Gas Tank Hose In The Age Of Ethanol Fuels

We are living in a new era of change and with that change so goes fuel we pump into our tank everyday. It’s no secret that ethanol is being used in all types of fuels, It is also no secret that ethanol has harmful effects on our seals, check valves and gas tank fuel filler lines. Gone are the days of neglecting to inspect your gas tank hose. What used to take a decade or two to dry rot is now taking only years to go bad. So what can we do? Well not much apparently, Even Major manufacturers of quality fuel hose are not able to do anything about the fuel filler hose & ethanol problem. The NBR rubber compounds being used are not suitable to long term Ethanol use. This all means we are living in a new time when we will need to change our fuel tank filler neck and gas tank vent lines as much as our radiator hoses. Diesel Hoses are also the same story, as diesel fuels contain Ethanol blends up to 15%.

Fuel tank filler hose rubber has natural oils inside that become extracted when fuel is introduced. This is ok when the hose is being used consistently, however when the vehicle sits and fuel is not being transferred down the hose it can become dried out and lose its natural lubricants. One way to extend the life of you’re fuel tank fill hose may be to twist the hose a quarter turn every year. You can loosen the hose clamps at the end of the fuel tank pipe and turn the hose as time goes on. This is to keep the natural oils from being depleted from that side of the gas hose. You would want to do this to the fuel transfer hose before it gets too old and starts cracking. If you have angled fuel filler neck hose you will not have the luxury of this minor life prolonging trick.

If you find yourself needing to replace your fuel filler neck hose or gas filler pipe hose there are are not many local replacement parts suppliers that supply gas and diesel fill neck hoses. You may be able to find online retailers that offer free shipping. Most auto parts stores like auto zone or oriellys will be able to sell you a 3 foot section or a 45° or 90° fuel elbows. If you go online to places like gas tanks inc or Filler Neck Supply Company you can find smaller lengths and more variation of angles and lengths of gas tank hoses. These popular online retailers will have some of the more popular factory OEM reproduction replacement fuel filler neck hoses designed to fit your specific applications.

Unfortunately because of the nature and construction of fuel tank hoses there has not been anyone able to come up with a more universal gas tank hose or extremely flexible fuel tank hose. The problem here is that fuel rated hoses must have rugged and thick construction in order to withstand gas diesel and oil and remain safe at the same time. Wire reinforced marine style fuel filler hose is as flexible as it gets however it is very stiff and will not expand over the beaded and flared end of fuel filler necks. This marine static wire reinforced gas filler hose also will not make tight radiuses when bent. The other choice is soft wall fuel filler neck hose that; while it will expand over the fuel filler pipe; it will not bend more than 15-36 degrees depending on size. Rule of thumb is the smaller the diameter the more it will bend and flex without pinching or kinking off. If you need to make a bend it’s generally better to use a pre formed elbows and mend them together with hose joiners / couplers or barbed splice connectors. Also known as butt connectors.

Another problem you can run into is; fuel tank fittings and fuel filler neck pipe connections are two different size inner diameter at each end of the fuel fill hose. This is a strange phenomenon in the auto industry. For some reason this was common practice in many of the major auto manufacturers foreign and domestic. We can’t be sure if there was some error in the fuel tank design or a breakdown in communication among separate oem parts manufacturers but this happens to be the case. While this is an inconvenience there are various solutions on the market such as stainless steel fuel filler neck hose reducers and fuel hose id reducers. These can help you fabricate a gas tank connection hose with two different diameters at each end.

The best thing to do when you are out to build a quality hose for your fuel tank is get the original hose off of the vehicle. This way you will be able to evaluate the angles of the bends and length of the hose. Best practice when evaluating the inner diameter of your original gas tank hose is to measure the metal part of the gas tank fittings and tube size of the fuel filler neck with a caliper. This is because measuring diameter on rubber will give you an inaccurate measurement from oblong fuel hose and expansion when measured with a caliper. Also be prepared to engineer the hose with lest bends and try to go from point A to point B in more of a straight line than the factory fuel filler hose. Just keep an eye out for obstructions in the way that will make this not possible like frame rails bumper brackets and other obstacles. Plant your design to go around these items so you can fabricate a simply but functional gas tank hose. Once you have the measurements you need; you can call a dealer of fuel rated hose and you will be able to describe what you need. This will ensure you are not getting something you do not need because of a miscommunication with the customer counter person.

Most auto parts reps will try to talk you into using radiator hose for fuel tank hose. This is not something you want to do. This radiator hose will deteriorate quickly. Another option is to use metal tubing sections and elbows and use a short section of fuel filler hose to connect the tubing using hose clamps. Some hot rod builders prefer this because you can polish the aluminum or stainless filler neck tubing to a mirror shine and get a great show quality and great functionality.

While you are at it make sure to inspect your Fuel Gas Tank filler neck pipe and related vent lines and rollover vent valves. Some jobs may require the removal of the fuel / gas tank. In this case be careful not to break any of the bolts or straps that hold the fuel tank into the undercarriage of the vehicle. A great way to prevent damage is to spray soak the bolts and components with PB blaser or WD-40. You can also aginate the fuel tank strap bolts with a wire brush to get dirt and rust particles away from the treads. This will allow the penetrating lubricant to climb up the treads and loosen up the nuts and bolts.

Seeing all of this in the light causes one to think if this is a planned obsolescence play by the auto industry or the environmentalist to prematurely run out the supply of vehicles powered by fossil fuels. Just imagine it: cause the failure of the gas tank and fuel filler neck parts that are discontinued and do it just slow enough that nobody notices. While at the same time selling brand new electric vehicles. While this is highly unlikely; It would be a great way to cause the “big conversion”. Others will say there is no way we will ever be independent from fossil fuels and burning hydrocarbons; This is a permanent way of life. We will see what the future holds something big could happen and we could see the removal of the corn gas element from our fuels. Great change is everywhere! The good and the bad, depending on how you see it.