Rubber fuel lines

[n33k0]

I've read dozens of articles and even more forum posts regarding the use of rubber fuel lines. A lot of people say its a bad idea, but there are just as many people who say "I've never had any trouble with them". When I bought my truck it had a rubber line connecting the fuel pump to the carb, and I thought that if I inspected it often I could catch any leaks before it became a serious problem. I had driven the truck like that for close to 1.5 years, checking the fuel line for cracks or leaks often, without any issues.

Yesterday I drove my truck to work and noticed a stronger-than-usual smell of gas. I didn't think much of it at first, maybe I had pumped the accelerator too many times before starting the engine (no choke). I drove the 4 or 5 miles to work, which takes about 20 minutes in morning traffic (plenty of time for the engine to get nice and hot), and parked the truck. Lunch time comes around and I decide to pass by home to check the mail, and I notice the smell of gas again... now I'm starting to worry because I didn't pump the accelerator before starting the engine this time. I decide to keep driving home, which in hindsight was a stupid idea, but I thought "it's only a couple more miles."

When I get home I shut the truck off and open the hood and notice a small fuel leak where the rubber fuel line meets the carb fuel inlet. Keeping the hood open, I decide to turn the engine over and watch the carb to see what happens, I can see into the engine bay through the gap between the open hood and cowl. When I turn the key I see fuel spraying everywhere, soaking the entire passenger side of the engine bay; battery, alternator, A/C and heater hoses, and probably the header too. My jaw dropped, I couldn't believe that I was able to drive anywhere with all that fuel spraying around the engine. I noticed a large pool of gas on the lip of the front crossmember, too. There was an angel up there working overtime making sure I didn't go up in flames that morning.

Needless to say, I haven't driven the truck since then, not until I get a new fuel line installed. I always made an effort to inspect the rubber line often, and the last time I had looked at it was five days ago (also the last time I drove the truck). I suppose the fuel line did work as described on the packaging, there wasn't any deterioration of the rubber due to the gas running through it; but the rubber did fall apart where it connected to the various fittings (fuel pump, fuel filter, carb inlet). It seems like the clamp used to keep the line connected cut into the rubber and over time it wore all the way through. I used a clamp with rolled edges, "designed to prevent sharp metal edges that would cut into rubber lines" according to the manufacturer, but that didn't work out as intended. I'm sure the heat cycles in the engine bay didn't help the rubber, either.

In summary, for those who don't like reading: Rubber fuel line broke, didn't notice and drove the truck, gas everywhere, no fire (extremely lucky), going to plumb a new fuel line that is not rubber.