Grey Fuel Line Replacement

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P. Ashton

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So from everything I have heard and read from this site and others. The grey fuel lines need to be replaced with others. Can even use Napa fuel line hoses. I have a 96 GTX and have had two techs look at it in the past few weeks and both are very skeptical about having to replace the fuel lines at all. If they are to be replaced they are telling me that I would need to use Marine grade hose? Would really appreciate some direction and reasoning behind it. :boxing_smiley:
 
They suck

If you pull those gray lines off you will see what everybody is talking about. The inside of those lines decompose and turn into a greenish blue nasty sludge which will clogg everything. Moderator JPX has some pictures of this.
Best lines to use are fuel injection rated lines. Napa was the highest in price when I was buying, they were like $6.50/ ft. Autozone had them for $3/ft, that's where I bought mine. Gotta get new stainless steel clamps too.:cheers:
 
I just replaced my fuel lines last week with the reg. black automotive fuel lines from NAPA cost about $1.50 / FT and they work just fine my xp runs alot better
 
i used the regular hose as well when i replaced mine and have had no problems so far after running about 40 gallons of gas through it. just fyi.
 
The truly correct hose to replace the grey fuel hoses with is....well, NEW grey fuel hose made by the original manufacturer Tempo.

But we saw how that turned out a few years later, right?:ack:


I used NAPA's basic fuel hose. I suppose Marine grade fuel injection hose would be considered top of the line. But I have since lowered my standards quite a bit resulting in a more frugal decision to go with the regular non-FI hose.

You can always put the baddest of the baddest hose in there. But I think it is overkill. Only you and your own wallet can make that decision.
 
I used regular 1/4 in fuel line from the local auto parts store and it works great. Pretty easy to do too. I would clean out the fuel selector switch and the filters inside of the carbs too.
 
I used 1/4" black EFI hose from NAPA. It was $1/foot. So far it has worked perfectly. I did a lot of looking around on this subject a month or so ago and didn't find anyone who was adamant that you have to use Marine hose.
 
If you don't replace the gray hose

Then you will be infusing your fuel system with a form of vinyl glue, and your troubles will never cease.

There is no point to such a self destructive activity, unless you prefer working on it, to riding it!

Nate
 
Just another opinion

Don’t discount the safety factor. The manufactures’ of PWCs don’t use USCG rated A1 fuel lines because they “just want to”. It adds cost to their bottom line. They use it because it is a federal standard (i.e. law, 33 CFR sect 183.540). I understand that a lot of people have had issues with OEM fuel lines. I’m sure that most of those lines were manufactured prior to introduction of 10% Ethanol. I recently saw a TV (Ship Shape) show that is dedicated to boat maintenance. Fuel lines were a topic. They had mentioned that the A1 fuel line actually had a fire rating. I’m not an expert on the subject and I realize that PWC’s are exempt from some USCG requirements but I would never advise someone to deviate from OEM requirements. Chances are there will never be an issue using fuel line designed for a car or lawn mower. However, I would hate to be floating in the water watching my PWC burn to the water line because I decided to use something in a manner that it wasn’t designed to do just to save a couple of bucks……..
 
all lines

i used about 20 feet on mine and had some to spare but this was on a 97 gts though.

As I look at the lines in my seadoo it seems that some of the grey lines seem to be air lines, though I may be wrong. Do I need to replace all the lines in my seadoo, or just the fuel lines?:confused:

If so, will the 20 feet of lines cover it all?
 
I just replaced mine on my '94 GTX. Bought 18' and had about 6" left over. I replaced all the vents and everything that was "grey". I used Autozone "not" FI rated 1/4" line that cost about $1.30/foot. I had the fuel tank and engine out for a rebuild so the job was easy. I suspect it is more difficult when both are installed.
 
Bought way to much hose - a 25ft reel from NAPA. I changed the vent lines as well.

To answer the previous question, the vent tubes don't really need to be replaced because of the deterioration. But I wanted a complete look and also to keep smart-aleck members from mentioning there were still grey hoses in my Seadoo every time I posted a pic!:D

As far as the fire rating and such......you are absolutely right. USCG and various other sources most likely require manufacturers to use the marine grade gear. If I were renting my craft out or ran a shop, then this would be of utmost importance to me to maintain compliance and reduce liability.

But this is no different than running speaker wiring for power on a car stereo amp - not correct, possible fire hazard, ghetto - but, hey it works. As long as Ford and Toyota aren't doing that crap when you buy the car from them, you can do whatever you want to your vehicle and still "get by".

Based on all the things I dealt with on the water, fire is the more spectacular - but flooding and sinking my boat is a far more likely problem that I worry about when assessing risk.

So don't take this as an endorsement of doing unsafe, illegal repairs to PWCs or boats. We're just suggesting that alternatives exist with "varying degrees of compliance."
 
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