Harley Roadking Fuel Tank Cross-Over Line Rotted Again

pustelniakr

pustelniakr

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For the 2nd time since I have owned this beast, the fuel cross-over line has rotted, leaving me with 5 gallons of fuel under my scooter's enclosure, and all over my carport. This is a rather terrifying experience, not knowing how long it had been leaking. I essentially had a fuel-air bomb sharing the roof with all of my other possessions (my house).

I have not ridden her since we discovered that we had bedbugs (~ 9 months), so...

Good thing I did not do as I once did, back before I got married, many moons ago: park my scooter in the living room.

The first time, was with "quality" lines, with stainless steel braid. This time it was with Prestone rubber fuel line. For now, I'm going to replace the line with Prestone fuel injection rubber line.

What am I missing here? The line was not on there all that long. How can I prevent this, or at least prolong the time between events? The fellow at my local hot rod shop recommended that I just replace the line once per year. PTFE fuel line does not come with "push on" options.

Caviat: I have a quick disconnect in the middle of the line, which seals when disconnected, so I can remove the tank without siphoning the tank. That works great, but lines to it don't like fuel, even if I use fuel-specific line.

Enjoy,
Rich P
 
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Ethanol added to the fuel at manufacture?

They can't be expecting every owner to replace the line every year.

I expect you are asking HD forum too?
 
E.Man said:
Ethanol added to the fuel at manufacture?

They can't be expecting every owner to replace the line every year.

I expect you are asking HD forum too?
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The fuel is at least ethanol'd during the winter. I use high test.

I am also a member of a good HD forum, so I have asked there also. However, there is a wide spectrum of expertise here at AK. Hopefully, someone has something to contribute, regarding modern fuels and currently available fuel lines. This cannot be a Harley-specific problem. Fuel line is fuel line. The only difference from a carburated car is that this line is always filled with fuel, rather than draining unless the engine is running. This line is simply for communication between fuel tank sides, as the tank sort of straddles the frame. The line is not under pressure, even though the machine is fuel injected. This is before the pump, which is inside the tank..

The recommendation to simply replace annually came from the local hot rod shop, not HD dealer. Stock HD line is braided, not allowing me to interpose the quick disconnect.

Enjoy,
Rich P
 
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guys use tygon on their non-fuel injected hot rods to dress up the engine compartment.

I use on my lawn mowers to replace any failed rubber line.

Not sure how many years it will last. A lot longer than rubber apparently.
 
Rubber ain't doing too well. Nothing like discovering that you are sleeping next to a fuel-air bomb. :yikes:

Enjoy,
Rich P
 
Whats the SAE number on the fuel line that failed? There are a bunch of different types depending on application. Somewhere I have the Gates hose catalog that explains it all but if the line you used wasn't rated for ethanol fuel use it won't hold up. The alcohol really does a number on certain types of hose.
 
gadget73 said:
Whats the SAE number on the fuel line that failed? There are a bunch of different types depending on application. Somewhere I have the Gates hose catalog that explains it all but if the line you used wasn't rated for ethanol fuel use it won't hold up. The alcohol really does a number on certain types of hose.
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What rotted in the 1st event is not known to me. It was a few years ago. What rotted in this 2nd event was J30R6. What I'll use while researching is J30R9.

Enjoy,
Rich P
 
hm, quick look says J30R6 is suitable for low pressure gas/ethanol blends. Maybe its the heat it didn't like. 30R7 is for low pressure under-hood fuel service, 30R9 is EFI rated. You don't need the pressure ratings but it will deal with the fuel and heat fine.
 
I have given up on the black rubber fuel hoses,regardless of type.They either fail,or they start leaching this inky black schmoo into the fuel. I have been using Tygon for many years,and have found it'll endure the heat and the chemical weirdies in todays fuels.

Hey,if it can take the cookin' and rattlin' of an epileptic Norton paintshaker,it passes my test:D
 
BigElCat said:
Tygon.

It is push fit. Good for gravity feed, or low pressure pump use.

Last forever, IFAIK.

https://www.amazon.com/Motion-Pro-12-0054-Tygon-Premium/dp/B0022ZYUFW
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I second this. My lawnmower is a Simplicity wide deck walk behind. The fuel pickup involves ~12" of fuel line going in the top of the tank and then to the bottom. So it sits in fuel (with ethanol) all the time. Tygon solved all problems with that. You can see the fuel line routing in this pic (top right of tank).

maxresdefault.jpg
 
Hey
94 RK here, I've personally have never had any problems with hose rot. That being said I now have something else to watch. Hopefully when they replaced the gas petcock and or the carburetor they took the extra time to replace that line. Yeah, probably not. Eric
 
It's not an HD thing. It's a fuel line thing. I'm not finding a rash of this. I'm at a loss to explain it, other than the new fuels with ethanol in them are causing all kinds of issues. Again, the fellow at the speed shop told me I was doing good to the the number of years out of the line that I did.

My old scooter was carburated, 'and used fuel line that was transparent (turned yellow over time). But, that was before they started this ethanol thing. It was back in the days of leaded fuel. No line rot in decades.

Rich P
 
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