My fuel line on my 26-year-old lawn mower (Lawn Boy) cracked. This happened because the last time I cut the lawn, I thought, “man, I can’t believe I’ve gotten 26 years out of this lawn mower with practically no problems” without knocking on wood.
I went to a lawn mower shop with the fuel line and they sold me a replacement. It looked very slightly smaller in terms of the outer diameter, but the guy said “that’s it, it’ll fit, that’s all I have.”
One end of the fuel line pushes onto a barb on the carb, i.e, the fuel line plays the female role in that connection. No problem there.
The other end of the fuel line connects by plugging into a small plastic cylinder on the bottom of the fuel shutoff valve. In other words, the fuel line plays the male role in that connection.
As I had thought at the repair shop, the outer diameter of the replacement fuel line is ever-so-slightly smaller than the original, so once the fuel shutoff valve is opened, fuel leaks out around the fuel line.
I think one layer of electrical tape wrapped around the end of the fuel line that goes inside the plastic cylinder would bulk it up enough to stop the leak, but I suspect the fuel might not play nice the with the tape and the adhesive and the fuel line might possibly come loose later at an inopportune time.
When I disconnected the original cracked fuel line, there did not seem to be any clamp or sealant involved, it just seemed to be inserted into the plastic cylinder, and I guess that worked for 26 years, so maybe I don’t need to worry too much about the electrical tape adhesive , as just the physical thickness of the electrical tape seems like it would be enough to seal the leak around the fuel line.
I’d be tempted to use some gasoline-resistant RTV gasket sealer instead of the electricians tape. Let the RTV set for at least 24 hours before using the lawnmower.
You might get one mow (either front or back yard) after you electrical tape it. As you speculated… electrical tape and gasoline are not going to play well together. And if the gas is dropping onto a hot spot, there’s a blazing concern, too.
Either Jerry’s or the Rat’s ideas are solid, though.
Then again its probably better than my idea. My idea was to completely fill the plastic gasket female portion with a plastic filler and let it dry solid. I’d then get out a micrometer and get as close to the exact diameter of the fuel line as I could. (write it down)
Determine the exact fit hole for the diameter of the fuel line, use that drill bit, and make a new hole that exactly fits the male end. It should work like a charm.
*Bonus points if while sipping a beer after you tell your neighbor, “Yeah, I was rebuilding my lawnmower’s fuel shut off valve this morning. Good thing I’m Handy…”
If you still have some part of the cracked line, use it for the male connection and make a split between it and the new fuel line, using an inserted metal tube and two hose clamps. I’ve done such things…
Is it possible to find some short piece of plastic pipe, let it play the male connection, then attach the tube to the other end as a female fitting? I’ve done stuff like that with lawn sprinkling systems, but in those cases a small drippy leak doesn’t matter. But I think it could be done without a leak.
I agree. I’d guess about a one-inch length of heat-shrink tubing would work nicely. One, two, or at the most three applications (each one over the previous) should build the diameter up to the proper thickness.
Of course this is done to the tubing well away from the mower, so there’s no risk of igniting gasoline vapors with the heat source.
I don’t know for a fact that heat-shrink tubing is not soluble in gasoline (some plastics are), so for a first step I’d put a piece of it in a bit of gas to see.
That might work, but I suspect that the type of fuel line described is different from the automotive types.
Sounds like you have a broken shutoff valve, with the valve’s male part missing.
Two fixes
insert metal tube into that cylinder - and ensure it stays in. (is it threaded in there ? Or do you braise it ? or do you use gas tank repair putty to jam it in ? )
