Replacement fuel line, molded or use with grommets?

[oleglass]

I have a SXLAO thats needs a replacement fuel line.
It has the older one piece molded line, and I have yet to find one that fits like the original.
Would I be better off to try and replace it with the newer type line, that uses the gromnmets in the tank and housing that holds the carb?
The inlet fitting on the carb is larger than the fitting on the later model carbs, so, will I be able to stretch it enough?

I have gotten one off ebay, but it was so stiff and hard I was not able to get it pulled thru the tank opening.
I finally trimmed it enough to get in the tank, but, it leaked and I was not a happy camper!!

Any one know where I can get a line that is soft like the original? They fairly easy to pull thru the tank.

BTW, my Dad and I had a Homelite dealership back in the 70's and 80's so I am familiar with the saws.
We did not sell a lot of the larger saws, but sold a great many smaller saws, up to the XL925 size.

Any advice will be appreciated!!

[sweepleader]

I have used rubber fuel line in a larger size to make a grommet that fits tight on the small fuel line and tight in the tank and carb box openings. It has worked well. The small line fits the fuel filter ok but not the carb fitting. If the barbed end of the carb fitting is ground off and smoothed a bit, the fuel line can be stretched enough to fit if it is warmed up with a heat gun. I have done this on a couple of Homelites. Finding just the right rubber fuel line to make the grommets was a little tough. I cannot tell you where to find it, mine came from my "hose bin" that I toss all the odds and ends of hose I have around. Once I found it I saved the remaining piece in with my Homelite parts.
Good luck,
Dan

[riseandrun]

Oleglass,
Did you solve this problem, if so a picture would be great. I have the same problem...
Thanks
KW

[mcycle12]

I read about all the issues people were having with the Homelite replacement fuel line when I went to replace the fuel line in my Homelite 925. Elsewhere on this site (and others) there was discussion about using a grommet and standard fuel line instead of the Homelite replacement line. I'm not sure if your saw has the same fuel line setup as this, or if I committed some errors when I did the job, but this procedure worked for me:

I purchased the grommet. I believe the part number was 68046 (someone please correct me if I'm wrong....check first.) It really wasn't that expensive. You may be able to find the right size at a hardware store, but I didn't want the hassle. The fuel line used was Tygon. Two sizes were used; one larger size for the carb fitting, which has a bulbous end on it, and a smaller size from the metal elbow to the fuel tank.

I took the carburetor off so the hose could be heated and pushed onto the carburetor fitting. It will form fit to the fitting when it cools. Leave the fuel line long and cut the end on a 45 degree angle. Push it through the passageway in the metal housing and pull it through with a pair of needle nose pliers. The larger line is a friction fit into the carb housing, keeping dust out. It helps to spray the line with silicone lube. Put the carb back on. It looked like this when done:



For the fuel tank end....I put the grommet into the tank first. I then cut the end of the smaller Tygon line on a 45 degree angle, sprayed it with silicone lube, and then pulled it through the grommet. I reached into the fuel tank filler and pulled the line up and through the hole with needle nose pliers. I pulled a long piece (10"?) of line because the filter has to go on the end of the line and the filter has to lay on the bottom of the tank. Put the metal elbow on the outside (grommet) end of the line and push/pull this assembly through the grommet until there is a good seal. Here's what mine looked like:



Get the length of line needed to connect to the metal tube by laying the tube up alongside the saw and cutting the line to fit. Slip the line back on, screw on the bracket, cut the tank side line for length, put the fuel filter on and the line back into the tank. I had to experiment to get the right length for the line. I used a bent coat hanger to pull the line back out of the tank when I had to cut it shorter. I made sure to remove any of residual lube.



I've read that others delete the metal tube/elbow when doing this job. I left it because it served as a transition for the hose sizes and I liked the idea of the metal 90 degree turn instead of the hose possibly getting pinched off making the turn.

[sweepleader]

Nice work, great pictures!

How does it cut?

[mcycle12]

The fuel line job worked out great!

The saw is a work in progress. I wrote/photoed about my continuing struggle getting oil to the bar in another section on this site.

Thx for the compliments.

[riseandrun]

If I could find my camera I'd post a picture. My SXLAO is begging me to start. I have the same yellow tygon fuel line running through the hole in the tank and I thought it was a pretty good seal. In fact when I just tilted the saw upward, there is gas leaking out the tank cap, but not the fuel line. Where the tygon attaches to the carb I made a clamp out of wire and twisted it. My problem is it's not pulling gas from the tank very good. I can see the gas in the tygon line but it's not a solid stream from the tank. The fuel comes through a little bit, then the saw stalls. Can my problem be the tank cap not sealing very well? Is the fuel system a pressurized system?
HOpefully this question will help the original post!

[sweepleader]

The cap is supposed to have a "duck bill" one way valve in it under the porous bronze pellet stuck in the side. If that has melted, it will leak gas. It is supposed to let air in but not fuel out. Bubbles in the fuel line? If the line is cracked inside the tank it can suck air above the fuel level. If it is hard, it can hold the filter above the fuel too.

If your wire clamp is not wrapped twice around the line before twisting, air can get into the line under the twist. There is a small area there that is often not clamped well. Use soft wire and wrap it twice around, you get more clamping force and the seal goes all the way around. More than two wraps don't seem to help much it seems.

[riseandrun]

Here's a couple pictures of my gas line.  I still can't pull enough gas to keep it running.  I suspected it was my gas cap, but I've put 3 other caps from other XL-12's I have. (although I have no idea if they are right either, but I do see the duckbill's in them).  I'm leaning more toward getting a rebuild kit for the carb and see if that makes a difference.  Anything else I'm missing?  Fuel filter is new.
TIA for any help.
Kevin

[sweepleader]

My experience would tell me that the problem has to be an air leak (crack, hole, fitting, not enough gas in the tank to reach the filter) or the carb. If the pump diaphragm in the carb is bad (stiff, crack, hole) or the valve flaps are bad (cracked, stiff, broken) you would get no gas. Sounds like you have replaced the fuel line and filter and the carb kit is coming, but that wire clamp bothers me some. Normally I would not clamp that fitting and if I did it would have two wraps of wire around the hose. The spot where the wires twist together and bend away from the hose forms a small triangle that is not clamped. The hose is dragged toward that spot by the twisting. That can leave a pinhole under the twist between the hose and the fitting -> air leak. If you remove the clamp, the leak may remain, unless the hose is quite new and fits tightly without the clamp. If you feel the clamp is needed, wrap it twice around, so that the spot under the twisting is clamped by the other wrap. And chose the twisting direction so that the wires lay flat in that area. Twist one direction and all will be well, the other way results in the wires being pushed out of line and you may still have the leak problem. Twist direction depends on how the ends of the wire lay when you have finished wrapping them around the hose. I would still vote for a tight fitting hose without the clamp.
Good luck,
Dan

[riseandrun]

I know this is an older post, but I like to let those that helped know the outcome...no "hit and runs! :-)" I had put this saw back on the shelf for a more patient time..
I tried putting an oem fuel line on it www.baileysonline.com/shop.axd/ProductDetails?item_no=OEP%2007008&utm_source=googlepla&utm_medium=cse&id=67794635502&gclid=CNv58o_GqcACFSdk7AodrCkAJA, but tore it in half trying to get it into the tank. I couldn't figure out how to fit the tank part in with that big grommet on it. Then reason returned, I thought it's made this way, there has to be a way, and presto the light went off! I kept it wet with WD-40 and using a small straight slot I carefully pushed one part into the tank and then carefully rotated the line pushing it in until the hole grommet part was in. For the first time since I bought it it started and ran! After adjusting the carb it just screams! Now the question: Do you think the problem was the poor fit around the carb nipple, or was the 1/4 inch intake line too big for the carb to draw fuel from the tank? Can the intake side of a replacement fuel line be too big for the carb's vacuum?
Thanks all.

[sweepleader]

Congratulations!! Persistence pays off. The carb would seem to be ok since you did nothing to it and I would doubt that the size of the line mattered to it. It might take more pulls to prime a large line, but it should run eventually. You reported that there was air in the fuel line, your picture even shows it. If the line was large enough to be loose on the carb nipple that it needed a clamp, that still leads me to think the clamp was the culprit. No way to know now, just glad you got it going and all is well. Be sure to set the high speed needle a little rich so you do not overheat the saw by running it lean under load. Happy saw!