i was curious as to the expected life span of gas lines on ope. is there a general life time as in years? when you inspect your gas line are you looking for a hard or stiff condition of the rubber? i worry most about the internal condition of the hose detiorating and possibly blocking my main metering jet.thanks for any input.
life span of ope fuel lines
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E10 melts fuel lines. It will get swelled up and gooey after just a short time.
This winter I replaced the gas lines on my sons snow- blower.It's a '95, and what I noticed is that the lines seemed dry and brittle. It would weep gas thru the hose.I'm sure those lines weren't designed to be used with the e-10 gas thats sold today. But for less then $4.00, why mess around with old original gas lines. This past summer I replaced the lines on my riding mower. It's easy to do as long as your not in the middle of doing a job with it.,,
Originally Posted By: james1950
i was curious as to the expected life span of gas lines on ope. is there a general life time as in years? when you inspect your gas line are you looking for a hard or stiff condition of the rubber? i worry most about the internal condition of the hose detiorating and possibly blocking my main metering jet.thanks for any input.
In the rustbelt, the salt may cause more problems on the steel portions of the lines than old age does on the flex lines.
i was curious as to the expected life span of gas lines on ope. is there a general life time as in years? when you inspect your gas line are you looking for a hard or stiff condition of the rubber? i worry most about the internal condition of the hose detiorating and possibly blocking my main metering jet.thanks for any input.
In the rustbelt, the salt may cause more problems on the steel portions of the lines than old age does on the flex lines.
I still have the original fuel lines on my 22 year old tractor and my 20 year old snowblower, and I've been using nothing but E10 for well over a decade...
Originally Posted By: Chris142
E10 melts fuel lines. It will get swelled up and gooey after just a short time.
No it doesn't.
E10 melts fuel lines. It will get swelled up and gooey after just a short time.
No it doesn't.
Originally Posted By: Chris142
E10 melts fuel lines. It will get swelled up and gooey after just a short time.
Interesting. I've used E10 for the last 30+ years, and the only fuel line I replaced was on my 40 year old John Deere 210, and that was because it was dried out and cracked.
When should I expect the fuel lines on my DR Trimmer, John Deere 757, Karcher pressure washer, chain saw, leaf blower and other small engines to get swelled up and gooey? The John Deere 757 is 7 years old, the pressure washer is 10 years old, the DR is about 10 years old, and the chain saw is 5 or 6 years old, and they've all used nothing but E10 for as long as I've owned them.
Can you narrow down the "swelled up and gooey" timeframe so I'll know when they will all fail? They haven't failed yet, but I certainly want to be prepared when the E10 I'm using somehow destroys all the fuel lines.
E10 melts fuel lines. It will get swelled up and gooey after just a short time.
Interesting. I've used E10 for the last 30+ years, and the only fuel line I replaced was on my 40 year old John Deere 210, and that was because it was dried out and cracked.
When should I expect the fuel lines on my DR Trimmer, John Deere 757, Karcher pressure washer, chain saw, leaf blower and other small engines to get swelled up and gooey? The John Deere 757 is 7 years old, the pressure washer is 10 years old, the DR is about 10 years old, and the chain saw is 5 or 6 years old, and they've all used nothing but E10 for as long as I've owned them.
Can you narrow down the "swelled up and gooey" timeframe so I'll know when they will all fail? They haven't failed yet, but I certainly want to be prepared when the E10 I'm using somehow destroys all the fuel lines.
What I have noticed is black granules in the fuel bowl. Plastic fuel tank and jug, So it isn't rust. Heat and age don't help either. Who knows what they do the gas in CA? I've had to replace my weed wacker's fuel line and clean the carb. 10 years old. The 30 something gas line in the Farmboss succumbed. I repaired it with an even older piece from the parts saw. I do use MMO in all my OPE. It has greatly reduced incidence of carb trouble. No, No corroborative data, just observation.
Depends on the quality of the fuel line. It must be rated for fuel use. I have worked on small engines where owners have used a hose that is not rated for fuel, like vaccum line hose. Fuel will quickly deteriorate this type of line over time. Tygon is a good quality line. A little more expensive but worth it. Dayco for example states that their line is not suitable for gas/oil mix, alcohol blended or bio-diesel fuels.
Originally Posted By: jhellwig
Originally Posted By: Chris142
E10 melts fuel lines. It will get swelled up and gooey after just a short time.
No it doesn't.
come to ca and try our gas. Usually a couple of years and the hoses are gooey
Originally Posted By: Chris142
E10 melts fuel lines. It will get swelled up and gooey after just a short time.
No it doesn't.
come to ca and try our gas. Usually a couple of years and the hoses are gooey
It really does depend on the quality of the line. Honda uses some sort of a synthetic rubber or silicone fuel lines on their small engines. I have two Honda small engines (one from 2001 and one from 2003), both with many hours, and both have original fuel lines. Both have been run on ethanol-laced fuel, though I will admit to using the regular Sta-bil on a regular basis.
I commonly replace cracked fuel lines on small Briggs and Tecumseh engines. They seem to use a less expensive rubber that becomes hard and brittle after just a few years or seasonal cycles. When I do replace those fuel lines, I use either the clear fuel line or buy the silicone fuel line from Honda and trim to fit.
I commonly replace cracked fuel lines on small Briggs and Tecumseh engines. They seem to use a less expensive rubber that becomes hard and brittle after just a few years or seasonal cycles. When I do replace those fuel lines, I use either the clear fuel line or buy the silicone fuel line from Honda and trim to fit.
Originally Posted By: Chris142
Originally Posted By: jhellwig
Originally Posted By: Chris142
E10 melts fuel lines. It will get swelled up and gooey after just a short time.
No it doesn't.
come to ca and try our gas. Usually a couple of years and the hoses are gooey
Ethanol here is the same as ethanol there so that rules it out.
Originally Posted By: jhellwig
Originally Posted By: Chris142
E10 melts fuel lines. It will get swelled up and gooey after just a short time.
No it doesn't.
come to ca and try our gas. Usually a couple of years and the hoses are gooey
Ethanol here is the same as ethanol there so that rules it out.
I replaced the fuel lines on my nephews Stihl chainsaw last year and the fuel lines were exactly as described...gooey...like chewed up gum. It had been sitting for a couple of years unused. I told him to add Stabil and Startron to his OPE gas. I have used these two additives for years with never a problem. E10 does have a detrimental effect on certain types of rubber! jhellwig....I see you're from Iowa....Hmmmmm!
In my opinion, there's likely something other than the fuel itself going on. gman2304 and I are both from North Carolina and presumably use the same types of ethanol-laced fuel. I've experienced none of the issues reported. It sounds like there are many variables at play, and fuel quality/type is potentially one of many.
Where I live (the country in NY) the mice can ruin a fuel line before E10 does. I have had some chewed flush and I did not even see it at first.
Originally Posted By: gman2304
I replaced the fuel lines on my nephews Stihl chainsaw last year and the fuel lines were exactly as described...gooey...like chewed up gum. It had been sitting for a couple of years unused. I told him to add Stabil and Startron to his OPE gas. I have used these two additives for years with never a problem. E10 does have a detrimental effect on certain types of rubber! jhellwig....I see you're from Iowa....Hmmmmm!
I am a little biased as I have relatives that are farmers and I work at a facility that also produces ethanol but only because the industry supports my community. Why wouldn't I support it and defend it when people state things about it that are not true?
That being said, I have used ethanol ever since I could drive and have not had one fuel related issue. The only reason I have began to use stabil is because the premium gas without ethanol that I use for my chain saw goes bad in less than a month making my chainsaw have issues running. Even with the stabil it only stretches it out to almost two months. So by the power of deduction I can reason that ethanol is not causing fuel related problems.
I replaced the fuel lines on my nephews Stihl chainsaw last year and the fuel lines were exactly as described...gooey...like chewed up gum. It had been sitting for a couple of years unused. I told him to add Stabil and Startron to his OPE gas. I have used these two additives for years with never a problem. E10 does have a detrimental effect on certain types of rubber! jhellwig....I see you're from Iowa....Hmmmmm!
I am a little biased as I have relatives that are farmers and I work at a facility that also produces ethanol but only because the industry supports my community. Why wouldn't I support it and defend it when people state things about it that are not true?
That being said, I have used ethanol ever since I could drive and have not had one fuel related issue. The only reason I have began to use stabil is because the premium gas without ethanol that I use for my chain saw goes bad in less than a month making my chainsaw have issues running. Even with the stabil it only stretches it out to almost two months. So by the power of deduction I can reason that ethanol is not causing fuel related problems.
I support American farmers and American products in general. But the truth is that Ethanol is harmful to alot of fuel systems. Why do you think that manufacturers have gone to improving they're fuel systems to hold up to the negative effects of ethanol? As in flex fuel engines. Google 'negative effects of ethanol in fuel systems' and get back with me in about a week when you're finished reading all the hundreds of articles about it.
While I am doing that you can read all the experiences people have had like me with no issues caused by ethanol.
People voice their negative experiences with products far more than they ever voice the good.
I have yet to have a fuel line do anything other than dry rot. Same as a lot of people.
People voice their negative experiences with products far more than they ever voice the good.
I have yet to have a fuel line do anything other than dry rot. Same as a lot of people.
I personally have never a problem with ethanol in my fuel either. I try to guard against potential problems by keeping fresh, treated fuel. A lot of people let equipment sit with untreated fuel and along with the moisture that ethanol draws, causes problems.
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