Model "B"&CA fuel lines?

I had to loosen and adjust the alignment of my B's line going into the bowl. It they are just a bit wonkey, the nut won't lock down enough to squeeze the flared end into the bowl. I also used plumber's tape on all the threads.


Edited by The Consultator - 05 Apr 2018 at 10:41am

I just used Teflon from Napa. Nothing special. It took a few tries to get everything lined up. Remember that the threads and fittings are soft metal, and if they are off a bit, it can be easy to strip them out when tightening them down. I had to adjust my fuel bowl positioning as well. Luckily I had room to play and still remain sealed under the tank.

Indeed. Steve does exceptional carb work as well!

Have you tried tightening up the packing nut some? 

If that doesn't seal it up, unscrew the nut all the way and pull the nut and needle valve off the tractor. Look a the packing... sometimes you can take a small piece of string a couple inches long and wrap it around 5-6 times and give the old packing some BACKUP and then you will have enough adjustment to seal the leak.

Hunt4Allis wrote: Both my B and CA fuel lines leak when I turn off fuel at bottom of bowl Best fix? Any specific type copper lines or fittings?

Copper is not a good choice for your fuel lines. Copper is soft and you can over tighten copper to where when you retighten after removing the line it will not seal properly. Steel brake line is the best. The very best would be to flair the ends but the compression fittings are good on steel also. Teflon tape is good on the fittings pipe threads as well as any good pipe dope. Keep the tape back from the first thread and it will not give a problem. Tape or dope on the compression nuts does no good.

I suggest steel replacement like factory.

Dakota Dave wrote: If it's leaking fuel with the valve turned off the problem is not the fuel lines. It's the packing on the shutoff valve. When you turn the valve on and back off the compression nut behind the wing nut there is a packing in there. Try to tighten that first. If that fails your best bet is replace it. Unfortunately you need to buy a new sediment bowl assembly. As that packing is not available.

You can make your own packing for those with the Teflon tape. spin the tape in your fingers to make it like a string and wrap it around the stem in front of the cap. A waxed string works also.

If it still leaks. I suggest getting new fittings and maybe fuel lines off Ebay or Steiner says the original lines.

Ok, good to know

There's nothing wrong with using copper for a fuel line. I have a large collection of old small engines and most of them that use a separate carb and tank like Lauson did use a copper fuel line. The bowl with the wing nut is your fuel filter. It's not a good idea to use any sort of sealer because little bits can end up breaking loose and going to the carb and block the float valve, jamb the float valve open, or end up in a jet. Because of the length involved I would recommend using steel. You can buy steel lines with double flare fittings like used for brake lines. There is also NiCop (nickel copper) that is also approved for brake use and is much easier to bend. Those sediment bowls if they leak, can be frustrating at times to stop from leaking. New ones are not that expensive.