Replacing the accumulator return fuel line

[airfireman1]

Can you replace the accumulator fuel line (the one that is on the back side , non pressure end) without having to take the console out to get to the inspection plate.
The outer cover has perished and it will not clamp down tight enough and is leaking.
I don't want to take the console out if I don't have to but there is little or no room to get a hose and clamp fitted up in that small space. I would like to change out both flexible hoses as they are the original and the outer covering has deteriorated, if I can get the leaking one done at least that would be a start.
I don't have the time at the moment to have the car off the road with the 21st just a day away.

[dn010]

You can only disconnect the metal lines from the top, anything else needs to be done underneath. Be very careful driving around with a fuel leak...

[axh174]

I'm not sure I entirely understand what the situation is. Are you wondering if the flexible line coming off the back end of the fuel accumulator (the side that just has one connection) and that runs to the hardline to the tank can be replaced without taking the center console out? Or are you referring to the hardline itself?

If you're referring to the hose line coming of the back, I'd say the answer is yes it can be replaced, provided the leak you are experiencing is coming from a break in the old, original fuel lines because of their deterioration and not because the metal end where it connects to the hardline has failed. The old, original lines have barbed fittings on the ends where they connect to the hardlines and high pressure side of the fuel accumulator. Generally you take a razor blade, gently slit the old line down the length of the metal barb and pull the old line off. A new, modern rubber fuel injection line can then be slipped on with a clamp and tightened down over the barb (Houston even sells a kit).

Now as to whether you can do this without dropping the fuel accumulator, that's up to how small your hands are and how well you can twist and contort. I did this job two weekends ago and I can tell you it is certainly a lot easier with the accumulator out of the way. But I also felt it would not be impossible if I had one of those small enough ratcheting wrenches to work on the fuel clamps (as it was, I was using a ratchet with 6mm socket). I'll try posting a pic later today of what the final set up looked like.

My suggestion would be to see how comfortable you feel working "by feel" in the alcove from underneath the car before considering removing the lines.

Hope that helps? (or did I completely miss the mark?)

[DMCMW Dave]

You don't need to take anything metal apart. Don't even try, you'll just kink the metal lines.

Replace the hose by removing the old one and using hose clamps on the new one.

[airfireman1]

Yes thank you for the replays, it is the flexible lines that I want to replace. All the exterior covering on the old lines has fallen off and the lines are brittle and will not re- seal.

[axh174]

Here are a couple of pics of the work I did a couple weekends ago. The first is before I replaced the fuel lines and fuel accumulator. I imagine this is what yours look like at the moment:

37408

The line on the left side of the image runs up to a hardline in the frame and returns to the fuel tank. The end that connects to the accumulator is held on with just a simple clamp. However, the other end is pressed onto a barbed fitting that is tightly screwed onto the hardline. Using a razor blade or similar sharp tool, you can gently cut into the cloth wrapping and through the plastic core to free it from the barbed fitting.

As an example of what the barbed fitting looks like, here is my new accumulator sporting the freed barb from the high pressure side:

37409

You can see on the upper left side of the accumulator in the above image that once you cut away the old fuel line, there's a nice barbed fitting to slide a new rubber hose onto.

After installing my new fuel accumulator and lines, the result was this:

37410

If you look carefully enough at the replaced line on the left hand side of the accumulator (the low pressure side) you can see that the clamps can be reached for additional tightening if needed. The clamp on the accumulator itself can be tightened via a long 1/4" extension and socket. The clamp on the hardline can be reached (with a bit of difficulty) with a small 1/4" ratchet and socket. Once the fuel accumulator was installed, I'd get maybe 2-3 clicks out of the ratchet before I'd run out of space while tightening, so it was a slow process. I figure if a small enough ratcheting wrench existed, it'd make things a lot easier.

All things considered, I do believe there is enough room in there to replace the return line without having to removing the fuel accumulator. Just make sure to bring a couple of zip-ties to hold the line away from the linkage!

The low pressure side line can be found at DMCH, part number 106997 (http://store.delorean.com/p-6545-flexible-fuel-hose.aspx)
The high pressure side line can also be found at DMCH, part number 106579 (http://store.delorean.com/p-6512-hose-fuel-rtn-feed.aspx)

Any rubber fuel hose rated for the high pressures of fuel injection will work provided you've got the right size. For specifics on sizes, see this post (http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?9058-Replacing-fuel-accumulator-hoses&p=133313&viewfull=1#post133313) from a related thread. As for length, I seem to recall the tank line being about 8", but you can either measure your old one or get a longer new one and cut it to fit.

Also, you'll need a couple of fuel line clamps (Please note I did not use fuel line clamps here because I did not have any on hand. The ones in the pictures were the ones that came with my kit, but they will be replaced in the near future with proper clamps).

Hope that helps! Let us know what you decide.

[axh174]

without having to take the console out to get to the inspection plate.

I actually had no idea this existed, and I've had my console out on a couple of occasions. Does anyone have a pic (to satisfy my curiosity)?

[airfireman1]

Those pictures are great. Thank you thats just like mine in the first picture. Put the car on a mates hoist today and checked the lines for leaks again, only a very very small weep from the right angled union so I may pull it all out an replace the fuel lines and put a small amount of pipe sealant on the union as I can't get it any tighter.
The main problem seemed to be in the fuel pump area as fuel was leaking up past the rubber boot and had filled the area with fuel. I have removed the pump and re tightened the hose clamp that goes around the boot to secure the pump.I have also rechecked all the hoses there and my only thought was that fuel was coming up through the return line where it goes through the hole in the boot, I think I will fit a small hose clamp on it to seal it off properly.
Thank you again for all the great information. I don't have anyone locally to source information as I live in Perth in Western Australia and as far as I know there are only 3 Deloreans over in this part of the world.

[axh174]

I had a small leak on the right-angled union where the hardline connects to it (hopefully yours is instead leaking at the accumulator end). I had to use some pipe thread tape to get it to stop. If you plan on removing all the lines and accumulator, stubby 17mm and 19mm wrenches can be your friend. There's not a whole lot of room in there once you start putting tools in, and the stubby wrenches will give you a little more space to work with.


(**Incoming Wall of Text**)

It's recommended you start with where the right-angled union connects to the fuel accumulator. This is because the fuel accumulator itself will provide enough resistance to allow you to loosen the connections (the accumulator is tightly clamped to the frame by the metal bracket and 4 bolts seen in the previous pictures). However, if your car is like mine, the right-angled union connections are super-tight/seized. So you may have to get creative to loosen them.

As I tried to loosen the union where it connects to the accumulator, the accumulator started to twist in its bracket, reducing my leverage. I took a socket from my ratchet set (I think it was 10mm, although it doesn't really matter), stood it on end, and jammed it between the back side of the right-angled union and the top of my frame. My socket was just tall enough to get it snugly in between the two. With the socket crammed between the union and the frame, the accumulator would no longer spin and I could loosen the union connection on the accumulator. (Another trick would be to try putting a smaller wrench on the base of the other fuel fuel line that connects to the accumulator right next to the union, and brace the other end of the wrench against the frame. This would provide a counter-torque and prevent your accumulator from spinning).

As for where the right-angled union connects to the hardline, that was fairly easy to loosen for me (thankfully). I couldn't for the life of me get the hardline to separate from the union, but at least now I could put pipe thread tape on it. When re-tightening the hardline connection at the union, I first connected the union to the accumulator and then put the 10mm socket back in between the union and the frame. I could then safely wrench on the hardline connection without bending anything.

Regarding the fuel leak in the fuel pump/boot area, yeah you shouldn't be having any leaking there. Double check that both of the fuel lines there are properly clamped to the metal barbs on the return line and the fuel pump itself and where they come out from under the fiberglass body. I'm assuming these are not the original decaying lines. If they are, you might as well replace them while you are working on the accumulator. Again, measure proper length, use a razor blade/sharp knife to slit the old hoses and pull them off the barbs. Then slide new rubber hoses and fuel clamps on. These lines should be the same size as the high pressure side of the fuel accumulator. So... 5/16" I think?

Good luck!

P.S. Good write up here (jason.kitcarmagazine) (http://jason.kitcarmagazine.com/delorean/fuelaccum.htm) describing fuel accumulator removal.

[dn010]

I actually had no idea this existed, and I've had my console out on a couple of occasions. Does anyone have a pic (to satisfy my curiosity)?

Here is a picture of it from below:

37417

[dn010]

As I tried to loosen the union where it connects to the accumulator, the accumulator started to twist in its bracket, reducing my leverage.

We are getting away from the flexible fuel line issue at hand, there should be no reason to remove the hard lines in this particular case but: There is a reason the accumulator side has hex right before the connection. In order to do it right you hang your flare nut wrench on the fuel line connection and then an open end wrench on the accumulator side. Make sure they nut wrench has room to travel before coming parallel with the open end wrench - then you squeeze the two wrenches in order to loosen the nut on the fuel line.

[SS Spoiler]

What was the reason for the factory hard lines? It would seem easier
To just run flexible from tank to accumulator to fuel distributor. Also
eliminate a lot of potential joint leaks.....jus wondering

[dn010]

Almost all cars use metal lines going from the tank to engine - there may even be laws regarding the use or restricting length of hose other than metal. Metal tube may eventually rust but it will not crack, breakdown or wear out especially being vibrated and subjected to constant high psi. Not only that, metal tube is smaller circumference so it is easy to route, you can easily bend a 90 degree angle without worrying about kinking, etc. Imagine a factory worker trying to lay flexible hose quickly on a frame as opposed to just clipping the metal line down in place. If something is leaking with the metal lines it is because someone messed with them and didn't reinstall them properly.

I'd rather put my money on metal/metal connections then plastic hose or worse yet rubber hoses with hose clamps - 99% of the time which people use the wrong clamps to begin with on fuel hose which may cause punctures and eventually leaks...


What was the reason for the factory hard lines? It would seem easier
To just run flexible from tank to accumulator to fuel distributor. Also
eliminate a lot of potential joint leaks.....jus wondering

[axh174]

hang your flare nut wrench on the fuel line connection and then an open end wrench on the accumulator side. Make sure they nut wrench has room to travel before coming parallel with the open end wrench - then you squeeze the two wrenches in order to loosen the nut on the fuel line.

Yes, this is the right way to go about it. But it actually didn't work for me; my lines were far too stubborn/seized (both flex and hard line). Then again, I'll admit I don't exactly have the strongest grip.

Anywho, airfireman1 mentioned having a small weep from the right-angled union and that he might just pull everything out. That's why I brought up disconnecting it.

Thanks for the access port pic!