Fuel hoses gone bad

[Nigel]

These are two fuel hose types that I installed about 3 years ago.
The 13mm hose is marked R6 and branded AGOMA
The 8mm is a Gates, made in Turkey, not marked R6.

At the time I was unaware of the 'R' ratings hence fitted what ever seemed suitable.
When I became aware, I decided to leave them on and monitor their condition.
I'm now glad that I had that, albeit forced, opportunity.

I'd advise checking if you've used either of these types.

[squiglyzigly]

Hi Nigel,
I’ve been through the same process a week ago on the VX coupe. The smell of petrol appeared coming home from work a week ago and when I got under the car I found damp hoses from the tank. A little squeeze and hey presto. Fuel raining down.
All pipes now replaced with R6 purchased from Halfords as I was in a rush to stop the car leaking plus they had it in stock. Let’s see how long these last.
When I get home (currently stuck in Italy thanks to cancelled easyJet/Gatwick air traffic control problems) I intend replacing the hoses on the Berlina again as the pipes underneath are around 3 years old and I can’t remember where I got the hoses from. Hard to see above the crossmember.
It’s a battle to find hoses that really are what they say they are. Fake pipes are out there. 

Ian

[SanRemo78]

I'd recommend sourcing them from Car Builder Solutions and going for fuel injection specs, overkill, but the potential consequences of a failure (especially with an electric fuel pump) don't bear thinking about....

Guy

[peteracs]

Hi Ian

You need R9 not R6

I used Cohline, do not use unbranded, Gates should be a good alternative

Peter

[Nigel]

My subsequent research indicates that R6 and R9 have similar
resistance to ethanol.
R9 is indeed rated for the higher pressure of fuel injection which I
don't need at present. There is a maybe that later I will fit FI but
that would entail reworking the fuel supply to accommodate a rear mounted
fuel pump, so I'll put R9 on a future build.

Thanks for all your comments
Nigel

[peteracs]

Hi Nigel

Not sure it is quite that simple. If you read this article the table referring to the various R ratings shows that the R9 versus R6 has a much lower permitivity rating. Also I read that the lining differs between the two which may explain the difference.

http://www.volksbolts.com/faq/fuelhose.htm#Problems

Peter

[Nigel]

Hi Peter,

I stand corrected. This appears to be the article I also found but
I clearly didn't read it properly.

Thanks,
Nigel

[squiglyzigly]

As I was in a rush to stop my car leaking on the drive I took a punt and grabbed some R6 from a local Halfords store. I sold it to myself on the basis that Halfords is a big name and surely wouldn’t risk selling fake/substandard fuel hose. It’s rated for e10. I’ll keep an eye on it as always and try to make a point of changing the hoses as part of a service regime every 3-4 years.

Cheers
Ian