Near miss with leaky fuel line.

[divebomb]

As some of you know I'm a bit of a novice mechanically and as such I was gazing over the engine bay of my 1800s about half an hour ago watching the B18 tick over after an oil check. I was testing my limited knowledge naming the various parts and watching them work together and as my eye moved along the fuel line through the fuel pump and up to the twin carbs I was shocked to see the first carb turn wet with fuel spewing out at the jubilee clip.
After turning off the engine I tightened the clip but as I've no fire extinguisher (note to self...!) I'm a bit reluctant to turn it on again.

It's a bit scary to think that I might have had an engine bay fire while sitting in traffic somewhere, I guess I was lucky I spotted it. Is this a common problem with the B18 and should I replace the fuel line or is tightening the clip sufficient?

Thanks,

Dave

[Peter Milnes]

Only replace the line if it is split. It should be enough to just tighen the clip without overtightening. after the fuel has evaporated run the engine and recheck for fuel wetness. If there is a recurrence then the line has probably split and should be replaced.

All the best, Peter.

[cassell]

Hello Dave,

If the rubber fuel lines on your 1800S are the originals I would recommend replacing them as they do become hard with age and this is not helped by under-bonnet temperatures.

I would suggest using 'fuel injection' type hose as this is designed for greater pressure, not really necessary on a carb engine, but the hose is obviously better strength quality and will last a lot longer. Make sure you get the correct inside diameter hose and for what they cost, renew all jubilee clips as well.

Don't just renew the hoses you see under the bonnet, there will be some flexible fuel pipes joining pieces of the metal pipes together underneath your car, replace them as well as I bet they are originals and well over 30 years old.

Hope this helps,

Paul

[divebomb]

I'm pretty sure they're not original but I think the tube in question might be split. Will check out a fuel injection type and check the others.

Cheers

[TomTom]

I had this on an Amazon B20 while sitting in an interminable traffic jam; suddenly a strong smell of petrol. This is a useful reminder to me to check my fuel lines;

I'd still get that extinguisher though. It's mandatory in some parts of Europe and could be useful in any emergency, even involving someone else.

Tom