Sounds like my luck migrated your way. Just another reason I randomly roll around under the car on a creeper just "looking".

That must''ve been one hot tailpipe...

 

Side exit.

 

s/s braided line zip tied way the hell out of the way.

 

X2


you got luck on your side!

 

That's absolutely frightening!

 

It's not the first time I've had a close call with a fuel line. Years ago I couldn't avoid a big strip of clear plastic sheeting that had falled off a truck on the highway. It got caught up in my driveshaft and all over my mufflers. I pulled over and took off what I could by the side of the road, but there was a driveshaft-speed thumping noise the rest of the way home a few miles away. After it cooled off, I got under the car to remove the rest of the plastic and discovered that the thumping noise was because the spinning plastic had caught the fuel hardline in the trans tunnel and dragged it over against the spinning driveshaft yoke, wearing the line down and almost through...I swear you could read through what was left, but it didn't leak. One more block and it would have pissed fuel all over my hot mufflers.

 

It's a common failure, especially if you run a lartger aftermarket exhaust.

If you run factory fuel lines and haven't done anything to protect them and get them out of the way, it WILL happen to you sooner or later. Mine happened on the track at Hallett years ago and I ended up with a fine mist of fuel spraying out of the rear wheel.

Tie the lines up out of the way, wrap them in a thermal barrier like Thermotec makes, and wrapping the tailpipe like MFE did would be an excellent idea too.

Me? I eliminated the problem by going to a side exit exhaust.

 

I've been all over my 03 mach1 and I don't recall seeing any lines that look they could get anywhere near the exhaust.Are the SN95s different that the Fox body or have I just not been looking good enough?

 

I believe yours uses a returnless fuel delivery system, which is way different.

 

I just had to replace the flex lines between the pump and filter on my 92 5.0, because they had somehow reached the Dynomax 2.5-inch tailpipe frequently enough and/or long enough to create the damage you see below. The one from pump to filter was >this< close to melting through the inner line, and I can only guess that would have cost me one hell of a problem if it had let go. It didn't look like this when I installed the panhard bar last year.

I don't even know how it happened, because I couldn't make them touch with my hands, tugging on the lines, tugging on the exhaust, trying to move the tank, nothing. But they had been making contact, and yes, the exhaust pipe was already wrapped with heat wrap.

Now the new lines are wrapped with heat tape AND wrap, and tied out of the way with an epic display of zip-tie engineering prowess. Even still, you can see the proximity and why there might be a problem.

I had some similar "events" happen a little over a year ago. I changed the fuel pump and didn't put the lines back up in the little gutter around the tank. The line melted on the way home from Disneyland. I also made some Zip-tie "art" with the new line.

 

Yikes. +1 for dumps?

 

I'm a tailpipe diehard. I hate dumps on a street-driven car, plus they heat up the gas tank even worse.

 

Speaking of dumps/heating things up....Since I was RR'ing my diff I finally got around to making some heat shields for the MM rear swaybar BECAUSE of my dumps. 5$ in metal and some hi-temp paint I used on the exhaust.)You can see what it's done to the PHB.

 

I've got turn downs on my mufflers and it's really not that bad, but it does have the sub woofer effect around 1100

 

Yea, I think if you get the dumps not "dumped", but angle out toward the back of the car, it's not that bad. In fact, sounds nice and deep with an O/R H-pipe.

 

this is what im running "just open mufflers"

 

I've got some tails that I can get installed, but I've jsut been lazy, plus the dumps don't bother me much even though I still have the GT bumper. The missing tailpipe help show of the pimpy zinc coated 5 Link, Konis, and Coilovers.

 

I'm running dumps as well but this thread makes me want to do a once over on my cars.

 

Been there done that... A buddy following me noticed the leak. Replaced the lines, used my trusty zip ties (which I also use to nearly hold the entire car together)and covered it all in alluminum foil.

 

When I swapped to the bbk 190 lph pump, I had problems fitting it in the 86 basket due to the older design. I had an sn95 basket, and lines laying around, which I ended up using in place of the old lines, and now there is no chance for them to get anywhere near the tails

Sorry about bad pic:

 

i bought this sleeve about a month ago, cut it into 3 small sections and covered every part of my braided lines that came close to my exhaust.

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/THE-14035/

 

MFE I'm with you I ran dumps for about two years after installing all may rear suspension, and I freakin hated it, I always smelt like exhaust. I had the same problem at willow spring big track with the fuel lines, when I was coming off the track the car smelt like fuel. So we jacked it up and we heard a hissing and the fuel was spraying right on the hot tailpipe. So all of us quickly moved away from the car. When it cooled off I found the lines just like in your picture. We ran to the local autoparts store which by the way was a rip off because the track is nearby and bought fuel line to finish the raceday

 

What kind of fuel line did you get, and how did you attach it?

 

MFE, for a temp fix I used hose clamps and high pressure fuel line. After I got home from the track I went to ford and order the correct lines.

 

Same thing on mine ... I just got some picture wire and tied 'em tight away from the exhaust (which coincidentally, is Dynomax also)

 

While we're on the subject of fuel lines/back area of the car... What is this plastic hose on my car? It looks like my T/A girdle has bumped it a few times deforming it, but if there is supposed to be fuel in it, there's no leaking.

(Please ignore my horrible use of RTV on the girdle, my luck sucks at sealing things so I over did it on that).

 

I had to move the fuel lines out of the way of my Dynomax 2.5" tips this winter when I installed the exhaust system. I ended up taking a section of the metal fuel line out, replaced it with a rubber line and moved it under the frame rail near the point where the panhard bar meets the frame rail on the passenger side. Normally, the metal line sits on the inboard side of the frame rail, which would rub on the exhaust pipe. I put firesleeve over the fuel lines, and put heat wrap around the exhaust pipes near the fuel lines. So far, no issues.

 

@MFE - Are these pics still available?

Thanks!

 

Yes, but I won't be able to get to it right away.