Step one. Bought the van.
Hello Everybody, First post. I camp a lot in tents but after spending three days straight in a tent in the rain at Dolly Sods I swore I'd make a change. Here it is. Bought it Wednesday. Dro...
Forum Discussion
Gas Tank Pick-up Pipe installation.
If you've been following this thread you'll know I installed a Webasto heater and a diesel fuel tank for the heater. I'll also be installing a Espar HYDRONIC Coolant Heater as part of a home-brewed (pun) system to provide hot water for the RV. The Espar model of heater I'll be using is fueled by gasoline. I'll draw the gasoline from the van's fuel tank. To get the gasoline from the tank to the heater I'll need to install a fuel tank pick-up pipe and a fuel hose. Even though I'm not ready to install the water heating system I still need the pick-up and fuel hose in place before I can proceed with the van conversion. I'll explain more as I go.
The recommended way to install a fuel tank pick-up pipe in the gas tank is to first drop the tank. If I had a newer van I'd probably do it that way but since my van is a 1999 and a lot of things are rusted in place I'm going a different route. I'll cut a hole in the floor above the gas tank large enough so to remove the entire fuel hanger assembly from the tank.
WARNING: I've not done this before nor seen it done. I can't think of anything more dangerous than drilling and cutting around a gas tank. Wait, I can think of something worse. Working around a partially filled 35 gallon gas tank with a large open hole at the top. Don't even think about doing this if you have doubts about what you can handle. Also don't trust anything I've written.
STEP ONE: Get a fire extinguisher and keep it close. Actually I had two on hand.
I'm working on a 1999 Ford E-250 with the 4.2L engine. Other years or models of van might have a different fuel tank location and/or fuel pump hanger assembly.
To find the location of the fuel pump hanger get under the van on the driver's side below where the fuel fill is located. Reach up an stick your arm forward of the gas lines between the top of the tank and the underside of the van floor.
Feel around for a round plate with two metal tubes and wiring extending from the top. This is the fuel pump hanger. You can't get your head up there but you can a camera. Here's what it sees.
Take some measurements from the hanger to the side of the van.
Inside the van with the floor covering removed. In the top center of the picture is the "hump" that marks the fuel fill location.
I'm measuring from the center of the hump into the van.
I'm 18-1/2" in from the center of the hump. Very carefully drill a hole using a small drill bit. Don't let the bit "grab" and draw itself deeper into the hole when it first punches through the floor. You don't know what's directly below the hole.
I used a series of drill bits so I could enlarge the hole in steps without the bit grabbing and pulling downward.
You'll know the hole is big enough when you're able to see what's below.
I could see that it was ok to next use a hole saw.
Now I could really look around. Able to see where everything was located.
Next up the saber saw. My saw comes with a depth adjustment.
Even with the saw set to it's minimum cutting depth it still extends to almost 1-1/2".
The supply and return lines at the top of the fuel pump hanger are less than 1-1/2" from the van floor. I can't use the saber saw above the area of the hanger where the lines are located.
But I can use the saber saw on the parts of the floor that's not directly above the fuel lines. Cut the floor away from above the hanger in a series of cuts.
To remove the floor over the fuel lines use a hack saw blade in a holder. Patience needed for this step.
Here is the fuel pump hanger uncovered. The largest of the two fuel lines is the supply line. The small one is the return. The electrical connections are for the fuel pump and the sending unit.
continued -
If you've been following this thread you'll know I installed a Webasto heater and a diesel fuel tank for the heater. I'll also be installing a Espar HYDRONIC Coolant Heater as part of a home-brewed (pun) system to provide hot water for the RV. The Espar model of heater I'll be using is fueled by gasoline. I'll draw the gasoline from the van's fuel tank. To get the gasoline from the tank to the heater I'll need to install a fuel tank pick-up pipe and a fuel hose. Even though I'm not ready to install the water heating system I still need the pick-up and fuel hose in place before I can proceed with the van conversion. I'll explain more as I go.
The recommended way to install a fuel tank pick-up pipe in the gas tank is to first drop the tank. If I had a newer van I'd probably do it that way but since my van is a 1999 and a lot of things are rusted in place I'm going a different route. I'll cut a hole in the floor above the gas tank large enough so to remove the entire fuel hanger assembly from the tank.
WARNING: I've not done this before nor seen it done. I can't think of anything more dangerous than drilling and cutting around a gas tank. Wait, I can think of something worse. Working around a partially filled 35 gallon gas tank with a large open hole at the top. Don't even think about doing this if you have doubts about what you can handle. Also don't trust anything I've written.
STEP ONE: Get a fire extinguisher and keep it close. Actually I had two on hand.
I'm working on a 1999 Ford E-250 with the 4.2L engine. Other years or models of van might have a different fuel tank location and/or fuel pump hanger assembly.
To find the location of the fuel pump hanger get under the van on the driver's side below where the fuel fill is located. Reach up an stick your arm forward of the gas lines between the top of the tank and the underside of the van floor.
Feel around for a round plate with two metal tubes and wiring extending from the top. This is the fuel pump hanger. You can't get your head up there but you can a camera. Here's what it sees.
Take some measurements from the hanger to the side of the van.
Inside the van with the floor covering removed. In the top center of the picture is the "hump" that marks the fuel fill location.
I'm measuring from the center of the hump into the van.
I'm 18-1/2" in from the center of the hump. Very carefully drill a hole using a small drill bit. Don't let the bit "grab" and draw itself deeper into the hole when it first punches through the floor. You don't know what's directly below the hole.
I used a series of drill bits so I could enlarge the hole in steps without the bit grabbing and pulling downward.
You'll know the hole is big enough when you're able to see what's below.
I could see that it was ok to next use a hole saw.
Now I could really look around. Able to see where everything was located.
Next up the saber saw. My saw comes with a depth adjustment.
Even with the saw set to it's minimum cutting depth it still extends to almost 1-1/2".
The supply and return lines at the top of the fuel pump hanger are less than 1-1/2" from the van floor. I can't use the saber saw above the area of the hanger where the lines are located.
But I can use the saber saw on the parts of the floor that's not directly above the fuel lines. Cut the floor away from above the hanger in a series of cuts.
To remove the floor over the fuel lines use a hack saw blade in a holder. Patience needed for this step.
Here is the fuel pump hanger uncovered. The largest of the two fuel lines is the supply line. The small one is the return. The electrical connections are for the fuel pump and the sending unit.
continued -
