This is the rubber return hose that comes out of the bottom of the FPR and connects to the metal return line going back to the tank. I replaced this rubber hose about 6 months ago, today out of the blue it decided to turn into a squirt gun. Right at the connection between rubber and metal fuel squirts out in pulses. I am at work and I don't have any tools with me, I just need to drive home which is about 5 miles. I am walking distance from a walgreens. Can anybody give me suggestions on how to plug it well enough to get home?? It made it to work in this state this morning before i discovered the leak, but now I am uneasy about driving it with the volume of fuel that is coming out.

 

You can't plug it; that would raise the pressure in the fuel rail a lot, and the mixture would be so rich it would be unlikely to start. Plus, you'd have a very high risk of a big leak.

You can't drive it (you already figured that out), as you're spraying lots of fuel right next to a hot manifold.

Did the metal tube break? If not, it almost looks like you have enough tube exposed (if you remove the metal clamp to the firewall) to flex the hose down and reconnect the hose clamp.

This is gasoline you're working with here. If it was my truck, I'd spring for whatever it cost to have it towed 5 miles to home. So I could fix it correctly.

 

Sorry if i was unclear.
I don't intend to actually plug the fuel line. I may be a novice mechanic but I'm not that dense

What I'm looking for is something like tape, putty, even gum that i could wrap around that connection. I think gasoline would just dissolve most tape adhesives. If i just had a ratchet set with me I could remove that worm drive clamp and see what was going on... getting at the head with a screwdriver is not possible.

I can't imagine how the metal line would be broken here. Like i mentioned I replaced this hose 6 months ago and definitely would have noticed that. My hope is that the worm clamp has simply wiggled loose somehow...

Edit:
Hey thanks for the reply. My building's maintenance guy came to the rescue with a tool kit. I took the hose off completely, inspected it and the metal line (both are in perfect shape, no cracks, dents, rubber is nice and pliable), pushed the hose on a little further than before and snugged up the worm clamp. She's no longer a squirter! Still doesn't inspire confidence as I was planning to take her on a long trip this weekend and this happened out of the blue after a couple thousand miles...

 

Upgrade to the better quality clamps and source the correct sized hose. Might need to knock some corrosion off the pipe also.

 

do you happen to know what size inner dia that hose should be? the one I replaced was not original either

 

1/4" id

 

Go to NAPA or where ever, and buy the proper fuel injection hose clamp. Not sure of the exact size of that hose, but all of the big auto parts stores stock fuel injection clamps.

https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/BK_7051225

 

1/4" ? Where in Japan could they even buy 1/4" anything? I'm guessing you meant 6mm.

You don't need "fuel injection" clamps; the fuel return line is low pressure. But you definitely need a clamp that won't just vibrate loose driving around. The stock hose uses a spring clamp; something like these: .

I can't say for sure that the stock metal line has a "bulb" at the end the to help secure the hose, but the one in the picture looks cut off pretty close to the clamp to the firewall.

 

If you had read what I said instead of being critical. I said I was not sure of the exact size of the hose, and to buy the proper clamp. The link was just an example of a superior clamp compared to what is being used now.

 

I used 1/4" ID fuel hose for the 4 hoses at each end of the 2 hard lines that go from the tank to the engine compartment. They fit perfect.

 

1/4" hose is fine. Return hose is low pressure, any hose clamp that fits will be fine. I know this is a day late, but to get it back to 100% safe and functioning again:

Remove the broken piece of hard line inside the hose, or cut that part of the hose off if you have adequate length.
Unclamp the hard line from the firewall.
Slide the return hose over the return hard line.
Tighten the clamp.

Once you get home or sometime soon you should investigate the lines and rest of the vehicle for rust which may soon cause similar issues elsewhere.

 

Thank you all for the replies!
I love how these threads can work like a game of telephone sometimes. the hard line isn't broken at all, in fact it looks rust free all the way back to the tank. I think the hose on there is 5/16" so I will get some smaller hose. But i think the root issue is the worm drive clamp. it felt pretty loose when I removed it yesterday which means it is working its way off on its own. I have never been able to find those spring clips at auto parts stores, so thanks for that link, Scope! I got some on the way

 

These spring-type clamp kits come in handy:

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

The lines tend to rust where the come in constant contact with the fuel we use now a days with the ethanol, it causes to water (from air exposure, and condensation) to mix into the fuel instead.

I never got around to digging out the calipers and checking the hardlne dimensions, sorry, but it is most certainly metric sized and you will typically not find a proper hose at the bigbox parts store.

The issue with the "cheap" worm.drive hose clamps is the body separates from the barrel either from vibration or over tightening. It's just softer metal now and the tabs bend where back in the day they held better untill they actual snapped and broke.

 

Glad you got it figured out. It really looks in the photo like the hard line is broken off.