So I'm pretty fed up with messing with the crappy neoprene fuel lines that are a pain to get on and take off and get fuel clamps on, and harden, crack and break in a years time.
I'm thinking about getting a 50 ft roll of Tygon F-4040-A, which is specially formulated for fuel. Here's what amazon has to say:
This yellow plastic tubing is made of Tygon formulation F-4040-A and is designed for transferring with fuel and lubricants, including gasoline and coolants. The translucent tubing permits limited ozone and ultraviolet (UV) light filtration while allowing visual flow monitoring, and the yellow color provides quick visual identification from other system tubing. The Tygon formulation F-4040-A plastic construction is designed for use with various fuels and lubricants, including gasoline, kerosene, heating oils, cutting compounds, and glycol-based coolants. It resists the swelling, hardening, and embrittlement typically caused by hydrocarbon-based fluids. The tubing has a working temperature range of -35 to 165 degrees F, a durometer (hardness) of 57A, and the working pressure ratings vary by tube size. This plastic tubing is rated as very flexible as it bends more easily than flexible or rigid tubing. The tubing is suitable for non-potable fluid service transferring coolants, heating fuels, polishing fluids and other lubricants, and for engine line and garden hose applications, among others.
http://www.amazon.com/Tygon-F-4040-A-Lubricant-Tubing-Length/dp/B003TJ9YHO/ref=sr_1_1?s=industrial&ie=UTF8&qid=1356580844&sr=1-1&keywords=F-4040-a
I'm gonna get the 5/16" ID, 7/16" OD, because I hear that fits the best on the gs500, and the thin wall makes it easy to fit onto the tank petcock.
A roll is about $100, so I'm thinking I would do something like $2.50/ft shipped, but I'll have to check on shipping rates.
Let me know if anyone would be interested in this. I'm not made of money so I would need at least 5 or so people that want 5 or more feet for me to take the plunge. Just drop a message here, I'm always around.
Graham
The last bike I bought, as soon as I pulled the tank up to disconnect the lines, they cracked and broke off. I had to scramble to turn off the fuel and even then lost a gallon or so.
On that bike (I recently cold it) and on my personal one I replaced all the fuel lines with new clear lines. I didnt use the tygon (sp) yellow lines as these were clear but very worth it.
Replacing the old lines is a good thing to do IMO
I might be able to get some of this from the supplier at my work cheaper. will post back what I found out. If not I would be interested in going in on this as my lines got tape wrapped around a spot right now haha
Hey bro its much cheaper here and you don't have to worry about selling the excess.
http://www.mcmaster.com/#catalog/118/124/=ks5by5
ah thanks much!
I word of caution about a tygon fuel line - they do get eaten ... however I have not determined whether its the sun that eats it or gasoline.
However if it changes color - match it to a certain other color you have, like your bike's blue color etc, and if it starts to get darker, its time to get it replaced.
Cool.
buddha.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/180730676245?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2648
So I found this hidden gem. They used decimal format instead of fractions so I missed it at first.
$51.25 for 50 feet, so $1.03 a foot shipped. Quite a deal. I'm gonna get it, so if anyone wants some, I'll do it for $1.03/ft + shipping to your address. I could probably fit it in a flat rate box if you're far from me, which looks like is $5.00, or could get it to you for around $3.00 if you're close to me. So for like 7 feet, that's between $10-$12 @ $1.43-$1.71/ft, which is better than $1.91/ft + shipping.
Let me know if anyone wants any! I should have enough for about 6 people and myself.
Graham
Quote from: The Buddha on December 27, 2012, 09:25:24 PM
I word of caution about a tygon fuel line - they do get eaten ... however I have not determined whether its the sun that eats it or gasoline.
However if it changes color - match it to a certain other color you have, like your bike's blue color etc, and if it starts to get darker, its time to get it replaced.
Cool.
buddha.
Buddha, did you use the F-4040-A formulation? I have only heard good things and there are multiple grades of tygon. This is specifically for fuel, where the other ones are not i.e. the clear tygon
hmm. I feel a bit stupid. It says Tygon F-4040-A LIKE tubing. :technical:
Alright. I got my 10 ft from McMaster-Carr.
Sorry to all who really, really wanted some tygon line :technical:
There should be a face palm emoticon available.
I bought my 3 ft off ebay for $15 shipped I think. Have you looked there?
For that price it's better to just order the OEM lines from powersportsplus.com or ronayers.com. They are pre-bent to fit, and they are high quality lines. You would need 2, 3 ft lines to make all three lines needed I think, and all three OEM lines will be around $30.
Yeah, 3ft was enough to do all three. But after the OEMs cracked and broke off spilling fuel, I decided I didn't want that rubber again. This wasn't on an old bike either. It was on the 07 I recently sold. Besides, $15 is half of $30 :flipoff:
After having lines break (grey Tygon?) when I lifted my tank I have decided that replacing the lines every spring is a cheap and easy was to not have my bike end up in a heap of molten metal. I can get 3 feet of line from the local shop for about $16 bucks.
I got 10 ft of tygon's specialty fuel line F-4040-A (not supposed to get brittle, and is UV resistant) for $20 shipped. I'm pumped
Quote from: gsatterw on December 28, 2012, 09:32:27 AM
I got 10 ft of tygon's specialty fuel line F-4040-A (not supposed to get brittle, and is UV resistant) for $20 shipped. I'm pumped
Should have grabbed some cheap 1/8 for draining the bowls?
I have the orange bike and yellow lines will just clash, so I will not be picking up tygon.
So I order my tygon from McMaster-Carr at 9:30 this morning, and it arrives at my door at 1:30 in the afternoon, same day. Very satisfied. Located about 20 miles from my house, as it turns out. I've got the black braided wraps for my fuel lines, so there is no clashing. But I've got a blue bike, so a little yellow showing would look cool I think. No sure if I will use the braided tube wraps.
5/16" ID 7/16" OD fit the petcocks great.
And I've got some cheap clear tubing for draining the bowls, although its not that big of a pain to hold a cup under the carbs and catch the fuel.
Graham
Quote from: gsatterw on December 28, 2012, 06:19:31 PM
And I've got some cheap clear tubing for draining the bowls, although its not that big of a pain to hold a cup under the carbs and catch the fuel.
Graham
Ya but its good for checking float height and for making a Manometer.. :)
DIYMano
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxXXdPI0k04
truth
(http://s7.postimage.org/6j85ez09z/2012_12_28_10_04_31_745.jpg) (http://postimage.org/image/6j85ez09z/)
Tygothane Polyurethane Flexible Tubing. Snagged some from work, looks pretty legit, its clear though not yellow.
Ah didnt even think about the braided cover.. hmm.
I believe no hose clamps with that tygon, correct? wont fit?
Quote from: rharding91 on December 28, 2012, 08:32:40 PM
(http://s7.postimage.org/6j85ez09z/2012_12_28_10_04_31_745.jpg) (http://postimage.org/image/6j85ez09z/)
Tygothane Polyurethane Flexible Tubing. Snagged some from work, looks pretty legit, its clear though not yellow.
There are many different types of Tygon, which is just the brand. The type I am talking about is F-4040-A, which is most certainly yellow. The F-4040-A is a plasticized poly-vinyl-chloride (PVC) tubing, not polyurethane.
Quote from: Snake2715 on December 28, 2012, 08:57:08 PM
I believe no hose clamps with that tygon, correct? wont fit?
The hose clamps will fit. It is a thin walled type (1/16" wall), and will fit with much more ease than the damned thick-walled oem neoprene lines. I'm toying with the idea of not using hose clamps, however. The tygon fits so well that I'm not sure they are necessary. Will probably still use them to be safe, however.
Ya they had the F-4040-A in the book and I didnt like it after reading this one cause it didnt mention resistance to UV rays, which would be the sun. While this one has excellent weather/ozone protection which I am hoping is the sun because here in the valley (Arizona) we get ALOT of sun haha.
http://webcat.rhfs.com/familydetails.aspx?FamID=14
This is our distributor we get our tubing froms webpage. They dont mention anything about UV resist, so I was leery to use.
Quote from: rharding91 on December 29, 2012, 02:12:18 PM
http://webcat.rhfs.com/familydetails.aspx?FamID=14
This is our distributor we get our tubing froms webpage. They dont mention anything about UV resist, so I was leery to use.
It's definitely UV resistant. This is the company that manufactures Tygon (Saint-Gobain). Says it clear as day. Your distributor should include the details.
http://www.processsystems.saint-gobain.com/product_detail.aspx?id=250458
and here is their .pdf on F-4040-A
http://www.processsystems.saint-gobain.com/uploadedFiles/SGPPL-PS/Documents/Flexible_Tubing/FT-Tygon-F4040A.pdf
PS, definitely use hose clamps.
Damn right they should haha, if the stuff I got doesn't work too good ill just order some of that and bring it home also. I am thinking they don't include mainly because they deal with chemicals mostly. The price on it was pretty terrible also, cheaper on ebay but then again it would've been free to me.
Permeation? What is that how fast the gasoline degrades in the tube or how fast the tube degrades from the gasoline.
(http://s13.postimage.org/yysj29487/Untitled.jpg)
Permeation describes the rate at which fuel will diffuse through the tube, and ultimately evaporate at the surface of the tube.
A sheet of stainless steel is not very permeable, but a sheet of paper is very permeable. (put a drop of water on each and see what happens. I'll give you a hint, the water will stay on top of the SS, and the water will readily soak through the paper)
at a rate of 70 grams/m^2/day, that means about 1 gram of fuel per day for a 2 foot section of tube will permeate through the surface area and evaporate as fuel loss. To put this in terms more easily conceptualized, that means for the tygon F-4040-A 5/16" ID, it will take about 7.6 years to lose a gallon of gas from permeation through the tube. For the competition, it will take 4.25 years to lose a gallon as gas through the same length of tube and same diameter. Pretty dumb statistic to use as advertising if you ask me, but hey, it's better than the competition.
Graham
Ok do you have a pic of the line with fuel in it? Does it turn orangish or is it really yellow? I would prefer this higher grade line but really dont want yellow right below my orange tank.
Its definitely yellow. no orange. But really, if you're worried about it, get a few feet of the black nylon braided hose cover, you'll never know they're yellow. Lemme Know if ya need some tygon. I got 10 feet and only used about 4 ft, would be more than willing to send you some @ market cost ($2/ft...alright $1.91/ft, but I'll throw in a few extra inches) + shipping.
I'll try to get a pic tomorrow.
I would have taken you up on the offer but then I need to source the braided hose cover.. they had some and it was reasonable and holds up to the heat well.. so I did an order with them.
http://www.mcmaster.com/?orderview=new#catalog/118/817/=kvm80i
I had unsuccessfully been able to find it locally in a thin wally type.. so I placed my order.
RockymountainATV.com doesnt specifcy wall thickness so I just went this route.
Thanks again for the offer.
Yea...might wan't to order some 1/4 inch Tygon as well...Woke up this morning to a gas leak at the carb T-connection...Even with a hose clamp there it still leaks. Needs to be tighter there. I'm placing my order now. If you hurry, you may be able to get it in the same shipment and not pay extra for shipping.
Also make sure you get the hose clamps on with a little bit of hose sticking out the other side. This seems obvious, but I didn't pay attention and didn't do that on my "on" connection at the tank petcock because the connection area is so small. Quite the leak there as well. God I smell like gas right now.
Low perm = it will die in 2 years. Not low perm = it will die in a month ... maybe ... who knows.
Maybe they have a place where the sun dont shine where they keep it.
Cool.
Srinath.
Quote from: The Buddha on January 03, 2013, 03:00:22 PM
Low perm = it will die in 2 years. Not low perm = it will die in a month ... maybe ... who knows.
Maybe they have a place where the sun dont shine where they keep it.
Cool.
Srinath.
Mine already shipped.
So Buddha what fuel line do you recommend if I may ask?
Quote from: Snake2715 on January 03, 2013, 05:25:14 PM
Mine already shipped.
Well, you should definitely get a smaller ID for the frame petcock to the carbs...you will have a fuel leak with the 5/16" ID...
@Snake2715
I feel bad...I may have mislead you on the 5/16" Tygon. I've been having some pretty bad problems with leaks. I got my 1/4" ID Tygon lines today, and they fit much more snugly around all the connections. No more leaks. You might be able to get away with the 5/16" ID if you use zip ties and not hose clamps. To get the hose clamps tight enough to stop the leaks, they cut into the line and cause other leaks.
Good luck
Graham :2guns:
Quote from: gsatterw on January 04, 2013, 04:26:52 PM
@Snake2715
I feel bad...I may have mislead you on the 5/16" Tygon. I've been having some pretty bad problems with leaks. I got my 1/4" ID Tygon lines today, and they fit much more snugly around all the connections. No more leaks. You might be able to get away with the 5/16" ID if you use zip ties and not hose clamps. To get the hose clamps tight enough to stop the leaks, they cut into the line and cause other leaks.
Good luck
Graham :2guns:
I don't see my charge yet.. kind of worried. I am in Michigan and ordered yesterday.. it was on my doorstep today UPS... hopefully there is not some $15 shipping charge or more..
but yeah I ordered 5/16 tygon and as backup did actually order regular yellow fuel line in 1/4. ironically its more orangish, but. I did buy the mesh as well. I will start w the 1/4 then. No biggie. I could have done my own research and both sizes have been suggested.
I think with neoprene the 5/16" is better, cause the stuff don't stretch, but the tygon is so stretchy the 1/4" is a better choice. Hugs the petcocks better. We can all agree a tighter fit around a chicken is always better.
Graham :2guns:
I used 1/4", it was a tight fit on some location but it does not leak!
Yea, 1/4" tygon is far superior. The 5/16" was a really hassle. I would fix a leak somewhere and another one would pop up somewhere else
Graham :2guns:
shipping was like 5.25 for UPS which ended up arriving 24 hours exactly after order.. crazy. can't recommend them enough.
Yea, they are located right outside of atlanta, like 25 miles from me. They got to my house 4 hours after placing the order. Wild.
Graham :2guns:
What do you think about PFA? Mcmaster.com part no: 5773K15
Quote from: Snake2715 on January 03, 2013, 05:25:14 PM
Quote from: The Buddha on January 03, 2013, 03:00:22 PM
Low perm = it will die in 2 years. Not low perm = it will die in a month ... maybe ... who knows.
Maybe they have a place where the sun dont shine where they keep it.
Cool.
Srinath.
Mine already shipped.
So Buddha what fuel line do you recommend if I may ask?
On nearly every bike other than a GS I use those braided rubber ones, the autoparts store standard variety. That is if the stock rubber ones are DOA.
On a GS I have run silicone lines for a couple years and have liked them, but they are delicate. Cant rough em like a tygon or a braided rubber line. They are also $$$. They have been on my MZ as well for nearly 18 months.
Cool.
Srinath.
/\ Thank you for the info.
So for the Tygon lines you recommend 1/4 in instead of 5/16? I'm in the market for some new fuel hoses.
definitely go for the 1/4". make sure you get f-4040a. McMaster-Carr is a good source, look in the above posts for the link. 5 feet should be enough, might wanna get 10 ft in case you cut wrong or something or to have as backup. I ended up not using hose clamps on my tank petcock or on the T connection on the carbs, but did use the clamps on the frame petcock. I am leak free
Graham :2guns: