# Check your small engine fuel lines.



## Tirediron (Jul 12, 2010)

We have a Hyundai water pump, less than a year old, the fuel line from the tank to the shutoff valve failed, cracking on both ends just at the barb. It would be a major pain to have a fuel line failure right at the beginning of a black out (gen) or flood. This pump did live outside for about 2 months last summer and a couple of weeks this spring, but that is no excuse , lots of gens live outside their whole lives. Luckily I had some hose, but I am in the repair business, something to think about if you have a newer off shore gen or pump.


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## NaeKid (Oct 17, 2008)

You might want to check the specs on that motor and see if it is rated for ethanol.

According to their FAQ ( http://www.hyundaipower.ca/faq.php ) it should be fine, but, it would be best to double-check that. I have seen some of the damage that E10 has done to some fuel-lines on motorcycles ...

Some more reading: http://www.fuel-testers.com/list_e10_engine_damage.html


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

Says Hyundai but _made in China_, Correct?

I have not had *ANY* GOOD LUCK with the "new" foreign rubber... its not just the fuel lines, but the rubber gasket under the gas cap turns to sticky black goo, and even the rubber boot on the bottom of the phenolic spark plug cap falls to pieces. It's all crap... and likely all is sourced form China.

I have old Briggs engines from the 70's and 80's that all have good rubber parts... but even Briggs & Stratton (and Kohler) now source their small engine components from China!!!


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## helicopter5472 (Feb 25, 2013)

I try to keep several sizes about 20 feet of both gas and heater hose on hand along with all the fluids, grease, oil, ect. It's about 30 mile RT to the closest auto parts and Murphy's Law says it will happen when they are closed and you need it the most....


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## GrinnanBarrett (Aug 31, 2012)

I hate to admit it but I am bad about not checking my spare parts to see what condition they are in. 

I deal in equipment (not generators but rather industrial application stuff) and we have seen a bunch of problems with floor machines coming in with hoses that fail before installation. We also have had cracked tanks and a lot of bad motors. We had a bunch of trailers come in with Chinese tires on them and the tires lasted less than a thousand miles. All of them were bias ply not radials and all just wore out in no time. Cost us a fortune to replace the stuff the plant should have caught in the first place. 

We also see a bunch of the castings failing on big equipment. Most of the castings came from China, Pakistan, India and Malaysia. We have one vendor we use out of Indiana and their failure rate is less than 0.2 percent. All their gear is made in the USA with US made components. Their stuff costs about twenty percent more but it just does not fail in the field. GB


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

GrinnanBarrett said:


> We also see a bunch of the castings failing on big equipment... We have one vendor we use out of Indiana and their failure rate is less than 0.2 percent. Their stuff costs about twenty percent more but it just does not fail in the field.


I, too, have seen that modern casting quality varies wildly all over the place. It's worth the extra 20% cost when you think about how many *headaches* (and ancillary parts damage) that bad castings cause!!


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## partdeux (Aug 3, 2011)

Go with pure gas... or even better avgas


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## tsrwivey (Dec 31, 2010)

Hubby was fussing about how he had to replace all the fuel lines on the hydraulic lift just yesterday. Blamed it on ethanol.


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## machinist (Jul 4, 2012)

Ethanol was a dumb idea from the get-go. If it were not for the government subsidies, they couldn't make any money making the crap. Just one more "green" idea that was very ill-conceived. 

"HEY! Let's use our FOOD SUPPLY to make CAR FUEL! What a great idea! We can all literally DRIVE up the cost of food!" 

DUH. 

I am replacing all my small engine fuel lines with yellow Tygon tubing. Lasts for a LONG time and you can SEE through it to know if there is gas going through.

I've had a bellyful of the Chinese crap, too. It is all finding its' way to the landfill and scrap yard.


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## Tirediron (Jul 12, 2010)

I used a piece of automotive vacuum hose, that I had in stock, since it is a gravity system, when ever possible I use synflex air line, Navistar is using it on their higher pressure fuel transfer systems with out failure.


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

machinist said:


> I am replacing all my small engine fuel lines with yellow Tygon tubing. Lasts for a LONG time and you can SEE through it to know if there is gas going through.


I love Tygon for chemical resistance, but it must be kept out of direct sunlight. I have been running it inside older inferior tubing to protect it from sun UV rays and engine heat.


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