potential fire hazzard with the fuel line

[wildbill]

see provided photo from an Indian motorcycle site of a U.C.E. of a fuel line which rubbed against the top side of the battery cover box.
Fuel sprayed onto the battery terminal and a spark ignited.

my bike shown with the fuel line touching the battery cover


Now the Indian bike which caught on fire



So what do we do to combat this

[Jack Leis]

The original installation of the fuel line on my G5 use to rub the battery cover. Ive had a piece of tubing sliced and put over the fuel line to prevent it from rubbing. Just recently I went ahead and just SHORTENED THE FUEL LINE and it no longer makes contact with the cover at all. An easy fix and "Bullet Proof" !

[Ducati Scotty]

This has been posted before, it's a simple fix.  Making the fuel line the correct length helps, it's not so near the edge if it's correct.  Also, some simple stick on door edge guard for a few dollars placed over the edge of battery box where it's near the line removes the sharp edge.  Last, it's one of those things to keep an eye on, and with the alcohol in US fuels you should check your fuel line regularly as they tend to start to crack, especially the OEM line.

I think a 5/16" line fits nicely if you have to replace it.  Get the expensive stuff that's designed to handle the pressure of an EFI system.  And use the good clamps that are smooth the whole way around:
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://commonwealthinc.ca.c9.previewyoursite.com/ESW/Images/2123_fuel_line_clamps.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.overclockers.com/forums/showthread.php?t%3D616108&h=330&w=420&sz=81&tbnid=QE-DhfOirlCfOM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=115&zoom=1&usg=__rU6XBzyYJwtpomZThWwX9v1aS0Q=&docid=1LuAvkzMhYKcSM&sa=X&ei=EY6pUIzmKOTAiwLAooHIAQ&ved=0CFUQ9QEwAA&dur=193

Stay away from the cheap ones that have the threads in the band against the rubber.  Make sure your clamps are tight too.

Scott

[singhg5]

Bend the edge of battery cover to make space for fuel line.

[mattsz]

Last, it's one of those things to keep an eye on, and with the alcohol in US fuels you should check your fuel line regularly as they tend to start to crack, especially the OEM line.

Scott - how do you recommend we "keep an eye on" our fuel lines?  If the alcohol in our US gas degrades the line, won't it do so from the inside?  Should I be disconnecting the fuel line "regularly" to examine its interior?  Finally, I know we have no fuel shutoff tap - do I need to do anything to stop the flow of gas, either to examine/change the fuel line, or for that matter to remove the tank when it's got fuel in it?

[barenekd]

The fuel pump shuts off the flow when it's not operating. You may have a bit of spillage when you take the hose off, but it's just gas that was in the line.
Check the outside of the fuel line for cracks, etc, you don't need to pull the line to inspect it. Pulling the line off is no big deal. I have had mine off a lot.
The owner's manual says to replace the line every 12,000 miles, but I haven't done that yet and I have well over 12,000 miles on mine. I did shorten it up as Jack did to get it off the side cover. I had to take about 1-1/2" off.
Bare

[Ducati Scotty]

Scott - how do you recommend we "keep an eye on" our fuel lines?  If the alcohol in our US gas degrades the line, won't it do so from the inside? 

Just look at it, check the outside for cracks.  Grab it, pinch it and flex it a little, look for cracks when you flex it.  If you see cracks or it starts to feel stiff replace it.  It only takes a second, you can do it whenever you check your tire pressure.  Even if you don't have alchohol in your fuel this is an item you should check regularly. 

Scott

[mattsz]

You mean, kind of like the fuel hose in singhg5's (sorry buddy!) picture above?

[Ducati Scotty]

I thought that was just the fancy luxury alligator skin fuel line

Yeah, just like that.  It seems for whatever reason the OEM lines don't last that long.  They also seem to get that shiny look.  My mechanic replaced several OEM lines at the first service, I replaced mine at around a year when it started to crack.

And that's a good pic of the G5 layout.  On the C5 and I think the B5 the line goes right by the square battery box edge, an obvious hazzard when you look at it.

Scott

[LarsBloodbeard]

That second picture with the burned bike... I was trying to figure out if that was ash all over it or what, then I realized "Oh, someone shoveled dirt onto it to stop the fire."  Smart!  Not sure I would have thought of that in such an emergency.  I will now though. 

[Ducati Scotty]

Burning fire next to the gas tank?  I'm only thinking about the trail of dust I'll leave running away!

Scott

[LarsBloodbeard]

Burning fire next to the gas tank?  I'm only thinking about the trail of dust I'll leave running away!

I have lost a fair amount of hair in such situations...

[singhg5]

You mean, kind of like the fuel hose in singhg5's (sorry buddy!) picture above?

You are absolutely right - the fuel line had cracks all over it - was replaced with a new one -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4daXUNAiLEs

[Arizoni]

I don't recall seeing that video before.  You been holding out on us singhg5? 

Well done, as usual.  Thank you. 

[mattsz]

Hard to decide which thread to revive sometimes, but this one gets peoples' attention, so...

I tried to remove my fuel line today, and it absolutely wouldn't budge from either the fuel pump fitting or the injector fitting.  I was wary about bending and twisting and pulling too much on the plastic fuel pump fitting, so I finally just cut the hose off.  Since the brass fuel injector fitting is much sturdier, I did plenty of bending and twisting and pulling and even prying, but again, it simply wouldn't budge.  I finally had to cut it off that end, too.

Any advice about future maintenance?  Should I lubricate the fittings when I fit a replacement hose?  I plan to follow the advice here regarding hose spec and clamp suggestions...