Should all 2500/3500 CTD come with 34 gallon fuel tank?

[HSchroen]

I have an '03 3500, SRW, quad, short bed with the HO 6-spd and my fuel tank hold 26 gallons. Looking in my owners manual it shows it is supposed to be 34 gallons. Was that an option? I've run it real low and filled it up and it's a little over 26 gallons.

Could I have the wrong tank?

 

[Trizae]

you probally have the right tank,,,,,,, i have had a couple constomer ask me the same question,,,,,,,, use you trip odometer and figure you fuel milage,,,,, (dont trust the overhead trip computer) the take you fuel milage X34,,,,,which would be your projected miles per tank,,,,,,, then drive that far, with in 20 miles or so,,,,,,,,, that should give you a 1 to 1. 5 gallon margion of error window to still be safe

 

[n7gxz]

HSchroen,



The short wheel base trucks have the 26 gallon tank and the long wheel base trucks have the 34 gallon tank.



Kevin

 

[Bertram65]

Mine has the 34 gallon tank, I have run it down low enough to put 30 gallons in. What does your window sticker say?

 

[ralphr]

I don't think there is a 26 gallon tank for the diesels! the short bed's have a 34 gallon and the long beds have a 36 gallon tank! unless they have made some big changes recently. on both my 03 and my 99 (99 was a long bed extended cab) at about 1/4 - 1/8 tank by the gauge I can put in 26 - 28 gallons. many threads and complaints about both overhead "computer" and fuel gauge. run it until gauge show absoulutley empty and you will refill with about 30 gallons, still 6 gallons short.



first, I think they did this on purpose, on the older vp44 injector pumps the fuel lubercated and cooled pump, so if you run out of fuel, no cooling or lubercation, (could mess up pump real fast, second by not using the "sludge on the bottom of tank you keep the fuel system relativily clean. last the fuel foams (like a head on a beer), when filling up, some have said that by putting in the last couple of gallons real slow, (10 - 15 mins), they can get the extra 3 - 5 gallons to get close to the capacity of the tank.



if you think about it, if you ran it "low" and filled up with 26 gallons that means you still had some in the tank, using the above criteria you could get real close to the capacity of the fuel tanks.

 

[Rosco]

The only truck with the 26 gallon tank is the 1500 regular cab short bed. All 2500/3500 trucks have either the 34 or 35 gallon depending on their configuration.



If you have problems filling the truck up it could have to with the breather tube. Basically if your breather is too low in the tank it will make it difficult to get the last 4-5 gallons in the tank. There was thread on this recently, do a search on "breather tubes" in the third gen forums.

 

[Crunch]

On page 135 of my owner's manual it states that "when the fuel gauge pointer is on `E'... there is reserve fuel capacity, which corresponds to approximately 10% of tank volume. " For the 2500/3500s that is about 3. 5 gallons. I've had some foamy fill ups, but my needle has always pegged the "F" when I drove off.

 

[HSchroen]

Originally posted by Crunch

On page 135 of my owner's manual it states that "when the fuel gauge pointer is on `E'... there is reserve fuel capacity, which corresponds to approximately 10% of tank volume. " For the 2500/3500s that is about 3. 5 gallons. I've had some foamy fill ups, but my needle has always pegged the "F" when I drove off.

OK, I checked my window sticker and the owners manual and it indeed says 34 gallon tank. What I don't understand is when it is on "E", it takes right around 26 gallons. The trip thing (overhead console) also will tell me I only have a few miles left. I've had it down to telling me I had 10 miles to DTE, and it still fills up with 26 gallons. It doesn't make sense that I still have 8 gallons left, yet everything says "E". 3-4 gallons I could understand, but 8 in reserve? Just seems a bit excessive, but I guess maybe that's because I'm used to gas engine cars.

I'd like to crawl under it and look for a part number or some way to identify it just for the piece of mind!

 

[sshelly]

Just filled up (with my guage reading 1/4 tank). She took 26 gallons. In my opinion----it must be a 34 gallon tank. Stuart

 

[HSchroen]

I'll do a search on those threads, perhaps that is my problem. Anyone else only get 26 gallons in the tank when the needle is on "E" and the overhead computer says 10-20 miles to DTE?

Originally posted by Rosco

The only truck with the 26 gallon tank is the 1500 regular cab short bed. All 2500/3500 trucks have either the 34 or 35 gallon depending on their configuration.



If you have problems filling the truck up it could have to with the breather tube. Basically if your breather is too low in the tank it will make it difficult to get the last 4-5 gallons in the tank. There was thread on this recently, do a search on "breather tubes" in the third gen forums.

 

[Snow man]

My 2000 is the same way. Do you really want to run out when it hits the E. If the tank read the true fuel level,you'd drive it til you had 4 gallons left,park on an incline,or go up a hill and the truck would suck air and die. I have never put more than 26 gallons on my 2000. The guage is right on one notch above E when its that low. The factory cushion is necessary,until they sart putting wedge shaped tanks in where all the fuel can be picked up at most operating angles. I have heard that if you routinely let the fuel levels get real low the injection pumps do not last as long either,since the returned fuel cools the pump,with a low tank the fuel gets hotter,in turn the pump runs hotter since there is less there.

 

[Ladders]

Dont know if the service manual shows it, but my y2k (when I took tank down for float problem) had a "bucket" around the pick-up tube. This bucket held about 3 gls of fuel and was the "reserve" of the tank, Dont think they changed much since then in the mechanics of the tank, so in my opinion (I know - but it is MINE) it could be that your gage is mis-calibrated. If this is the case get to the dealer and have it fixed under warranty.



SOTSU!!

\\BF//

 

[Tony T.]

Looking back through my fuel fill up records, I had one fill up held 26. 425 gallons and had another at 30. 198 gallons. I always stop fueling when the nozzle clicks off with the nozzle fully extended in the tank opening (bottomed out), never have topped off. Fuel gauge will read pegged past (F)ull mark. SWB has the 34 gallon tank. Usually always try to fill tank around 1/4 of tank, that fuel does cool the pump. Oo.

 

[JWChessell]

HSchroen:



All the manuals say that the SWB diesel trucks have a 34 gallon tank and the LWB diesel trucks have a 36 gallon tank. Of course, it is POSSIBLE that somehow you got a 26 gallon tank. My suggestion is to get under the truck with a tape measure and measure the outside of your tank as best you can. Don't worry about the little bulges, detents, or the top of the tank you can't see. Perhaps you'll have to measure it in sections.



Do your best to get a good ballpark estimate of the total cubic-inch capacity of the tank, then divide by 231, the number of cubic inches in a gallon. As long as the result comes out substantially above 26, you've got the correct tank. If that is ultimately the case, then the reason the tank never takes more than 26 gallons when you fill up lies somewhere else.

 

[sag2]

Mine takes about 26-28 gallons when on "E". I usually run it way past that, and it still takes 30-31 gallons. Why not throw a can of fuel in the back and run it dry. Then you will know for sure where it runs out. I always take my new vehicles and run them lower and lower each fill until I can get approximately the fuel capacity of the tank in it. So far I have never run one out. I just pay attention to the miles traveled, and gauge position.

 

[ralphr]

"Why not throw a can of fuel in the back and run it dry. Then you will know for sure where it runs out. "



Becuase you are not riding in a gasser! you have a weak lift pump, and a $4500 injection pump, running dry will hurt either or both of thses units!! that is why we have so much fuel left in the tanks when the guage is on empty!