Background
My car has always needed a few cranks to turn over before it fires up, unless the engine is warm and the fuel hasn’t evaporated away from the carb. It’s not a problem, just more of an annoyance than anything. I have spoken to the guys at Mustang Maniac suggested a non return valve to stop the fuel draining away. They don’t actively sell them but they gave me one of theirs that they sometimes fit for certain cars with my ‘issue’. The proper way to do it would be the electric fuel pump with a flow and return pipe setup, a bit of overkill that wasn’t really a problem.
What’s In the Box
This design is subtle and and not a big hulking beast in the middle of a fuel line. In fact the outside of the valve is just about the same size as the outside diameter of the fuel pipe.
Process
While I was going to fit the valve I decided to clean out the fuel filter which was looking a bit grubby after sitting in the garage for the winter months. Where the hard line fuel pipe comes through the inner fender apron there is a rubber pipe that goes to the inlet of the fuel pump. My inline fuel filter sits there, most are plastic, or more factory correct they are a metal cylinder. Mine is a glass and unscrews at each end.
Remove the fuel pipe and filter (if fitted) from the bottom of the fuel pump and the apron pipe. I then capped the main fuel line with a rubber vacuum cap. Circled in red below.
Important: When removing the fuel line, if suspected that there is fuel in the pipe, be well prepared to catch it and temporarily block it off. You don’t want a gravity spewing the fuel all over the floor leaving you in a dangerous situation.
With the complete length removed, the old clips on the pipe and fuel filter were removed in order to start the cleaning. The old pipe had lemon clips holding the filter in place and needed to be cut off. These clips would be replaced with reusable low profile clips.
I had a length of E10 fuel resistant hose, just for the sake of replacing it with fresh pipe. I only ever used E10 once very early on, and I won’t ever use it again. The reason was that the E10 fuel had issues, 1) the car ran like a 3 cylinder with very rough running, 2) it’s devastating for all the fuel components it comes into contact with; plastic, rubber or metal.
Fuel filters are of a single flow direction. With this particular design I can simply unscrew the filter ends and remove the glass casing and the internal filter for easy cleaning.
With the filter in bits I cleaned the filter itself in a 99% isopropanol alcohol. The filter wasn’t that dirty, but there was a fuel particles that were removed with a soft nylon brush. Once the filter was cleaned it dried very quickly ready for refitting.
The glass case and end fittings were also cleaned with isopropanol soaked in a non lint cloth. I also took the time to polish the end fittings as they clean up nicely. Notice the big bold ‘IN’ and ‘OUT’ on each end.
The total length of the original fuel line was measured, (the rubber either side of the filter, to the fuel pump and the apron). I made a subtraction for the non return valve, there now needed to be three lengths cut to the correct lengths instead of the two previous lengths. (Fuel pump to filter, filter to valve, valve to apron.)
The picture here below, shows the filter ‘IN’ (notice the ‘N’ is back to front), and the direction flow of the non-return valve. This flow direction is critical to get the fuel filtered correctly and allow the fuel to flow to the carb.
The hose fasteners are of a new design being trialled from Mustang Maniac which are simply clipped into place. The clips just slip over the pipe and are pinched closed over a raised retaining ridge in the centre. Once they have been pinched closed enough the clip will just click and lock into place. To remove the clips you can use an awl or small screw driver to lever the clip back up from under the larger of the two raised ridges. The fastener will then just spring open again allowing removal.
You will need a very good pair of pliers to hold and grip the clip in order to close it enough without slipping. These fittings are a very, very tight fitting. They look the part, but I’m not sure I would use them again in a confined space. They are fine for connecting fittings like this fuel line when you have plenty of space to work and accessibility.
Cut the lengths of hose allowing enough flexibility between each of the component parts.
I started measuring from the fuel pump and worked backwards towards the apron. The non return valve should be placed before the fuel filter, this would keep a reservoir of fuel within the filter. It could also be positioned just after the fuel tank before the hard line.
The completed fuel line is completed. For each end of the new fuel line configuration I will use standard jubilee clips. This then allows for an easier fitting with a screw driver and easy access. More importantly it will allow me to loosen the the complete line without disturbing the clips. Once the line is loosened at each end I will be able to unscrew the filter and clean with the rest of the fuel line configuration in place.
With the new fuel line configuration fitted in place it looks neat and serves and now serves a dual purpose.
Results
The fuel flows and retains the fuel up to the carb allowing easier starting. The design of the non return valve is slightly irrelevant, but the functionality is the important thing. This design is subtle and neat and doesn’t look to out of place for a stock looking engine bay.
Time Taken
The whole thing took around an hour or so. The longest part was to cut the lemon clips off with damaging the filter.
Update 21/5/2024
This update has been in place for a couple of months now and it has made a significant difference to the starting of the car from all scenarios both cold and hot. This was a well worth it upgrade.
I do actually carry a spare length of fuel line just in case the valve plays up. That way a very simple quick and easy fix for replacement on the roadside if needed to get you home, then repair properly later.