From: "jay" To: Subject: UL: Fuel lines Date: Tuesday, July 11, 2000 8:50 PM forwarded from another list. > This is for the record about the blue fuel line. This comes from experience. > > It ain't what it is cracked up to be. For example: When I was flying the > MKIII I use to own, it came with blue line installed. Maybe two years old. > At a fly-in I discovered it had gas showing up on the primer line as I > primed. I pulled and squeezed it, but it felt OK. Under closer inspection > of that line it had deteriorated only half way around the line with little > micro splits in only one spot about 12 inches long. That part just happened > to be out in the elements. I thought that it was caused by the sun also. You > could bend it and the splits would get bigger and finally the line would > just come apart. I had bought new blue fuel line to replace all the old line > but now I was skeptical of the blue line and wanted to try and find the > clear line I had on my Quicksilver. It was clear, thick walled fuel line > that had been on my plane for 4 years without any sign of deterioration. I > couldn't find any so I replaced the fuel lines with the blue line I had > bought at SNF from Lockwood. I had bought a 25 foot roll so I had plenty > left over so I left it in the plastic bag it came it and placed it in a > plastic storage box. It has hardly ever seen the light of day much less the > sunrays on it. I sold the MKIII and the new owner soon replaced the fuel > lines with premium automotive fuel lines. As far as I know he hasn't had any > problems at all. I, on the other hand, did find the good clear fuel line at > a local M/C shop and ordered 2/25 foot rolls of it, one for each size. It > was marked "Helix Racing Fuel Line". It was the right stuff so I put it on > my new plane. After two years I replaced it just as a precaution. The old > line was still like new. It had gotten darker but it was still strong and > flexable and stiff enough to use as pulse line. > It has been about 4 years since I bought the roll of blue line from > Lockwood. The other day I had pulled it out looking for something else. I > wondered what to do with this never been used fuel line. Upon closer > inspection of the blue line I found that it too had deteriorated to the > point the inside was chaulky. I cut a piece off with my side cutters. There > wasn't much resistance in the wall material. It came apart quiet easily. So > I took out a piece of the old clear fuel line I had replaced that had been > in service for at least two years. It cut like new. It makes that grit sound > as you go through with the side cutters. Much more resistant than the blue > line. The blue line even in the original package and stored dry and clean > will deteriorate regardless of whether you run fuel through it or not. I > don't use it and I don't promote it but I will tell you that the fuel line > is one of the most important if not the most important componant on your > airplane, so take care as to what you use as a fuel line. Then check it > often, all of it. >