How to remove fuel line from barbed connection?

[Wisakedjack]

Hi, guys! This may sound like a silly question, but I am still learning my new/old Atomic 4 engine. When I serviced carburetor last fall I needed to remove fuel lines from the barbed connectors. The only way I could do it was by cutting fuel lines from the connectors. I am curious whether there is a better way to remove fuel lines, so they can be refitted again? Do you just yank them out or do you some special tool? Any advise would be greatly appreciated.

[Al Schober]

I think your problem is not unusual. I have also noticed that the rubber hoses tend to bond to the brass nipples. Best way to crack them loose is to grab the hose with a pair of pliers an see if you can get it to rotate on the fitting, then try to horse it off.
When I have managed to get the hose loose, I've noticed that the brass nipple is discolored - some sort of chemical reaction between the rubber and the brass? I've use other nipples that don't seem to have the problem - as I recall, they were steel and had one rounded lump rather than the multiple sharp lumps of the brass fittings.
Neat topic for a thread - maybe we'll all learn something.

[roadnsky]

I have a small flat blade screw driver that I've bent the end at 90°
Slide that end under the hose and "work" it around while pulling the hose.
The blade will break the suction and also help the hose as it works over the individual barbs until releasing.

It's still a bit of voodoo science but I find it easier than just yanking and tugging.

Also, I have a rule that no more than 2 pulls off the barb before just replacing the hose.
As has been mentioned many times, the act of pulling the hose off of the barb releases tiny bits of hose that like to go nest in the carb waiting for you to be on a lee shore approach in 30+ knots of wind before clogging an artery!

[joe_db]

I use the Moyer polishing filter as my disconnect point. It does not have a sharp barb that bonds to the hose AND it catches any debris from hose removal. Ripping hoses off a barb does produce little bits of rubber.

[Wisakedjack]

Thank you for your replies. Always good to have a sanity check

[JOHN COOKSON]

Has anyone ever tried putting grease on the barb for the fuel line? I thought about it but chickened out because I didn't know what the grease might do to the rubber. Grease might keep the rubber from sticking to the barb.

TRUE GRIT

[BadaBing]

Somewhere in the dark recesses of my memory I think that grease, most patrolium greese, will also work towards the same bonding. It does on a fuel filter rubber gasket. Wonderine abour a small dab of PTFE thread sealer or a very small dab of never seize. very small to avoid a mess.

I started some.ye a rs ago to start off with a new hose that is somewhat longer than needed. When I need to remove the hose I simply cut it of , by slitting or snipping, than reconnect the now slightly shortened hose. Hose is inexpensive and giving up a half to one inch every year or so is no big loss.

[ndutton]

Something we did regularly at the factories back in the day - and I don't know why it fell out of favor, perhaps its modest cost - was flare fittings when a fuel related hose connection was expected to be removable. In this discussion a male pipe to male flare adapter is installed in the carburetor and a female flare to hose adapter is installed in the hose. The connection is made wrench tight without sealant of any kind. Once done you'll never be messing with hose barbs again.

The male pipe to flare adapter also comes in elbow form for tight quarters.

[joe_db]

Are these safe for marine fuel use? What keeps them from backing off?
I had some aeroquip style braided fuel lines for awhile, but switched back to standard marine hose after realizing they were no where near as fireproof as marine fuel hose absent the fire sleeves.

Something we did regularly at the factories back in the day - and I don't know why it fell out of favor, perhaps its modest cost - was flare fittings when a fuel related hose connection was expected to be removable. In this discussion a male pipe to male flare adapter is installed in the carburetor and a female flare to hose adapter is installed in the hose. The connection is made wrench tight without sealant of any kind. Once done you'll never be messing with hose barbs again.

The male pipe to flare adapter also comes in elbow form for tight quarters.

[ndutton]

Are these safe for marine fuel use? What keeps them from backing off?

Yep, fuel safe. If the backing off question is about the mechanical flare connection, being wrench tight addresses it. It's as secure as your engine mounts or coupling bolts. If the question is abut the hose connection, although it's technically a push-on we always added a hose clamp.

[edwardc]

Hi, guys! This may sound like a silly question, but I am still learning my new/old Atomic 4 engine. When I serviced carburetor last fall I needed to remove fuel lines from the barbed connectors. The only way I could do it was by cutting fuel lines from the connectors. I am curious whether there is a better way to remove fuel lines, so they can be refitted again? Do you just yank them out or do you some special tool? Any advise would be greatly appreciated.

My tool of choice for removing hoses, large and small, is the heat gun. Moderate warming of the hose end expands and softens it and it comes off easily like magic, without damage to either the hose or barb. Takes a little practice to learn to apply the heat slowly and evenly so as not to bubble the outer shell of the hose.

[Dave Neptune]

Another tac

I always use a razor blade!!! I NEVER re-attach a piece of fuel hose that has been on a fitting on ANY engine. Always have a loop in the feed to the carb for this purpose. Way to often I pull fragments of the hose out of the inside of a carb in various places. These little chunks are also gaps in the piece of hose that was on the fitting creating additional sealing problems.

The grease idea will help only on installation and when it is time to remove it can be a nasty mess itself if it has been there for a while. Don't bother unless it makes installation easier. Any petroleum product is fine for the purpose. Even Permatex will make it slide on easier but then the cleanup for reinstallation is a chore.

It is the clamp on the hose that forces the "barbs to cut into the hose" for a good seal on a smooth surface. IE a surface that has not been chewed up by removal!

Dave Neptune

[Marty Levenson]

start with a longer hose

"I started some.ye a rs ago to start off with a new hose that is somewhat longer than needed. When I need to remove the hose I simply cut it of , by slitting or snipping, than reconnect the now slightly shortened hose. Hose is inexpensive and giving up a half to one inch every year or so is no big loss. "

+1 on that!

[marthur]

I'm with Dave and Bill, usually I start with a little extra lengthand cut it off the barb. However, I have used Edward's heat gun trick with some success on hoses I did not want to cut for some reason. I have tried prying off hoses with tools as described or using pliers and find that I usually butcher them, so that is my last resort.

[romantic comedy]

I cut them off. Also when installing the hose, especially used hose, it is very easy to nick the inside and get a tiny piece of hose free in the line. Of course it goes down stream to the float valve and hold it open.

I have seen this happen many time on motorcycles. The gas tank has a hose hooked to the pet cock and the hose must be taken off each time the tank is removed for any maintenance.