It's always something...

[Steve1968LS2]

Started the car two days ago and it fired right up with 50 lbs of fuel pressure. All is good.

Today there's only 20 lbs on the gauge and on the mech gauge on my fuel rail.

BOS checks the voltage, all seems good. They call me and I suggest taking off the cap to make sure there's not a vent issue.

They look in the can (past the flapper) and gas streaming.. that aint right.

Pull the cover and voila! It seems the plastic hose from the 72psi Bosch pump to the outlet had burst and another area showed stress. WTF?

I called Fuel Safe and sent them some pics, they were at a loss as to why it would have burst like that. The tech is running this up to the pres and will call me in the morning.

So, defective line? Maybe the filter in the lid developed a blockage (even though it's all new).. space aliens?

Anyways, can't anything ever go smoothly. Oh, the sliders for the Recaro seats.. three left sliders and one right. lol

I swear, you really can't make this stuff up.

So, theories on why the hose burst? My first instinct is to just replace it with a stronger tube but that doesn't address why this one broke.

[eville]

That seems like awful wimpy tubing...

Remember Steve, it's times like these that remind me why they call us enthusiasts!

Hang in there man.

[Steve1968LS2]

That seems like awful wimpy tubing...

Remember Steve, it's times like these that remind me why they call us enthusiasts!

Hang in there man.

Oh, I know.. if it was easy everyone would be driving around in hot rods.

Still... some of the "things that go wrong" are almost comical.. lol

[73z-6sp]

From the pic, it almost looks like it melted rather than burst. I realize that makes no sense being in the fuel cell but thats what it looks like! Hope you figure it out soon!

[monza]

Sorry about your luck.
That's the first look inside a fuel cell for me, is the inside just like soft celled foam? (if thats even what you'd call it)

[LowBuckX]

I have a kerosene syphon with the same tube (looks the same) I have no other insite besides that.....

[paul67]

Looking at the bend in the tank ,to me it looks like it could have been kinked .

[Jims78elky]

Ahh..

Sorry to see that happen Steve,but better now than on the
road.Iam surprised that clear hose would be used?,looks like its
from a fish tank or hospital vent machine.Go over it with a fine
tooth comb..take your time..and be SAFE!!

Good thing ya got it in time! Fire is not a good thing!



-Jim

[Patrick]

I am a bit confused....Is that hose for the vent or return line? If it is part of the supply line is it before the pump or after? And does it see any pressure?

[Bow Tie 67]

GM uses that same hose in the LS1 F bodies, so its more than strong and durable enough. If I had to guess you just had bad luck and ended up with a hose that had a flaw. From the looks of it the plastic was thinner in the area of the burst. ( possibly when it was cast )

If you feel more comfortable with an actual rubber hose make sure you use submersible SAE 30R10 fuel hose, its not cheap or easy to find.

http://www.gates.com/europe/brochure...cation_id=5165

[Jim Nilsen]

The pic is gone now but when I saw it last night for just a minute, it looked to me like the blow moulding was a bit thin in that area it blew out. Bowtie 67 caught it the same way from the pic,and it was a good pic of it so I can only think the odds were against you on that one. Hose like that can look good but not be right. The only way to tell is with a destructive test on random samples and it might be that QC and the operator were sleeping on that one!

[69TAPoser]

The pic is gone now but when I saw it last night for just a minute, it looked to me like the blow moulding was a bit thin in that area it blew out. Bowtie 67 caught it the same way from the pic,and it was a good pic of it so I can only think the odds were against you on that one. Hose like that can look good but not be right. The only way to tell is with a destructive test on random samples and it might be that QC and the operator were sleeping on that one!

I tend to agree with the blow-out theory based on the 1 pic. But I am guessing it developed a "kink" under pressure wich became the bottle neck which eventually weakened and blew-out from the pressure build-up. If you look at the pic, the area that gave is a different color. I am thinking that is because this area was thinned by expansion until it burst (think bubble gum blowing). But then again, who knows!!??

One thing is for sure, at least it is not a $1000 fix! Doesn't it seem like every part costs about $1000?

Phil

[Steve1968LS2]

I am a bit confused....Is that hose for the vent or return line? If it is part of the supply line is it before the pump or after? And does it see any pressure?

That hose is sealed INSIDE the tank. It runs from the Bosch fuel pump (mounted inside the tank, in the bottom) to the exit at the top of the take.

There's no way the failure would cause a fire but it does kill fuel pressure.

The hose sees whatever pressure the fuel pump is putting out (76psi).. that pressure could surge on start but you would think they would have considered that.

[Damn True]

I'd be more inclined to think it was a manufacturing flaw in a bit of the tubing.

If you take a look at the wall thickness elsewhere you may find that there was a thin spot.

[70TWO NOVA]

Space Aliens for sure!

[rob07002]

I'm going with the kink theory. Pressure built up and pluuuuey!

[MuscleRodz]

Looks melted to me. Look at the different color of the tubing. I can't see the edge of the tubing clearly though to tell if it is clean or melted looking though.

I would be replacing with some Aeroquip if it was mine at this point.

Mike

[HILROD]

I've seen those hoses blow off at the ends, when kinked, but never burst. I even tried to cut that stuff and rip it. It's tuff stuff.

[Chad-1stGen]

Kinked doesn't make sense to me. A properly designed setup would use hoses that can withstand the maximum pressure the fuel pump can deliver. Otherwise that is poor engineering IMO. If the pump itself is capable of only delivering 76 psi then a kink shouldn't make it go higher than 76, it would just restrict flow at that point.

Sounds like a defective hose IMO.

[Hidro]

Was the hose imported?....china?

Glad its an easy fix.