Recipe for disaster?

[Larrym]

I don't use teflon tape to seal any fuel fittings. Not for gasoline or diesel. Instead I use "Aviation Form-A-Gasket" which is a brown "tar-like" sealer which can only be cleaned up or removed with alcohol.

Some owners may use teflon tape for this application. SOooooo....

Here's the set-up:



Regular white teflon tape bought at N*PA.
Yellow "Gas Line Thread Seal Tape" bought at A*E Hardware plumbing section.
Unleaded Gas.
Fuel Injector Cleaner. (With apologies to the Sea-Foam Supporters..)

Add ingredients in glass jar and wait....30 days!!



Til the time is up there's nothing to do but speculate on what's going to happen (if anything at all...).

Any Predictions?

[Ivan]

Did you seal the lid with form-a-gasket?

My vote is not much will happen.

[mxmikie]

hylomar to seal everything

[TopCatGr58]

I don't use teflon tape to seal any fuel fittings. Not for gasoline or diesel. Instead I use "Aviation Form-A-Gasket" which is a brown "tar-like" sealer which can only be cleaned up or removed with alcohol.

Hey Larry,

With the Ethanol laced fuel we have now, is your Avaiation Form a gasket stuff any better since Alcohol can break it down??

I use Teflon Tape for OIL fittings, but haven't tried or needed it for fuel fittings!
T.C.

PS, it was a little difficult to find it, but the specs on Teflon from Dupont says that it's virtually INNERT to most chemicals and solvents! So...I predict that the tape will not be dissolved in 30 days!

[Larrym]

Double Bind

TC,

Yeah...with "oxygenated" fuel, MTBE additives, "Nitogenated" fuel, ethanol, sea-foam, etc it's a wonder we don't have to use pre-formed solid steel fuel lines. Just what can be used where one fitting connects to the next?

No Fair using your contacts at NASA or doing real, genuine research like finding the specifications!

I'd hate to go up against you in a "guess the number of jelly beans in the jar" contest.

[latexeses]

I used to work on Chlorine generating systems and all of the fittings were teflon along with the tubing that moved the gas. Those things never showed degradation.
I used teflon tape on the fittings.

Teflon tape acts like string cheese in that its weakness runs its length.(along the tape). Anyone who has used much of it knows that. It will separate along its length but is tough across the grain.

My vote is nothing much will happen.

[foreda]

Oil Industry

We use teflon tape everyday in the oil and gas industry. Refined or raw, no problems.

[Schming]

Controlled Environment?

Would You yeild more accurate results by separating the two materials being tested?

[TopCatGr58]

TC,

No Fair using your contacts at NASA or doing real, genuine research like finding the specifications!

I'd hate to go up against you in a "guess the number of jelly beans in the jar" contest.

Hey Larry,

I'm really not that smart! I am close to the Langley Research center though!

I just was thinking that if they can use it to line SWMBO's frying pans and such, then it's fairly tuff stuff, and safe for eating from, so it can't react with much or they wouldn't let them put it on there.

The other interesting info about it was that it was to only be used for tapered pipe fittings, because it acts like a lubricant to help the tapered parts slide past each other until they make a tighter interference fit. For regular parallel pipe fittings it's really not any good, the flared ends of the parallel fittings is what makes the seals there. Just an FYI.

And there's no difference in the Yellow type, it's just color coded for applications like Natural Gas fittings vs. water, etc.!
T.C.

[trbig]

I don't understand using anything with fuel fittings. A clamp on a rubber line should be sufficient. Enough so.. that NO clamp on a rubber line is usually sufficent.

Seems to me, that if you try to put teflon tape (Or ANY tape) on a brass nipple, then push your line onto the nipple, you'll just push the tape up and bunch it up at the top. Also.. just one more available piece of something to dislodge and get caught in your float valve, or stop up the little filter in front of it.


Tod

[rjf2369]

I used teflon tape on many fuel fittings without any isssues, if you put it on correctly. The tape should not be on the first couple of threads as it can string and get in your fuel system. I actually put NPT plugs ( With teflon tape)in place of the rubber caps to seal up the fuel rails opposite the fuel tee's on my XS. They are chrome too so it looks cool!

[Ivan]

I don't understand using anything with fuel fittings. A clamp on a rubber line should be sufficient. Enough so.. that NO clamp on a rubber line is usually sufficent.

Seems to me, that if you try to put teflon tape (Or ANY tape) on a brass nipple, then push your line onto the nipple, you'll just push the tape up and bunch it up at the top. Also.. just one more available piece of something to dislodge and get caught in your float valve, or stop up the little filter in front of it.


Tod

No dude. He's talking about banjo fittings.

[trbig]

Ohhhh... All those banjo fuel fittings we have on the bikes. Sorry, wasn't thinking of all of those...


Tod

[Larrym]

Deliverance.

Twangitty.

Twang Twang.

[Crazcnuk]

Teflon tape is only for pipe fitting thread (NPT).

Fuel fittings are usually not npt, and use other methods to seal.