Help needed - fuel line loose at the rail??

[valkyrie302]

Hello!

I’m very new to both this forum and the world of Mustangs. I’ve owned my first Mustang, a 1995 GT with a 302, for about a year now, but have only recently started seriously tinkering with it.

I recently attempted to replace the dizzy and set timing, but messed up and had to start over. When I was putting the wires back on, I noticed that my fuel line closest to the front on the passenger side fuel rail seems VERY loose - I can easily slide it back and forth with little effort to the point I’m afraid I’ll slip it off by accident. The metal piece at the top seems firmly in, but the rubber hose almost seems like it isn’t attached at all anymore. See the attached picture - I can freely move the rubber hose here with no resistance. The rest are not nearly this loose.



Is there a way to tighten the hose down? My distributor is in and I want to try firing it up, but I don’t want to risk getting fuel everywhere if we might have knocked the hose loose or depressurized it somehow. Since it appears the hose is disconnected from the metal head, will I need an entirely new line? Or, is this normal on a sitting car and I’m just a moron?

Sorry if this is a dumb question or asked before, I’m still figuring things out as I go. Any advice would be greatl

 

[ttocs]

if those lines are even 5-10 yrs old I would go with AN replacements. There are a few people that make them and its a simple but not necessarily cheap upgrade.

 

[Wmac]

To check for a leak, wrap a rag around the connection. Then go key-on, engine-off for a second or 2. You should hear the fuel pump turn on and pressurize the system.

DO NOT start the engine. Normal pressure is about 32 psi so you will quickly know if there is a leak.

 

[TrickVert]

Absolutely do the upgrade to braided lines and AN fittings! There's a (huge) stickied thread on the Corral's 94/95 specific forum about this. I might even have the parts list somewhere.

 

[valkyrie302]

Thanks everyone! As a temporary solution, I used a generic hose clamp to secure the line better. I have a pressure tester and was going to test the fuel system after, but the weather had other plans. (no garage so I’m at mother nature’s mercy)

As of now my main goal is to get the timing set and get it running again, but I definitely want to do the AN replacement as my next job. If anyone has the link to the part list I would be super appreciative!! Ill look around and see if I can find it.

Thanks again for helping a newbie out - still have a lot of trial and error to go getting this car sorted.

 

[5PointSnow]

I just logged on for the first time in years to say that on the stock rails that black part is actually not the hose itself just a heat shield/abrasion hose cover. That is why it slides back and forth so easily, it is sliding on the fuel line which is a harder plastic material. From the factory they had a little plastic ratchet clamp thingy holding it in place. Having said that, it never hurts to check fuel pressure leak down. Also I would still recommend replacing with PTFE AN lines using the Russel adapters when you can. It gives some piece of mind as those stock lines have seen a lot of heat cycles and vibrations since 1995.