Metric fuel line repair?

Anyone have any idea of what is the best way to have a pair of metric fuel lines redone. These lines are off my mercedes and one is NLA while the other one is 85$ and there are 2 left in the USA.

I went to the hydraulic repair shop and he recommended a shop to repair the fuel line but I'm getting kind of sick of running around. I've gone to 5-6places so far and while I enjoy checking out different shops my time is better used elsewhere.

Any tips or suggestions. One shop suggested having an AN fitting braised onto the old fitting then just have AN lines made up. I guess plumbing turns out to be half the battle of a car.

Any suggestions are appreciated.

Most hydraulic shops should be able to reuse your ends if it is just the flex line leaking. If not, a good shop should have metric fittings on hand.

I could name you three within 10 miles of my house but I guess you cant have everything in San Fran. We have great hydraulic shops and you have great weather.

Aren't most tractor hydraulics metric now? I'm thinking Kuboto, and didn't CAT switch to metric for the huge foreign market they sell to? I'd give them a try.

That's for a diesel M-B, right? If not, are you feeding a V-12?

I found about a hydraulic shop in San Jose I'll go to. Nobody around here wants to repair anything. Everyone is a replace type of person. I've gone to so fare 2 hydraulic shops, 2 machine fabrication places, 2 auto repair places, and that is it I'm about done. If this is going to be a major pain to hell with it. I have one card up my sleeve in that my Aunt works for SSF, but I don't know if parts karma is on my side.

I'll keep you guys posted but I kind of think adapter to regular fuel lines is a good way to go because if anything craps out I am a catalog away from parts rather than feeling like a smurf in search of parts.

Thanks folks I'll keep you posted.

Are these the ones to the fuel cooler or the ones to the fuel dizzy? If so, there's an aftermarket company called Cohline which may have them. If you have the original M-B P/N, I can see if it's one of the ones they carry, or if you don't have the P/N's get me the build date and VIN and I'll see if I can come up with a part number/availability. Oh, and is it a California emissions car?

Those are likely barbed fittings under the clamps, so good high pressure rubber hose and good clamps will probably do it.

You need to find a better hydraulic hose shop, I sugest looking for a parker store (parker.com). Not all hose shops are the same, parker stores are generaly good and can order any fitting under the sun if they don't stock it. Also the metal tube ends of the hoses in your pics should be reusable if they are not the source of the leak, if they leak where the hose joins the tube that's not a problem.

Also some hose shops will shy away from auto work, so until you get a good relationship going with your hose guy, these hoses are for some odd ball piece of construction machinery or forklift. YMMV.

triumph5 wrote: Aren't most tractor hydraulics metric now? I'm thinking Kuboto, and didn't CAT switch to metric for the huge foreign market they sell to? I'd give them a try.

There are numerous different "metric" fitting types, and quite a few imported hydraulic machines use "american" style fittings (AN, its industrial cousin JIC, SAE, BSP, and face seal), regardless of what market it was designed for. I deal with this stuff every day, and I keep my hose guys number on speed dial, He saves my butt frequently.

My car is a 1978 280slc grey market mercedes, but the lines are the same as a 1978 280se. I think the part numbers are a1164704875(return) and a1164704975(feed). The return line is superseded by 4604700275 which is still available but in very limited quantity. The fuel lines are the feed and return lines from the fuel distributor so good eye Curmudgeon.

The fuel line on my car is actually made by cohline, but I have had a hard time taking it to the next step of finding the replacement part. I was thinking either a VW or Porsche might share the same type of fuel line as they are CIS cars and the early ones will have the same type of fuel distributor.

I went to the Parker store but didn't have the lines with me, I did talk the hydraulic guy though and he said if worse came to worse they could braise a fitting on the old lines. Maybe armed with the actual line he could fab something up.

There is also another hose and fitting place called Earl's I saw when I was down in San Diego but of course I didn't have the fuel lines.

Thanks folks.

I have similar fittigs in my 924, they suck.

Cut the old hose and metal band off, then recycle the fittings with new hose and fresh EFI rated hose or Aeroquip and clamps. Done.

I cranked those #'s through my Cohline supplier, no luck. When I went by app, they show only the feed lines at the pump at the rear of the car. When doing resto's on really old stuff, we have had a local hose place crimp new hose onto old fittings with excellent results.

Turboswede do you have a picture of the finished fuel lines. I knew some car would have similar fittings and I'll be damned if they don't.

I think I might go dremel off the crimp band and see what I have left.

Thanks for the help and suggestions. Thank you for checking the Cohline catalog for me Curmudgeon. All I know is I'm glad I'm houndogging these fuel lines down before they break. I

HappyAndy wrote:

triumph5 wrote: Aren't most tractor hydraulics metric now? I'm thinking Kuboto, and didn't CAT switch to metric for the huge foreign market they sell to? I'd give them a try.

There are numerous different "metric" fitting types, and quite a few imported hydraulic machines use "american" style fittings (AN, its industrial cousin JIC, SAE, BSP, and face seal), regardless of what market it was designed for. I deal with this stuff every day, and I keep my hose guys number on speed dial, He saves my butt frequently.

And again, I learned more usable stuff from this forum. Thanks. You'd think there'd be a meeting of the minds on these--unless there's a mechanical/pressure reason for the various types.

Ok I dremeled off the fittings and to my surprise the fittings are barbed. I just went a picked up some fuel line and I have clamps for my Buell oil lines that I think will work very well. I'll post some pictures, I guess these lines are rebuildable.

I'll get some pics when I do the repair, my car is at the shop now.

Thanks again and I'll keep you folks posted.

You can also get "fuel injection hose clamps" at O'Reilley's. They come in a yellow and green box. I forget the brand. They go all the way around and clamp tighter than conventional screw type hose clamps.

I think I have some fuel injection hose clamps but I'll need a few more. Thanks for the tip Doc. Of course I could go drive 15 miles and get german Ideal clamps, but that is a bit too much work.

Thanks for all the help folks!

I agree with the fuel injection hose clamps. The standard clamps will cut the hose and eventually cause a failure at the pressures they see.

Seems the the Germans loved using those bloody fittings on their cars in the 70's and 80's. Really annoying when trying to repair them now, unless you're willing to get all medieval on its ass.

BTW, the Delorean also used similar fittings in its CIS system, so there is a Delorean vendor that sells some common parts, hoses and fittings for the CIS cars of the era.

All lines are rebuildable, it's a matter of how determined you are to do the rebuilding.

When you feel like you want to clamp anything, regardless of what is oem correct, there is always: http://clamptool.com/

The clamps on my Buell are some kind of crimp type clamp, I think you use a pair of pliers to squeeze the tab down which tightens snug to the rubber hose. I really don't know how they work though.

If I got the right fuel hose I doubt it will even need clamps, I had to cut the old hose off. I'll get some pics up when I get done.

Thanks for the tip about Delorean fitting Turbo. I think my car could use a little more Delorean in it anyways.

Here is a pick of the final product. I'm in like 30$ including the junkyard lines, hopefully they seal. They should seal as it was a pain to get the fitting installed. A bit of silicone spray made it a bit easier though.

I'll look into the clamp system Foxtrapper thank you for the link. I have access to as much safety wire as I want so it might be a useful tool instead of driving all over the place.

The clamps on your Buell are probably Oetiker clamps. High pressure version:

Their claim to fame is that they can expand and contract, keeping pressure on the hose. Screw type and standard crimp type fittings can loosen after a bunch of thermal cycles. The downside of Oetikers is you have to cut them off, meaning they aren't reuseable and they also require special pliers to crimp them. Geat OE solution, in the field not so much.

Those are them Curmudgeon. To get them off I just stuck a small piece of metal into the slot and pried the sucker open, destroying it.

Ok you need a special pair of pliers to use them, no wonder the guy at Harley said to just use regular clamps.

Thanks for the tips folks and I'm saying case closed until I install the lines!