'91CamaroRS

I purchased some silicone vacuum lines off amazon. The reviews were good,and the description said that they would hold up against heavy vacuum;however,when I received them I was disappointed to see that they are extremely soft. The walls are quite thick,but it still seems easy to pinch off. Has anybody tried silicone vacuum lines? How'd it work for you?

paulo57509

I used model airplane fuel hose (just because I have spools of the stuff laying around) to do a splice repair on the HVAC vacuum harness on my old Acura. I think it's the same stuff as silicone vacuum line. It just doesn't come in fancy colors. It works fine for me.

OrangeBird

iTrader: (1)

Oh yea Paulo ? You got the same hobby I do, eh ? Hey , look close at the engine on the plane with the blue striped wings , that's the OS Wankel , which always draws a crowd at the club field .

For anyone else who happens to read this thread , silicone model airplane fuel line (which is for "Glow fuel" , a mixture of alcohol , nitromethane , and castor oil) is fine for vacuum lines if that's all ya got , or you got a huge roll of it like Paulo does , just be aware that it's a dismal failure when directly exposed to gasoline and actually dissolves in it ! The fuel line of choice for gasoline model airplane engines is called "Tygon" which is gasoline proof in case your doing something where resistance to gasoline deterioration is important . Personally I would use Tygon if I were going to use anything other than what the autoparts store sells for vacuum line , but then I've never had a problem with autoparts store vacuum line and when you price Tygon I'll bet you opt for what's at the autoparts store as well (Tygon is likely 4 or more times the price of regular vacuum line) ...

Buickstaged

iTrader: (1)

91camarors, I put them on an 84 bird with 355. I tested them with a vac gauge and pump that worked to 20-21 vac. I completed this with a 10' line, 5' line. Ran the same test with 5/16 and 1/8 line all passed. Additionally, I put a heat gun on the lines with no failure. The benefit to the lines is heat and oil/fuel resistant. I used red lines as that will be the theme to the engine compartment. Hope this helps, byron

OrangeBird

iTrader: (1)

Were these lines sold as being gasoline resistant ? If they truly are 100% silicone , like the model airplane fuel line that Paulo mentioned , they will melt in gasoline . Hopefully they have been chemically combined with some other material that will make them gasoline proof .........

Buickstaged

iTrader: (1)

I will go back and see if I can find part numbers and do another search. The lines are (supposed) to be all fuel, as well as diesel fuel compatible. Thanks for the info, Byron
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OrangeBird

iTrader: (1)

Hi Byron , If it was sold as being specifically gasoline proof , then i'll bet it's fine . My posts were more aimed at making sure people know that 100% silicone tubing sold as being for model airplane use will melt if it comes into contact gas , I learned this the hard way myself . Being a model plane hobbyist , I've got a bunch of the stuff around . My weed wacker needed new fuel tubing and the model plane stuff was just the right size to fit tightly on the fittings . I thought all was well and was quite proud of myself , , , Till , the line melted and swelled so much it fell off of the carb fitting and leaked gas all over the wooden floor of my shed ! Being curious , I took a glass jar of gas and tried several different samples of silicone model airplane fuel line and each one melted in the gas ! I do have a couple model planes with actual gasoline engines and these have "Tygon" fuel line , rather than the alcohol burning "Glow" engines (sometimes called "Nitro") which of course use the silicone tubing that Paulo mentioned .

Buickstaged

iTrader: (1)

Orange bird, I will be home in a few weeks, I will cut up a few pieces and put in a container of gas, and one for diesel. Great comments, very helpful. Great read, byron