Fuel line replacement

LAWMAN65

MEMBER
1995 DODGE CARAVAN
138,000 MILES

I have a 1995 Dodge Caravan SE Sport 3.0L v6. I have a rubber fuel line leaking and needs to be replaced. I have two rubber line that goes from the top om my fuel tank to two steel/metal fuel lines. One of the rubber lines is leaking fuel and needs to be replaced. The dodge dealership wants 1,000 to replace the rubber line. I have done lots of mechanical repairs and rebuilds on older vehicles however I am unsure on how to replace this fuel line. I cannot see how the rubber line is connected to the steel line. Looks as thought it is somehow crimped to the steel line. Any suggestions on how to replace this rubber fuel line? Is there a special tool to disconnect this line and How? Does it require special fuel line. I cannot find any listing for fuel line for this vehicle at autozone. Com, advanced autoparts. Com or napa. Com I may as well replace both rubber lines for if one line is leaking I am sure the outer one is wore as well. Neither lines have ever been replaced. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

1 Reply

CARADIODOC

MECHANIC
33,873 POSTS

First of all, $1000.00 is WAY out of line and they should be called on it unless they can give you a detailed estimate. I worked for a very nice Chrysler dealership, and replacing fuel lines is not that big of a deal. It sounds like they were going to replace all the lines with the expensive factory lines. I doubt those are even still available, and they were only used when the vehicle was under warranty.

I just replaced a rusty steel line on my daily driver '88 Grand Caravan, (I have a '95 too), and I wasn't happy that I had to spend $4.00! That was.99 per foot for bulk rubber hose. You need "fuel Injection hose" because it withstands the much higher pressures. You system can reach over 50 psi. Old, standard rubber hose was used with mechanical pumps that pulled a vacuum or reached no higher than 5 psi.

As for the crimped connections, use an air cutoff tool to split the crimped barrel and peel it open. That will let you slide the hose off which will expose the barbs on the metal line. Slide the new hose over those barbs, then clamp it with a "fuel injection hose clamp". That's different than the common worm-screw clamps, often called aircraft hose clamps. Those will cut into the hose and split it over time. Fuel injection clamps are available in two sizes and are a metal band that is tightened with a bolt and nut. The larger size is for the supply hose. The smaller one fits the return hose which won't have any pressure.