Rotted Fuel Line Replacement?

[AlanW]

Gentlemen,

A guy at work was cleaning out the garage of his deceased father and came across this old Sears Craftsman 3.7 PS Chain Saw. He was about to toss it out when he called and asked if I wanted to rescue it. <b>It has a Model Number #917.353760 stamped on it.</b> I took it to Parrish Implement here in Louisville, KY and "Buford" claims it is an old Roper which I had never seen. After a thorough clean-up it appears to be in great condition, and I was actually able to get it to start by dumping a bit of gas down the throat of the carb. Ok now here is the issue . . . <p></p>The previous owner apparently ran it a few times, then stored it in the garage for over 20 years with the gas tank full of gas. Yes, you heard me right, the gas tank was never drained for over 20 years! Needless to say, the fuel line had completely rotted off, and turned into a jelly-like mess.<p></p>I did a thorough clean-up of the gas tank and I have been able to get a new fuel line and filter. Now for the good part! The fuel line is internally attached to a nipple-like fitting way back in rear corner of gas tank (see attached pic). <b>This internal fitting is ABSOLUTELY IMPOSSIBLE TO GET AT via the gas tank hole.</b> And I'm not about to split open the case and possibly ruin the saw in the process just to replace a fuel line.<p></p>Any suggestions on how to replace this fuel line without splitting the case? I have removed the starter cover and fly wheel shroud in this picture - but I'm sure you get the idea. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Surely somebody out there has come across this quandary before.

Thanks in advance to all of you! Alan W - Louisville, KY

 

[Grande Dog]

Find yourself a stiff piece of wire that will just fit inside the hole of the fitting.
Then slide your fuel line over the wire and onto the fitting. The wire will keep the fuel line stiff enough to slide over the fitting. String trimmer line will work in a pinch.

Grande Dog
Master Mechanic
Discount Arborist Equipment and Tree Care Supplies

 

[NevadaWalrus]

Looks like a Homelite to me. I've tried replacing the factory line a couple of times on these stinkers and the factory replacements were old themselves. Well. they haven't made parts for the boogers for years so they would be. Ended up destroying the factory line both times.

Ended up stuffing a slightly oversized cut to lenght fuel line into the hole to the tank from the outside, oil it up good, and grabbing it through the fill hole with forceps like Rocky said. Pull it through and out the fill hole, attach the fuel filter and then pulling some line back out the hole.

 

[Al Smith]

Fuel line replacement

As been said,this looks like a Homelite"take off".The saw in the picture enclosed,is also a Homelite "take off',a Lombard Comanga.To replace this fuel line,rather than use a wire,I used a piece of nylon chalk line,and a set of forcepts.I also used a small mirror,and heated and expanded the plastic fuel line,on the fitting end,prior to installation.It is a frustrating job,but possible.

 

[AlanW]

Thanks for everyone's help!

Hey guys . . .

Just wanted to say thanks to all the guys who replied for this great info on replacing the rotted fuel line. A lady friend of mine who is a nurse is going to bring home some forceps and I'm gonna give this fuel line rope trick a try.

Hard to believe they made this saw with such poor design. What could the engineers have been thinking? Good grief . . . What a pain this has been. I really appreciate everyones help. Thanks again. -AlanW Louisville, KY

 

[Johnboy15]

I have the same model of chainsaw, just curious how to get the fuel line on the nipple inside the tank, I've tried the wire and it won't slide I've the nipple

 

[hotshot]

Unfortunately you take the saw apart until you can unscrew the fitting. They sure made that a PITA, good thing is it will last for another 25 years.

Take the fuel filter off first, if it's still attached. When you unscrew the fitting, the internal tank line will come out with the fitting. You have to select the OD size for the replacement line to fit through the threaded hole...

Don't cut /break the top cover corner off like some idiots have done in the past....you occasionally see those saws on FleaBay.

Some internal tank views by Opihi59
http://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/roper-3-7-tear-down-and-rebuild.180262/page-2

Early fully molded fuel line (no barb) by Dsell
http://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/roper-craftsman-3-7-ps-fuel-line-replacement.262490/

 

[Johnboy15]

Thanks for the help, managed to get it replaced as it fired right up

 

[dsell]

Unfortunately you take the saw apart until you can unscrew the fitting. They sure made that a PITA, good thing is it will last for another 25 years.

Take the fuel filter off first, if it's still attached. When you unscrew the fitting, the internal tank line will come out with the fitting. You have to select the OD size for the replacement line to fit through the threaded hole...

Don't cut /break the top cover corner off like some idiots have done in the past....you occasionally see those saws on FleaBay.

Some internal tank views by Opihi59
http://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/roper-3-7-tear-down-and-rebuild.180262/page-2

Early fully molded fuel line (no barb) by Dsell
http://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/roper-craftsman-3-7-ps-fuel-line-replacement.262490/

I wish mine would of had the threaded fitting. It would have made it much simpler. I ended up using two sizes of Tygon to fill the hole in the tank. I should have ordered the correct size of Tygon to fit the hole and carb inlet. The biggest pain is putting the carb, linkages, and hooking the hose up at the same time. My throttle pulled the oiler every time you squeeze the trigger and that took some time to get adjusted correctly. This function was keeping the butterfly from fully opening. Then, there's the goofy kill switch/decompression combo button with a wire that moves constantly. It's a big relief when you get the jig saw puzzle put back together! You don't have to pull the carb to replace the fuel line, and I would advise not to. Splitting the tank off was the easy part.

 

[SS Sniper]

Didn't even know the internet was around in 2004....

 

[superd]

Find yourself a stiff piece of wire that will just fit inside the hole of the fitting.
Then slide your fuel line over the wire and onto the fitting. The wire will keep the fuel line stiff enough to slide over the fitting. String trimmer line will work in a pinch.

Grande Dog
Master Mechanic
Discount Arborist Equipment and Tree Care Supplies