FR Tank Installed - the Good and Bad - No Ugly (1 Viewer)

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FR Aux Tank Installed - the Good and Bad - No Ugly

Some have expressed interest in the install experience so tried to document with pictures and notes.

Prior to the install, both my trusty independent Porsche mechanic and I noted that the instructions (provided in advance by Fernando at Campinglabs) were lacking. The install instructions rank about a 4 or 5, if you don't need any help with the fuel pump, but if you are clueless about that, then they rate about a 1 or 2. However after seeing Yuri (the trusty mechanic) install and wire the pump, a moron like me could do it, so maybe the instructions are still a 4 or 5.

Here is the pack list, double checked by Prudence... as you can see from the check marks. However, we did find a few insignificant items missing.

1PackList.jpg


So off we went... the first obstacle was that Yuri's lift was designed for Porsches, not 100s with steel bumpers. So after a few failed lift attempts, I (my greatest contribution of the day) suggested we remove the tires.

2Trucklifted.jpg


The next, and really most significant challenge/delay, was the RUST... lots of rust. Ten years of Ohio living took it's tool on nuts and bolts. The first few steps were to remove a cross member and other misc. brackets associated with the spare.

3rust.jpg


And then, there was bolt shear, and the resultant drilling out and re-tapping. All toll, it literally took 2 plus hours just to remove a few things from the space vacated by the spare tire.

4rust.jpg


The 45 gallon tank is big and as we learned fills the spare tire space completely, and then some. It's pretty basic on the outside - a main line, vent (or breather) line, mounts in the front and back for attaching, and a mount for the small fuel pump.

5tank.jpg


Oh, and the hoses. It seemed to be quite a few, but at the end everything made sense. However, the OEM filler neck and extension back to the OEM tank was all metal. All of these hoses were rubber - hard rubber, but rubber nonetheless and made in Malaysia!

6hoses.jpg


Now, the filler neck: in and out main, a vent for both the OEM main and aux, and believe it or not, the smallest tube is the transfer - connected to the pump. And as you can see from the two pics, is bent at an angle different from the others and quite compressed. With that said, you can blow through it pretty well, however I wonder how long it will take to transfer 20 plus gallons via the sized opening.

7YFillerNeck.jpg


7aYFillerNeckCloseUp.jpg


The OEM filler neck and vent (breather) had to be removed. Two notes: getting it out took about 25 minutes as things are pretty tight in there and there are angles to deal with; and, Front Runner should have used this part to fabricate it's Y filler neck from, for both an OEM fit and finish (disclaimer, unless this OEM part is cost prohibitive which it might very well be).

8OEMFillerNeck.jpg


Line connect from aux tank outlet to pump, with Yuri adding a small fuel filter (not supplied in the FR kit) in between . By the way, the FR Y filler neck had some crusties inside from welding that we knocked out, but still suggested we put in a filter just in case.

10Pumpwithaddedfilterconnectedtoaux.jpg


Here are the OEM main and vent tubes going to the OEM tank. FR supplied a fitting for the main line, but we had to run to an autoparts store to buy a fitting for the vent.

11OEMMainandVentBreatherfrommaintan.jpg


Another problem, the brackets (for attaching the tank to the rear of the truck) seemed to either be welded wrong or the mounting bar on the aux tank was welded upside down. It's hard to explain in words (and even this pic), but after an hour or more of trying to fit the tank up in the spare tire cavity we couldn't conclude anything else.... the two rear brackets just didn't work as each was unique (length) and had unique holes, both to mount to the tank and the rear wall of the spare tire area.

Below is the bracket for the exhaust side matched up to the tank... you can see... it ain't happening. The other side was the same.

So we had to drill the brackets to create new holes that matched up with the tanks mounting tabs' hole. It wasn't a big deal, but did take time.

12Bracketsholesareoff-1.jpg


The OEM tank main and vent hoses connected. Again, the FR kit included a fitting for the main but we had to buy a fitting for the vent from the auto parts store. And given the need to make connections, hoses clamps abound... and a wire tie too.

14MainandVentConnected.jpg


And then at the filler neck, lot's of connections: main to OEM tank, main to aux tank, vent to main, vent to aux, and then the smallest (at 10 o'clock in this pic) is the hose that transports gas from aux to main.

15YFillerconnected.jpg


Y filler neck and locking cap installed up through truck body using OEM surround rubber gasket. Clearly a few things are going on here. The angle of the top of the filler neck is no where close to the OEM filler neck. This is due to too many hoses so closely connected to it preventing much adjustabililty. I am no engineer, but I think this could be corrected by making the filler neck longer. With all five hoses so close to the mouth (the Y filler neck is less than a foot long), it makes adjustibility tough.

With some adjusting and wedging, things worked. However, without such efforts you can't even close the gas door as the neck opening is too perpendicular to the door opening. Further, I haven't actually tried to put gas in yet so this angle could be less than ideal for efficient filling.

Another note, the gas cap is a locking variety and further can't be attached without locking. So that is a small PITA in that a small key needs to be used every time to open. I am hoping to find a non locking cap in a auto store that fits. I don't trust myself with small keys to important things.

15aYFillerNeckInstalled.jpg


Looking down the Y filler neck with the smallish transfer "spout" on the left from the aux that does the transferring. Again, I haven't fueled up yet, but wonder if I can fill both from just sticking the nozzle in the opening, or do I need to angle. Or, once the OEM fills, fuel spills over into the aux opening. And then lastly, will the shut off feature of gas station pump activate since the OEM will fill up first, close the the nozzle, and shut things off?

16YFillerconnectedfromtop.jpg


Tank install from rear pretty close up

17tankinstalledfromrearclose.jpg


A little farther back

18tankinstalledfromrearclose.jpg


FR switch temporarily installed in OEM sub switch blank space. I have an OEM sub switch on order and hope to make it work.

19Switchinstalltemp.jpg
 
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Tank from the rear at a distance of 10-15 feet.

20rearfromadistance.jpg


Tank from driver's side

21side.jpg


Tank from passenger side

22sidemuffler.jpg


Again, I haven't tried to fill things, or actually used the pump to transfer. I will give it a go in a day or two to check out connections and operations, however given how narrow that transfer connection is, I am dubious thing will be very quick . Not sure why FR made the connection so narrow.
 
Nice! Great write up and now I know what is involved.


Let us know how many miles you get out of your first take
 
Thanks for the write-up. I would expect about 25-30 minutes to transfer half your tank. Most common fuel pumps do about 45-60 GPH. Of course, there are high performance ones that can do 150 GPH. If it takes much longer than 30 minutes, I'd fix that kink.
 
I'd fix that kink.

Well, my thought is to try it, but if unsatisfactory cut if off and re-weld a "proper" tube/opening.

Not sure what the engineering thinking was to bend it at such an angle.
 
Well, my thought is to try it, but if unsatisfactory cut if off and re-weld a "proper" tube/opening.

Not sure what the engineering thinking was to bend it at such an angle.
Lack of thinking by the guy who over-bent the tube, and by the welder who installed it. I'd suggest replacing it before the filler is installed...or am i too late?:frown:

Steve
 
Awesome wright-up, and thank you! I was very curious about these aux tanks and that answered almost all my questions.

My final question is, how much rear clearance on approach or departure angles you will lose? It looks like the tank hangs down pretty far under the bumper.
 
Aux fuel tanks fascinate me... probably because I used to have a diesel car that got 800 miles to the tank and it was awesome...

* Is the filler neck included with the tank? (they don't mention or show the neck on the FR site)

* Is this the 100-specific tank? I don't see "FRLC43" listed on their website.

* Any concerns about this setup passing the scrutiny of the emissions testing people?

* How sturdy is the tank? How well do you think it will take a hit, say dropping off a ledge? It seems like they could reduce the capacity a tad and get it completely out of harms way.
 
The point of these tanks isn't dropping off ledges, it's maximum fuel capacity for traveling very long distances in the desert.

Good point.

I would be happy with a tank that had half the capacity and was mounted fully flush under the back with no loss in clearance or worry of damage.
 
Then you're looking for the OEM subtank that fits above the spare.

Anyway - pegasis - great write up, def. going in the FAQ. You'll love the tank. My two friends that have them (one of them a FR dealer) love them. What you won't love however is that first fill from empty.
 
Great post! Thanks for taking the time to take the pics of the installation:clap:
I always like to see the non-shiny parts!
 
Good point.

I would be happy with a tank that had half the capacity and was mounted fully flush under the back with no loss in clearance or worry of damage.


I guess the South Africans have ready access to the OEM sub... so no need for FR to make anything more compact. You could always reinstall the OEM receiver hitch to protect the tank :idea:
 
Lack of thinking by the guy who over-bent the tube, and by the welder who installed it. I'd suggest replacing it before the filler is installed...or am i too late?:frown:

Well it's installed, however it wouldn't be too big of an effort to get it out and fix.

My final question is, how much rear clearance on approach or departure angles you will lose? It looks like the tank hangs down pretty far under the bumper.

Farther than I thought or hoped. I am not good at visualizing things, but am wondering it the the bumper would still hit first at an angle.

* Is this the 100-specific tank? I don't see "FRLC43" listed on their website.

* Any concerns about this setup passing the scrutiny of the emissions testing people?

* How sturdy is the tank? How well do you think it will take a hit, say dropping off a ledge? It seems like they could reduce the capacity a tad and get it completely out of harms way.

It is definitely specific to the 100, as it fit very snugly in the spare tire cavity. No concern about emissions as Ohio dropped that stupid process several years ago. However, I might not be able to move anywhere else. Agree on your last point, however it seems pretty well built.

I think I will wait to fill it until my gas light comes on to see where the first approx 20 gallons go. It's not clear to me if the gas pump nozzle has enough space in the opening of filling neck to be pointed at one tank or the other; or does gas fall equally into each until the main fills and then things overflow in the aux.
 
I always thought you had to stick the pump nozzle into one side and then into the other... but the FR might be different than the OEM dual filler neck.
 
Most of these tanks are made as replacements for smaller auxiliary tanks. So they work much better in those situations and normally is an easy swap.

The issue is when you install them into a truck that never had it. All those filler necks that are fabbed suck. You can't pass emissions in CO with them, the option to stick the nozzle in one side or the other also sucks, the pump turns of prematurely.

The Toyota dual necks with the valve is a much better design.
 
Any shot of the tank from underneath? Some of us with 4x4Labs bumpers would like to see how close the new bumper/cross-member would be to the tank.
 
Based on Christo's post above, I went ahead and filled it up to see if gas pump shutoff would be a problem. I didn't try to point the nozzle in either direction, but just stuck it in to see what would happen. The pump ran fine and filled the main tank up first... and then shutoff! While I didn't think the opening was big enough, I was able to angle the pump nozzle toward the aux line and the pump ran fine again... until I ran into the $75 gas station limit!

So after a total of three credit swipes/authorizations and a trip see the station attendant after the second $75 limit was reached and the pump wouldn't accept my card a third time, I think I got it filled - a total of 62.5 gallons went somewhere (my fuel gauge was just under 1/2 when I started). And thankfully none of those 62 gallons were on the concrete as far as I could tell.

I ran the pump to see what kind of flow it produced - it was about what I expected based on the opening and bend. However, it may actually be sufficient as long as I an not in a big rush to fill all 25 gallons of the main tank.

I'll try to take pics tonight of the underneath and maybe even a little video of the gas flow while pumping.
 
$200 fill up! OMG :eek:

Gas weighs approx 6lbs per gallon, so you have added 270lbs of fuel alone. Since that weight is behind the rear axle, did you notice any difference in driving yet?
 
Any shot of the tank from underneath? Some of us with 4x4Labs bumpers would like to see how close the new bumper/cross-member would be to the tank.

x2 on that request.......also can you take pictures from the back and driver with the camera on the ground, from about 15-20 feet back......id like to get a better idea of the clearance that is lost.

Nice job on the write up, but im curious why you didnt order a toyota y-filler neck from AU or somewhere else?
 

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