Gas leak crossover pipe connectors

[ernestovumbles]

Walked out to a small gas leak coming from the left side as tank/crossover pipe connector today.
A small snugging of the hose clamps seemed to take care of it.

Is this common? I've had it happen a couple times over the past 6 years.. All in the wintertime.

 

[puff4]

I wouldn’t say it’s common, however I could imagine it happening, particularly in winter time when things start to shrink up a bit. You may want to consider changing the hoses at some point… that may resolve the problem permanently, since the new hoses will have a little more flex than the old hardened ones.

 

[boss-tiger]

agree with probably good idea to change the hoses

 

[rixter]

These can be a real pain to install new ones as many have found out. They are a tight fit on the pipes and it is difficult to get your hands around the hose to slide to connect them. Among other ideas I've seen, my method was to smear some Marvel Mystery oil on the center pipe ends then slide on the hose sections before installing the refurbished pipes. Then I used one of those rubber strap wrenches to twist and slide the hose section, working it over onto the curved pipe piece. Then tighten the clamps.
Rick

 

[sunalp]

Whenever I pull the tanks and crossovers I always change the rubbers and the clamps just as a matter
of course. Stems from a time years ago when I cleaned and installed that tanks on my old Series IV,
then went to a meeting of the local British car club which was about 26 miles away. By the time I got there
gas was pouring out of the bottom of the car. Took about 1/2 hour with two people tightening clamps to
get it to stop. Lesson learned the hard way.

When putting new ones on, I coat the insides with either WD 40 or some other type of lubricant and they
slide right on!

 

[ernestovumbles]

I guess replacement rubbers go on the list of stuff to do when it gets warmer..
Looks like a messy job in a tight to reach space.
The passenger side rubber looks a bit worse physically but has never leaked (so far)

Thanks all for the tips on how to get the rubber over the pipe ends. This is a job I am not really looking forward to doing.

 

[DanR]

rubber strap wrenches to twist and slide the hose section, working it over onto the curved pipe piece.

Thanks for that idea!! Great one.

 

[puff4]

I’ll note that I tend to use silicone lubricants when installing hoses, but in this case a petroleum-based lube would also work. But yeah, these are a real PITA to install without lube. You should also warm the rubber hoses gently before installing, as this makes it easier… leaving them in a bucket of very hot water until just prior to assembly, then drying and installing them works well.

 

[Alpine 1789]

One more suggestion to add (sadly, from the voice of experience): it is difficult to know when the hoses are properly centered between the two pipes, especially if you have cleaned or re-painted the pipes. Before sliding the hose on to one side, put a dab of white paint on the proper end point on the other pipe. That way you will know when you have enough hose on each pipe for the clamps to properly grab and seal.

 

[ernestovumbles]

Before sliding the hose on to one side, put a dab of white paint on the proper end point on the other pipe. That way you will know when you have enough hose on each pipe for the clamps to properly grab and seal.

Thanks for the tip.. wouldnt have thought of that till it was too late.

 

[Scotty]

I know this is probably not your problem, just wanted to share. I had something like this where I swore the crossover hose was leaking (This is on the hose on the other side, where the filler is). It took me abit to realize it wasn't coming from the hose but from a rotted section under the tank and it was trickling along the bottom of the tank and on that section of hose. I yanked the old tank and discovered it had been patched up so much that it was just leaking to death. Ended up with an almost new tank thanks to Al Mason. Needless to say, just be careful.

 

[Durhamguy]

I have just completed my project of pulling the tanks and having them sealed and installing new hoses, clamps and putting a new fuel line in. I had a gas smell from the area you have identified verified by a gas detector. Then I discovered my metal fuel line was rusted inside so I pulled everything out. There an excellent write up on this issue written by MHartman plus it includes an embedded link to an article about pulling and reinstalling the crossover pipes. They are well worth a read if you haven't already read them.

http://mhartman.net/files/sunbeam/Fuel%20Tank%20Cleaning%20&%20Sealing.pdf