mdj577

Pulled into the parking garage and popped the hood as I always do, because I'm a compulsive SOB, I noticed one of the fuel lines seemed to be weeping gas! (pic)
Thought I was imagining things at first.

Drove to Binnys, got 2 cigars and a bottle of scotch (tip of the day: McCallan 15 is better than the 18 and is way less expensive), popped the hood when I returned to the car and same thing was happening.

Line doesn't look rotted or in bad shape externally, doesn't feel to soft when I squeezed it.

I've read tons about fuel lines going bad on the forums. Bought this car because it was affordable compared to the C4S that I really want, fell in love with it and I can enjoy all the cigars and scotch my heart desires.

Am I going to have to shell out the big bucks for a modern Porsche and live a life devoid of smoke and drink?

Always thought my pristine, mechanically sorted 951 was different. This only happens to "other peoples" cars. Am I in for a disaster?

fejjj

It easy enough to replace those with steel braided fuel lines.

Larts Performance parts sells those for a great price!

Tom M'Guinn

The bad news is that you indeed have a disaster waiting to happen. Those fuel lines leak right onto the hot headers and the car becomes a big bonfire. It's not a hypothetical risk! The good news is that you should have enough scotch to make it until new fuel lines arrive via overnight mail. The fuel lines are such a well-known and serious failure point that there are at least a half a dozen sources for replacements (our very own Lart, Rennbay, Lindsey, 944 online, etc.). Don't drive that car until you swap out the lines. You can get the jumper that's leaking in that picture for under $100, but better to get a complete set for under $300.... Don't risk it in the meantime.

mdj577

Thanks. I have some braided ones from Lart. They are going in in a week or so. I am having my mechanic (very good guy) do it so will have to drive it to him, about 5miles. Wish me luck.

black944 turbo

I would not drive it at all. It is very easy for it to go up. It is a very easy repair that all you need is some basic hand tools and a jack.

Make sure you replace the small jumper that goes to the damper as well. Mine looked perfect and crumbled in my hand when I removed it.

Voith

Watch this and decide if it is worth the risk..

KLR

It's a 29 year old rubber hose. It really doesn't matter how mint the car is or how well it was taken care of -- they don't last forever. I'd have it flat bedded to the mechanic if you aren't going to DIY. The fuel pressure in that line is 36psi, so any leak could result in a spectacular flambe. If it went up, you could hurt yourself, a bystander, or a responding firefighter. A AAA membership is cheap and the tow is free.

67King

Exactly. And it isn't the only one. There are several, including the ones at the back of the car. Go ahead and replace all of them. Every hose in my race car has been replaced in the past couple of years (cooling, brakes, fuel).

Swagger93

This is what happened to my second 951 at a busy intersection in 2010 when one of the injector bodies failed. The risk of fire is very real. I don't trust any unknown-age or known-old OEM 951 fuel system component anymore.

Just FYI what I learned from my engine fire:

If you have stock injectors, haven't had your fuel rail off in a long time and the seals are somewhat seized, even pulling them out can cause the injector bodies to fail. There is no simple way to test to see if it has failed (without a pressurized testing rig) until you reinstall the injectors and pressurize the system with fuel, and there is no way to repair an injector that fails this way. I have seen three failures on three different 951s. The first was my engine fire, another I caught because I had someone start the car while I watched over the engine armed with an extinguisher after reinstalling the fuel system. The third was on a car that hadn't run for awhile. Started it and fuel was spraying out of the side of the injector like it was Kuwait in 1991. You can minimize the potential for this failure by methodically unseating the injectors, grabbing each one from down by the nozzle with your fingers forked around it like you're throwing a splitter. Try not to yank on the rail.

The dry chemical extinguisher compound outdid the damage the fire did by a mile. The photo really doesn't do the damage justice. I would never again use an ABC extinguisher on a vehicle or any outdoor fire unless I was confident that it had reached a point where it was the only option. It put out the fire brilliantly--but it ruined everything in the process. You can't see it in the photo, but it brutally etched the metal, coated everything (kind of the idea), and it rendered inoperable anything electronic that it touched. Where the gasoline combined with the compound, it created a cement-like substance that was chemically bonded to the metal and would only come off with thorough media blasting.

In your position I would replace every seal and line in the engine compartment fuel system and buy an aviation-grade Halon fire extinguisher to keep in the car at all times. It's just way too 80s turbo Porsche to trust at this point.

PaulD_944S2

Wow, nobody carries a fire extinguisher in the car with them?

Don't leave home without one.

Halotron 3 or 5 lb. $150-250. NOT dry chemical. No residue or contamination.

Cheap insurance. Puts out fire quickly.

Brentb1

Swagger 93 picture looks exactly like my car does now. I now "after a lot of recent research" believe the fuel line was the cause of my fire back in 06. I have just recently started to get this car back on the road. When it went up in flames it was such a beautiful example of a 951, black exterior tan interior and I loved that car. The reason I mention that is you say yours is in great shape. Learn from our mistakes/misfortune and do not even start the car much less drive it. The only reason my fire was contained to the engine bay was because it started across the street from a Fireman's Picnic. The only thing for at least a mile was that picnic. Even when I get mine back on the road it will have an expensive fire extinguisher on board at all times.

Cyberpunky

The first thing I did on my car was replace the fuel lines with the Rennbay kit. When discussing it with my mechanic he assured me that the headers were not the cause and said it was the ignition system(spark plugs). I have no idea if this is true and it really doesn't matter what cause's the fire, as the main thing is to prevent it, but it was interesting to hear that the culprit may not be what everybody thinks it is.

In my last car, I spent 6 months getting car resprayed and then fitting my car audio system. This is the system I won the national sound quality championship with. I fitted a fire extingiusher as the rules for sound quality competition (which I actually wrote) meant you got an easy 5 points, and as competition was so tight, you could not afford to loose the points.

Anyway as I had been fitting systems for nearly 20 years at that stage, I never thought I would ever actually need the extingiusher, as I was very safety focused, and system was correctly fused and installed.

A week after I got the car back on the road from doing the full system and resto, having spent a small fortune, I went around a corner and my second battery moved and started a fire. I put it out in about 15 seconds after seeing the smoke and always remember thinking that I would have lost everything if it wasn't for having an extingiusher right there. After that I fitted a second one inside the car as well. I will never again be without an extingiusher, and I like to have it in the cabin, quickly accessable.

Bottom line is don't risk everything and get it fixed before you do anything else, as everyone has stated above, it's a simple and relatively cheap thing to get sorted

raleighBahn

Great thread. Also, remember to not start the car the first time after fuel system work in your garage at home. Roll it out away from the house.

Good news is the lines are typically good for decades after replacement, as evidenced here.

Tom M'Guinn

Makes sense that a spark could ignite it -- that's the purpose of the spark I suppose. I've actually seen the headers ignite an oil leak from the cam tower, so hard to believe they couldn't do the same with gas. Suffice to say that gas leaking in that area is almost certain to catch fire one way or the other!

mdj577

Yep, I am certainly convinced. I think I got very lucky catching this. Was pure luck, I have had this car less than a year and I compulsively pop the hood every time I shut it off. The weeping line caught my eye.

May have just saved an un-modified (except for Fabspeed exhaust) very nice 951 from certain death.

Also Swagger93, great point about the extinguisher I do carry an ABC one but will be sure to get something else. Maybe a Halotron as was mentioned.