Auxillary Diesel Tank Questions
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Joined: Dec 2007
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Auxillary Diesel Tank Questions
I was wondering before I build my auxillary diesel tank, if I direct feed it into my primary tank, would it cause pre-mature failure to the fuel pump? I am going to go around 70 or 75 gallons. Any insight would be appreciated.
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Veteran
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 346
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From: Hill AFB, Utah
RE: Auxillary Diesel Tank Questions
What are you plans exactly? Just put a valve between and only open when you are down to 1/4 tank and watch the guage and shut off when full?
www.northerntool.comhas gravity feed install kits with an automatic shut off.
www.northerntool.comhas gravity feed install kits with an automatic shut off.
Record Breaker
Joined: Oct 2005
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RE: Auxillary Diesel Tank Questions
I've got a 90 gallon that gravity feeds into the stock tank. It has a cut off valve so you can turn it off if you need to. I drove from Nashville,TN to Scottsdale, AZ all the way with the valve open. Pulling a 10k lbs. trailer and only stopped for gas one time each way.
It should not hurt to leave it open all the time if you want. I bet I have saved over $1500 in fuel costs in the past 3 years just by buying a large quantity of fuel when it is cheap and bypassing all of the higher places along the way. When I went to AZ, I filled up in TX where it was still cheap. Never bought a drop in AZ wher it seemed to be about 30-50 cents more a gallon. Then on the way back, I filled up in TX again.
A few suggestions.....
1) Don't make it out of steel. Mine is steel and it caused problems when the inside started to rust. I believe rust is what killed my first lift pump. I have since put a filter between the aux tank and stock tank so no rust can get into the system.
2) You may have to plug the breather on the stock sending unit. Some of the 2nd gen trucks would leak diesel out the breather when the stock tank was full and you had the pressure of the fuel in the aux tank pushing down into the stock tank. I did not plug mine, but rather put a long piece of fuel line on the breather and ran it higher than the stock tank. This way you still get the use of the breather, but your fuel doesn't leak out.
3) You may also have to crawl up under the truck and tighten the huge nut that holds the sending unit on the tank. Mine was loose and would leak for the same reason explained in #2 above.
It should not hurt to leave it open all the time if you want. I bet I have saved over $1500 in fuel costs in the past 3 years just by buying a large quantity of fuel when it is cheap and bypassing all of the higher places along the way. When I went to AZ, I filled up in TX where it was still cheap. Never bought a drop in AZ wher it seemed to be about 30-50 cents more a gallon. Then on the way back, I filled up in TX again.
A few suggestions.....
1) Don't make it out of steel. Mine is steel and it caused problems when the inside started to rust. I believe rust is what killed my first lift pump. I have since put a filter between the aux tank and stock tank so no rust can get into the system.
2) You may have to plug the breather on the stock sending unit. Some of the 2nd gen trucks would leak diesel out the breather when the stock tank was full and you had the pressure of the fuel in the aux tank pushing down into the stock tank. I did not plug mine, but rather put a long piece of fuel line on the breather and ran it higher than the stock tank. This way you still get the use of the breather, but your fuel doesn't leak out.
3) You may also have to crawl up under the truck and tighten the huge nut that holds the sending unit on the tank. Mine was loose and would leak for the same reason explained in #2 above.
Joined: Nov 2007
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From:
RE: Auxillary Diesel Tank Questions
I have a 60 g. tank in the bed with an in line pump and filter. Plumbed it to the breather hose with a tee. Also have a fuel gauge on the in bed tank. As sts\ated before transfer fuel when down to 1/4 in main tank. the pump I have will pump more than I burn while towing. good luck