Easy fix for carburetor fuel line leak
 

Woke up this morning to a house that smelled like gas because I forgot to turn off the fuel valve on the "A". Decided to try to fix it right, it has been an ongoing issue for months, and didn't go away with a newly overhauled carb. The fuel line had essentially been shrunk over the years from repeated tightening of the nut on the ferrule. The ferrule fit very loosely on the fuel line. I took an old flared punch of my Granddad's, probably 60 years old, inserted the punch in the end of the fuel line and gave it several good taps from a small hammer. This flared the end of the fuel line slightly so that the ferrule has something to press on, and now the ferrule sticks at the end of the line. Tightened the nut/ferrule up and turned the gas on and the leak is fixed, not even a hint of a leak with the head pressure of a full tank. No sealants or tape or anything else on the fitting were needed. I suspect this is a much better fix than a lot of the band-aid fixes out there such as tape and sealant, most people don't realize the aluminum line has been shrunk over time.

Re: Easy fix for carburetor fuel line leak
 

How is it you have aluminum fuel lines? No wonder you had a problem. Aluminum is too soft for a brass feral.

Re: Easy fix for carburetor fuel line leak
 

Should be steel line. The original gas line is rolled with a seam running the length of the line. This can develop a leak along the seam. This happened to me in 1960 when I drove to Sequoia National Park in my 1930 coupe. I got a gas station to replace the line with a solid steel one. Copper can fatigue and break or develop a leak because of compression of the line when fastening, like what happened to Steve R.

Re: Easy fix for carburetor fuel line leak
 

You can go to the parts store and buy a steel brake line, and bend it yourself. You would need an imp, and the correct carb fitting.

Re: Easy fix for carburetor fuel line leak
 

My mistake, I put a magnet on it and the line is steel, not aluminum.

Re: Easy fix for carburetor fuel line leak
 

i also use steel brake lines to make the gas lines that I use for my dual updraft setups . Copper is easier to bend into shape but steel tubing is more durable .

Re: Easy fix for carburetor fuel line leak
 

Really? Not one pat on the back for fixing his leak, everyone has to correct him or bitch about something.



Good job SteveR.

Re: Easy fix for carburetor fuel line leak
 

Just checkin', should not be a problem opening the fuel sediment bowl when the fuel line to the tank is shut off I guess?

Re: Easy fix for carburetor fuel line leak
 

Shouldn't be a problem unless it hasn't been apart since Christ was a cowboy, then it might be a struggle to get it apart.

Re: Easy fix for carburetor fuel line leak
 

OK, congratulations, the best part of your accomplishment, is you examined the situation and understood why you had the problem. That's how experience makes us better wrenches. Thanks for sharing, as others have learned from your effort.

Re: Easy fix for carburetor fuel line leak
 

We really need a like button!!!

Re: Easy fix for carburetor fuel line leak
 

I agree, a like button would be a big benefit.

Re: Easy fix for carburetor fuel line leak
 

X3

David