Re: [DML] FUEL ACCUMULATOR INSTALLATION

["Walter Coe" <Whalt@xxxx>]

You might want to have the fuel lines at the accumulator replaced at the
same time. The outer sheath of the OEM fuel lines get sticky, crack & fall
off with age. The fittings that the lines hook to are easily damaged by
mechanics who are lazy or in a hurry. If you cut them off with a razor
knife, you need to be very careful not to nick them or leave gouges that
will leak fuel. (A previous owner did this to my car, and I had to replace
the fittings because I could not stop them from leaking! Two of these
fittings are no longer available.) The new lines have to be heated to be
pressed over the old fittings, and this takes some practice to do it right.
Rob Grady told me that the way he does it is to leave the old fittings on
the car, but cut the hoses off of them. With the accumulator out of the
car, is a lot easier to remove the fittings from it. Then to put new hoses
on the old fittings (that are still on the car) he heats the hose and then
very quickly reaches in the frame and presses the hose on the fitting. I
used up about a foot of new fuel line just to perfect my technique of doing
it right while it was OFF the car. I wouldn't try it Rob's way unless I had
a lot more practice doing it off the car. If you heat the hose too much,
you make a mess. If you don't heat it enough, then it won't go on all the
way. I was just about ready to send my old fittings to Rob to have him melt
new hoses on them.

I didn't have any short wrenches on hand to reach the fitting on my
accumulator, so I used crow foot wrenches on the end of an extension &
ratchet. It worked okay but was kind of clumsy. The next time I do one,
I'm going to get a different variety of crow foot wrench -- the kind that is
also a line wrench. This is like a hybrid between an open end wrench and a
box wrench. It has an opening on the end to fit it over the fuel lines.
Then I would cut a rachet handle as short as it needs to fit in there (the
kind of ratchet that locks in both directions).

If you want to do your mechanic (and your car) a favor, spray the fittings
down with PB-Blaster. This is a rust-disolving solvent that takes a few
hours to really work.

Walt Tampa, FL