Well, I went out to the truck a while ago, only to see a big puddle of fluid under the truck. I could smell the gas from a good distance away. I figured someone stole the gas and spilled the can, but I looked underneath and saw a leak. So I mumbled "Chrysler!" under my breath and crawled underneath, only to find it was the little rubber 6" long hose connecting the front fuel tank metal line to the framerail metal fuel line. 28 years of gasoline flowin' thru that hose while being subjected to cold/heat, dry/wet, salt & rocks, and exhaust fumes, and it started leaking in front of my parents house, LOL. I had a full tank of gas and to drain half of it out to lower its level so I could remove/replace the hose(2 1/2 5 gal jugs!). I figure I should replace the filler hoses pretty soon now cause that one busted, along with the hoses around the tank switch mounted to the frame.

How long(or short) have your rubber hoses lasted on your trucks?
Any related stories that you can legally(or not!) share with us?

 

Same thing happened on a 78 Bronco that belonged to a friend. Unfortunately in his case the leak was on top of the engine and burned the truck up. Rubber fuel lines should be replaced every 10-15 years or whenever any sign of weather cracking is noted.

BTW, if you are good you can replace that line without draining the tank and spill very little gas. Hint, -it takes a pair of vice grips, a knife, and a fast thumb.

 

yep i just had mine go on mine but instead of leaking it just was putting lots of air bubbles in the fuel if any one knows where to buy new gas filler hoses let me know i can't find them and i nedd them because they are the next thing to go

 

NAPA has fuel filler hose. It's expensive though, cost me around $30 for the hose for my rear tank.

 

I bought a set from Jeffs bronco grave yard. It comes with the big filler hose and the smaller vent line that runs next to the filler hose. They also come with the little metal bracket that goes around them and fits between the frame and the bed. They were kind of pricey at 50 bucks for the set, but they were the correct length and every thing. The quality of them is also realy good. FWIW, I ordered them from Jeff's, but they arrived in a Dennis Carpenter package. So I know there are at least 2 site sponsors that can hook you up.
Mike

 

had the same problem with mine, what really iritated me was like you I just filled it up and the joker I bought it from had recently just put a new tank and metal fuel lines in, but didn't bother to replace the little rubber ******* between the tank and steel line, that sucked!

 

I recently added an electric fuel pump to my truck and at the same time replaced all the rubber hoses from the tanks to switch valve, to the pump, etc. I used high performance/pressure fuel injection hoses for better durability.
Dak

 

Burt looks like a turtle with that big shell on his back
Nice truck!

 

Looks like the same colour as my truck, but I have a bit bigger model and a bigger camper.
Now switching to a fifth wheel.

[img]http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid40/p4a0282d2598f501cf1eb81cce9816cfc/fd0459c8.jpg[/img]

 

There's a fuel line that goes from the rear tank to the switch valve. That hose is between the bed and the frame. Since my grandfather had this thing dealer serviced and all the other hoses were fresh, you could tell somebody was just too lazy to replace this one as it is hard to get at. The hose (26 years old at this point and full of cracks) literally exploded like a grenade when I twisted it to get it off. The netting that is ususally in the middle of the hose was now completely exposed. I had to cut it off at it was too brittle and broken to twist. I'm hoping he dealer just missed it, but it was awfully easy for me to spot next to all the other hoses at the switch valve.

 

That happened to me a few years ago on my '76 F150 4x4. I was worried it was the tank...might have rusted through. Nope...just the little hose...replaced and all is good for another 25+ years ???

 

that happened to me on my 76 F-150 right after i put the motor back in...i thought i replaced all the rubber fuel line, minus the fill and vent tubes..as im buttoning up the last few details of the engine reinstall i noticed gas fumes, im at the shop i work at so i dont pay much attention to them....then someone says my truck is leaking, i look under the engine and said " no it aint!!" then i looked furthur back and seen that i already lost 10 gallons or more cause there was a small river of gas running down the parking lot!! turns out that about half way up the frame from the back, there is a 8-10 inch rubber hose in the middle of the metal fuel line, it looked old enough (and untampered) to be stock, and it just gave out while it was sitting there.......i guess thats better than it happening going down the road!!

back on the subject, ive seen hoses that have lasted 30-40 years, and ive used some that only lasted 1 year.....they just dont make 'em like they used to i guess.....

 

That combination of Burt & Lance looks a lot like my rig. I have a '79 F-250 with a 460 and it's dark brown and cream. clock says 92,000 actual miles. The camper is 11.5 feet with camper dampers and made by Coachmen. I once drove it from Indiana to California and back with no problems. The camper sat 1" above the roof clearance lights and they never touched. I have a piece of rubber fuel line on that truck that came from the factory still soft and flexible. I disconnected it and ran a new metal line to the engine because I couldn't reach the end of it to replace it. I also have some good advice. Ace Hardware sells a good looking fuel line that has a shiny coating covering the neoprene hose. It looks real good but I found out that when gasoline hits it, it turns hard as a rock. You can't get it off or on and you can't get a clamp to tighten because it's so hard. I scrapped 6' of it and it was only a year old.