Plugged return fuel line

[Dave WM]

going to have to give the plastic trimmer stuff a try, I tried my own idea (lube) did not help a bit.

[Zed Head]

5 hours ago, Dave WM said:

I have some pretty stiff wire used for tying rebar. I tried it on the evap line but it was too tight could not make the bends. the fuel line is bigger might work there, come and get it, I got a huge roll.

Doesn't the evap line have a check valve in it?

[Dave WM]

8 minutes ago, Zed Head said:

Doesn't the evap line have a check valve in it?

yes but that is between the vapor tank and the hard line. I have disconnected the hard line on both ends.

[Stanley]

I ran the main fuel line not the return but it's similar, just bigger. Got a length of small stainless wire rope at ACE hardware. Wouldn't go very far until I put one end in my portable drill. Finally got it to the elbow by the tank that hooks to the rubber line, but no further. The spinning wire end cleaned it pretty good. Filled the hard line with with injector cleaner and let it sit a while before flushing it out with gas.

Edited July 15, 2017 by Stanley

[JSM]

33 minutes ago, Stanley said:

I ran the main fuel line not the return but it's similar, just bigger. Got a length of small stainless wire rope at ACE hardware. Wouldn't go very far until I put one end in my portable drill. Finally got it to the elbow by the tank that hooks to the rubber line, but no further. The spinning wire end cleaned it pretty good. Filled the hard line with with injector cleaner and let it sit a while before flushing it out with gas.

I had thought about the drill too. I was able to twist the weed eater line very nicely. 

What was the length of wire you were running in the drill?

Hmmm. Now you have me thinking. I have a good length of new bike cable for the brakes I could use. 

Edited July 15, 2017 by JSM

[Stanley]

Used one length from the start of the hard line in the engine bay almost to the tank. It wasn't easy even with the drill. It keeps getting stuck every bend in the line. I think the wire rope works better than a solid wire since it won't stay bent when it hits a curve or other obstruction. Maybe having a reversible drill helps too.

[JSM]

Alrighty the wife went to bed so I went back to the garage!  I got it!  

I started at the front. With a very small wire 1/64 from ace, I folded over the end made very tiny teardrop on the end. Hooked to my drill, I could only go 29".  It would not go any further.  I cut the return line right at 30".  The blockage was at least 6" long and rock hard. I ended up cutting back it so only 6" stuck past the firewall.  I even tried to drill it and had a difficult time. I know the car sat a very long time. 

So now that the front was open I put the weed eater line back in. Amazingly it would only go as far in as it did in the back. Within a 1/2". I went back to the back and tried that way, same result, right at 6'. 

So with Stanley's idea, I grabbed a new bicycle cable I had laying around cut the end off and Inserted into my drill. With it spinning and right at 6'4" long I was able to get it through! I switched from front of the car, to under the car by the tank a couple of times and had good results. 

I thought for sure the weed eater line would now go through, nope! Anyway,I put a rag over the engine bay side and blew air through it and the rag shot right off. 

I really want to get the weed eater line through to really clean it out. 

You can see the return line right on bottom side of the starter and the bike cable in the drill at the bottom left. 

[grannyknot]

That's good to hear, if you can get the bike cable through and come out the other end try a couple of winds of electrical tape/masking tape about 2" from the end of the cable and flay the end so it looks like a bottle brush, start the drill and maybe you can roto router the crap out. Just thinking out loud, might work.