Tank Vent Kit Install Fail

[MJReynolds]

Well after wanting to do the vent kit mod since I got my truck I finally bought a kit from Glacier Diesel Power and had everything ready to go. The fuel tank was near empty and I got started but after trying for the last 2+ hours I've admitted defeat and given up on this mod. I've read all the online instructions and hints and I just cannot get the fittings disconnected from the top of the tank. I can reach them from either side but I just can't get them to release. I even tried to loosen the fuel lines along the frame so the tank could come down while still connected. I thought that was going to work but there's one plastic bracket that holds the lines right near the tank that doesn't have any obvious way to disconnect. Once I have another beer I'll be hooking everything back up and putting the parts back in the box. I'll just live with the current setup until I can figure something else out. It looks like taking the bed off would make this fairly easy but I'm not able or willing to do that.



Anyone want to buy a GDP vent kit cheap?

 

[Prairie Dog]

They are a bugger to get loose! If you could somehow see and hold one in your hand it would make all the difference. I know it's danged hard to do by braille.

 

[07 ThunderRoad]

I did that and it is hard. The first thing you need to understand is that when you release the fuel line from its male counterpart you will still be leaving the blue squeeze tab on the male fitting. DO NOT pull on the squeeze tabs, only pull on the fuel line and leave the squeeze tabs on the fuel pump male fitting. When you re-install the fuel line, line up the squeeze tab so it clicks into the fuel line fitting.

 

[JFought]

the plastic connector that holds all the lines is easy.
it hinges at one end and it slips over the other end.
It takes a small flat screw driver and put it in the end and pry lightly and it will hinge open. Its just a plastic snap thing. Look close you will see.

When i did my vent, i lowered the tank, but it was still in the factory harness, reached up and put the little lines to the front and rear factory vents that had no cap. It didn't have anything to do with the fuel pump/modgule assembly.

 

[MJReynolds]

Thanks for the hints. I had read a bunch of info on this mod before starting and I thought I was ready to go but those fittings just wouldn't budge. I could feel the tabs and press them in a bit but I could not pull or push on the fitting at the same time to get it off. The instructions online and the pictures make it seem like a fairly easy mod but trying to work on something you can't see while on your back under the truck is a whole different story. I also tried reaching through from the wheel well but the same result, I could only get one hand on the parts and that's just not enough. This one really did beat me, I put everything back together and the vent kit went in the spare parts drawer of my workbench.

 

[Blu-meanie]

Did you try a zip tie on the release?

 

[Mobius1]

If you are really serious about selling it PM me...

 

[Crunch]

Well after wanting to do the vent kit mod since I got my truck I finally bought a kit from Glacier Diesel Power and had everything ready to go. The fuel tank was near empty and I got started but after trying for the last 2+ hours I've admitted defeat and given up on this mod. I've read all the online instructions and hints and I just cannot get the fittings disconnected from the top of the tank.

Not sure if this will help, but a Dodge tech told me that a lot of the time when they work on fuel tanks they disconnect the back of the tank and let it drop, while leaving the front still connected. I've never messed with the tank, so I don't know how well it will work.

 

[Yo Hoot]

I failed too on my first attempt. I got those lines off but here is me drilling the hole TOO BIG! I misread the size.
Had to install a custom plastic washer.

#ad

 

[mwilson]

Thanks for the hints. I had read a bunch of info on this mod before starting and I thought I was ready to go but those fittings just wouldn't budge. I could feel the tabs and press them in a bit but I could not pull or push on the fitting at the same time to get it off. The instructions online and the pictures make it seem like a fairly easy mod but trying to work on something you can't see while on your back under the truck is a whole different story. I also tried reaching through from the wheel well but the same result, I could only get one hand on the parts and that's just not enough. This one really did beat me, I put everything back together and the vent kit went in the spare parts drawer of my workbench.

They get crud in them.



The best way I have found to release them if the vehicle resides in an area like mine is to spray the internals of the fitting with WD-40, PB Blaster or anything similar.

Then start turning the release clip in the fitting back and forth until it will spin freely.

Add more penetrant, keep spinning it.

What you doing is working the crud out of the fitting in order to gain clearance for the internal clips to release.

When you get all the guck flushed out sqeeze the retainer tabs and it will pop off as designed.

You can do it with one hand using this method.



Right or Left hand, thumb and forefinger squeezing the release tabs. Other three fingers and palm pull on the fitting.



BE PATIENT, you do not want to break the retainer.



Mike.

 

[DonFitzwater]

They get crud in them.



The best way I have found to release them if the vehicle resides in an area like mine is to spray the internals of the fitting with WD-40, PB Blaster or anything similar.

Then start turning the release clip in the fitting back and forth until it will spin freely.

Add more penetrant, keep spinning it.

What you doing is working the crud out of the fitting in order to gain clearance for the internal clips to release.

When you get all the guck flushed out sqeeze the retainer tabs and it will pop off as designed.

You can do it with one hand using this method.



Right or Left hand, thumb and forefinger squeezing the release tabs. Other three fingers and palm pull on the fitting.



BE PATIENT, you do not want to break the retainer.



Mike.

Now that is some good advice Mwilson! Sometimes a guy needs more than just moral support. :-laf

 

[DZink24]

i was fortunate to have a fellow TDR member who is a mechanic use the crane lift on his service truck to lift the bed off my truck, thus allowing total acess to the tank. i started dropping the tank, but then got the feeling there is a point of no return... i wanted nothing to do with those pesky fittings.

 

[Turbo_Bob]

Did you try a zip tie on the release?

That is what I did too, zip tie, still hard to do, but the spraying of the connector with contact cleaner probably would have helped.

 

[AMink]

I've been considering doing this to my 06. It is ridiculous how much time I spend at the station filling up. What would happen if one were to put the fuel into the vent? Would the filler hose then become the vent? Seems a bigger hose would move more displaced air. Obviously, you wouldn't be able to fill a full speed down the vent hose, but even at half speed, it has to be quicker than waiting for all the bubbles to go away.

 

[jdross440]

I did mine this weekend. It was a real pain to get the lines off. I finally used tie-wraps. Hard to do one handed, but bent the ties so they would stay in a somwhat circle so I could one handed put the ends together and pull tight. Released easily with them. I had to drop driveshaft (one piece) at rear and push to one side to allow the tank to roll so the hoses would come over the frame. Wasn't too bad putting back in after mod, just getting hoses over frame while lifting and getting past rear mounting stud took a second person to jack while I pushed the tank passed the stud and work the hoses over the frame. Drove to station and had about 2. 0 gallons in tank, put in 35. 5 gallons. After clicking off I could only put in about . 2 gallons until it was liquid near neck.

 

[Bill Weber]

Did this mod a few years back. Had trouble getting the "quick" disconnects apart. The next time I worked on them they came apart easy. Problem was putting the suction line back. After 2 hours of trying to get it to reconnect I said to hell with it and used wire cutters to cut the disconnect off and slid the rubber hose over the plastic stub & clamped it.

Bill

 

[Deleted member 995608]

Only a couple of wire looms and bolts holding the entire bed down. Five minutes of work, a cherry picker and the entire can be slighty lifted off the chassis, leaving lots of workspace.

 

[MJReynolds]

Success on 2nd Try

Well I gave the Vent Kit a 2nd try and this time it was a success. I read more about how to access the fittings on top of the tank and I took a different approach from my first attempt. This time I took off the left rear tire and wheel well liner. That gave me better access to the fuel and electrical fittings. Also after reading the hints I got here and reading an article in the latest TDR I was able to fairly easily disconnect both fuel fittings and the electrical connector. Once that was done the tank came down fairly easily. I installed the vent kit and put everything back together. I was a bit surprised by how little fuel I had in the tank, I guess I had really run it down low. Even with less than a gallon of fuel the tank was a bit of a pain to get back up into position. I couldn't see what was going on for awhile but the heat shield was caught up at the rear of the tank on the U-joint. Once I got that untangled the tank went back up without any further trouble. I had run the truck so low that I wasn't sure I had enough fuel to get to the gas station. I bought a 5 gallon fuel container filled it up and added that to the truck before trying to drive to the station to fill up. When I took the truck to fill up I refilled the 5 gallon container and then filled up the truck. Total, I was able to get 37. 5 gallons into the tank and it went much quicker than before, except for having to run my credit card twice at the pump since the total bill was $161, . Prior to this the most I ever got in on a refill when I ran it down to the low fuel warning was 31 gallons. Since this time I ran the truck well below the low fuel warning I'm guessing I can now get an extra 3 to 4 gallons in the tank and it's a much quicker process. Overall a worthwhile modification but one that could have gone better with some more research prior to starting. Thanks again for the helpful hints and suggestions.

 

[JasonMcNabb]

Just pull the box off

For the tank vent kit do not hesitate to pull the box off. Two guys can pick the single wheel box and you just need a couple of sawhorses to park it on. Takes about 20 minutes to remove and much less pain on the tank project. A dually box with running boards, mudflaps, and custom rubber fender liners is a bit heavier but is that what ropes and a case of beer and four friends is for then! Just hang it from the roof of the garage.



It is amazing what else you will find when the box is off to fix or check.