My 18 Gal. AUX tank Done!

[EricBu12]

Bought a Tempo (marine) Plastic 18 gal (act. 17. 5 gal. ) tank about $135... Bought a guage to go on the dash and wired up a switch to a relay to a old Lift pump I took off a while back. pump still works so I use that..... Am in the middle of replacing my Hitch to a class 5 so that is why you see the plug-in hanging in the pics... .



Install went not too bad, had to use a wood spacer for the geometry of the crossbrace... . got straps from home depot 4' each.



"T"'d in a 5/8" hose to the vent hose on the main fill tube. the Supply of the Aux tank is 3/8" and it goes to a capped off Aux. Fitting on the top of the unit on the main tank. .

Fill tube is 1 1/2" ID and I got a very stiff tube but if you can find one just a reg tube, that would work as well... Had to do a couple of 90 deg elbows because of tank to bed clearance and I had to shorten the fill tube on the tank by half. Hose goes up to the fill "deck plate" as it is called, had to cut that length a bit and fashion up a 90 elbow there as well since the tube can't bend... . but got it all done... . now when the tank is down below half, I flip a switch and the pump transfers to the main in about 10 min til empty then turn off. thats what the guage is for to monitor when to turn off the switch... ...

Heres the pics. I will do this in 2 or 3 replys... .



<img src=https://www.turbodieselregister.com/user_gallery/sizeimage.php?&photoid=5850&width=1/src img>



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The plug in is not in that poss. right now, redoing the hitch. The wood nestles between the rails...



<img src=https://www.turbodieselregister.com/user_gallery/sizeimage.php?&photoid=5854&width=1/src img>



This is where the fill hole will be, behind the fender flair...



<img src=https://www.turbodieselregister.com/user_gallery/sizeimage.php?&photoid=5856&width=1/src img>

 

[EricBu12]

more pics



<img src=https://www.turbodieselregister.com/user_gallery/sizeimage.php?&photoid=5858&width=1/src img>



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The new Class 5 hitch should all but cover what is showing from the back. I estimate the weight of the fuel and everything to be like 140lb. so no biggie on that... .

<img src=https://www.turbodieselregister.com/user_gallery/sizeimage.php?&photoid=5864&width=1/src img>

 

[EricBu12]

This is what I did with the spare tire. bought the JC whitney tire bolt to the side box of the bed. if you have a longbed, this is easier, I has to hike it up on the well to flatten it to the side. used the bungie for insurance to bounce... .



<img src=https://www.turbodieselregister.com/user_gallery/sizeimage.php?&photoid=5871&width=2/src img>

 

[Turbo Thom]

Something must be wrong with my puter. The pictures don't work.



. . Preston. .

 

[truckstom]

great post. pics work good for me.

 

[bmoeller]

Looks good. Great pics.

 

[paccool]

Looks good Eric. Is the new tank equipped with baffles or is it small enough to not need them? I've been thinking of putting a small one similar to this in my bed box and feeding to the main along the lines that you did.



Stan

 

[Dkevdog]

Nice Job If only I could find a good place for the spare... ... ... .....



Kev

 

[EricBu12]

Thanks for the good reviews.

On Sloshing, The tank don't have baffles, The idea is to keep the aux tank full. Then when the main is low enough, transfer it all to the main in like 10 min. so sloshing won't be a problem.

 

[The patriot]

Nice clean install.

I might have to get me one. :-laf

Eric

 

[EricBu12]

Update:

Just went down to Flying J and filled it up. Because of the tight 90 deg at the fill plate, it went slowly about 7-10 min to fill it. If you could devise a downward spout, that would work better.....



Just above off on the nozzle. I tested the transfer function and it seemed to work great. Filled both to the top and weighed it.



My hitch isn't in yet but I have some stuff in the bed that would equal it or more... . and I have

4460 front

3520 rear and

7980 total weight. Thats with me and 52 gal fuel.

 

[The patriot]

Upon further thought....

You might want to concider brass or stainless when/if you replace the PVC. Hell... even a black iron fitting would be fine.

I'm thinking the PVC could get cold and brittle.

JM. 02

Eric

 

[shendren]

just got thru ripping a tempo 28gal tank out of my whaler. called tempo. only a 2 year warranty. the tank bulges out when it gets hot and flexes alot. then started to leak like a sieve... .



went with an aluminum tank.



good luck.

 

[The patriot]

I think you can get the aluminum tanks for about the same $$$.

Hell, there's a tank builder down the road from me. He stopped in to talk motorcycles a few times when I was outside the house with mine. I'm sure I can get him to build whatever dimensions I want.

Hummm... . anyone have the dimensions of the 54 gal mid-ship tank that Transfer flow builds?:-laf

Eric

 

[EricBu12]

I redid the plastic elbow that is at the top. I was able to find a sink drain pipe that had a tight 90 deg and it is brass and chrome outside. Lot less worry now!



Earthroamer had this exact tank in his 98 so that was where I got the Idea to do it... ... His lasted a long tim and if I am not mistaken, it is still in there on the old truck... .

 

[The patriot]

Just thinking out loud

I just did some measurements in the bed. If you build a tank to fit from the front of the bed to the front of the wheelwells, and make it even with the top of the bed, it would be about 150 gallons.

65x34x18

That would be a pretty tight fit.

Eric

 

[EricBu12]

Just found out a neat thing. On the top of the main tank, it has a capped fitting for Aux use.



I hooked my feed line into that and now as the truck is using the fuel from the main, it is siphoning the fuel from the Aux tank at the same time so the Main tank stays full untill the aux is empty then the main will go down.



I am going to flaming gorge (a lake in Wy. ) thursday so I will report back on monday what happened.



So far I am seeing the level is lower in the aux tank a bit since fueling up.

 

[EricBu12]

Well this is most interresting.



on the post above, I descibed the maintank siphoning the fuel from the Aux tank and it did do that til the aux was empty. Now it has air in that line... ...



So I go to fill it and top off the main and now the main goes down first and the aux stays full..... untill I prime it with that pump then it gets the siphoning action going again... ...



Weird, but not much of a PITA. Glad I have a guage for the aux tank... ... .

 

[The patriot]

That's interesting. Might you have a bad connection, that might breaking the vacuum?

It would be pretty cool to put in the tank and not need a transfer pump.

What fitting are you using, the one that's the most forward on the sender assy?

Eric

 

[EricBu12]

Yes it is a capped "Aux" fitting on the sender assby. that I guess is for anything you need to fuel run by diesel... ... If there is a tube going down, that would explain the siphoning... ... but the tube is sorta level with the top of the fram so it needs the prime to get it going but if not primed, there is not enough draw to pull it from the aux tank so it is nice to have the pump and the guage to monitor it,.....