braided fuel line failure?

How does one know when braided fuel line has reached the end of it's life?
With rubber hose the cracks could be viewed or a squeeze would show it was not pliable.
My garage has a strong gas smell that I suspect is the fuel line seeping but how does one test this theory?

All of the line in the car is braided, including a return line...

how old are they?

5-7 years

with the chemicals in race gas, I'd guess your past the life........

that old I'd change um

Now that I'm (mostly) past the look of braided line, is there any reason to use it instead of hard aluminum line? I'd still use braided around the regulator and carb. it would be a shame to waste all those fittings.

I don't like the aluminum line, I'd use steel its alot tougher, but harder to work with.

Teflon innertube Braided line...

I like aluminum, easy to bend and not near as exspensive and braided line.

wow..... I have 13-14 years on mine

The braided stainless fuel lines on my Model A lasted a long, long time (about ten years). They hadn't started leaking, but I had a couple of bouts with the Holley's flooding because of "stuff" getting stuck in the needles, and seats. It turned out that the lines were disintergating internally, and bits of the fuel line were finding their way into the carbs. Last winter, I tore out every piece of braided fuel line, and replaced them with new braided lines, I think ten years was a very good service life.

Wayne (SAWDOFF) Pearce

Mine does more street duty than it does time at the track and it only gets race gas on special occasions. The additives in regular gas probably break down rubber faster than race gas? I'll have to look into this teflon braided hose since I already have all the AN fittings for braided.

I suppose it never occurred to me that fuel line had a limited lifespan.

Ethanol is tough on rubber.

The teflon lined braided stainless is real nice stuff, but I think you'll find that it requires different AN fittings than the "regular braided stainless.

Wayne (SAWDOFF) Pearce

Wayne Pearce wrote:The teflon lined braided stainless is real nice stuff, but I think you'll find that it requires different AN fittings than the "regular braided stainless.

Wayne (SAWDOFF) Pearce

Yes, totally different fittings for the teflon innertube braided lines and very expensive (as if anything for a race car isn't)... I've been using the teflon braided lines for a LONG time with no failures.

I use aluminum hardline everywhere except under the hood. Even my return line is aluminum hard line. Its light, inexpensive, easy to work with, and lasts forever.