Question about the quality of aftermarket fuel hoses

[Mel Taylor]

I've been using an aftermarket fuel hose from somewhere like Wally world on my '94, 30 horse Evinrude, with a portable tank for a long time. It's always worked well enough I suppose, but the bulb gets awfully hard to pump in even just cool weather and the hose is always too stiff for my liking, becoming to stiff to bend at all in cool or cold weather.

Now I need to replace it.

I intended to order one from Evinrude until I saw the price: more than double the Atwood brand hose from WalMart or Sports Academy. Which brings me to the question: Are the hoses from the manufacturer any better quality than the cheaper aftermarket discount store hoses?

 

[CATransplant]

Re: Question about the quality of aftermarket fuel hoses

Generally, yes, the OEM hose sets are higher quality than the aftermarket ones. However, you can check out some of the aftermarket ones. They aren't all stiff and hard to pump.

 

[Mel Taylor]

Re: Question about the quality of aftermarket fuel hoses

The problem is that the only hoses that I can find here are the Atwood hoses like the one that I need to replace. The nearest Evinrude dealer is in Albuquerque, over two hundred miles away. So, there's no walking into the dealer and checking the Evinrude hoses against the other brands. That's why I'm asking for other opinions.

 

[dingbat]

Re: Question about the quality of aftermarket fuel hoses

The aftermarket gray hose is junk.

Any good automotive supply house should have good quality fuel hose you can use. If you want the goos stuff look for SAE 30R10 rated hose.

 

[Outsider]

Re: Question about the quality of aftermarket fuel hoses

How old is your hose? Any brand gets stiff over time, usually determined by length of exposure. They also get stiff in cold weather, nature of the animal. You can buy more expensive hose, but that doesn't necessarily buy you much more time before replacement ...

 

[Mel Taylor]

Re: Question about the quality of aftermarket fuel hoses

This hose is one of the gray ones mentioned by dingbat. It is several years old but has always been somewhat stiff and awkward to deal with.

If I remember correctly, The one before that was a black one and was much more supple regardless of temperature. I don't remember whether it was OEM or not. Unfortunately, someone else liked it well enough to steal it and, not being able to find another like it, I replaced it with the gray one that I have now.