Tuesday, April 15, 2014

94 Mustang GT: Fuel line hazard and fix.



I'm not sure that everyone is aware, so I figured that I would post this up.  On the corral in the 94/95 tech section, this is a sticky.  There is a defect by design issue with the fuel lines that run from the rails to the firewall.  for a long time people were building their own to replace these.  Now there is a really NICE solution that I figured I would share.  I'll do the write up once all the parts come in.

The adapters yield 6 AN fittings. 

Here is a great pic: https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Jh7uBzSssVo/T4CVgswMk-I/AAAAAAAABNg/WnHAr7Fq_d0/s912/2012-04-07_12-22-13_127.jpg

And here is the parts list: 

5/16 to 6AN hard tube adapter - 640863 or 491990-BL
1/4 to 6AN hard tube adapter - 641303
Ford Pressure Side EFI x 6 AN - 640903
Ford Return Side EFI x 6 AN - 640873
Fragola - 373030 (2)

I ordered from Race-Mart as they were cheaper than Summit. you could also make your own, but I prefer the pre-fab Fragola lines.

Once the order came in, I found some time to get out into the garage and get to work.  I started by starting the car and popping the trunk.  I removed the trunk panel enough to grant me access to the emergency fuel shutoff switch.  I unplugged it, essentially turning off the fuel pump.  Once the car shut down I knew that the fuel system would be unpressurized.  I shut off the key and popped the hood.  I removed the intake tube between the throttle body and the mass air sensor.  This gave me the room to work.  Next I used my fuel line disconnect tool to remove the fuel lines from the rails.  Some fuel did come out, and there was some pressure still there so if you are doing this, use caution!  I put some rags there to catch the excess fuel.  After that I moved to the firewall.  These are held in by clips.  One goes in from the side, which is pretty easy to pry out with a screwdriver.  The next one goes in from the bottom.  It is kind of a pain, but you need to press the tabs on both sides simultaneously to remove the clip.  Then I was able to remove the lines.  

Installation was pretty straightforward.  I used WD40 to lubricate all of the O-rings before installation.  I installed the fittings in the fuel rails - this was simple, they just push in and click.  

[img]http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz135/geargambler/MyCars/1994%20Mustang%20GT%20Convertible/IMG_1384_zpsc5e9c93e.jpg[/img]

I did the same for the lines on the firewall.  one just pushes on and clicks.  The other one is two pieces.  One sits between the two shoulders on the fuel line and the other one presses on.  I screwed the bottom piece into the top piece until it was snug.  

[img]http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz135/geargambler/MyCars/1994%20Mustang%20GT%20Convertible/IMG_1382_zpsfe402bb6.jpg[/img]

Next I moved onto the fuel lines.  These are already assembled.  I screwed them onto the fittings on the rails first, using the side with the bends.  I hand tightened them.  I followed the same path as the stock lines, and attached them at the firewall side as well, again by hand.  Keeping them loose allowed the lines to twist.  The last part was to tighten the fittings to the lines.  

[img]http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz135/geargambler/MyCars/1994%20Mustang%20GT%20Convertible/IMG_1388_zps052fb62d.jpg[/img]

I plugged in the fuel safety cutoff connection and then primed the fuel pump by turning the key.  I didn't start the car yet.  I went out to check for leaks.  Everything on the firewall looked good.  One fitting on the fuel rail needed to be tightened up a bit more.  These don't take a lot of torque, they are all aluminum so I was trying to be very careful.  I figured I would tighten it in increments if they leaked rather than over tighten and strip the fittings.  

I dried the fitting that was leaking and started the car.  I let it run for some time and there were no leaks.  Everything looked good!

Looking back, I would probably have went with one shorter line.  So instead of using two 30 inch lines, I would have gotten a 28 or 29 inch and a 30 inch.