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Thread: Auxillary Gas tank install

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    Auxillary Gas tank install

    Here is a How To description on the installation of a second gas tank located in the area occupied by the stock spare tire.

    Auxiliary Gas Tank

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    I have found a solution for adding an auxiliary gas tank to my Commander. There is a business that is dedicated to performing this modification. I have purchased two auxiliary tanks in the past for different motor homes. I went by and talked to the owner this morning. When I first asked he said that he would not do it because there were several reasons not to do it on a late model gas vehicle. After he realized that I had bought two tank installations from him and we talked for awhile he came around and said he would do it just for me. I also got him to agree to put together complete kits that he would ship out of California. I talked with Ross about "Get Lost 4x4" becoming the dealer for these kits.

    Now some of the details and resolved problems. The first reason he said that he did not want to install the second tank is because of an interesting fact about newer vehicles. He told me that the Commander has a small air compressor that is controlled by the computer that compares the fuel level from the sensors to the pressure reading from the compressor that puts air in the tank. The computer compares the pressure to the amount of fuel in the tank. This is why we get the engine code if the fuel tank cap is not sealed. He said that this code does not hurt anything and can be erased by removing the ground cable from the battery. Even better he said that if I get the code he will install ball valves in the filler lines to eliminate the code. The details of the setup include a 20 to 25 gallon tank in the spare tire location, a skid plate under the gas tank, using the same filler for both tanks by installing a "Y" connector, installing a second fuel gauge, and a switch up front.

    The way the system will work is to allow filling from a common filler, the back tank will have a sending unit for the second gauge and a pump controlled by the front switch to recirculate the fuel from the rear tank to the front tank. A second line between the two tank will allow the fuel to circulate back to the rear tank if the front tank is full to eliminate any possibility of pumping gas out of an overful tank. Each gauge would show the level of fuel in each tank. The combined fuel capacity would probably be between 37 and 42 gallons. He also agreed to let me take pictures of the install and all parts to post on the Forum. This fellow has several Cherokee's that are set up for off road use.

    Sorry for the long post.

    I now need to get my tire relocated out of the spare area and mounted on a tire carrier and give him a couple of days to install it.
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    2007Jeep Green Limited
    4.7 Flex Fuel, Rocky Road 2.5" Lift on front, 4 inch Superlift coils on rear, Spidertrax 1.5" Spacers, Bridgestone 265/70/17
    Chrome Nerf Side Bars, K&N CAI, Flowmaster muffler, Aluminum Diamond Plate Locking Trunk installed
    Factory Roof Pod, Blue Ox Baseplate w/D-rings, "Get Lost 4X4" Front Bumper, T-Max 9000 winch, "Get Lost rear tire carrier, 30 gal second gas tank.
    Did anyone else read the fine print in the brochure and get a $500 rebate for being a Veteran?
    Last edited by HueyPilotVN; 06-22-2010 at 01:44 PM.

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    Update:

    They started this morning at about 7:30. They are sure that it will be at least a 25 gallon tank. I am staying at a Hotel nearby because they will take all day and part of tommorow. They will put together a kit for "outside California" that will be complete. I anticipate that Ross will be able to add this to his product line. I asked them to take pictures and left my camera with them. The tank will have a skid plate under it. It may run off both tanks until the back tank get to a lower level and then I can pump the back tank into the front tank. They will each have gas guages. With an additional blitz can on the back I should have close to 50 gallons of fuel for exploring the back country.
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    I am going to let Ross respond to the pricing issue. Tomorrow we should know what the kit full of parts will cost and Ross can decide how to proceed. I am just the facilitator for getting this kit available. This is kind of like a "Black Stealth" project where it is being done. The owner does not want to admit to installing it for me. The Kit is not illegal or anything and he is installing it on an out of state car, (my Commander) from Vermont.

    New Update: He just called and said it is going very easily, no problems. Because of the connections between the tanks he does not need to split the fuel inlet line. He says the rear tank will fill first and then it will continue the fill the front tank. He is mounting the gauge to the right of my right knee under the dash and the switch will go in the console.

    The tank will have a full skid plate. He said that he has taken many pictures.

    The plan right now is to fill it in the morning about 9:00 AM and see how much it holds.
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    I have not confirmed this yet, but I expect that I might get some really interesting results on the computer readout for both mileage and range. If the top half of the fuel tanks are linked as a common tank and the input for fuel tank level is comoing from the front tank sensor only, then the computer may calculate mileage and range on unreal numbers. I suspect that I will be able to photograph readings on the dash that will amaze you. They will not be real, but they might be interesting. I imaging that it might show double the MPG's and also inflated Miles to empty. Will see what happens, probably a learning curve on how to use this setup.

    With this much gas onboard I might just have to ditch my JATO boosters.

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    Quote:
    Originally Posted by JeepDog
    what would be the additional weight and wouldn't that cause sway issues?


    I do not expect any sway or handling issues because of several factors. The third row seat weighed close to the same amount and it is gone now. The new weight will be at the axle level and will have much less effect than say 150 pounds on the roof rack. The spare was in this area before the fuel tank. I imagine that the movement of the spare to the tire carrier had more of a negative effect on the center of gravity than the gas tank will. The gas tank should actually lower the center of gravity of the entire Jeep. I also suspect that the new tank is baffled, but I have not verified this.
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    Quote:
    Originally Posted by udoxx
    Nonetheless 700-800 mile range if you are getting 14-16 mpg, simply amazing! That will cover a one way trip to LV from the Bay Area on one tank!

    I guess if the weight is going to be an issue one can always upgrade to the OME heavy duty rear springs that support a heavier constant load.

    I am glad to hear that it would be armored! I would like to know for sure if it is baffled but the only thing that is a downer will be how the computer handles the extra fuel and calculations...crossing my fingers!

    I am not worried about the computer calculations. I will still have two gauges to show me how much gas I have. Funny how we survived before we had a computer to tell us how many mile to empty we had. I am looking forward to a display that tells me I am getting 40 miles to the gallon, even if it is faulty information. Might be the source of a good practical joke on someone riding along. Maybe make up a story about having solar panels on the roof or something like a hydrogen boost system.

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    Ok, I have lots of new information on the project. It is done, I picked it up this morning and we took it to fill the tank and check it out.

    First, The tank is going to be called a 25 gallon tank, but it actually holds close to 30 gallons. This gives me 50 gallons, 55 with the gas can on the back included.

    The tank is custom made out of aluminized steel and it has two baffles, brackets especially for the Commander and ports. It also has a drain in case we ever have to drain a bad batch of gas.

    The fill system is really slick. The filler tube was cut and turned to fill the back tank. The filler hose from the front tank was left attached at the tank and was turned and connected to the back tank. This way the back tank fills and overflows into the front tank while you are filling it. The tanks are connected directly for the first half tank or so. When the front tank gets low you turn a 15 minute timer mounted on the console and the back tank pumps gas to the front tank. With the double connection the front tank will overflow back into the rear tank if it is too full. There is now a second fuel gauge mounted under the dash. The rear pump is a heavy duty externally mounted transfer pump.

    There has been no effect on the check engine light or on the computer MPG. What does change is that because the back tank flows into the front tank it tends to keep you front tank full and my distance to empty either stays the same or might increase a little. It is just like topping off your tank at every station yoou pass.

    Here are some of the pictures:








    First steps in building the tank with two baffles:

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    More Pictures:





    This picture show the connections. The gas goes from the filler tube into the large port on the right and then goes into the port on the left that is directly connected to the front tank. They used the existing filler hose to make this connection. The main filler tube was turned and connected to the back tank.

    The brackets are for hanging the tank using "J" bolts that are hooked into the frame. The tank install was very easy, just drill four holes for the "J" bolts to hook to. The other tubes are for the vent lines and the hole is for the sending unit for the gauge. The bottom has a drain.


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    More Pictures:

    These pictures show the transfer pump and the four "J" bolts locations. The transfer pump is on a timer in case you forget to turn it off. It would just circulate anyway but the pump should not run all the time like if you forgot a switch was on.



    Left rear "J" bolt:

    right rear:

    right front:

    left front:

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    more Pictures:

    The departure angle is not reduced as you can see by looking at the rear frame rails.






    Here you can see the left side of the tank. The transfer pump, the inlet hose and the two "J" bolts installed to hold the tank.



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