Technical Is vintique quality slipping?

We were having fuel gauge issues and finally tracked it down to the sender in our 32 3W so had to pull the tank to get at the sender and found the little star washer on the end of the float arm had slid off and the float was free to well float. Anyway the pic is of the cap vintique supply to block the return line. 97 strombergs dont need this. Probably 5 yrs and 9000 miles and its junk yeah there is no fuel there but still.

 

Yeah , all the China crap , its cheap it doesn't last...

 

What is it made of ?
A lot of rubber and plastic products don’t like the fuel we have here.
Has it possibly just perished from the fuel ?

 

The crap from China has been going downhill ever since they layed off the whole 2nd grade.

 

Vintique stuff has always been junk, IMO. I refuse to use it.

 

I've tried finding rubber 'caps' like shown that tolerate fuel exposure and there just doesn't seem to be any out there from any source. Your best bet may be a short piece of fuel line with a metal plug, or solder it closed.

 

It's easy to cast doubt but if you think about it the damn ethanol in our gas is to blame,none of the rubber gas line hoses or rubber parts will hold up for a prolonged period of time with the alcohol in our fuel.

I have changed all my lines to the lines that are manufactured for cars & trucks that run Diesel fuel,they are resistant to the ethanol. HRP

 

I bought a Pkg. of Chinese Rubber Caps to Block the heater hose outlet on the Ford 302 waterpump , they suffer the same way with water / anti-freeze as with the Ethanol Fuel , crap crumbles and cracks in about a years time, Most Auto Parts Stores only have that junk on the shelves

 

I've seen the rubber boots on new tie rod ends split and crack on project before they even hit the road. Manufacturing source as above.

Their 'rubber' must be the same as their 'metal.'

 

Ethanol dissolves rubber from the inside out. HRP

 

This fitting is out of sunlight and is a cap for a non used fuel return line . I suppose when the tank is right full a little fuel could slosh up the return line. But this is cracked from the outside.
I know exactly what HRP is referring to ,we have triple carbs on a Y block that has been sitting out of the car for maybe 5 yrs the rubber ?? Lines are dangerous now hard and brittle.
HRP is there a specific brand of Diesil fuel line that you use?

 

If you want good fuel line get some Gates Greenshield.
https://www.gates.com/fluid-power/engine-hose/fuel-line-hose/c/201

 

I get the hose at NAPA,it's composition is Nitrile Tube,For Use With Leaded and Unleaded Gasoline, Ethanol and Methanol Based Gasohol and Diesel Fuel.

It's about 35 dollars for a 20 foot roll. HRP

 

Product name or manufacturer name or part number Danny?

 

With high volatility chemicals even the vapors are very destructive....

Ray

 

"Long Life"be buggered. Replaced fuel lines while tank was out.

 

Unfortunately we dont have a napa down under. The local parts house has gates fuel line.

 

I have given up on parts store caps, and now I collect them from the junkyard. 20+ year old stock pieces are much better than the parts store pieces, sadly.

I see that some vendors are selling Hypalon caps, maybe they are better. I have successfully used hypalon rubber cloth to make fuel pump and accelerator pump diaphragms.

 

it's american companies, brand names, and importers that are the problem. those are the businesses spec'ing crap parts to sell with a brand name on it. once-good brands like Fram are the problem, importing low grade failure-prone crap and relying on past reputation to sell it. "china" can make good stuff, but quality parts requires the feedback-loop of quality control, fix design flaws, pay more for better materials, etc. cutting corners to make a buck is the problem. good stuff costs more no matter who makes it.

 

Didn't Randy's Roadster fire start because of a rotted gas line? I think about him and his Roadster every time this topic comes up. Bob

 

The frustrating part of this is that caps made of really good rubber might have what... an extra five cents worth of material?
So just sell the durned things for fifty cents more. I would be happier to pay $5.50 for a handful of best quality caps than $5 for poor quality ones that last a fraction as long.

But we usually have no way of knowing what quality we're buying. Even if one could find "the good ones" today, next year the same package may well have crap in it.

 

damn. yeah, fuel (and other) hoses are a particular form of hell these days. i try to buy good ones. i'm buying "ordinary" stuff from Summit more and more, cuz there's fewer parts stores these days. local NAPA closed a year ago.

 

In in a large urban area there is probably a firm that deals in all types of rubber parts for industrial applications. The one near me, I’ve forgotten the name at the moment but it will come to me around 3:00am PST, always has what I need. When I ask for two or three they insist on giving them to me and I insist on adding to their beer fund. Nitrile, viton, etc. all available. Now if you are at someplace like Dogpound, Alberta you may be in for a bit of a drive!

 

Is that because the fuel is inside before it gets outside LOL?


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I have solved the problem, at least to my liking: I buy ethanol free gasoline. It costs about .40 a gallon more around here and it is available a lot of places. Yes, it is more expensive but changing out gas lines is a ton of work. It solves the problem for winter storage, too.

Now if I had a BBC in a daily driver it might be different but I don't. Putting the arithmetic to it: 5,000 total miles a year on three hobby cars (5000 / 15 mpg x .40 = $133) per year extra for ethanol-free gasoline. I don't have a lift and changing gas lines troublesome for a person with titanium knees.

And the worry about leaking fuel lines because of ethanol is gone. See: https://www.pure-gas.org/ for more info.

I use it in lawn mowers, and other lawn stuff as well as my tractor.

 

I've had wiper blades fail in less than a year on a few vehicles. just crappy rubber these days I guess.

 

I totally agree. My neck of the woods the non-cornoil is 93 octane and .30-.40 cents a gallon more also. I couldn't believe how much better the Rod fan and gas mileage shot up too.


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The return line rubber cap degraded on my Vintique Tank sender in a couple of years-no fuel in the vicinity-ever...

 

Doesn't have to be exposed to fuel at all, the rubber quality is garbage currently. Ive had suspension bushings, tires, vaccum caps all go bad in short order recently.

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most of my driving is long distance road trips, mostly southwest desert. i have to buy, and run well, with whatever crap gas i can find. (literally yesterday, the drive from Ely NV to Tonopah NV, 150 miles with no gas stations, fill up at each end.) home (los angeles) i tune and drive for the cheapest possible (CA spec fuel isn't bad) then on the road buy middle-grade. i keep spark set back 2 degrees more than i'd like but it means i never have ping problems.

i replace fuel line every couple years, without even checking it. i have a pusher electric pump back by the tank with a cheap canister filter, when i change that filter, i change those hoses. same under the hood.

i'm using fuel line for emissions/vacuum hose (PCV and vacuum wipers). it's just easier to have only one type in my shop.

i'm with Lone Star Mopar. all "rubber" products today suck. it's not even a money thing. if anyone can point me at a good brand i'd appreciate it.