Attention: TDR Forum Junkies I have an 02 (KEY POINT).
I installed a DrawStraw, and gutted the OEM cannister including the fuel level indicator, the filter basket, everything but the cannister frame that holds the DrawStraw.
I have a thread on what it took to change the fuel level indicator to a mechanical indicator.
The key point part is you are going to relocate a new mechanical fuel level sender to another place on the tank. On my 02 there is a nice step up just forward of the cannister. On some other model years the flat spot to relocate to is just forward of the cannister or somewhere else. KEY POINT - YOU HAVE TO MEASURE THE TANK DEPTH (from the outside of the tank is fine) SO YOU KNOW WHAT LENGTH OF MECHANICAL SENDER TO GET.
Then you gut the cannister, install your DrawStraw, filter the fuel outflow out of the DrawStraw so you get nice clean fuel into your fuel system (Fass, RASP, AirDog, whatever), relocate the mechanical sender to the external mounting location, (a electrical reading capsule is available to get the mechanical sender into the DC data bus), add the resistor to make the industry standard fuel level sender compatiable to the DC bus, change the float to an industrial float (so it does not breakup, degrade, etc), send the fuel return from the VP44 back to the tank vent line so you keep the fuel temps in check and keep the fuel throughly mixed, and you are done FOREVER! You should NEVER NEVER ever have to go into the fuel tank again.
Permanently fixes the:
hot fuel problem (because you mix it with the rest of the tank),
the fuel level sender problem (because you totally change it to a mechanical sender), (including whatever corosion happens with bio fuel on copper and brass)
the float problem (you change it to an industrial quality harsh environment capabable float),
the correct DC bus interface to industry standard problem (a parallel resistor to adjust the industry standard sender to the DC bus),
I have been running it for about 6 months, about 9k miles, towing, unloaded etc. Works perfectly!
Bob Weis
Oh, the low fuel indicator is triggered by the fuel sender voltage going beyond a set point in the ECM and then the ECM sends a signal to the low fuel light to illuminate. Your gauge is really the ECM receiving the voltage value from the fuel level sender, and converting it to a gauge position and sending that to the gauge. I am very sure the gauge does not direct read the fuel level sender voltage.
I installed a DrawStraw, and gutted the OEM cannister including the fuel level indicator, the filter basket, everything but the cannister frame that holds the DrawStraw.
I have a thread on what it took to change the fuel level indicator to a mechanical indicator.
The key point part is you are going to relocate a new mechanical fuel level sender to another place on the tank. On my 02 there is a nice step up just forward of the cannister. On some other model years the flat spot to relocate to is just forward of the cannister or somewhere else. KEY POINT - YOU HAVE TO MEASURE THE TANK DEPTH (from the outside of the tank is fine) SO YOU KNOW WHAT LENGTH OF MECHANICAL SENDER TO GET.
Then you gut the cannister, install your DrawStraw, filter the fuel outflow out of the DrawStraw so you get nice clean fuel into your fuel system (Fass, RASP, AirDog, whatever), relocate the mechanical sender to the external mounting location, (a electrical reading capsule is available to get the mechanical sender into the DC data bus), add the resistor to make the industry standard fuel level sender compatiable to the DC bus, change the float to an industrial float (so it does not breakup, degrade, etc), send the fuel return from the VP44 back to the tank vent line so you keep the fuel temps in check and keep the fuel throughly mixed, and you are done FOREVER! You should NEVER NEVER ever have to go into the fuel tank again.
Permanently fixes the:
hot fuel problem (because you mix it with the rest of the tank),
the fuel level sender problem (because you totally change it to a mechanical sender), (including whatever corosion happens with bio fuel on copper and brass)
the float problem (you change it to an industrial quality harsh environment capabable float),
the correct DC bus interface to industry standard problem (a parallel resistor to adjust the industry standard sender to the DC bus),
I have been running it for about 6 months, about 9k miles, towing, unloaded etc. Works perfectly!
Bob Weis
Oh, the low fuel indicator is triggered by the fuel sender voltage going beyond a set point in the ECM and then the ECM sends a signal to the low fuel light to illuminate. Your gauge is really the ECM receiving the voltage value from the fuel level sender, and converting it to a gauge position and sending that to the gauge. I am very sure the gauge does not direct read the fuel level sender voltage.
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