carnahanbb

So are you saying Snap On > Craftsman > Harbor Freight? And that the difference in quality between HF and Craftsman is as big as the difference between Craftsman and Snap On?

MainePorsche

Craftsman quality has really deteriorated. I stopped buying their stuff years ago. I have their old wrenches which have held up well. Their ratchets (extremely poor) and sockets (plain bad) really have taken a hit.

dr bob

As Wally points out, the Harbor Freight pieces are not quite as good as the better name-brand tools. Flare-nut wrenches particularly seem to be critical on fit and such. You are using them to apply pressure on just the right places on the flared fitting nuts. The nuts are hollw, tubing running through adds virtually nothing to support the nut. Vs a standard hex nut, which typically has a bolt running through the middle to help the nut maintain its shape. So getting the pressure needed as you try and turn the nut means the wrench needs to fit pretty much perfectly. Loose fit means you are pushing/turning on a small bit of maybe three or four of the six available cornersof the nut. The better the fit of the wrench, the more of each corner is in contact with the wrench and the less chance of rounding or collapsing the nut.

For any project, you want to consider your available recovery path if you damage a part. So decide whether using a marginal tool risks a difficult recovery, one with pain that exceeds the cost of the upgrading to a good tool. The H-F wrenches are probably suitable for 90% of the fittings you'll try to fit them with. You don't know in advance though which 10% are going to be destroyed by the poor-fitting fitting wrenches though.

Yes. Some others you might consider would be older Proto, or Matco, Blue Point, Williams, Mac. Realistically, the fuel line fittings are probably the smallest worry among fittings that deserve the name-quality tools. The biggets worry will be brake line fittings, where damaging a fitting means rplacing a whole line section. Some aren't so tough to do, others, especially the longer ones, take a lot of careful forming and fitting to get right. Making new bubble-flares is doable but not as much fun as just using the right tools and procedures. For any of these, liberal doses of penetrant for days in advance of the actual surgery date will dramatically improve the odds of success. There's a case for adding some PTFE thread sealant paste to the threads (but usually not to the sealing faces) of he fitting nuts. Go light on tightening torque on lubricated threads, and you'll stand a chance of finding a non-corroded fitting in another ten or more years that comes out easily. Pay yourself forward.

carnahanbb

Goodness gracious thank you so much. That's so incredibly helpful. I grew up around a father who's only concern with torque was to get everything as tight as he possibly could so I guess I better take it easy on these fuel lines. I haven't started yet. I've been really busy with year end holiday parties and such. Should I go ahead and hit the nuts with some penetrating spray?

Chalkboss

The penetrating spray is fine. Just don't put anything on the new threads except 574 if needed. Keep everything very clean and snug up properly and counter hold fittings. The threads must be clean, but don't overthink it.

MainePorsche

Loctite 574 is for metal to metal seal of flanges (i.e. ball-cup unions).
May use a very very small amount of anti seize on the threads (silver is fine for the fuel line components do not get hot).

carnahanbb

Yeah I thought I was supposed to use a little anti-seize on the threads? The instructions from GB say to use some. His instructions don't specifically mention the use of Loctite 574. Should I go ahead and use some anyway?

MainePorsche

Not so necessary on his threaded hoses, but on flange joints such as ball-cup fuel rail unions I think it's a must.

carnahanbb

Will I need that 574 for this job then? Two of the replacement hoses are GB and the other two are new from Porsche.

dr bob

The ball-end joints need to be perfectly smooth both on the ball and the socket part. That covere the regulator, dampers, cooler, and there isn't much else really. So if there is any seepage at all after you assemble and pressure-test, the 574 will save you.

Using something on the threads is a separate issue, since there are no tapered pipe threads that need sealant. Greg (and others including me) recommend that you use something to lubricate/protect the sleeves/nut where they thread onto the hard pieces. The factory WSM torque recommendations assume new clean dry threads. If you do add something that lubricates and protects the threads, you'll want to reduce the recommended torque by some arbitrary number. Say a factor of 0.77132, give or take. Adding a lubricant like anti-seize or thraed sealing paste there is only to give you a bettr chance of getting things apart again some day long in the future. Since the threads don't do any of the actual 'sealing', do NOT put 574 on the threaded parts. If neded, it goes ONLY on the ball end where it seats in the socket at the hard connections. You'll see better what I'm talking about as you pull things apart.

Starting to soak the metal fittings with penetrant now will make life easier for you when you finally do start disassembly. Don't leave spray residue around (stinks when it gets hot), and don't start the car once you dose the connections (boils out the solvent part).

carnahanbb

Got it. That makes sense.

But let's just say (hypothetically) that I sprayed the nuts this morning before I left for work even though I have not started the car and pulled the fuel pump relay to burn the excess fuel?

worf928

If you're going to goop the junctuons be very fastidious. You don't want anti-seize past in your fuel system. The 574 is less bad but you don't want your injectors trying to pass that through their business ends either.

For the record, I don't put any goop on the fuel system connections. If they leak when they are tight due to damage I replace the damaged bit. I guess I'll have to start 574ing them since it is now best practice. But, a little dab will do ya.