420A Kinked Fuel Line While Changing Filter. Fix?

[RallyEclipse98]

I was changing the fuel filter on my 420a. I unbolted everything from the filter except the pre-filter fuel line (line on rear of filter). PB Blaster and 20 minutes wasn't enough to budget the bolt loose. I put a lot of force on the line and ended up kinking the metal fuel line pretty badly. It's 1" or so from where it bolts onto the filter.

To my surprise the car started right up and I've driven it 150 miles with no issue. This does need fixed however. I don't want vibration to crack the line.

How should I fix this? It has to be kinked to at least 1/2 it's original size.

Some ideas:

1) Replace entire fuel line up to the next joint where I can easily connect in a new replacement
2) Cut line and braze in a new section of fuel line

Sorry I don't have pics. No decent camera at the moment.

Thanks for any help!!

 

[Soccerguy136]

Option 3:

Cut the line, and put fuel injection hose (high pressure, not the cheaper low pressure) over the two ends of the line and clamp it down tight. Use fuel injection hose clamps as well, not the worm clamps. These should be smooth.

Not ideal but much easier and shouldn't ever have any problems with it.

Or you can go to an auto parts store and buy a fuel line repair kit or use brake line. Same stuff. If it were me though, I would honestly just use the hose.

Like I said earlier though, make sure to buy the correct fuel hose and correct clamps. It is literally called fuel injection hose and has a much higher psi rating than the normal hose. It will also be much more expensive, but still only about $4-6 per foot.

Just my .02

Good Luck with whatever you choose!

 

[fun kart kid]

If you are every planing on going turbo now would be a good time to upgrade to a 6 or 8 an line

 

[eric4g63]

I have done the hose on the line fix and it worked fine but you could do like you said cut it and fix it back but the injector line is a quick fix

 

[RallyEclipse98]

Option 3:

Cut the line, and put fuel injection hose (high pressure, not the cheaper low pressure) over the two ends of the line and clamp it down tight. Use fuel injection hose clamps as well, not the worm clamps. These should be smooth.

Not ideal but much easier and shouldn't ever have any problems with it.

Or you can go to an auto parts store and buy a fuel line repair kit or use brake line. Same stuff. If it were me though, I would honestly just use the hose.

Like I said earlier though, make sure to buy the correct fuel hose and correct clamps. It is literally called fuel injection hose and has a much higher psi rating than the normal hose. It will also be much more expensive, but still only about $4-6 per foot.

Just my .02

Good Luck with whatever you choose!

My dad also pointed out this possible option. I haven't looked at the line for a few days so I don't remember but I thought the fuel line flares out and then a nut slips over the line. It seems it would be hard to attach a hose to such a small end on the fuel filter. I'll have to get the car off the ground and check again.

The annoying part is I live in one city and my shop/tools/help are in another city I can only get back to about every 5 weeks.

 

[Soccerguy136]

It does have a flared line at the fuel inlet. I would think anything over 1" from the flare would still be easy enough and work fine with the hose. If the stock line doesn't have enough, you could also always reflare/buy a preflared piece of fuel line that would attach to the filter, ditch the kinked line, and attach the new line as said above with the fuel hose.

You could also just buy a new fuel filter that has hose barbs instead of flare inlets.

It's really up to you at this point. You'll have to look at what you have and figure out what works for you.

If you have the time, I would put in a new hardline. But the quick fixes will hold for a long time as well.

 

[RallyEclipse98]

It does have a flared line at the fuel inlet. I would think anything over 1" from the flare would still be easy enough and work fine with the hose. If the stock line doesn't have enough, you could also always reflare/buy a preflared piece of fuel line that would attach to the filter, ditch the kinked line, and attach the new line as said above with the fuel hose.

You could also just buy a new fuel filter that has hose barbs instead of flare inlets.

It's really up to you at this point. You'll have to look at what you have and figure out what works for you.

If you have the time, I would put in a new hardline. But the quick fixes will hold for a long time as well.

Thanks. I'll post back with what I do. If I can pull a fuel line off a car at the junkyard within a decent amount of time, I will use it as my replacement. If not, the high-pressure hose seems like a fitting replacement. It would make it a little easier to replace future filters.

 

[Mike02rt]

Thanks. I'll post back with what I do. If I can pull a fuel line off a car at the junkyard within a decent amount of time, I will use it as my replacement.

Just buy some new line and a box of fittings (then rent flaring tool).
Do it right; do it once.
Fuel line and fittings are relatively cheap.
It'll be more work to pull one off junk car than to just bend and flare whole new line.