Check your fuel tank Today!

[JMarketos]

I've seen similar words elsewhere, now is time for me to offer them-

Many thanks to others here for sharing their knowledge

(and photos and specific instructions... . ) This forum is

a great resource. As a result of this post, I plan to pull

my tank, inspect & clean thoroughly, install the fillup vent kit

and address the "rollover dirt & water suckers".



THANKS

 

[Signal73]

I still have to do this. I have all the stuff to do it myself, and just got a leter from dodge advising me of it again. Probably use the stuff I got instead of tying up the truck at the dealer for a day.....

 

[BGlidewell]

... Drilling a hole in the body of the fuel cap (the white part) may allow fuel to spill out in the unfortunate event of a rollover... .

Brods,

The OEM tank will not drip one drop out the filler neck on its side or upside down unless it is malfunctioning. I could not get it to leak one drop after I removed it and tried to drain it for storage by turning the tank over on its side. The filler neck has a ball-check in the bottom of the filler tube. the filler tube is plumbed down into the tank. In a roll-over, the filler tube opening in the tank will probably be above the fuel, dry and the ball will close it off.

My new tank has no check valves or vents other than the filler-tube vents. I popped the cap every so-often to check for vacuum pressure and I never had any on the first tank/60 gallons. I have the locking type cap from Dodge.

 

[steved]

My new tank has no check valves or vents other than the filler-tube vents. I popped the cap every so-often to check for pressure and I never had any on the first tank/60 gallons. I have the locking type cap from Dodge.

I usually have a vacuum, not a pressure. I have an additional vent on my aux tank... before I installed the vent, it would suck the sides of the aux tank in from the vacuum generated...



steved

 

[BGlidewell]

I usually have a vacuum, not a pressure. I have an additional vent on my aux tank... before I installed the vent, it would suck the sides of the aux tank in from the vacuum generated...

steved

my post should have said "vacuum pressure". Thanks for the clarification. (edited original for clarity)

 

[Pawpaw]

The filler neck has a ball-check in the bottom of the filler tube.

Are you sure about this? The reason I ask is that I was able to get a hose down into the tank to siphon the gas out. I didn't think you could get a hose past a ball-check.



Yes, I said "gas". That's another story.



Bob

 

[steved]

Are you sure about this? The reason I ask is that I was able to get a hose down into the tank to siphon the gas out. I didn't think you could get a hose past a ball-check.



Yes, I said "gas". That's another story.



Bob

I'm not sure about the filler, but the vent tube connected to the filler probably has one... I tried using the vent line to connect my aux tank to the main tank, it would simply fill the tube up and barf fuel out of the filler (if the cap was off)...



steved

 

[BGlidewell]

Are you sure about this? The reason I ask is that I was able to get a hose down into the tank to siphon the gas out. I didn't think you could get a hose past a ball-check.



Yes, I said "gas". That's another story.



Bob

absolutely certain. check out Brods picture gallery. He has internal pictures of the tank although its a short-bed tank the valves are similar. My tank has a black interior lining and a white ball in the bottom of the filler tube. You can not siphon out of it according to the shop manual

 

[Pawpaw]

absolutely certain. check out Brods picture gallery. He has internal pictures of the tank although its a short-bed tank the valves are similar. My tank has a black interior lining and a white ball in the bottom of the filler tube. You can not siphon out of it according to the shop manual

I just looked at my '04 service manual and it says the same thing you are:





"Due to a one-way check valve installed into the fuel fill opening fitting at the tank, the tank cannot be drained conventionally at the fill cap. "





All I can tell you is that I DID siphon out the tank through the filler tube, even though the manual says you can't.



http://www.tdr1.com/forums/showthread.php?t=164147



I guess I just got lucky!



Bob

 

[viper700]

Steved

for your connection of the transfer tank to the main fuel supppy you could have marked a convienient spot on the filler neck assy and then removed it from the truck. then take a 3/8 barb brass fitting and cut off the threaded portion and file it to the curve of the filler neck. Then clean off a spot where you had marked the filler neck and either silver solder or braze the brass fitting to the filler neck. Now take a drill the size of the hole in the brass barb fitting and drill through the neck. Now connect your fuel hose from the pump that controlls the fuel from your transfer tank. Next I did the same thing from the transfer tank vent fitting to the filler neck vent but I used a 1/2" hose and fitting for this. With this you have a closed system for fueling and venting from tank to tank. I used a pump from napa #p4601hp, this pumps diesel way down below freezing. Also a pollack fuel selector tank switch so when the punp was off if could not siphon the remaining fuel from the transfer tank. Also draw the fuel from the top off the transfer tank not a bottom drain fitting on the transfer tank. Against the law I think.

 

[steved]

Steved

for your connection of the transfer tank to the main fuel supppy you could have marked a convienient spot on the filler neck assy and then removed it from the truck. then take a 3/8 barb brass fitting and cut off the threaded portion and file it to the curve of the filler neck. Then clean off a spot where you had marked the filler neck and either silver solder or braze the brass fitting to the filler neck. Now take a drill the size of the hole in the brass barb fitting and drill through the neck. Now connect your fuel hose from the pump that controlls the fuel from your transfer tank. Next I did the same thing from the transfer tank vent fitting to the filler neck vent but I used a 1/2" hose and fitting for this. With this you have a closed system for fueling and venting from tank to tank. I used a pump from napa #p4601hp, this pumps diesel way down below freezing. Also a pollack fuel selector tank switch so when the punp was off if could not siphon the remaining fuel from the transfer tank. Also draw the fuel from the top off the transfer tank not a bottom drain fitting on the transfer tank. Against the law I think.

I rerouted it, drilled and tapped a fitting into the "manifold" the FASS uses to return fuel to the tank...



steved

 

[10-9jc]

The thread deserves a bump for new owners.

 

[champspa]

put a fuel filter on it to keep the dust and dirt out .

 

[Dean Upson]

Has Dodge ever addressed the problem? I simply put some lengths of fuel line on to keep the crap from going into the tank. That solution has worked well since my good friend Fireman told me about the problem at the time of the original post.

 

[DBentley]

I did the length of hose and a cheap plastic fuel filter the day i picked the truck up new.
Thanks to the TDR members advice truck has never had a problem

 

[Trophy Truck]

I put the filters on my 04. 5' Dually when I bought it new a few years ago, and worked with no problems with over 75K when I sold it... I bought a used 06' a few months ago and specifically asked the Dealer if they ever addressed the fuel tank problem... they said not to worry about it... YEAH RIGHT... I forgot about it till I reviewed this thread tonight. Now I will take a look at the tank tommorow and put a couple of filters on it, like I did my 04. 5... Thanks TDR!

 

[CROW]

Truck is a 2005 dually with 42K and I have never had water in the fuel or any junk in the fuel filter when I changed it. I finally checked the fuel tank and found the front nipple had an approximately 6" hose attached to it. The rear nipple had no hose. The rear was located so that the tip of the nipple is so close to the top of the tank that I cannot get a hose on it, there is just no clearance between the bottom of the nipple and the top of the tank. There appears to be a slot (for lack of a better explanatory word) that the front nipple is aligned with and this gives room for a hose to be mounted. The slot runs from the mounting area to the inboard side of the tank and appears to be just deep enough to mount a hose. There is a slot for the rear nipple, but the nipple is not aligned with the slot; it is about an eighth of a turn away from the slot. So, after all this, can the nipple be moved so it aligns with the slot? Has anyone else run into this problem? Sure would hate to break the nipple or mess up the mounting area. Thanks in advance for any replies.

 

[EricBu12]

I went out to look at my new '09 3500 and Sure Enough, both Nipples on the front and rear of the Fuel tank is uncovered. . .

Went out and got 8' of 3/8" Hose, clamps, Filter, Zip-Ties, Brass "T". .

Hooked both nipples to a brass "T" near the front nipple, then the hose goes up toward the fuel fill area to a Fuel Filter and it loops up a ways, then back down. . Don't have pictures but you get the idea. . Water and junk would have to travel 5" uphill (vertical) then down to a filter that is designed for water stopping... This should work good enough to not get junk and water in the tank. .

Also will keep these nipples in mind for if I want to add a Aux tank to fuel up the truck. .


Clamp all connections and zip-tie in place and fixed now... $30 total.

 

[DBentley]

Just a crime that dodge still leaves these Open to the weather.

 

[rbattelle]

Watch for Ice

Cost me $12. ??. I used 2 quarter-inch diameter fuel injection hose packages, 2' each. Connected them together with a 1/4" vacuum tee-fitting. For the moment I'm letting the tee hang down as you see it in the middle of the tank, pointed down.

Last week I discovered my fuel tank was holding a vacuum. Symptoms were lower than usual LP fuel pressure and a giant sucking sound when I opened the tank to refuel.



I'm running 2 1969 VW fuel filters (P/N SFI 23003 at NAPA) and 1/4" fuel injection hose down to a plastic tee fitting as shown in this post.



The tee fitting points down, and is the lowest point in the system so that any moisture will accumulate and drain away.



Well, the tee sits just below the space between the bed and the tailgate, where water flows. Sure enough, a small "plug" of ice had formed inside the tee. I warmed it with a heat gun and it dropped out. I checked the system by blowing into it and it's free again.



I thought I'd make everyone else aware of this in case they run into the same problem.



Ryan