Fuel Line Problems - A Warning for You!

I have a 1988 RRC Vogue SE 3.5 EFI and have been having a few minor niggles with the electrics (ignition warning light not coming on) and also when hot the tickover speed has been erratic and stalling. I have been doing short runs of say 4 miles to get it hot to test the tickover and on one of these runs the fuel gauge went from just under half full down to nearly empty and the fuel warning light came on. It didn’t seem to be consistent though and the gauge seemed to recover for a bit then stayed low.

So, coupled with the ignition warning light issue my thoughts were with electrics and I spent an hour or so with the rear n/s wheel off to get to the sender unit in the side of the tank. It all seemed to check out ok, so I was puzzled.

I then moved the car back to its usual corner in the drive, and in doing so I noticed something dripping under the back. Water from the puddles I had driven through, I thought. But it seemed to be coming too fast. Eventually I twigged it was petrol!

Whipped the back wheel off (other side from sender unit) and I saw the chassis rail was wet. As you can see the pipes are well hidden above the chassis rail and behind the spring mount. Obviously there was a leak somewhere.

Got some new plastic pipe to splice in and whipped out the old pipes, between the arrows in the previous pic. One of them (the supply pipe) just snapped while I was trying to clean the muck off it.

So I spliced in the new sections of pipe and all seems well.

£8.60 for pipe and clips and about £40 for lost petrol, which must have all pi**ed out in the space of a couple of miles or so! :doh:

Still it could have been worse - I found the problem at home and I wasn’t out off-roading, otherwise it would have been a recovery job.

The moral of the story is that all you RRC owners need to check the condition of your pipes, especially the hidden bit at the back.

I hope this helps someone!

Pete

do you not think it would be better if you renewed all of the fuel pipe, not just the bit that broke. plus you have got ****part shockers on it as well.:doh:

gemsdad said:

do you not think it would be better if you renewed all of the fuel pipe, not just the bit that broke. plus you have got ****part shockers on it as well.:doh:

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Firstly - congratulations on reaching 12,000 posts!!! :cheer2:

I could have done the whole lot, but the rest of the pipes was in good condition and clean so I didn't feel that it was warranted especially as metal pipe seems to be relatively hard to come by.

As regards the shockers I can only plead ignorance at the time of that purchase - I am now a much wiser man.


Pete

Pete The Biker said:

Firstly - congratulations on reaching 12,000 posts!!! :cheer2:

I could have done the whole lot, but the rest of the pipes was in good condition and clean so I didn't feel that it was warranted especially as metal pipe seems to be relatively hard to come by.

As regards the shockers I can only plead ignorance at the time of that purchase - I am now a much wiser man.


Pete

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thanks,i never noticed that,you are now forgiven for your unforseen error.

Pete The Biker said:

I have a 1988 RRC Vogue SE 3.5 EFI and have been having a few minor niggles with the electrics (ignition warning light not coming on) and also when hot the tickover speed has been erratic and stalling. I have been doing short runs of say 4 miles to get it hot to test the tickover and on one of these runs the fuel gauge went from just under half full down to nearly empty and the fuel warning light came on. It didn’t seem to be consistent though and the gauge seemed to recover for a bit then stayed low.

So, coupled with the ignition warning light issue my thoughts were with electrics and I spent an hour or so with the rear n/s wheel off to get to the sender unit in the side of the tank. It all seemed to check out ok, so I was puzzled.

I then moved the car back to its usual corner in the drive, and in doing so I noticed something dripping under the back. Water from the puddles I had driven through, I thought. But it seemed to be coming too fast. Eventually I twigged it was petrol!

Whipped the back wheel off (other side from sender unit) and I saw the chassis rail was wet. As you can see the pipes are well hidden above the chassis rail and behind the spring mount. Obviously there was a leak somewhere.

Got some new plastic pipe to splice in and whipped out the old pipes, between the arrows in the previous pic. One of them (the supply pipe) just snapped while I was trying to clean the muck off it.

So I spliced in the new sections of pipe and all seems well.

£8.60 for pipe and clips and about £40 for lost petrol, which must have all pi**ed out in the space of a couple of miles or so! :doh:

Still it could have been worse - I found the problem at home and I wasn’t out off-roading, otherwise it would have been a recovery job.

The moral of the story is that all you RRC owners need to check the condition of your pipes, especially the hidden bit at the back.

I hope this helps someone!

Pete

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Bet they were fine three months ago. Or at least they would have been in certain parts of Scotland.