Added filtration now lift pump dead?

[p-Bar]

Check fuel labs they have brushless motors maybe only drawback is the controller if it's made in China.

 

[Wayne M.]

I’m on my second OE location lift pump since day one and over 5000 hours. I won’t put it in the tank. I’d rather sit on a milk crate and change it if needed. All my filtration is after that anyways.

 

[rrowdy]

Check fuel labs they have brushless motors maybe only drawback is the controller if it's made in China.

I checked Fuel labs and saw the word “Digital” Nice pump but no thanks. I have enough trouble with anything “Digital” plus anything digital spells Chinese to me.

I’m on my second OE location lift pump since day one and over 5000 hours. I won’t put it in the tank. I’d rather sit on a milk crate and change it if needed. All my filtration is after that anyways.

I hear ya, I’m “Old School” and like things simple That’s why I like these old trucks. No TPIM no TPMS No motorized TTVA, Cable works fine for me.

 

[jjdiesel]

Check out Glacier Diesel Power...a few more options and very good to work with.

 

[Crunch]

I’m on my second OE location lift pump since day one and over 5000 hours. I won’t put it in the tank. I’d rather sit on a milk crate and change it if needed.

Same here. I changed mine out and it was both cheap and easy. One of my neighbors has a Land Rover and has changed out his in tank lift pump twice. But for him that is an easy change because Land Rover engineers were forward thinking enough to put an access plate in the floor back near the rear of the vehicle. For him the hardest part is lifting the hatchback and removing all the stuff in the back. All he has to do is remove several bolts, take off the access plate and he has clear access to the top of the fuel tank. Too bad Dodge engineers don't think like that. But it makes me wonder how difficult it would be to make modifications to the bed and have the same kind of access to the fuel tank module.

 

[Wayne M.]

Provided the tank is as empty as possible, dropping a tank is not a terrible deal. I do the rotted steel ford tanks all the time. However a foreign car style access plate is real nice.

 

[p-Bar]

Toyota highlander had plate that was removable also.

 

[sag2]

One of the neighbors has a son with a Chevy pickup. I walk the dog past the house often and saw him working on it one day. He was putting a fuel pump in and cut the bed with a grinding wheel and folded the the flap up to change it. Kind of sounds like something my kid would do.

 

[rrowdy]

The main problem I had was the connections were so short I could not drop the tank enough to reach the fuel lines or to unlock that @%&(
connector. This is the 3rd tank I’ve removed to clean and modify the tank vents for sand, water and mud entering the tank.
Why did DC engineer a system like this? Planned obsolescence? Tank had sand and some water in the bottom same as my other trucks, another reason additional filtration.

 

[Crunch]

One of the neighbors has a son with a Chevy pickup. I walk the dog past the house often and saw him working on it one day. He was putting a fuel pump in and cut the bed with a grinding wheel and folded the the flap up to change it. Kind of sounds like something my kid would do.

Yeah, I don't think I'd ever go that route. Too rough and sloppy, and probably very dangerous to be using a grinding wheel around the fuel tank if the vehicle is a gas vehicle. But as a DIY mod, fabricating an access plate above the fuel module doesn't seem too hard. Once you have the hole cut in the bed just get a junker bed (preferably of the same color) and cut the panel out if it to dimensions about 1/2" larger on each side, matching the contours of the bed in your truck. Line it up and drill the holes through both the panel and the bed. Then weld nuts over the holes on the underside of the bed. The welding might be a bit tough without removing the fuel tank, and the bolt heads might scratch things loaded in the bed, but given the labor involved in dropping the tank it might be worth it.

On the other hand, while it might add $200 to the cost of a new truck for Dodge to engineer an access plate, it probably takes hundreds of thousands of dollars from dealer's service shops across the country over 15 years.

 

[cerberusiam]

The thing about the in-tank pumps, they are one and done. Never have to touch them again. Aside from contamination and failed installs, they are the most reliable option available.

 

[Crunch]

The thing about the in-tank pumps, they are one and done. Never have to touch them again. Aside from contamination and failed installs, they are the most reliable option available.

I don't know if the same is true for diesel trucks, but a lot of gas vehicles seem to have problems with in-tank lift pumps burning out when the tanks get below 1/4 full and the owner doesn't fill it up. The sheer size of fuel tanks on diesel trucks vs. smaller vehicles may make the difference. The 8 or 9 gallons of fuel in our tanks when 1/4 full might be enough to keep the lift pump cool as opposed to the 3 or 4 gallons of fuel in a smaller vehicle when the tank is 1/4 full.

 

[Wayne M.]

Also add the fact that running a low tank level for extended runs in the hot season can really jack up the fuel temps. Can’t be good for any lift pump. At least the external can cool itself a bit better.

 

[cerberusiam]

Gasoline is a much more abrasive environment, hard to make any valid comparisons. Gas is dry and light which leads to more problems with wear and cavitation, diesel by nature is thicker and more lubricative even at high ambient temps. With ULSD lacking as much lube additives or a bio blend helps with LP lube also.

In-tank pumps will always run cooler even in low fuel situations as the medium lends itself much better to heat transfer where external rely on air flow only to cool themselves and that is usually lacking in an external pump location. In either scenario it is not a good idea to run low fuel in extreme temps.

 

[Crunch]

Also add the fact that running a low tank level for extended runs in the hot season can really jack up the fuel temps. Can’t be good for any lift pump. At least the external can cool itself a bit better.

In-tank pumps will always run cooler even in low fuel situations as the medium lends itself much better to heat transfer where external rely on air flow only to cool themselves and that is usually lacking in an external pump location. In either scenario it is not a good idea to run low fuel in extreme temps.

To me, the "one and done" aspect is the most attractive feature of an in-tank lift pump. The benefit of the transfer pump on the fuel filter canister is that it's a simple part that is easy to change out, even if you are on the side of the road. And then there is also the cost difference between a transfer pump and a lift pump. I also find that being able to hear it function when you turn the ignition on has a comfortable feel to it. While changing out an in-tank lift pump is well within my skill set, I think actually doing it would be difficult without having the benefit of a lift or pit to facilitate the procedure--especially if the tank is full. Having an access plate on the bed would totally change the calculus of doing it myself. There just isn't a lot of room to maneuver under a truck. In fact, if I won the lottery I can guarantee you that designing a lift into its own bay in the garage of my forever ranch is very high on the list of things I would do. That, and an overhead hoist.

 

[CJ8Rockcrawler]

AmI missing something here? Wouldn't it just be easier to unbolt the bed and lift it off with a few other people? I can't think of much to unhook other than the fuel filler hose and taillights. It obviously get more complicated with a shell or 5th wheel/ gooseneck hitch in the bed.

 

[Crunch]

AmI missing something here? Wouldn't it just be easier to unbolt the bed and lift it off with a few other people? I can't think of much to unhook other than the fuel filler hose and taillights. It obviously get more complicated with a shell or 5th wheel/ gooseneck hitch in the bed.

That way costs you a case of beer, but it does work.

I have this vague memory from many years ago seeing a low rider pickup where one side of the bed lifted up like a casket lid. In that case it was to show off the chrome and neon lights underneath. I don't know if it would be functional or not for access to things like the fuel tank. Low rider vehicles are more for looking at than functionality.