Clear vinyl tubing on vacuum-petcock - bad idea?

[WilliamGLX81]

Howdy folks.

Since I replaced the petcock diaphragm and rebuilt it (successfully) and had the carbs off, and used clear vinyl tubing to build a carb-balancer, I figured vinyl tubing for the petcock's vacuum line might be great.
I noticed the vinyl is pretty stiff. I'm wondering if I might be getting air leaked into the intake between the vinyl and the nipples because it's a somewhat rigid material.

Has anybody confirmed this?

[Agemax]

get the pipe nice and warm with a heat gun or similar so its nice and squidgy and flexible when you push it over the nipples. when it cools it will form a nice tight seal

[Guest]

yes, bad idea

[SqDancerLynn1]

It will get hard and crack !!!

[tkent02]

It will work fine for a while. Could be helpful to see if the diaphragm is leaking.

Maybe not so good long term.

[tatu]

UK insurance companies can refuse to pay out in the case of fire if the fuel pipe is not rubber, the theory being that anything else gets warm and can sag or change, rubber will not. Just sayin..

[Steve]

Well, he's not in the UK, but I tend to agree with the concept.

As mentioned, you might use it short-term for some diagnostics, but please use the proper stuff for long-term.

.

[Agemax]

UK insurance companies can refuse to pay out in the case of fire if the fuel pipe is not rubber, the theory being that anything else gets warm and can sag or change, rubber will not. Just sayin..

but its only the vacuum pipe, unless he has petcock problems, there wont be any fuel running through it.
i have used the same pipe on my vacuum tap for years. i also use clear fuel pipe as well, so much easier to diagnose any fuel feed problems

[SVSooke]

I like Tygon (sp?) fuel line.Would not use vinyl line.Might be a few $$ more but well worth it.Get mine at the small power equipment store in town.

[Nessism]

Vinyl tubing is a bad idea since it's not fuel proof. Get some tubing rated for use with gasoline and you should be good to go.

[trippivot]

Best way to tell if the fuel tap is leaking gasoline into #2. we use extra battery vent tubes at the shop.

Howdy folks.

Since I replaced the petcock diaphragm and rebuilt it (successfully) and had the carbs off, and used clear vinyl tubing to build a carb-balancer, I figured vinyl tubing for the petcock's vacuum line might be great.
I noticed the vinyl is pretty stiff. I'm wondering if I might be getting air leaked into the intake between the vinyl and the nipples because it's a somewhat rigid material.

Has anybody confirmed this?

[blowerbike]

if you think the valve is leaking fuel into the #2 port...
put a cap on the carb and run the bike on prime and see if it runs better.
check the vacuum nipple for fuel drips when running.
simple???

[WilliamGLX81]

1) This is for the vacuum line, not the fuel line. I have "proper" black fuel line for that, but it's getting stiff on me. I might switch it to some of the clear fuel line that weedwhackers, etc. use.
2) I went to switch out the vacuum line yesterday, but the tubing I bought was too big. Does anyone know the diameters for the lines? I've seen them around, but can't remember what they were.
3) The vinyl does seem to be sealing pretty well, given that the spit I put around both ends of the fitting wasn't getting sucked in. I just thought it would be useful for the future in case the petcock leaks again. It doesn't leak anymore since the rebuild.

The reason I was asking is I was missing on #2. Turns out I've got a leaky intake boot or o-ring. I'm hoping I just squished the o-ring on installation when I replaced it, but I'm not holding my breath. Neither is my bike heh heh.

Cheers

[Steve]

Does anyone know the diameters for the lines?

Would you believe that a quick peek at the parts fiche will tell you the answer?

The vacuum hose part number is 09355-45855-600. Looking at the second half of the number (after the "-"), it tells you that it is 4.5mm inside diameter, 8.5mm outside diameter, probably from vendor #5, and is 600mm long (quite a bit more than you need).

The fuel hose part number is 09352-70103-00B, which tells you that it is 7mm inside, 10mm outside (from vendor #3?). The length is not given in the part number, but I have received about 2 meters (6 feet) of it when I order it.

.

[bbjumper]

Tygon works great in just about any application and will resist just about any chemical. It stays flexible for a long time and you can also see readily if you have fuel flow.