Builds FerrisBueller's 2018 LC Build - "Moby"

[FerrisBueller]

I went back to the local gas station first thing in the morning, and sure enough that few minutes of driving was enough siphoning to get the main tank back to full. Topped off the subtank, which took another 9 gallons.

Got all the way to Muleshoe (more than 400 miles) before deciding to fill up.

 

[FerrisBueller]

I finally trimmed the rear mud flaps. It looks great now, don't know why I waited so long

 

[turbo8]

I finally trimmed the rear mud flaps. It looks great now, don't know why I waited so long

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Looks way better! Did you ever try the bumper filler pieces?

 

[FerrisBueller]

Looks way better! Did you ever try the bumper filler pieces?

Good timing asking about them! After I cut the mud flaps, I was considering the gap. So I prepped and painted the filler pieces. It will take a couple days to fully dry. Those pieces and the DuroBump front bump stops that have also been hanging out in the garage are next on my list.

 

[Casual Cruiser]

Cardboard mock-up of the charcoal canister. The extra flaps on one end show how much extra space is needed for the connections on that end.

Here are the places it definitely will not fit:

Hood won't close:
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@lx200inAR I tried your idea of putting it where the resonator is. It would totally work there, and the side-exit exhaust could turn and immediately end before the tire and work fine, giving lots of room. This is super tempting. There is a problem, though.

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The main problem with this approach is that the spare tire support bracket is in the way and would push the charcoal canister down too far. Think hitting your resonator on rocks is bad? Try hitting your canister on rocks. Still, I'm tempted to try to make it work somehow since all the connections are already back there.

This is how far the tire bracket would push down the canister (I've marked the bracket mounting holes), basically so the frame rail would no longer protect it.

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I see two possible places in the engine bay. The first is on its side in front of the power steering reservoir, which would have to be relocated backwards an inch or so (I think that's what @grinchy did). The other is on top of the main fuse box, perpendicular to it. It appears to fully clear the hood when closed.

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I have a quick question, if you were to put in a one and a half inch body lift would this change being able to fit the charcoal canister in the back?

 

[FerrisBueller]

I have a quick question, if you were to put in a one and a half inch body lift would this change being able to fit the charcoal canister in the back?

Nope. As you can see in this photo of the bracket that is used to install the tank, the subtank is secured to the body, not the frame. So a body lift won't affect the spacing.

 

[Casual Cruiser]

Nope. As you can see in this photo of the bracket that is used to install the tank, the subtank is secured to the body, not the frame. So a body lift won't affect the spacing.

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I gotcha on that. That gets me to thinking. If the sub tank moves up 1 1/2” with a body lift then the spare tire could go up half an inch rather than needing to be lowered an inch with the factory sub tank setup. Also, would the charcoal filter, be able to fit in the side wing behind the tire easier if the body was up an inch and a half? Would that create some more options rather than putting it under the hood? I know you mentioned the fit was tight with your bumper set up. I’m just thinking with the body lift that might create enough space for the charcoal canister to fit behind the rear wheel. What are your thoughts?

 

[FerrisBueller]

I gotcha on that. That gets me to thinking. If the sub tank moves up 1 1/2” with a body lift then the spare tire could go up half an inch rather than needing to be lowered an inch with the factory sub tank setup. Also, would the charcoal filter, be able to fit in the side wing behind the tire easier if the body was up an inch and a half? Would that create some more options rather than putting it under the hood? I know you mentioned the fit was tight with your bumper set up. I’m just thinking with the body lift that might create enough space for the charcoal canister to fit behind the rear wheel. What are your thoughts?

I like your idea. Having a 1 1/2" body lift would help alleviate a lot of issues in general. It would provide a lot more routing space between the body and the frame rails + crossmember for the hoses (that space is extremely cramped). It would also allow, as you point out, having the spare tire remain in its current position, which avoids having to mash up the metal guide bracket for the spare tire lowering winch mechanism (the holes don't line up perfectly when the spare tire goes up or down, even with the "correct" replacement guide). And finally, as you point out, it would give a lot more room in the rear wing behind the tire (for LC, not so much for LX) - and with an OEM bumper I think this would give enough space for mounting the canister there and have a reasonable bend radius for the hoses to/from it (and with the extra clearance for routing hoses, I don't think there would be any problems getting those hoses through that area). Note that if you put the canister in the wing behind the wheel, then the small filter box can actually attach to the same bolt location that is present for the upper filler neck mounting location (this is originally where I had planned to put mine, you would just have to straighten out the filter's 90-degree bracket).

 

[FerrisBueller]

I gotta catch up to the subtank install by @FerrisBueller what happened there champ?

Ha, you have quite the timing with that question. I've gone nearly a year with no problems ... And then yesterday I got my first check engine light. The codes were just saying the vapor flow was incorrect (i.e., related to the charcoal canister). I already know the fix that will work (it's the same fix that will cure most of the small quirks all at once).

I'm just not super motivated, since using these barbed hose fittings means that disconnecting them is destructive to the hoses. I would redo most of the hoses + fittings of I can find non-barb fittings.

False alarm. The evap code ended up being that my wife hadn't screwed in the gas cap (like at all, it was just sitting there loose in its place)

ACGC
(Always Check the Gas Cap)

Still, I have today and tomorrow off, so I'm going to try to fix the filter neck vent problem that stops the main tank from filling once the subtank is full.

 

[FerrisBueller]

I'm going to put a T fitting here so that the main tank can vent straight to the filler neck at the same time as the subtank, instead of the original way where the main tank vents serially to the subtank which then vents to the neck.

 

[FerrisBueller]

Success! Put in the T fitting so each tank can vent independently when filling up. Then I immediately went and filled up and both tanks topped up no problem. I'll wait a few more fill ups before I declare it 100% fixed.

 

[grinchy]

Success! Put in the T fitting so each tank can vent independently when filling up. Them I immediately went and filled up and both tanks topped up no problem. I'll wait a few more fill ups before I declare it 100% fixed.

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Nice!

 

[AnyMal]

Success! Put in the T fitting so each tank can vent independently when filling up. Them I immediately went and filled up and both tanks topped up no problem. I'll wait a few more fill ups before I declare it 100% fixed.

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man i love a mud member who actually puts in work. thank you

 

[Workhorse]

@Ferris Bueller

Did the T sort this all out? No more filling issues? What're your impressions a year or so later?

 

[FerrisBueller]

@Ferris Bueller

Did the T sort this all out? No more filling issues? What're your impressions a year or so later?

Not quite fixed. It still doesn't fill up completely on the first try, but I am able to top it off after multiple tries (which I couldn't before). It has also eliminated a problem where filling up could trap air and burp gas out and down the side of the truck.

My final fix that I am certain will take this the rest of the way is to update the vapor line so it does not pass through the subtank anymore. This is how I originally had it hooked up and that worked, but I had switched it to its current configuration (passing through the subtank) to use all the oem connections as intended, not knowing at the time that it could have an impact on filling. Changing this so the main tank connects directly to the vapor line will make the connection the same as the LRA tanks, too. (I will ensure the line travels above the top of the subtank to ensure liquid fuel doesn't flow into the vapor line.) I intend to make this final adjustment soon, and it shouldn't take more than an hour or so to do (don't need to drop the tank or anything). It's been sort of a meandering set of experiments to come to this conclusion, otherwise I would have done this sooner.

This OEM subtank is still heads and shoulders better than the LRA option in my opinion, as long as you're okay with only having 12 gallon extra capacity. What makes it superior (besides being OEM parts) is that there is a single fill port, and fuel transfer to the main tank is automatic.

 

[FerrisBueller]

Did the fix I described in my previous post, and got a full fill-up. It was on empty (the warning had just popped up the first time to fill up soon).

However, recently (before I made this fix, and still continues after) it has been getting more prone to burping while filling. There are plenty of vent lines for both tanks, so it's not a venting problem. I can only think that the bend in the filler tube (which for me is fuel hose as large as the filler tube) has kinked a small amount to the point where either fuel just can't pass through it fast enough or air must be getting trapped somehow right after the bend. If this theory is correct, then I should be able stop the burping by either putting a hose clamp on the part of the hose that is becoming tweaked to force the hose to be more rounded, or fully replace that section of the hose with metal tube (e.g., get another filler tube and rework how I Frankensteined them together).

 

[unclemat]

Finally got my spare tire back on. The subtank project is officially complete

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Nice build thread!

Is this the "standard" lower location for the spare w/OEM subtank, or this is some customized location? Cannot quite tell from your bracket pictures, appears to be on an angle and I don't remember if stock location is angled.

Overall what are you thoughts about the altered spare location, do you end up dragging/catching things on it? Are you running a lift?

 

[FerrisBueller]

Nice build thread!

Is this the "standard" lower location for the spare w/OEM subtank, or this is some customized location? Cannot quite tell from your bracket pictures, appears to be on an angle and I don't remember if stock location is angled.

Overall what are you thoughts about the altered spare location, do you end up dragging/catching things on it? Are you running a lift?

Yes, it is the standard lower location. The spare tire is at an angle, which is the same angle as the original position.

I don't think the lower spare position will be a problem for most users. It has not been a problem for me. But I also mostly keep to moderate trails, nothing extreme. Alternatively, if someone doesn't mind having a swingout tire carrier rear bumper, then they should probably go with that instead (and then also consider the 25 or 40 gallon LRA subtanks). But I specifically do not want a swingout, and the little bit of spare tire drop was definitely worth it to me. I do have a 2" lift, which does make a big difference.

Other people's suggestions of pairing this with a body lift is the next logical thing to explore, but nobody has done that yet so there's bound to be some lessons to be learned when attempting it.

 

[unclemat]

I do have a 2" lift, which does make a big difference.

Yeah, I bet. I contemplating the OEM subtank for my "light build" (the 2015). I am going to throw suspension on it (Bilsteins) as the OEM stuff is on borrowed time (approaching 130k) and kinda sagging from the weight of skids and sliders (I replaced rear springs that were shot at ~70k with OEM takeoffs). But my plan was to bring it to stock or touch above stock height. Maybe 1" would be decent compromise.

 

[FerrisBueller]

Yeah, I bet. I contemplating the OEM subtank for my "light build" (the 2015). I am going to throw suspension on it (Bilsteins) as the OEM stuff is on borrowed time (approaching 130k) and kinda sagging from the weight of skids and sliders (I replaced rear springs that were shot at ~70k with OEM takeoffs). But my plan was to bring it to stock or touch above stock height. Maybe 1" would be decent compromise.

That does sound like a reasonable trade-off.