vauxhallviva.com

There is a warning in this weeks CCW that you should check any flexible petrol hoses as they are potentially likely to rot due to the ethanol content in modern petrol. There is a picture if a burnt out Herald - the fire suspected to have started as a result of a failed petrol pipe
The following flexible pipe type can be used to replace existing old pipe
https://www.carbuildersolutions.com/uk/ ... se-8mm-516
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/100-BIO-Fuel ... 0195833837

Something i come across quite alot is the rubber fuel pipe imploding as a result of ethanol, externally you cannot tell, so if your car is lacking in power or running rough i would change the fuel pipes to eliminate the possibility.

I bought some new at Tatton recently, so I could swap the pipe and clips on mine. It's showing no signs of trouble, but it's been there a while and for the money, it will get swapped.

Bought a new lawn mower and was told that the guarantee would be void if I did not use a Ethanol Stabiliser, mixed in the petrol. This stuff is supposed to protect plastic & rubber items in the fuel system. I use "stabil" additive in the lawn mower now - suitable for all petrol vehicles. Ethanol in petrol also has another horrible effect, it makes the petrol Hygrosopic, - that means that water is absorbed in the petrol from the atmosphere mixing with the fuel which is then corrosive to internal metal parts of the engine. And if the car is left unused for a period, the water in the petrol seperates out and forms a layer of water on the bottom of the fuel tank. The molecules in the ethanol additives attach themselves to the water molecules in the fuel which burn off as steam harmlessly.

there is another additive called Ethenolmate - https://www.flexolite.co.uk/item.asp?iID=130 - which is supposed to tackle the moisture problem - I did do a deal with them for 12 bottles which allowed the club to sell on at a discount price - didn't go too fast and am now out. Can do another batch if enough interest. The problem is at its worst when you lay up for the winter.

When it comes to normal fuelhose I think the major issue is all that *Bleep* cheapo hose most have and sell. If you buy Gates or similar you seldom have any problems even if it is not 100% safe for all fuels.

I agree Stefan, there is a lot of rubbish being sold as being OEM quality which it certainly isn't. Here in the UK we used have the old British Standards which were the absolute minimum standard that could be sold, now we have the EN (European standards) which nobody seems to check if anything imported from outside the EU complies with.

StefanM wrote:When it comes to normal fuelhose I think the major issue is all that *Bleep* cheapo hose most have and sell. If you buy Gates or similar you seldom have any problems even if it is not 100% safe for all fuels.

agreed though it continues to astonish me how many people are driving around cars with 50 year old fuel line and brake hose.