I’m still dealing with fuel issues and haven’t updated this thread. To try to get through the silt condition, I blew back through the fuel line connection at the lift pump inlet to blow the sock off the line. After that I installed a universal 3/8” inline fuel filter rated for diesel before the lift pump. It’s been a few months now, so my memory is a little fuzzy, but as I recall it was a little better, but still not good. I then tried installing a new factory replacement lift pump, thinking the one on the truck might be weak….surprisingly (or maybe not, given the quality of replacement parts), the pressure was actually a little worse. One last thing to try before going crazy on it: I got a Holley 12-428 pump rated for 7-10psi and 34 gal/hr. Unfortunately it was still about the same.
Time for a fuel system rehab…..and because I know what will likely happen eventually, I decided to do a whole new fuel system that would be capable of supporting some serious power in the future. I love how the fuel system on the dually works, so I’m using that as my basis for this one - the only problem with the dually’s system is it was hella expensive with all of the AN line and fittings. To try to tame the cost I looked at multiple ways to have the same size fuel lines, and then made a spreadsheet to compare costs for each method. I compared AN, hose & barbs, ni-copp and push-lock. Push-lock was nearly the cheapest, but much better quality than the cheaper option (hose and barb), so that was the option I chose to go forward with. I also saved some money by sourcing JIC hydraulic fittings instead of AN fittings.
It took me a while to do the research and make my plan, and then I waited until October to start ordering stuff. Unfortunately one of the places I ordered stuff from has been backordered on a couple of the fittings, so they held my whole order and it really put me behind on getting this reliable. I finally told them to ship what they could and I would re-source the rest. Because of that, this isn’t quite as cheap as it could have, but it’s still much better than the dually’s system. And with the dually down right now, I really need to get this on the road so I have a backup vehicle that can haul a trailer.
I have been on vacation this week, so I’m taking advantage of this time to finally start on the new fuel system. First thing I did was paint the new fuel tank with KBS Rust Seal paint.
Next was time to make the sending unit. It’s the same basic design as the dually’s with 1” supply and a new 1/2” return in addition to the factory 1/4” return, plus the tank vent and a Leroy Metrum Rod. Besides the JIC fittings, I also tried something new for the return lines - I used compression fittings on the lines and then used polyethylene lines for the return lines themselves. The dually’s lines were stainless with short sections of submersible rubber hose to allow them to snake into the tank - that submersible hose is hella pricey, so I decided to try this to save a little money. So far it seems to be a good choice.
I got the sending unit all welded up today. It was definitely challenging getting it welded up with so much going on in such a small space and my limited TIG skills, but it didn’t turn out too badly.
I then added the return lines. I joined the lines together with some stainless wire at the end to keep them more stable.
After that I installed the sender into the tank and mocked it up with hose and fittings. Then I sprayed cavity wax on it to seal the elements out.
Next up is removing the old fuel system and installing the new stuff.
