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I recently came across a mint 635CSi that was a total loss due to an engine fire caused by a burst fuel line. This caused me to carefully examine my cars' fuel lines and it wasn't pretty.
When flexed. they revealed severe cracking in the outter jacket though when straight they looked fine. After removal, it was apparent that the interior had lost its flexibility as well as the hoses were very stiff.
Age is not necessarily an indication of condition, either, as my 535 hoses were only a few years old and were awful (possibly coming from Texas, the heat sped their demise), but my 633CSi hoses appeared perfect though date stamped
"9-83".
Be sure to buy genuine 8mm X 13mm fuel injection hose (the dealer is not that expensive and if the line were to later fail, your insurance company would not be able to say it was because you used bogus hose). The U.S. made 5/16" fuel hose (fits fine) I examined was stamped "High Pressure Fuel Line" but was rated at only 100psi (whether this was burst or working pressure wasn't noted). The BMW fuel pump can exceed this figure if the regulator fails or a line is blocked.
Also be sure to change the short line to the start injector from the fuel rail. It's a bear to replace (special hose pliers that look like needle nose pliers with bent like pincers tips that fit over the hose make it easier), but if the lines WERE changed by someone in the past, it is the least likely to have been replaced due to the difficulty involved, but since it is buried, it gets hotter and was more deteriorated than the others.
Bob
'81 e23 B9 Alpina
'84 633CSi
'87 535is
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