A fuel line is a hose or pipe used to transfer

fuel A fuel is any material that can be made to react with other substances so that it releases energy as thermal energy or to be used for work (physics), work. The concept was originally applied solely to those materials capable of releasing chem ...

from one point in a

vehicle A vehicle () is a machine designed for self-propulsion, usually to transport people, cargo, or both. The term "vehicle" typically refers to land vehicles such as human-powered land vehicle, human-powered vehicles (e.g. bicycles, tricycles, velo ...

to another. The United States Environmental Protection Agency defines a fuel line as "all hoses or tubing designed to contain liquid fuel or fuel vapor. This includes all hoses or tubing for the filler neck, for connections between dual fuel tanks, and for connecting a carbon canister to the fuel tank. This does not include hoses or tubing for routing crankcase vapors to the engine's intake or any other hoses or tubing that are open to the

atmosphere An atmosphere () is a layer of gases that envelop an astronomical object, held in place by the gravity of the object. A planet retains an atmosphere when the gravity is great and the temperature of the atmosphere is low. A stellar atmosph ...

Materials

Rubber

Most vehicles have

rubber Rubber, also called India rubber, latex, Amazonian rubber, ''caucho'', or ''caoutchouc'', as initially produced, consists of polymers of the organic compound isoprene, with minor impurities of other organic compounds. Types of polyisoprene ...

fuel hoses connecting the fuel pipes on the chassis to the fuel pump or

carburetor A carburetor (also spelled carburettor or carburetter) is a device used by a gasoline internal combustion engine to control and mix air and fuel entering the engine. The primary method of adding fuel to the intake air is through the Ventu ...

on the

engine An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy. Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power ge ...

. Rubber hoses are flexible and can be cut to length as required, but they have a tendency to perish over time and can rub through if not properly secured.

Plastic

More modern vehicles may be fitted with fuel lines made of

plastic Plastics are a wide range of synthetic polymers, synthetic or Semisynthesis, semisynthetic materials composed primarily of Polymer, polymers. Their defining characteristic, Plasticity (physics), plasticity, allows them to be Injection moulding ...

, typically

nylon Nylon is a family of synthetic polymers characterised by amide linkages, typically connecting aliphatic or Polyamide#Classification, semi-aromatic groups. Nylons are generally brownish in color and can possess a soft texture, with some varieti ...

. Plastic fuel lines do not perish and are lighter than metal tubing, but they melt at lower temperatures and cannot be repaired as easily.

Steel

Many FF or FR vehicles with fuel tanks at the rear are fitted with rigid steel fuel pipes that run the length of the chassis from the tank to the engine bay. Steel pipes are cheap and strong, but can corrode, causing fuel leaks.

Copper

Older vehicles may be fitted with copper fuel pipes. These are easy to fit and repair, but copper is heavy and expensive when compared with the other options.

Fittings

Traditionally fuel lines had flared or compression fittings on the rigid pipe sections, and hose clamps where rubber hoses attached to metal components. In modern cars with plastic fuel lines, ''quick release'' fittings are becoming more common – this allows the fuel system components to simply clip together.

Priming

The primer bulb can be found on the fuel line between the gasoline tank and the carburetor. When one primes the

, fuel is pushed from the carb bowl to the barrel using the rubber primer bulb.

References

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External links

Fuel Transfer System
Hoses Vehicle parts