Fabric Fuel lines?

Those fabric covered injection return hoses are the MB OEM version. And they are a real pain, because they only last a few years and then start weeping again, leaving your car smelling like diesel.

I replaced mine with synthetic ones that look like yellow vinyl but are fuel rated. Found them at the local auto parts store where they sell them by the foot. Replaced them many years ago, 7+, and no more weeping. Make sure what you get is fuel rated.

Now the last one which is plugged off is a bit more problematic. I tried using silicone to plug up about an inch of the last piece. That did work for all those years until recently with no problems. But then the silicone worked out of the end of the tubing. It had not deteriorated, it just came out as a solid plug because it did not adhere well to the inside of the plastic tubing.

I just obtained a brass barbed end plumbing fitting at Home Depot, think it was 1/8" I'm going to cut the end of the fitting off, solder it closed and use the barb part as a plug.

Just a FYI. As a solution to the second problem I used a self tapping metal screw with a tiny hose clamp. Never leaked again.

Thanks for the comments. The last one on mine is plugged with some kind of metal plug. I'm pretty sure I can reuse it. I'll check out some replacements at the parts store today. Any idea on the size for it? Or should I just take one off when I get there and say give me this size?

I'd rather change it out with Viton fuel line... the inside diameter is 1/8" but you need a thick wall as original.

When the line is weeping, it is definitely bad.

Weeping, thats the word I was searching for earlier. Leaching is all I could think of. I'll check into the Viton. Thanks for that lead. A quick google search brings up a number of options for Viton hoses. Here is a kit to do exactly what I want:

they won't mind me posting the link to it. It sells for around$20, and even comes with an end cap, so you can save a hose clamp.If I can't find something suitable today, then I will order this.

want:

Maybe they won't mind me posting the link to it. It sells for around> $20, and even comes with an end cap, so you can save a hose clamp.> If I can't find something suitable today, then I will order this. If you just take a piece of the old fabric hose to an autoparts store they should be able to match it. I don't know if what I got was Viton, but it was fuel rated and was a semi-transparent yellow color. And the few feet you need can be had for a lot less that $20. On the other hand, for the convenience of ordering it online and having it come with the appropriate end plug, $20 doesn't sound bad, especially if you're ordering other parts online and save on shipping.

Amber colored clear tube is PVC fuel rated hoses... it is a fairly reasonable priced hose.

I checked at AutoZone and Advanced Auto close by. Neither had any fuel line that was 1/8" I.D. I did find some chainsaw fuel line at Advanced for $2 (for 2') that I got to see if it would work. I'm testing it out on one section right now to see how it holds up to the heat of the engine. It doesn't look like it is heavy duty enough, but it seems to be holding up okay so far. Its definitely not leaking like the hose it replaced was, so it is doing its job right now. No one seems to have any of the amber colored hose either. I am going to check at a local NAPA and the newer O'reilly Auto Parts stores around here to see if they have anything better.