Put new gas tank in bed??

[stumpcatcher]

Hi
86 RANGER 2.9LT Super Cab manual transmission 4X4

The old rust bucket gas tank, with seized in tank pump and fried sending unit aint worth time or money to fix up, so Im ditching it.

I want to put a tank in the truck box, or bed as you call it.
Its a real nice 30gal galvanized tank.
From the tank to a in line low pressure pump Im gonna put in the frame, then to the in line high pressure pump.

Ive never worked on anything that has a return line B4. I hear its better to have the return line go back into the gas tank, but that means punching a new hole in the gas tank so thats not gonna happen. So Im gonna "T" it back into the feed line, but Im not exactly sure where the "T" should go. If you look at the pic I have attached its a schematic of how I think I should "T" off the return line. Is that OK or what??

 

[RonD]

You could but may run into and issue if you ever run out of fuel, not sure it would prime very well.

I think some people have done that with dual or triple tank setups, vs running a tank selector switch with fuel returns to all tanks.

I would just add a fitting to the tank, I know you don't want to though.

 

[straycat]

Shades of the 70's, Batman!! Can you say Pinto? Blown to hell. Krakatoa East of Java!!! The explosion heard around the world!!! NOOOOOO NOOOOOOO!!! And never, Bro!!!

 

[PanamaExpat]

I am in agreement with the ever dramatic StrayCat

 

[stumpcatcher]

You could but may run into and issue if you ever run out of fuel, not sure it would prime very well.

I think some people have done that with dual or triple tank setups, vs running a tank selector switch with fuel returns to all tanks.

I would just add a fitting to the tank, I know you don't want to though.

Well, its a tall rectangular tank the line comes out at the drivers side, so if theres not allot of gas and Im on much of a drivers side up slope I can run out of gas. That would happen often enuff when the tank was on my 66 Jeep, but the Jeep could often squeak by cuz the carb had a float bowl. Also on a bumpy road the gas can sometimes slosh away from the outlet momentarily. I dont know if Ranger would react to that or not.

 

[stumpcatcher]

Not much worse than some Ford trucks with the gas tank behind the seat, and chev trucks with the gas tank in the fenders outside the frame. Lottsa pickups with Tidy Tanks.

Oh the humanity!!​

 

[kryptonitecb]

I say it'll work, don't see the big issue you guys are making it out to be.

Sent from the road while ignoring traffic

 

[stumpcatcher]

Well now I would like to know if theres gonna be a priming issue when I run outta gas like RonD sez.

 

[martin]

I've seen it done with just a high pressure pump with the return t'd into the feed line. Getting the pump to prime was not a problem but getting the air out of the line was a minor pain in the ass.

 

[Snoranger]

Run the return line into the tank or at least the filler neck.

The way you have it drawn may cause problems with overheating the fuel, pump cavitation, or other problems... There's a reason no manufacturer does it that way.

 

[RonD]

The problem is this, if air comes in from the fuel tank pump(low on fuel or....???) the air is pumped into the fuel "loop" you have made from the return line and "T".

So how does the air get out of that loop once it is in there?
It can only get out the same way as the fuel, the injectors, which means lots of missing until it is cleared.

On regular return line the air comes out in the fuel tank, so it is a self purging/priming system.

You could install a bleeder to purge air when needed.

 

[kryptonitecb]

I talked it over with a friend last night and he pointed out that cavitation may be an issue. It's not an ideal setup but it could work.

Sent from the road while ignoring traffic

 

[UrbanRedneckKid]

Run the return line into the tank or at least the filler neck.

The way you have it drawn may cause problems with overheating the fuel, pump cavitation, or other problems... There's a reason no manufacturer does it that way.

The later 7.3 Superdutys have a fuel recirculation valve so that it recirculates warm return fuel and prevents the diesel in the lines from gelling. Although that valve is in fact inside the tank.

Long story short... Don't do that. Run it back to the tank. And make sure it doesn't spray at the pick-up.

 

[stumpcatcher]

OK
It sounds like to "T" off the return line would be a really bad idea, so I will run return line to the tank like its spozeta be.

Thanks for the input youse guys.

 

[AllanD]

What really confuses people is when you start discussing multiple tank systems and explaining that where the supply comes from, but where the return goes is CRITICAL.

THE thing people who understand multi-tank fuel systems worry about is something
I learned to call "un-commanded cross-feed".. this can be simply described as fuel preferentially flowing to a tank that is already full.

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