Self piercing tap for draining fuel from hose?

[ajlelectronics]

I have to replace the fuel pump on the Middlebridge. Whilst doing so, I would like to change the 12mm tank to pump inlet hose too. The issue I have is that there is an unknown quantity of fuel in the tank. What was there before plus the 2 gallons I put in for testing purposes.

The pump is a Bosch inline type, 12mm in and 8mm Banjo output. There is around 1m of 12mm from the outlet under the tank to the inlet of the pump. Pump output goes via a Banjo loop to the input of the fuel filter (also being replaced),

I was going to siphon the contents but it has a mesh in the filler, so only recourse is to drain it via the outlet. Pulling the hose off the tank is going to result in fuel down my arm as well as potentially quite a fuel spill on the floor. My ideas then were a) pierce the 12mm old hose with something with a tap on, so I can do a controlled drainage, or maybe b) take the pump output banjo off and drain it through the active but useless pump (power off).

My question then is whether a faulty pump will likely allow fuel to drain through unpowered? I can limit its throughput by clamping the old 12mm hose. Otherwise, I may sharpen some tume into a needle and see if I can pierce the wall of the hose with it. A piece of Neoprene tube would do for flow and control.

 

[Neilj]

Roller vane pump, so it won't let any fuel through unless it's running (or the internals have seriously destroyed themselves to give you a flow path). Could you not clamp the 12mm inlet hose and pull it off the pump inlet? You'll get a bit of spillage but you'd get controlled drainage that way by slackening the clamp on the hose

 

[ajlelectronics]

Roller vane pump, so it won't let any fuel through unless it's running (or the internals have seriously destroyed themselves to give you a flow path). Could you not clamp the 12mm inlet hose and pull it off the pump inlet? You'll get a bit of spillage but you'd get controlled drainage that way by slackening the clamp on the hose

That sounds like probably the only way, with Vice grips to control the flow.

The other option is that I attempt to make use of the pump, which is going to be passing some amount of fuel under power I would have thought.

Thinking aloud: Maybe assemble the new pump with inlet hose and then try a fast swap at the tank end.

 

[mr haynes]

Sounds like overthinking (i do it all the time)
Clean catch container, pinching implement and pull hose off

 

[Bobtail4x4]

why not use the pump to empty it into a container?
stop when full replace container.... repeat,

 

[ajlelectronics]

why not use the pump to empty it into a container?
stop when full replace container.... repeat,

Have a guess why I am replacing the pump?

 

[Bobtail4x4]

its a scimitar.....

 

[ajlelectronics]

its a scimitar.....

It's a Bosch and the car spent three years in a wet barn. The previous owner A.D. knew of the fault according to posts on the Middlebridge forum, but didn't disclose it like the myriad of other issues, like the paint (literally) coming off in sheets. It ran long enough to get it into the workshop and fully expired, blocking my workspace so I have to sort it.

 

[Neilj]

Have a close look at your tank internals as well before you fit the new pump. Those style pumps are very intolerant to any bits of debris and usually have a suction filter of some sort in an OEM application (i.e. pump in tank set up). There might be a filter on the end of the dip tube inside the tank possibly, if you can see inside it?

 

[ajlelectronics]

Have a close look at your tank internals as well before you fit the new pump. Those style pumps are very intolerant to any bits of debris and usually have a suction filter of some sort in an OEM application (i.e. pump in tank set up). There might be a filter on the end of the dip tube inside the tank possibly, if you can see inside it?

The tank is like the one I showed in another thread. There is no dip tube on the Middlebridge tank, just a stupid spigot where the drain plug fitted on Reliant models. As such there is not a pre-filter which is supposed to be required for that style of pump.

Are there 12mm in and 12mm out, inline pre-filters available that I could insert?

 

[Neilj]

I was in the same predicament years ago and couldn't find anything but it looks like such a thing does exist now. Something like this?
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/28496882...006&customid=11711e16b0f27b68cd2b56aef0836a66

 

[ajlelectronics]

I was in the same predicament years ago and couldn't find anything but it looks like such a thing does exist now. Something like this?
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/28496882...006&customid=11711e16b0f27b68cd2b56aef0836a66

That looks like a standard filter with 12mm adapters screwed in. I wanted to do this job tomorrow morning, but I won't be able to get one locally. Probably not the kind of thing Halfords or GSF etc might stock?

Incidentally I have a KL96 in stock, so looked it up. Owww Mmuuccchh? No good in my application regardless.

 

[ajlelectronics]

I may have some aluminium mesh, I wonder if I could push some into the pump feed pipe as a get by measure?

Just looked at GSF but of course their search relies on reg numbers, which as always isn't applicable.

 

[Neilj]

It does doesn't it and that is exactly what I ended up doing myself! A filter from Halfords with M14 x 1.5 threaded ports and I turned up two barbed fittings with an o-ring seal on the face to seal it

 

[Neilj]

There is no dip tube on the Middlebridge tank, just a stupid spigot where the drain plug fitted on Reliant models.

Have you got a photo of said spigot? Is that like a replacement fitting for what would normally be a drain plug, if so what thread size is it?

 

[ajlelectronics]

Have you got a photo of said spigot? Is that like a replacement fitting for what would normally be a drain plug, if so what thread size is it?

It isn't like that sadly. Where the drain plug was has had a circular patch welded over with a fixed 12mm right angled spigot, for the hose. For a premium vehicle at top money, they certainly made a complete pig's ear of that. Interesting that QRG has a spigot for sale, but I am 90% sure that mine is welded in.

On my Middlebridge 'tribute' I had the aforementioned alloy tank built with in situ pump, because I didn't want such a lash up.

 

[ajlelectronics]

Nicked off the 'net but this is the layout. I see that the red car appears to have a bolt in flange, but I'm sure that must be a one off.

 

[Neilj]

Ok, back to the inline filter idea then! I think the only thing Halfords do is the universal plastic type but they're only 8mm fittings. But there are bigger versions online:
https://www.advancedfluidsolutions....-fuel-pre-filter---12mm-hose-tails-6034-p.asp

 

[ajlelectronics]

Ok, back to the inline filter idea then! I think the only thing Halfords do is the universal plastic type but they're only 8mm fittings. But there are bigger versions online:
https://www.advancedfluidsolutions....-fuel-pre-filter---12mm-hose-tails-6034-p.asp

I was hoping for a solution for the morning, but it looks like it isn't going to happen again.

 

[DAPPH]

Washing machine tap self cutting/ self piercing to 15 mm pipe ..should cut hose when backed with rubber on the non cutting clamping bracket ??? Drain then fit new hose ???