all old, and if any one of them bursts, the car is toast.

To not replace all of them would be foolish.

The Forgotten On

The lines that are most likely to burst are pressure lines and ones that flex with the engine.

The power steering line is another one that loves to spray ~100 psi ATF right onto hot exhaust manifolds.

Basically replace any line in the engine bay that transports flammable fluids.

GregBBRD

1. Fuel hose from front damper to fuel rail. Still available from Porshe ~ $75. 1.The fuel line from rear damper to regulstor. NLA. I make a replacement ~ $175.

1. Power steering pressure hose. There are some cheaper aftermarket versions, but I use Porsche only, until they run out.. ~ $225.

1. Fuel hose from regulator to fuel cooler. If '87 or '88....first on on list. '89 and later "2".Still available from Porsche ~$132.(This hose jumped $50 at last price change, from Porsche.)

I stock dozens of each hose. Roger generally has them, too.

Speedtoys

I think the biggest takeaway, is that the OP asked about "potential" disaster.


And my snark came from the fact that it is not potential, it is absolute, and real seriousness needs to be put into this, considering all of the fists and elbows diving into the engine bay....brittle fuel lines dont like that. The last one I did had seeping and dripping goin on for some time.

They may look ok, but these are multi layer lines, the outside is -not- the inside.

Yes, the good ones...are expensive....but...just reminds me of my CFI long ago... "I will drag your *** through the NTSB reports, doing [this that] will kill you."

And ignoring fuel lines, will burn yer **** down...how close you are to that day is unseen, yet remains an absolute that it will happen.

Landseer

One scary thing I saw on a high mileage S4 was degradation of insulation on the heavy positive cable that feeds the antilock brakes. This cable passed behind the power steering reservoir and in close proximity with power steering hoses. The insulation was breaking off in pieces with contact. I don't know if this is an anomaly for that particular car or more prevalent but it was really an eye opener.

Ed Petry

linderpat

Also, the issue isn't just fuel lines, but also power steering lines that leak or burst. Remember, the power steering system uses ATF, which is also highly flamable, and there have been a fair share of shark fires due to that as well. Those lines should be replaced, or at least closely examined for leaks

Hymodyne

My NAPA machine shop rebuilt all of my rubber fuel and power steering hoses.
James