One of our vans needed a new fuel pipe (rubber) for MOT and we were charged around £60 for it.
This got me thinking, if a rubber fuel pipe needs replacing, would it be ok to replace with a copper pipe? This would be much cheaper as i can make it myself

£60- ouch!!!!

Can't see a problem with replacing with copper!! I certainly don't recall the MOT inspector ever having a look at the fuel lines in my car whenever I've watched them do an MOT!!!

I suppose the only issue really is- is it a good idea? As long as the copper pipe isn't going to subjected to flexing forces that might eventually lead to metal fatigue and rupture (which obviously would be quite bad) there wouldn't be a problem...

Why not, as long as the flexible parts are made from rubber and it is mounted properly.
I'm not from UK, so no responsibility taken for this answer

how long is the rubber part?

Not sure but it was toward the rear (havnt actually looked)

halfords do rubber fuel hose kit thinks, with 1m or hose and clips. if its at the back, it sounds like it might be from the tank to the metal fuel line, which will need to be rubber. i doubt it would be more than a meter.

I'd stick with using rubber hose i think.

sometimes the charge is down to labour, my mum had a peugeot 306, had some fuel tank leak, and they had to take most of the rear end apart to get to it

Few years back we had a guy who brewed fuel for a living.

He suggested copper wasn't a good idea (and never used on tintops) because it reacts with something in unleaded fuel and over time will block injectors.

Having said that I don't think most kits do enough miles for it to be a real problem (and wouldn't ever be an issue with carbs).

http://www.locostbuilders.co.uk/viewthread.php?tid=44395

Then a fuel system designer friend of MikeR did the 'all ending in a ball of flames' thing about doing any of it yourself

[Edited on 6/6/09 by iank]

quote:

---

Originally posted by blakep82
sometimes the charge is down to labour,

---