205 Diesel Fuel Lines

[CitroJim]

I took Dads 205 for its MOT today. Passed with flying colours after I felt it needed some work on the brakes to replace damp slave cylinders(Bendix rear drums ) and a new track rod end.

The MOT tester did however remark that the metal fuel lines from the tank to the engine compartment were a bit rusty. This must be his favourite subject as he remarked the same on my 205GTi two years ago. I swapped those and found the rust on the old ones was superficial and they were just too thick to ever burst despite looking a lot worse than they really were. However, when the MOT man speaks, I listen.

I have enough pipe left over from the GTi to do Junior but not is it stands. I notice the fuel lines are quite a lot more complex. They run from the tank to the engine bay and then almost all the way back to the tank again in a big loop in close proximity to the exhaust.

I am led to believe this long loop of pipe acts as a fuel heater. Is this correct? I think that with modern diesel fuel, a water heated filter and global warming, fuel heating is hardly nesessary now if indeed this is the purpose of the loop. Also it is never going to run on vegetable oil as it has a Lucas pump.

Would it be OK, do you think, to just run a new flow and return pipe and do away with the loop?

[AndersDK]

Dont see it could harm anything just running a straight pipe.
Never seen such a fuel heating system, but sounds logic, simple and cheap to do on the production line.

[504GLD]

My 205 Junior Automatic (1993) has this same loop of pipe which comes down from the engine bay, to about the middle exhaust box, then loops and goes back for some reason!

I would have yourself the trouble, and simply jet wash off the underside of the car, use some sandpaper and clean along the pipes and check for any bad areas (I doubt you will find any as you say), then waxoyl the underside. 5L cans in Halfords are around £18. It will protect your fuel and brake pipes (another pug favorite), and work its way in to the underside if there is any cracked underseal. Come next year you wont have a problem.

[CitroJim]

I would have yourself the trouble, and simply jet wash off the underside of the car, use some sandpaper and clean along the pipes and check for any bad areas (I doubt you will find any as you say), then waxoyl the underside.

Sounds like a top plan!

[504GLD]

I use the black coloured waxyoil I find it goes on much better plus you can see what you have sprayed. Be warned the Genuine plastic spray gun is a bit toy town and isn't worth cleaning and keeping for a second session. I like to firstly gently heat the 5L can by popping it on the cooker ring for a couple of minutes so the oil is water like in consistancy, just be carefull to remove the lid and monitor. If you have a way of keeping the can hot as you do it even better. If at a later date you need to get the oil off then use Jizer.

[Stu R]

205D style 92J
ever year, before MOT usually, I try to get under the car and use some fine wet and dry to clear off surface rust and then smear with copper grease. Waxoil would be more perminant be I find the copper grease is easy to hand for me and give an impresive clean look to the pipes under the car. If nothing else it shows effort. After a year its messy black but if you scrape it off with your finger the pipe has been protected underneth.

I do the break pipes too but you have to be careful with them. There hard to get to and things like small cut off chunk of w+d sponge foam block is handy if taped to a pencil. And like wise a bit of sponge taped to a pencil to dip in the c.grease to cover the pipes in tricky areas.

I'll be doing it again in the next few days, my MOT tester expects it!

[CitroJim]

Thanks for that Stu, an excellent idea to use copper grease