# Another "crappy silver fuel line" reminder.



## Pappy (Mar 4, 2017)

This has been covered numerous times. If you are running the older silver cheap fuel line.....expect trouble from it. 
I typically replace yards of this stuff in the course of a week while servicing customer engines. 
This particular piece is typical of what I replace. Had not totally failed yet but was going to leave this boat stranded at some point. 
You can expect a 100% failure rate from this stuff so if you have it.......replace it.


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## jbird68 (Mar 4, 2017)

My daughter just bought me a new silver fuel line for my kicker for Christmas. Will that be trouble? My last fuel line was also silver/gray.

Sincerely, 

jbird68


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## gatorglenn (Mar 4, 2017)

Yes it will. You need the blue or black ones. That are built for Ethanol fuel. Napa has them.


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## Darryle (Mar 4, 2017)

gatorglenn said:


> Yes it will. You need the blue or black ones. That are built for Ethanol fuel. Napa has them.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


What about the MPI Perma-Guard Marine fuel line? Worth a crap? 

It is USCG approved, SAE J1527, Type A1-15 / ISO 7840-A1 marked whatever all that means.


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## gatorglenn (Mar 5, 2017)

As long as it is marked A1-15 it's good to go 


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## mbweimar (Mar 9, 2017)

We use Yamaha fuel line on all our vessels with the Fish and Wildlife Commission. Thousands upon thousands of gallons of ethanol fuel is run through it without issue.


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## Eagle42101 (Mar 11, 2017)

I use ethanol free gas and no oil mixed due to oil injection in motor. Is the problem the ethanol or the oil that deteriorates the hose?


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## gatorglenn (Mar 11, 2017)

It's the ethanol 


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## overboard (Mar 11, 2017)

You guys are costing me money! Figured it's time to replace the old fuel lines on multiple tanks. No problems yet, but figure better safe than sorry. 
Line I am getting is the black line marked A1-15 and is what I will be using. I have other new silver lines with bulbs that are labeled as to be alcohol resistant that are marked B1, why wouldn't those lines be any good to use, I believe they are Shoreline assemblies.


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## turbotodd (Mar 11, 2017)

Pappy's right! I see them all the time at work, and usually the same deal-cut it open and it's falling apart inside. 

Those silver lines are what? $35? An OE Yamaha line is closer to $80 last time I looked.

You get what you pay for. For certain, the newer Yamaha fuel lines are top notch! They stay flexible, they don't fall apart inside, the bulb doesn't harden up, and the sunshine doesn't affect them NEARLY as much as them silver jubilee's. I haven't seen a better line (yet). 

About 90% of the time when I tell a customer that their line is junk, they just go buy another one. They're usually back in a couple years (or less) as well.

As far as I know, Ethanol has nothing to do with the line and it's durability. Unless the line in question does not meet EPA low-permeation requirements, which wouldn't' surprise me especially if it says "made in China" on it, or the package that it comes in. Even then, I wouldn't say ethanol is THE culprit. We forget to remember that Ethanol in itself isn't the problem, it's the fuel itself that's the problem. Gasoline has been blended differently in the last decade and even ethanol free fuels will cause issues. Fuel can be labeled "no ethanol" if the content is below I think 3%. Fuel is labeled "up to 10% ethanol" if the Ethanol content is 7%-10%. The window between I think 3% and 7% doesn't have to be labeled anything. And it still might have some E content. How do ya know? Buy yourself a test strip kit. I bought one a while back and tested a bunch of different gas stations, the ones that were selling "no ethanol" fuels were typically 1-3%, sometimes greater. There was only ONE station that was under 2%, and the owner said he specifically asked the distributor not to blend the Ethanol into his gasoline. He was an independent full service station owner who also was part owner of the distributor. Y'all might want to research the laws about this, I may be off a little on the percentages as I'm going off of my not-so-great memory.

Or next time you have to get a new fuel line, get one of the Yamaha lines and put your own ends on it.


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## Pappy (Mar 12, 2017)

Folks are apparently the same all over when it comes to their outboards. I have found that snowbirds from one state in particular are noticeably cheaper than the rest. We definitely get the snowbirds and this one state in particular keeps coming up. No comment on which one it is. 
I get fed up sometimes with owners not willing to spend a few bucks extra and do things right. Fuel line and old gasoline are two of the most common issues we differ on with water pumps coming in a strong third place. 
We see the same thing in this forum. Guys wanting to know if this (brandX) cheap part is okay to use. OEM is the way to go and carries a year warranty and will get you out and back. When the cheap parts fail the guys usually cover their a$$ and blame the engine. 
In my world it becomes easy. I do things one way or not at all. They make that choice.


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## timsmcm (Mar 12, 2017)

How long is the longest time you guys would let fuel stay in a portable tank line with bulb? I usually have extra fittings to put on the line ends to drain if I know it will be a while before getting back on the water.


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## Pappy (Mar 13, 2017)

With quality fuel line and bulb you can let it stay in there. Fuel however will go bad so that is a hard question to answer. Fuel in direct sunlight in a hot tank goes bad quicker, in the cool of a garage?, not so much. Get it?


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## Buckethead (Mar 13, 2017)

I replaced my old Mercury fuel line with red lettering with new Mercury fuel line with blue lettering, they said the newer blue lettered fuel line resists ethanol better. I also only use non ethanol. I've just bought my first 4 stroke outboard, when I changed the end from Mercury to Yamaha I looked in the fuel line best I could and did not see any build up.


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## gatorglenn (Mar 14, 2017)

Buckethead,
Your good to go. Your lines will have the 15 on them. The old merc lines that where the same color but black lettering is the bad ones.


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## Buckethead (Mar 14, 2017)

Thanks gatorglenn. Man, that's what is so great about this forum. I'm so glad to be a part of it.


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## Jhelms (Mar 15, 2017)

Thoughts on USCG B1-15 ISO 8469?


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## gatorglenn (Mar 15, 2017)

Not sure about the B1. But the A1 are good


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