Saab B205 fuel issue/ Can you sleeve fuel injection line?

[adam73bgt]

Hi can anyone help me identify whats gone wrong on my Saab 9-3?

Basically, I went to start it this morning and theres fuel curse word out over the engine and on the floor, I've found this hose which has pooped out of its connection which seems to be the obvious culprit





Sorry for rubbish photos..


Is this a fuel return line or is it a feed for one of the injectors? Also is the cable tie arrangement here factory? or is this a bodge thats gone wrong?

Any help is greatly welcomed

[shin2chin]

Looks like the hose has been sleeved with larger bore pipe rather than replaced.

[adam73bgt]

Jan 23, 2015 11:43:18 GMT shin2chin said:

Looks like the hose has been sleeved with larger bore pipe rather than replaced.

Mmm it does look that way, especially from how the rubber hose end looks almost 'torn off'...

The car had a second hand engine fitted last year so I suppose it could have been a shortcut to get around getting new fuel hoses..

Have taken another couple of photos



Looks as though a similar thing has been done on the feed line to the injector rail but it looks almost factory?



Not sure about all the cable ties though :/

[belmontdazz]

Cable ties ain't factory on a saab! They will have sleeved them because if the clips are anything like b204 ones then it's impossible to take them off with out cutting them off.

[adam73bgt]

Yeah, the more I think about it the more bodged it seems!

The question now is, is sleeving them (but using proper jubilee clips or whatever) a suitable method of repair?

[shin2chin]

Fuel injection runs too high a pressure to do that, it would be best to replace the line.

[swampy76]

Yeah ideally you want to source new ( used ) shaped lines and use good quality jubilee clips on the replacement unless you can get the proper clips and access to the correct tool for fitting them

[slater]

It looks like rubber outer round a solid plastic inner??

New would be best but if you wanted to i think you could try stripping more of the outer back and fitting a new lengthof hose in there and most importantly use proper clips not cable ties! If yo over lap the tubes enough and tie them down well its hard for it to come apart.

Must say it all looks a right bodge so you could definatly improve the bodge!!

[bortaf]

I would get some propper fuel injection rubber hose (it will be rated about 140 PSI or so) and use H/D jubalee clips on it, i ran an EFi pinto like this for 4 years with no problem IE shaped plastic pipes joined by the rubber sections where it was shaped wrong on the feed and return lines.
TBH i can beleive just cable ties have held up so long, another reason to carry them in the glovebox

[adam73bgt]

Aye you've all confirmed what I was thinking really, if it was a carb engine then I'd be thinking its not ideal but for a high pressure injection system I'm thinking its not a great idea at all..

I'm bloody lucky it didn't come apart while I was driving around with the engine warm

Ironically I'd been planning to go look at a Saab 9-3 in a scrapyard tomorrow morning so I'll see what I can salvage from that

[ChasR]

On Porsche 944s some parts of the fuel line (mainly near the rear of the car) can perish with sleeving with a larger pipe and jubilees being seen as a bodge (for similar reasons for what has happened with you). However, some have recommended flaring the metal pipe and putting on connections on the rubber pipe so as to result in a stronger connection (I'll see if I can dig up more information there).

If you have the proper tool for the Saab clips (if they are the clips that I believe them to be) the clips are not too tricky to remove and put back on. Halfords sell such a tool for the job.

[adam73bgt]

Jan 24, 2015 10:28:39 GMT ChasR said:

On Porsche 944s some parts of the fuel line (mainly near the rear of the car) can perish with sleeving with a larger pipe and jubilees being seen as a bodge (for similar reasons for what has happened with you). However, some have recommended flaring the metal pipe and putting on connections on the rubber pipe so as to result in a stronger connection (I'll see if I can dig up more information there).

If you have the proper tool for the Saab clips (if they are the clips that I believe them to be) the clips are not too tricky to remove and put back on. Halfords sell such a tool for the job.

Yeah I had a poke round a similar Saab in a scrapyard this morning, I can see why it was bodged as the fuel lines are easily damaged if you don't have the right tool. Since the lines on mine have been cut, I'd have to go back down the firewall somewhere to replace the lines I think so ultimately I'm gonna get it in a garage to have new proper lines fitted

I need the car back on the road fairly quickly and its a safety thing, so I feel I'm outside of what I can do from a diy perspective here