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An ethanol problem?

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Vortex O'Plinth
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An ethanol problem?

Post by Vortex O'Plinth »

While restoring my SP I replaced the old fuel lines between the filter and carburettors with stainless steel braided hoses - I suspect many of you will have done the same?
P1210831.JPG
I've now had two failures of these hoses with petrol leaking into the engine bay - potentially very dangerous! Since the rubber core is not visible there's no sign of anything wrong. At first I gave no particular thought to the type of hose and bought what first came to hand. After the first failure I wondered if the hose was perhaps attacked by ethanol so I queried with the supplier of the the replacement if it was suitable for use with ethanol laced fuel. I was assured that it was. I've just had the replacement fail in the same manner. There are no external markings on the braiding to specify the material of the rubber core so this time I have played safe and replaced it with SAE J30 R6 hose. This is marked on the hose and certifies that it is suitable for unleaded fuel and resistant to ethanol up to 15% concentration.
P1320268.JPG
If you do have braided hoses you may well have been wiser than me; if not it might be worth checking their ethanol resistance.
Nick

"Don't bother with the Air & Space Museum - there's nothing to see.......".

peterbee
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Re: An ethanol problem?

Post by peterbee »

Putting my Sp250 back on the road after too many years I decided that with the changes there had been with fuel over the years and with more changes - more ethanol - I would go down the stainless steel road for my fuel tank and the hard fuel lines. For the flexible lines I opted for Gates Barricade rated at SAE 30R14 as this was guaranteed to " do what it says on the tin". There is a lot of fuel hose on the market that says it is ethanol resistant but isn't.

Chris_R
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Re: An ethanol problem?

Post by Chris_R »

The FBHVC website has some information about recommended materials for hoses and so on.

KV8
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Re: An ethanol problem?

Post by KV8 »

peterbee wrote: Wed Jul 08, 2020 10:28 pm Putting my Sp250 back on the road after too many years I decided that with the changes there had been with fuel over the years and with more changes - more ethanol - I would go down the stainless steel road for my fuel tank and the hard fuel lines. For the flexible lines I opted for Gates Barricade rated at SAE 30R14 as this was guaranteed to " do what it says on the tin". There is a lot of fuel hose on the market that says it is ethanol resistant but isn't.
I changed all flexible fuel lines to the Gates SAE 30R14 several years ago on both my Daimler V8 and Stag V8

I believe R14 superseded R6 at around that time
Whilst braided hoses look nice I have always thought that one cannot inspect the status of the rubber lining
H

classiclife
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Re: An ethanol problem?

Post by classiclife »

Hello Nick,

As per the comments above , I regret to say that R6 fuel hose is seriously out of date and not compatible with ethanol fuel; in fact R9 superseded the R6 material with R14 further up the safety list.

On the Daimler and Triumph Vitesse, both vehicles now have Gates Barricade (GB) fuel pipe which is the very best option. Moss sell the pipe per metre for about £6.60 plus the usual and the other benefit is that GB comes in Imperial sizes whereas a lot of the other hose you can purchase is metric which does not always provide a snug a fit on the metal pipes as one would wish for.

Hope that assists ??

Regards.

Richard.
1968 Daimler V8-250 Saloon
DLOC East Sussex Branch Secretary
DLOC 2.5L V8 & V8-250 Registrar - https://www.dloc.org.uk/v8-250
DLOC 2024 International Rally - https://www.dloc.org.uk/rally-2024

Sydsmith
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Re: An ethanol problem?

Post by Sydsmith »

Seems like a timely reminder might not go amiss. I don't suppose for one moment anyone still has the original plastic hoses fitted but as we all know, if they have they are asking for real trouble especially with an SP250, they should not use the car and should replace them pronto.

classiclife
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Re: An ethanol problem?

Post by classiclife »

Hello Syd,

When I purchased my V8 saloon about 2yrs ago, it did indeed have the plastic fuel pipes in the engine bay and fuel pump area, not a length of rubber fuel pipe in sight !!

Pleased to have got rid of those OE plastic pipes.

Regards.

Richard.
1968 Daimler V8-250 Saloon
DLOC East Sussex Branch Secretary
DLOC 2.5L V8 & V8-250 Registrar - https://www.dloc.org.uk/v8-250
DLOC 2024 International Rally - https://www.dloc.org.uk/rally-2024

A.N.Other
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Re: An ethanol problem?

Post by A.N.Other »

I replaced the original plastic pipe with the same again. Yes it does go brittle after a few years, usually more than forty, but it needs to be considered to be a consumable item and replaced before ten or fifteen years anyway.
I never did like the braided stuff, it looks silly clamped up with hose clips.
Colin,
I may be slow but I’m rough as well !

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