Fuel hose lifespan?

[crackedglass]

I've been going through fuel hoses and primer bulbs lately like water. Last fall I bought two new fuel line assemblies from the dealer, both are clearly marked alcohol resistant and are gray in color. The first one got used maybe twice last fall, and got drained and put away under the seat over the winter. In the spring, about 3 months later, I went to connect it and the primer bulb was hard as a stone. I replaced the bulb, and had been using it since. Yesterday, the hose snapped in three places while switching tanks. The second new hose, which was still in the package, is also stiff and the primer bulb barely usable. I switched in the other new bulb, from Attwood I think, and made use of it this morning.

I stopped at a marina and bought two motor and tank fittings, a bag of clamps and two Yamaha branded bulbs, (I'm running a 35hp Evinrude). The guy at the store said that I should replace the fuel lines every few months and that they have to stay out of the sun.
I've been boating and fishing all my life and never had this sort of problem with fuel hoses. My last fuel hose lasted 20 years or more. It may well have been original to the boat and motor. I went to the autoparts store and bought a roll of Thermoid 5/16" fuel line and I made up my own line. It can't be any worse than the gray junk from the marina.

Here's the last hose I got back in Feb. I reused the fittings from this one to make up a second hose to carry just in case.

My boat gets stored under a roof, but on the water, the fuel hose is out in the open, its an open 16ft aluminum boat, other than wrapping the hose with something its in the sun. I also don't fish during the day, I mostly go out early in the AM and later at night.
I put the new line in a braided sleeve, the stuff they use on hydraulic hoses to prevent abrasion.

I can't be the only one going through this with fuel lines?

 

[Scott Danforth]

Dont buy the attwood grey fuel lines. Get the moeller black

 

[mirrocraft16]

All the Moeller fuel lines I've seen around me here are silver or gray?
The OEM J-E lines were gray, now they're black and made in China.
The older gray style was a two part line, sort of a soft gray outer casing around a harder inner line. The inner line almost felt like PEX tubing it was so stiff.
I generally just use regular fuel line, anything ethanol resistant, and either reuse the fittings or get new ones. Any good quality automotive line will last a couple years or more, and I've had really good luck with the Yamaha primer bulbs over the years. The rest all turn to stone pretty fast. The primer and fuel hose on my one boat is at last 8 years old now, but I did cover the line with wire loom to keep the sun off it and to help prevent any kinks in the hose.

That gray attwood hose looks a lot like the clear vinyl hose you get at the hardware store with the braided mesh in it, only in gray. Any line that gets brittle as it ages like that and snaps in half is not safe to use, ever.

 

[matt167]

Any fuel line used in a boat must be non permeable, which is where the grey comes in, as it's a protective layer. Regular fuel hose shouldn't be used. It really does not matter that much, but the codes are there for a reason.. There are exemptions that I'm not thinking of, but I can't remember them.

 

[Chris1956]

That's crap. Fuel lines, even cheap black ones last a long time. Even after 20 years, I have never had one break, as you described. They guy who said they needed to be replaced every few months is uninformed, or worse.

Find some SAE ones in black.

 

[roscoe]

I still have the original fuel line from dads 1984 Johnson, hose says OMC on it, bulb is still soft and pliable, hose still flexible.

Recently bought a new Mercury fuel line with bulb to keep as a spare.
Package says bulb will be better (softer ?? ) 6-8 weeks after exposure to fuel. Yes the hose is grey, we'll see.

 

[mirrocraft16]

For me, in a small aluminum boat, I don't worry much about whether or not its marine grade hose or not, its a 3ft length of hose with a primer bulb.
I've been through dozens of primer bulbs over the years. The older one's used to get soft and gummy then leak, the new stuff turns to stone.
I just went and checked one that was hanging in the garage since last summer and its hard as a rock, the gray hose is also brittle, when I bend the hose I can here it crackling inside. The inner liner of the rubber has turned brittle. That hose has a date on it of 10-2018, and its marked OMC on the hose.
I stripped off the clamps and fittings and tossed it in the trash.

I also dug out one brand new hose that was sealed in a package, it came with my boat back in 2014. Its not brittle but it feels greasy, as if the hose is weeping some sort of oils or something. I wiped it off and a hour later its shiny again and covered in the sticky oily stuff.
The hose is a bit stiff but not brittle, it wants to stay in its football shaped roll as it was in the package. Its a long hose, about 8ft overall and is branded Shoreway on the package. Its a double wall hose, I can feel its a softer outer layer over a harder inner line. Its in a blow molded clam shell pack that would hang on a couple pegs on the store shelf just like the newer Attwood hoses at Walmart. It very much resembles the OEM BRP hoses they were selling a few years ago.

 

[dingbat]

Lots and lots of junk hose out there anymore.

If the hose jacket doesn’t have a valid SAE certification/compliance number(s) printed on the jacket the hose is junk, period

I use Trident Barrier Lined A1-15 Fuel Line and OEM primer bulbs

https://tridentmarine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/319-Series-Specification-Sheet.pdf

Bare minimum you should be running B1

https://tridentmarine.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/305-B1-15-FUEL-HOSE-Specification-Sheet.pdf

 

[slowleak]

I've had just about the same experience here, the old hoses hold up great but the older primer bulbs turn to mush. The new bulbs turn to stone after only a few months, sometimes less.
I've not yet found a new hose that doesn't get stiff or brittle. The dull gray hose is total garbage, it can't take UV and can't take ethanol.
The black rubber is hit or miss, the stuff that BRP was selling for inside the motor was nylon lined, but the fuel tank hoses was something different. They don't seem to snap but they do get stiff and crackle when bent, likely crumbling what ever the inner liner is made of.

I've been using good quality Gates fuel injection hose for years, its high pressure and ethanol rated, its double wall, and I've never had it fail. It does stiffen with age, but not to the point its not usable. The best primer bulbs are from Yamaha, I don't know why but someone here made mention of that years ago and I gave a few a try and still have them.
What I did was buy a box of hose clamps, and a roll of fuel hose, when the hose starts to feel stiff, I cut off the clamps and replace it, I also figured out what size orings the fittings use and bought a box of those too. Now a fresh fuel hose costs only a few dollars, not $60 or $80 and I can change it out in a matter of minutes if needed. I also wrap the fuel hose up where it come across the splash tray, partly for wear, but mostly to keep shield it from the sun. Wire loom works but turns to dust in a short time, I've got a roll of high temp header wrap I've been using, its actually a tightly woven fiberglass tube that I slide over the hose and pull tight. I got it from a local welding supply, they use it to protect welding cables and gas hoses around hot metal. The outside has a shiny foil like coating on it so its smooth and not fuzzy, and it likely insulates the fuel a bit too.

 

[JimS123]

That's crap. Fuel lines, even cheap black ones last a long time. Even after 20 years, I have never had one break, as you described. They guy who said they needed to be replaced every few months is uninformed, or worse.

Find some SAE ones in black.

I also have 35 year old OEM Evinrude fuel lines that still look like new. The only line I ever had go bad were after market products.