Object Lesson!!?! Fuel system hoses!
06-09-2005, 05:08 PM
#1
Sharkaholic
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Object Lesson!!?! Fuel system hoses! W/Update
One: Replace all your old rubber hose connections! Don't wait or put it off, just do it! My 86.5 will not be driven till those hoses are replaced.
Two: Buy a fire exstingusher and put it in your car! Mine will have two from now on! One mounted to the seat rails on the drivers side and another mounted in the hatch area, a big one.
Now, why you ask? Let what happened to me be a lesson to everyone. Monday morning I had gotten up with the plan of driving Heidi to the dyno in Portland. With that I took the car out for a test drive first thing to do a systems check before loading up my son and driving 100 miles. Didn't want to be stuck somewhere along side the highway. So first test drive was ok, I parked it back in the shop and gave everything a good looking over. An hour or so later I thought I had better give it a second test drive and then get going to Portland. SO off I go not getting into any boost just up to atmospheric to check the tip-in fuel ratio. All was well, I turned around and started back toward my drive way. The car died and within seconds of that I heard that dreaded sound. You know the one....that sound of a match landing in a pool of gasoline. I saw flames shooting out from under the hood that started licking at the windscreen. I kicked the car into neutral and dove it into my drive way, killed the ignition and slammed it into park. I popped the hood and grabbed the exstinguisher from behind the seat and bailed out through a wall of flames. Reaching through more flames I popped the hood open to an inferno. Pulled the pin on the exstinguisher and started to work on saving my baby. I got most of the fire knocked down, and then the exstinguisher ran out of media. I ran around to the rear and popped open the hatch and disconnected the ground strap. Went across the street to the neighbors house and asked if they had a fire exstinguisher, Nope! Ended up putting the car out with ten trips running buckets of water to my car trying to save at least some of what was left. Half way through the ordeal a logging truck stopped and tried to help with the exstinguisher from his truck and the thing would not discharge because he had never serviced it. You have to turn them over and smack the bottom with a rubber mallet to keep the media loose and dischargable. By then the fire department showed up to see that they had missed the show.
And just two weeks ago she looked like this!
So, go and pick up the phone and call your favorite of the Big Three and order some new hose for your fuel system. I have an order already placed with Mr. Bailey. Then go out and buy a nice big fat fire exstiguisher and put it in your car. I have four brand new sitting right here next to me. I'll put a 2 1/2 pounder on the mount that hooks to the seat rails and put the 5 pounder in the hatch area right next to the ground strap. Had I had a 5 pounder I probably would have saved my car. The stock line that comes around the passenger side cam cover and hooks into the front dampner failed and caused my grief. My fuel pressure was running at 30 psi with vacuum and was set to raise to 52 psi at atmospheric, which is well within what the stock line is rated for (when new). All the fuel lines that were changed with the supercharger are still in good shape, just charred.
Any of you that have made changes to your car that affects the fuel pressure ought to have new lines and carry exstinguishers as startdard equipment. And the rest of you with even stock systems should really check and renew your lines. Losing your shark due to a fire is gut wrenching.
Two: Buy a fire exstingusher and put it in your car! Mine will have two from now on! One mounted to the seat rails on the drivers side and another mounted in the hatch area, a big one.
Now, why you ask? Let what happened to me be a lesson to everyone. Monday morning I had gotten up with the plan of driving Heidi to the dyno in Portland. With that I took the car out for a test drive first thing to do a systems check before loading up my son and driving 100 miles. Didn't want to be stuck somewhere along side the highway. So first test drive was ok, I parked it back in the shop and gave everything a good looking over. An hour or so later I thought I had better give it a second test drive and then get going to Portland. SO off I go not getting into any boost just up to atmospheric to check the tip-in fuel ratio. All was well, I turned around and started back toward my drive way. The car died and within seconds of that I heard that dreaded sound. You know the one....that sound of a match landing in a pool of gasoline. I saw flames shooting out from under the hood that started licking at the windscreen. I kicked the car into neutral and dove it into my drive way, killed the ignition and slammed it into park. I popped the hood and grabbed the exstinguisher from behind the seat and bailed out through a wall of flames. Reaching through more flames I popped the hood open to an inferno. Pulled the pin on the exstinguisher and started to work on saving my baby. I got most of the fire knocked down, and then the exstinguisher ran out of media. I ran around to the rear and popped open the hatch and disconnected the ground strap. Went across the street to the neighbors house and asked if they had a fire exstinguisher, Nope! Ended up putting the car out with ten trips running buckets of water to my car trying to save at least some of what was left. Half way through the ordeal a logging truck stopped and tried to help with the exstinguisher from his truck and the thing would not discharge because he had never serviced it. You have to turn them over and smack the bottom with a rubber mallet to keep the media loose and dischargable. By then the fire department showed up to see that they had missed the show.
And just two weeks ago she looked like this!
So, go and pick up the phone and call your favorite of the Big Three and order some new hose for your fuel system. I have an order already placed with Mr. Bailey. Then go out and buy a nice big fat fire exstiguisher and put it in your car. I have four brand new sitting right here next to me. I'll put a 2 1/2 pounder on the mount that hooks to the seat rails and put the 5 pounder in the hatch area right next to the ground strap. Had I had a 5 pounder I probably would have saved my car. The stock line that comes around the passenger side cam cover and hooks into the front dampner failed and caused my grief. My fuel pressure was running at 30 psi with vacuum and was set to raise to 52 psi at atmospheric, which is well within what the stock line is rated for (when new). All the fuel lines that were changed with the supercharger are still in good shape, just charred.
Any of you that have made changes to your car that affects the fuel pressure ought to have new lines and carry exstinguishers as startdard equipment. And the rest of you with even stock systems should really check and renew your lines. Losing your shark due to a fire is gut wrenching.
Last edited by Shane; 04-11-2006 at 07:06 PM.
06-09-2005, 05:13 PM
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OUCH! My condolences to the surviving member of the family. Glad no one got hurt. I now carry an extinguisher, but may look to get a bigger one. You are going to re-build right?
06-09-2005, 05:21 PM
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Ouch!
Sorry about the damage, but at least you and your son are ok. I carry a 2.5 lb extinguisher, and may add a second after looking at that. BTW, if you still have dry-chem residue on the car, try to get rid of it asap--very corrosive. Good luck with the rebuild (I hope).
Jim R.
Sorry about the damage, but at least you and your son are ok. I carry a 2.5 lb extinguisher, and may add a second after looking at that. BTW, if you still have dry-chem residue on the car, try to get rid of it asap--very corrosive. Good luck with the rebuild (I hope).
Jim R.
06-09-2005, 05:24 PM
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Shane,
Really sorry to see and hear the story!!!
I had just bought some used fuel lines from Rixter and am having them rebuilt by classic tube because they are no longer available, and mine are toast.
Very glad you are ok though.
Probably too early to ask if you're going to rebuild her.
Really sorry to see and hear the story!!!
I had just bought some used fuel lines from Rixter and am having them rebuilt by classic tube because they are no longer available, and mine are toast.
Very glad you are ok though.
Probably too early to ask if you're going to rebuild her.
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06-09-2005, 05:31 PM
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Thankfully you both are still here and healthy. That was one HOT fire.
06-09-2005, 05:37 PM
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SHANE!!
DUDE!!!...NO!
That sucks beyond belief. You had that set up to put down some good numbers as well.! Im at a loss except to say, sorry and thankful your OK
When i did mine i replced every hose with steal braded crimped fittings. 2 reasons 1) i didnt know how old the lines were 2) the lines were being routed slighlty differnent than stock.
On of the first tests i did was to crank my fuel pressure up to 100psi via a jumpered pump relay. The pump sure didnt like it but i went around everywhere sniffing and feeling the fittings for a couple of minutes.
I just saw a engine compartment halon system in summit. may be i will reconsider now. Problem with fuel fires is however, once you extinguish it, if there is an ignition source (hot header) it will just relight. I really doubt there was much you could do?
the manifold and SC should be ok, i hope?
sorry.
DUDE!!!...NO!
That sucks beyond belief. You had that set up to put down some good numbers as well.! Im at a loss except to say, sorry and thankful your OK
When i did mine i replced every hose with steal braded crimped fittings. 2 reasons 1) i didnt know how old the lines were 2) the lines were being routed slighlty differnent than stock.
On of the first tests i did was to crank my fuel pressure up to 100psi via a jumpered pump relay. The pump sure didnt like it but i went around everywhere sniffing and feeling the fittings for a couple of minutes.
I just saw a engine compartment halon system in summit. may be i will reconsider now. Problem with fuel fires is however, once you extinguish it, if there is an ignition source (hot header) it will just relight. I really doubt there was much you could do?
the manifold and SC should be ok, i hope?
sorry.
06-09-2005, 05:43 PM
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Shane, I'm so sorry to here of this. Thank god that you and your son are ok. The car is fixable and I will be glad to help. After seeing this I will be changing all of my fuel lines immeadately.
John
John
06-09-2005, 05:48 PM
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! You can't even believe this!
Sorry to tell you this...but I was just a tiny bit luckier than you! I drove 85 miles round trip up to Palm Beach last night to have dinner with a friend of mine. 80 mph all the way. This morning I get in my '85 and drive it out the parking garage, smelling gas the whole time. Whoa. Something's wrong. Sure enough, when I pull over, a puddle (!) of gas is in the valley, and the #7 injector is literally weeping gasoline all over the cam cover!
I spent the morning changing out THREE of the rubber hoses that connect the injectors to the fuel rail. the inside of the rubber hose had literally delaminated, and was still attached to the barb of the fuel rail nipple. When I pulled it all apart, two others beside it came apart as well. I had my injectors rebuilt by Cruzinperformance about two years ago, and simply used the fuel tubes he supplied.
-This one is MY fault; the tubes he supplied were about 1/4 inch too short, and I should have bought some tube and made them the correct length. Instead, I just clamped them down too tight...and you get the idea- via vibration, the innner section of the tube was pinched off from too much compression pressure and voila: fuel leak.
I've had one other fuel leak: the lines that led from the fuel lines under the car to the fuel rails were about as brittle as thin glass when I pulled the rails to rebuild the injectors. This is something that everyone with a car of this vintage should check, since they are just above the exhaust manifolds, and if they break, then fuel under pressure sprays against the hot exhaust. I suspect that this is un-good!
I feel your pain!
N!
Sorry to tell you this...but I was just a tiny bit luckier than you! I drove 85 miles round trip up to Palm Beach last night to have dinner with a friend of mine. 80 mph all the way. This morning I get in my '85 and drive it out the parking garage, smelling gas the whole time. Whoa. Something's wrong. Sure enough, when I pull over, a puddle (!) of gas is in the valley, and the #7 injector is literally weeping gasoline all over the cam cover!
I spent the morning changing out THREE of the rubber hoses that connect the injectors to the fuel rail. the inside of the rubber hose had literally delaminated, and was still attached to the barb of the fuel rail nipple. When I pulled it all apart, two others beside it came apart as well. I had my injectors rebuilt by Cruzinperformance about two years ago, and simply used the fuel tubes he supplied.
-This one is MY fault; the tubes he supplied were about 1/4 inch too short, and I should have bought some tube and made them the correct length. Instead, I just clamped them down too tight...and you get the idea- via vibration, the innner section of the tube was pinched off from too much compression pressure and voila: fuel leak.
I've had one other fuel leak: the lines that led from the fuel lines under the car to the fuel rails were about as brittle as thin glass when I pulled the rails to rebuild the injectors. This is something that everyone with a car of this vintage should check, since they are just above the exhaust manifolds, and if they break, then fuel under pressure sprays against the hot exhaust. I suspect that this is un-good!
I feel your pain!
N!
06-09-2005, 05:50 PM
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Sorry to hear about your loss! Makes me want to get them done NOW!
Is there a write up or diagram of the fuel lines to replace? What kind of tubing would you get?
Makes me want to get them done NOW!Is there a write up or diagram of the fuel lines to replace? What kind of tubing would you get?
