This is a short little write-up on how to delete the hard fuel lines on top of the plenum. These lines are heat sinked directly to one of the hottest parts of your car. Therefore heating up your fuel before it enters the fuel rail. As if we do not have enough heat already, pre heating the fuel is not a good idea. This also completely removes the issue of the E-bay strut tower bar rubbing a hole in the line. Which is a very serious issue. I had mine on for less than 100 miles and it has rubbed significantly. You can see it in picture #2 on the Fuel Hard Line right by the hose clamps for the Fuel Hose. This process also removes 4 possible locations of fuel leaks in the future. While you are doing this I highly suggest you replace the short sections of hose running to the Fuel Pressure Regulator and the Fuel Damper. Here goes... Tools needed: 10mm socket 12mmsocket 1/4" ratchet 90 degree pick Allen wrenches Phillips head screwdriver Razor blade Parts needed: 7-8 feet of QUALITY fuel injection hose (not just fuel line!!!)I used Goodyear J30R9 5/16 Fuel Injection Hose. About 1 foot of vacuum hose Synthetic silicone grease Optional parts to replace: Fuel Pressure Regulator (FPR)...http://www.courtesyparts.com/Mercha...n=PROD&Store_Code=CP&Product_Code=22670-00001 Fuel Damper (FD)...http://www.courtesyparts.com/Mercha...n=PROD&Store_Code=CP&Product_Code=22675-00001 Fuel Filter (FF)...http://www.courtesyparts.com/Mercha...n=PROD&Store_Code=CP&Product_Code=16400-00002 1. Remove the fuel pump relay. Start engine and let it die on its own. Turn the key off. 2. Remove gas cap and let pressure out. A lot of people forget this step. It is imperative you do this or the pressure in your tank will keep pushing gas out the return line when you remove it. 3. Remove throttle cover plate. 4. Loosen the two hose clamps coming from the hard lines by the fuel filter. Notice also that I have a brass tee fitting for an in-line Fuel Pressure Gauge so yours will have just a piece of fuel hose connecting the FF to the hard line assembly. Remove Fuel Filter bracket bolts. Loosen Fuel Filter clamp bolt and remove assembly. 5. Get a catch can and some rags before you remove the fuel hose from the main fuel hard lines by the fuel filter. These are the two hard lines coming up from underneath the car. One is supply and the other is the return. The supply runs to the FF and the return runs directly to the hard lines. As you remove them gas will leak out. Most of the time you will not be able to remove the fuel hose from the hard line. This is where a 90 degree pick and razor blade come in handy. DO NOT just cut the hose using the hard line as a bottoming out guide. This will cause a minor scratch length ways on the surface of the hard line. This will eventually lead to fuel leaks. Take the pick and poke it between the fuel hard line and the fuel hose. Now take the razor blade and cut along the pick. As you cut you need to move the pick along the cut so the razor blade does not come in contact with the hard line. This is how you must remove all other fuel hose from the hard lines or you will potentially have leaks. Remove the fuel hoses from the hard lines. Let the two hoses drain into the catch can while you move on to the next step. 6. Now you must loosen the hose clamps on the FD and the FPR then cut the fuel hose from the hard line assembly to the FD and the FPR at the FD and FPR. 7. Remove all six bolts holding the FPR, FD and FF. Some of the bolts are under the Balance Tube and it doesn't seem like you can get them out. Take a pry bar and very gently apply pressure to the balance bar while removing the bolts. You do not have to remove the balance tube but do not damage the balance tube while prying. If you find this not working then remove the balance tube. It can be done though with out damage. 8. Remove the hold down bolts for the hard line assembly. There should be three. 9. Remove the vacuum hose from the hard line to the solenoid and remove the vacuum hose from the hard line to the FPR. 10. Now the hard line assembly should be free. Remove the whole assembly with the FF still attached and let it drain into the catch can outside. You will see now why I suggest to replace your FF. The catch can should be full of muddy looking gas. 11. You do not need to replace the FPR and FD if you don't have issues with the fuel system. I highly recommend it though. I did not replace them due to not having the parts on hand at the time I looked at the fuel system and said, "W T F???" You really should however replace the short sections of fuel hose underneath the FPR and the FD. Loosen the hose clamps and cut the fuel hose off of the hard lines of the fuel rail. Now you can remove the FPR and the FD then cut the rest of the hose off at the workbench. 12. Make sure to do one at a time so you can cut to fit new fuel hose by using the old section of hose as a guide. Before you slide the new hose on any of the hard lines you should lube the outside of the hard line with a SMALL amount of synthetic silicone grease. You only need just enough to make it slippery though DO NOT go overboard with this stuff on the fuel system. You don't want globs trying to make it through your injectors. 13. Now you have the new short sections on the FPR and the FD you can reinstall them and bolt them down. Don't forget to put two hose clamps on each of the short sections of the fuel hose before installing the bolts. Also make sure you install the clamps so you can get to them easily. DO NOT FORGET to tighten the fuel hose clamps. Since the hose is new you will find that you do not need to bottom out the clamps before they tighten. Which is usually how you will find them from years of tightening them due to cold weather fuel leaks. 14. Now you have two hard lines on the engine, one supply and one return. You also have two hard lines by the FF, one supply and one return. If you want to you can replace the FF bracket and install the new FF into the bracket and tighten. The idea here is to run two lines parallel to each other from the engine to the firewall then on to the FF area. The return line just goes straight onto the hard line which is designated for the excess fuel from the fuel rail to return to the fuel tank. A little lube and a hose clamp. The other hose needs to be run to the FF then from the FF to the hard line which is designated to supply the fuel rail with fuel from the fuel tank. Also a little lube and some hose clamps. DO NOT put the FF in backwards! Make sure to check the direction of flow for the FF and install it correctly. 15. I chose to bend my Fuel Hard Line towards the firewall to re-route the supply line. You must be very gentle in doing this as you do not want to crack the Hard Line. With the e-bay strut bar and the Fuel Filter in the original location the Fuel Hose wants to rub on the strut bar mount. Which in time will cause leaks. So I just went a shorter, straighter route to deliver the fuel. 15. Go back over all of your hose clamps and double-check to make sure they are tight. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP!!! You will find out very quickly that you forgot one. By now the top of the engine is dry again. If fuel sprays out of a loose clamp all over the engine do not try to turn the key on until it has evaporated. 16. Now you are ready to replace the fuel pump relay and check for leaks. Replace the relay. DO NOT START the car! Only turn the key to the on position so the fuel pump primes the fuel system. Leave the key on and inspect every clamp VERY closely. Turn the key off and let the car sit for 5 minutes and have a beer(very important step). Check for fuel leaks again at every point. Cycle the key to the on position and re-check for leaks. After you have determined there are no leaks then turn the key off. 17. Now you can cut a new section of vacuum hose to run from the solenoid to the FPR. I chose to run it parallel with the throttle cable. I also used a pair of long handled needle nose pliers to get the vacuum hose on the solenoid. It makes it way easier. 18. Leave your throttle cover off for now and replace your Gas Cap. 19. Ladies and gentlemen...Start your engine! It should fire right up with ZERO hesitation. Due to the cycling of the key to the on position and checking for leaks. Get out immediately and re-check for leaks again. Go over EVERY connection and make sure it is not leaking. If it is leaking shut the car down IMMEDIATELY and tighten that hose clamp. Do not start the car again until you have confirmed the leak has stopped by cycling the key to the on position again and rechecking. Did I mention to check for fuel leaks? 20. After confirmation of ZERO fuel leaks then you can replace your throttle cover and tighten. There are also some cable guide bolts that were removed while taking the hard line assembly off. Replace these bolts but not the hard line assembly itself. :rejoice: 21. Over the next few days of driving stop every once in a while and check for fuel leaks. Just keep a Phillips head screwdriver with you in your car. Whenever you open your hood smell for fuel also. You should not be able to smell any. 22. If you have a cheap E-bay strut bar you may install it now and have no worries whatsoever about the bar rubbing a hole in your fuel line and spraying fuel all over and reducing your car to ashes. By revamping the fuel system this way you get rid of 4 possible points of cold weather fuel leaks. You also get a much cooler supply of fuel to the fuel rail. Yet again more useless crap out of the engine bay, cleaning it up and shedding a little weight while you are at it. It makes for a much easier plenum pull and piece of mind from the dreaded E-bay strut bar! :burnone: Happy Z... Smoke em' if you got em' and if you find this write-up helpful then you can show your love by buying me a TTfront clip! Please keep on topic if you post within this thread. That will be all. /End of line.
good writeup, many of us have done this too. although i just deleted all hardlines and ran the fuel hose straight from the filtre to the dampner. only went around the back of the engine for the return line to avoid kinks. do i spy R32 GTR brakes? or is yours a later model with iron calipers?
Those are the R32 GTR Brakes that I paid out the @$$ for back in the day. Directly from Nissan back in like 2000 or maybe even 1999. They work very well and it was a HUGE improvement over the smaller stock 1990 26mm hardware. I have since done this with my Fuel lines though. I am missing one fitting that is a 180 degree return to be able to run the lines together back to the Fuel Filter and Return Line... Here... http://www.aus300zx.com/forum/showthread.php?t=291254 All AN fittings even solid compression AN fittings attached to the Hard lines and the FD and the FPR. Took a little massaging but I got them to work. YAY for no more Hose Clamps on the Z!!!!
i've installed the smithys kit on my car aswell.. although one thing i did change was the hose clamps on the smithys kit are speed flow with normal worm gear type clamps.. rip out the peice of crap clamps and refit proper fuel injection type hose clamps back inside the speed flow fitting else the bitch will always weep fuel
Good write-up Only thing I'd add is to do this when the engine is cold. Even with the fuel pump relay removed there will be residual pressure in the lines. When you pull the first fuel hose, there will invariably be a spray of fuel/vapour. Always a good idea to throw a towel over the fuel line at the same time.
Extremely well write up, as always. Certainly glad to have you on our forums, mate. Sometimes its like im the only one who takes such attention to detail in my posts, but you clearly prove there are still others that do. :thumbup: I'll be doing this shortly if all goes according to plan and I do my engine rebuild. MoulaZX
