Copper & Diesel... ok to mix?

Chip812 · Jul 16, 2012

I've got some copper tubing on my old MF35... I was under the impression that doing this is a NO-NO due to some sort of chemical reaction between the copper and the diesel fuel... Can anybody tell me if this is ok or not? Or should I just bite the bullet and order some new fuel lines?

Anonymous-0 · Jul 16, 2012

Line from my heating oil tanks to the furnace is copper...

jackinok · Jul 16, 2012

i dont know about a chemical reaction,but most of the time the reason steel is used is because heat and vibration tends to work harden copper faster and it cracks due to metal fatigue.

Greenday · Jul 16, 2012

not true, but I would not use it for anything that runs really high pressure

Chris(WA) · Jul 16, 2012

I was always told it was due to its lesser ability to stand pressure in an injection system. The chart below seems to agree.
It work hardenig and cracking seems a reasonable thought on not using it as well.
Pressure rating of copper tubing

El Toro · Jul 16, 2012

That's ok for your fuel line as it's a gravity fed line and doesn't have much pressure. When I was in the Army and had a mobile home I ran 3/8 copper tubing from a 55 gallon drum to the stove in the mobile home. I double flared the tubing. When I was discharged I sold the drum and copper tubing. The drum had kerosene in it
and I had made a stand for the drum. This was back in the 50's during the Korean War. I was the only one that had this setup using an outside
fuel tank. Most of them were filling the tank on their stoves every night. I showed some of the soldiers how easy it was to setup a drum and run copper tubing. Kerosene was about .18cents a gallon. It may have been less when getting 50 gallons. Hal

Chip812 · Jul 16, 2012

In reality (and my opinion) it should probably be a flex line... It goes from the fuel filter (hard mounted to the frame) to the engine (which vibrates differently from the frame)...

Indiana Ken · Jul 16, 2012

(quoted from post at 07:05:12 07/16/12) I've got some copper tubing on my old MF35... I was under the impression that doing this is a NO-NO due to some sort of chemical reaction between the copper and the diesel fuel... Can anybody tell me if this is ok or not? Or should I just bite the bullet and order some new fuel lines?

The use of copper in fuel systems is poor practice. For gasoline, copper can be picked up from the fuel line or other copper bearing material. Metal deactivators are added to prevent the trace amount of copper from acting as a catalyst in the formation of various undesirables. From my prior life I am aware of an instant where copper was used in a jet fuel system application. During hot fuel testing copper was obsorbed from the tubing and plated out on internal fuel metering componets resulting in performance problems.

Yes many people use copper and no problems result. However it should be avoided as there are better materials in terms of strenght and compatiblity with fuel.

Harold H · Jul 16, 2012

You will have no reaction between the copper and diesel. However, over time the vibration will cause the copper to break. I always use brake lines for fuel lines. If it is a long line from tank, I put a loop in the line to absorb vibration.

Harold H

Harold H · Jul 16, 2012

If you use a steel brake line with a loop in it to absorb the vibration, you do not need a flex line.

Harold H

pete 23 · Jul 16, 2012

The IH parts catalog from many years ago said to
use xxxxx inches of copper line from xxxx roll on
the gasoline tractors. So we did.

Copper & Diesel... ok to mix?

Chip812

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Anonymous-0

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jackinok

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Greenday

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Chris(WA)

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El Toro

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Chip812

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Harold H

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Harold H

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pete 23

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