1/4 tank issue question - discussion

[Lone Watie]

Quick question - for those who followed my mini-saga of my truck not starting this weekend. My common sense tells me it was the extreme cold here in Flagstaff that caused my truck to die on the road requiring a full system bleed to get her going again. But, I keep reading about the 1/4 tank issue and want to rule out the possibility that it died from fuel starvation. When the truck died on Friday morning, it had just over a 1/4 tank according to gauge, and my SGII told me I still had 109 miles left before empty (the SGII has been very accurate, and I have had problems with fuel level gauge past couple weeks). My question is what exactly is the 1/4 tank issue, and in spite of the cold temps, is it possible that the truck 'suffered' from starvation and not the extreme cold (0 F)? I'm glad I got her running again, but I could never really ascertain if my fuel was gelled or not, as by the time I got her in my garage, and got the filter off and drained, it didn't appear gelled. I did replace the filter as it looked a little strange, but I'm not entirely convinced it was the cold. Last night I filled her up and it took 15 gallons (added to the 10 I put in during my ordeal) that would leave 9 gallons left in it when it died Friday. Is 9 gallons of fuel sufficient to cause the 1/4 tank issue?Thanks again for all the support during my weekend, and I'm glad to have her back on the road. I was about ready to give up on the VP yesterday morning when I tightened the injectors back up, cranked one more time and she coughed - sputtered - and came back to life for me. The greatest sound in the world, and no new VP for now - but looking at the AirDog in the near future after over a year of putting it off.By the way, the lift is putting out a nice 14-15 psi normal operation, maybe swinging down to 11-12 during heavier applications, and idling at 15.

[rburks]

Quick question - for those who followed my mini-saga of my truck not starting this weekend. My common sense tells me it was the extreme cold here in Flagstaff that caused my truck to die on the road requiring a full system bleed to get her going again. But, I keep reading about the 1/4 tank issue and want to rule out the possibility that it died from fuel starvation. When the truck died on Friday morning, it had just over a 1/4 tank according to gauge, and my SGII told me I still had 109 miles left before empty (the SGII has been very accurate, and I have had problems with fuel level gauge past couple weeks).

My question is what exactly is the 1/4 tank issue, and in spite of the cold temps, is it possible that the truck 'suffered' from starvation and not the extreme cold (0 F)? I'm glad I got her running again, but I could never really ascertain if my fuel was gelled or not, as by the time I got her in my garage, and got the filter off and drained, it didn't appear gelled. I did replace the filter as it looked a little strange, but I'm not entirely convinced it was the cold.

Last night I filled her up and it took 15 gallons (added to the 10 I put in during my ordeal) that would leave 9 gallons left in it when it died Friday. Is 9 gallons of fuel sufficient to cause the 1/4 tank issue?

Thanks again for all the support during my weekend, and I'm glad to have her back on the road. I was about ready to give up on the VP yesterday morning when I tightened the injectors back up, cranked one more time and she coughed - sputtered - and came back to life for me. The greatest sound in the world, and no new VP for now - but looking at the AirDog in the near future after over a year of putting it off.

By the way, the lift is putting out a nice 14-15 psi normal operation, maybe swinging down to 11-12 during heavier applications, and idling at 15.

[Mopar1973Man]

Your lucky because I just updated my AirDog page with new information about that...

http://mopar.mopar1973man.com/personal/2002/airdog-150/airdog-150.htm

Now I get asked a lot about how much gap to the bottom of the tank you need for the draw straw. Well this is a easy answer you want to place a quarter (coin) on the bottom of the tank and the tip of the drawstraw should just touch that. Seem tight right? Well think about the weight of diesel at roughly 6.6 pounds per gallon ther will be 60 pounds of diesel pressing down on the tank bottom at a quarter tank so this measurement will widen with more fuel and less as the tank empties. I lightly notched the tip of the drawstraw to keep if from ever sucking flat to the bottom. As for performance I've managed to run down below 1/8 tank warning light several different times now with no problems.

[Lone Watie]

Well, that only leaves gelled fuel as the cause of my fun this weekend. My old girl had never experienced anything that cold before and scolded me bad and taught me some good lessons.Thanks for the info.

[guesswho512]

i installed my airdog using pureflow's instructions and mopar1973man's suggestion about the draw straw. i can take my gauge to the E line with no problem.

[Mopar1973Man]

i installed my airdog using pureflow's instructions and mopar1973man's suggestion about the draw straw. i can take my gauge to the E line with no problem.

The last time I pumped my tank out using the AirDog to drop the tank to replace the sender rheostat (gauge), I had less than 1 quart of fuel in the tank... Talk about sucking it dry...

[white01]

The last time I pumped my tank out using the AirDog to drop the tank to replace the sender rheostat (gauge) I had less that 1 quart of fuel in the tank... Talk about sucking it dry...

[Mopar1973Man]

very true sir..and it is also nice to know the you can run down to the "e" mark if you were in a bad situation were you were stuck in snow storm and could stay warm and not worry if you were gunna get to keep the truck running to stay warm at 1/4 of a tank left.<-this is mopar->

[dually]

I have a hellmann's sump that is also an option.

[Mopar1973Man]

I have a hellmann's sump that is also an option.

[dually]

You know, i like it.It seems like it has been at least a year and no leaks.It will not freeze up as some were thinking.Sure helps the lift pump.Placement is important should be in the middle.

[Frogman812]

I have a hellmann's sump that is also an option.

I had the quarter tank issue at 3/8 tank and hated the alerts from my Edge every time I came to a stop. I had a Hellman sump installed a few weeks back and LOVE it. I have had no low fuel psi alerts since.

[Mopar1973Man]

Do either one of you use your truck offroad? I've seen them before but the only thing that stops me from getting one is the thought of offroad debris snagging it and ripping off the bottom of the tank...

[Frogman812]

My sump has only been on a few weeks, and yes I plan on going off road again. I'll have to be a little more careful now as I'd hate to rip it off and be stranded. I have not measured, but from just eyeing my truck, the sump and airdog are at the same height. I now have two things to worry about under there. I'd do it all over again to avoid low psi alerts when the fuel sloshed around.

[Wild and Free]

Whats a hellman sump? Never heard of this one before. People seem to have forgotten the factory pickup tubes in the module that like to crack. This has always been an issue with a lot of vehicles not just these. I have seen nobody bring this up yet. it can crack and cause it to suck air at a certain level.

[Mopar1973Man]

There you go...

[dually]

I do not go off road.If i did i would think about some kind of plate/guard.I use to cut wood with my grandpops, sometimes trees will hit hard.I sure bet it could take a few good hits however you would have to think about the line as well.I used braded steel line for mine.