85 fj11 fuel lines

[ryanschoebel]

Can I use any fuel rated hose to replace the line going from the petcock to the carburetors on an FJ 1100? Or does it have to be a specific line with the curves to route it?

[FJmonkey]

Alternative fuel lines have been done on Gravity Feed years. The hose routing is very important and not intuitive.  Search about a bit and you find some clever fixes. I managed to use automotive fuel line. I also seem to remember that you can still get the 10MM fuel line from Honda. Not pre-curved but a thinner wall like the Yamaha line. Remember that the line sits atop of the carbs where plenty of heat goes. Heat up any flexible hose and it gets even more limber and prone to kinking/collapsing. So routing and proper support in bend areas will keep you moving along.

[red]

Ryan,

Between your weather, traffic jams, and engine heat, those fuel lines will get hot.  Even the best fuel tubing may collapse or kink at the bends, then.  You might want to consider using 90 degree fittings to make any sharp bends in replacement fuel lines.  You can buy commercial units, or bend what you need from appropriate metal tubing.  Just my $.02 worth.

[ribbert]

 ..... or bend what you need from appropriate metal tubing......
 

Good idea Red but fuel line fittings need barbs...



....or the line will fall off. Also, I'd advise against having metal lines connected directly to the engine, the vibrations will split them.

IMO

Noel

[ryanschoebel]

OK, this is about to take a turn. Heres why i asked about the fuel lines. I saftey wired my petcock, and for some reason, i cannot get it to stop leaking from the base of the fuel petcock. I thought that the small leak was coming from the slightly stretched out line coming from the elbow, but now upon closer inspection, it isnt. So here it is. I am going to be ordering the petcock rebuild kit from RPM, in a attempt to remake the gasket connections (mine arent superb). But, im not sure what my petcock should look like now. Mine looks identical to the petcock shown in the PSA put forth by Pat about putting on the saftey wire. Is that the correct one? When i have looked for replacements on other sites (not as reliable as RPM), it says that other styles of petcock would fit the bike. Which is correct? I am more prone to believe the one i have is correct, because it is also the one that RPM sells as a replacement. I have tried 4 different times now to stop this leak, but cannot figure out why i cant get it right. GRR!

[FJmonkey]

The petcock shown by Pat is the correct/original unit. When mine failed the suck test (before any rebuild kits) I upgraded to the 84/85 unit.

[ryanschoebel]

Perfect, I'll place the order. Coming out to take off the petcock tonight, I found that the stainless steel bolts I put in less than a week ago, are frozen in place!?!? I can't even get one off with channel locks. I friggin quit ( I mutter as I walk outside to work on it some more) 

[ryanschoebel]

I simply don't understand. 2 brand new bolts holding the fuel petcock on, put in less than a week ago, and one of them is now frozen in place so badly, its like its been on there 30 years. What could cause a new stainless steel bolt to freeze like this?!?! I simply cannot get it out. I have even cut a notch in the top of the bolt, to i could try and tap it sideways, but it wont even budge!! I dont want to drill it out, but it looks like i have to

[FJmonkey]

In my past life where we used stainless hardware on some assemblies we had similar issues. It was low strength but corrosion resistant. Being a bit soft the threads tended to distort when even slightly over tightened. Very easy to do when most of the hardware is zinc coated steel. Try to slot the heads first, or flats on two sides to grip with vise-grips. Then if all else fails, get a clean spot to center punch it and use Left Hand drill bits. Start small and work up. once enough material is out the drill bit should bite and back out the offending fastener. Remember that fuel vapor in an enclosed space like a gas tank is explosive. Be careful, don't get a Darwin award. Or at least make sure video is running...

[Pat Conlon]

Try a heat gun directed on the steel petcock base...see if that expands the threads enough to break the ss bolt loose.
Get it hot.
Personally, I would avoid using an open flame from a torch ...it *might* be ok, but then again, it might not.

Might as well buy a new petcock and call it a day.

[ryanschoebel]

I got it! Finally. I had drained the tank from the beginning, but there was still a tiny bit of fuel sloshing around in the bottom. So I was hesitant to try anything heat related. But I gave in, and decided to get the rest of the fuel out. I rinsed the tank with water four or five times to get it all out, and then stuff rags in side the mouth to soak up the last water.  Once that was done, I let it dry in the sun (thanks Phoenix temps!). Once it dried, I tapped the threads back into shape using a flathead screwdriver and hammer. Once the bolt had a reasonable looking slot for my Phillips bit, I grabbed my trusty DeWalt, and slowly walked through the driver settings bit by bit, keeping firm pressure, making sure it didn't strip more. Once I was on the high end, I just turned the drill to the drill setting, and it backed right out. (I didn't want to use the drill before, because of the internal Sparks created by it).  Now to order new parts, and get it back together.

[ryanschoebel]

Just wanted to throw an update out there. MY rebuild kit came in yesterday, and i put it on, and rebuild everything. Worked like a charm, and i haven't even noticed a drop of fuel leaking out. I haven't taken it for then 10- 15 miles yet, but I'm confident that it will hold. Gotta love RPM!!

[FJmonkey]

  Awesome, thanks for the update.

[ct7088]

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LYZ81BC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

BRASS "Y" 5/16" barbed fitting from China

Chris