That looks like a super convenient product!

If I was in a pinch, I might improvise. I keep fiberglas cloth and matting around for frp repairs. Could wrap some of the with heavy duty aluminum foil. Probably would last for a little while, anyway.

 

Replaced my fuel line today. It probably had been leaking for awhile but I thought the smell was from the jerry cans I carry around to fill up my boat. Someone was walking on the side of car and noticed the puddle near the rear driver door and the smell otherwise I would have kept driving it until it failed completely. I did notice it was getting harder to start on occasion.

I know a lot of people chose the nylon replacement kits but I just felt better going with the stainless steel kits which cost about $30 more. Also, I read where some people leave the old lines in. I just think that's not the proper way to go, and it only takes a little more time to cut the old lines out using a small tube cutter - snips didn't really work for me. I can't image anyone trying to patch these up - the rust was in sections all the way from front to back and it would just be an asking for trouble to not replace the entire line.

The only trivial issue are the bolts that hold the plastic retainer brackets. The stainless lines will not fit the old brackets so you have to remove them and use the retaining clips that come with the kit. The bolts, just like most things underneath, are rusty so I used metal clips instead of the provided nuts to hold the clips on.

The main thing that bothers me is that I think there was some sort of cost cutting when this was engineered. It would have have cost a bit more to use non-corrosive metal for the line, but it would seem that it would have been worth the extra cost to make it safer. The flip side of the equation is that like most things on this car, it's an easy repair for a DIY person, but probably expensive if taken to a shop and they have to replace the stock lines.

 

As you see in this thread, I’ve used both stainless steel lines and nylon lines, both fit the OEM retainer clips, perhaps you didn’t order the same kit I did.

 

Yes, I think the lines I have are from a different supplier - SS Tubes. These are way too fat to fit in the retainers, but I like how beefy they are, especially routing over the exhaust, but I still put the old heat shield over that part. Again, my main advice is to not try to patch it up like I've seen on some of the YouTube videos. Just replace the entire line is the best and actually probably easiest way. The nylon is probably just as good as the stainless and would likely fit the stock retainers for a neater and more factory fit.

One other thing. My tire system monitoring light has been coming on sporadically for a while now. It will go days off then pop on. I noticed this last time it came on and stayed on. I noticed the gas from the leak was spraying back towards the wheel - I wonder if it was messing with the sensor. I'll know in a while I guess.

 

Happy you got it fixed.

 

Thanks to you guys and this forum! I can only imagine what the dealership or mechanic would charge. It only really took a few tools - cutter, disconnect tool, screwdriver, and a socket or two.

 

One guy showed me his fuel lines, made from copper tubing used to run air conditioners in a building (of course, the car is different, not ours).
It turned out practical because this guy is an air conditioner repairman and he has a lot of free copper pipes.
It even turned out beautifully.
I do not know where he got the fittings, but it didn’t seem difficult.

 

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle! In that order. Be green!

 

Gas fumes can't penetrate to the inside of a tire, where the TPM resides. TPM batteries are good for about 10 years, how old are yours?

 

I was referring to the sensors on the axle/suspension that takes the readings from the tire. I noticed the gas had soaked the rear drivers wheel area. It came on right after the fix but hasn’t since it’s dried out.