If anyone has any doubt about the role of the fitting on the top of the tank in contaminating the fuel take a look at this photo. You can see that the muddy water immersed the fitting at some point. A buddy of mine had all sorts of crud in his tank and the dealer blamed it on bad fuel. He took this photo when he dropped the tank to drain it. The photo was taken after he installed a short length of fuel line on the fitting.

Another friend of mine noticed that a new cab chassis at his local dealer had a factory installed lenth of fuel line hose attached to the fitting. So DC is aware of the problem. A number of folks have been denied warrantee on injectors due to fuel contamination when it was DC's responsibility in the first place. Check your fitting and install the fuel hose if your doesn't have it. It might save you a bunch of grief down the road. FYI.

 

Cant you just cap the fittings. I read about a guy using 1/4 hose and running it someplace. I am going to look into doing this.

 

Mine don't have the groove like that, which will hold water. I noticed this when I was doing the vent mod and wondered why I had diesel on the top of the tank. Found out, figured water could get into that way. I put 1/4 hoses on both fittings and used a T connecter and pointed it down. I placed the T connecter behind the heat shield and drilled two holes and tied it down there. I've been in some water and I just happen to be lucky that I didn't get it to the frame or I would be having issues with water in the fuel. What a nice job by our fine engineers.

 

Can these hoses be pluged or are they some sort of vent????TIA

Jim

 

UH,, NO COMMENT...

 

I believe the fittings are installed in all tanks and they are used for the evaporative emmissions system in gas powered trucks. I have heard that some are plugged but since DC is installing a short length of hose on the recent 2005 diesels, then that is what I am doing with mine. I just picked up the hose tonight and will do the deed first time the weather is decent. Truck has been stored all winter.

Casey

 

Thanks for the info Casey , I had not heard of that problem before . Definately on my " To Do " list when it warms up !!!

 

Yup, we got hosed again on the QC.

 

I checked my barbs today. I was not able to suck or blow any air into the front one. Either it is clogged(I doubt) or it is sealed. The rear one I was easily able to blow into. I put some hose on both just to be safe.

 

The one in the picture looks like the roll over valve which is also the vent. One of the first mods that I made to the fuel system was to pop half of the valves out of it and glue it back, adding the vent hose as pictured. Mine had the roll over valve ball and above it a light spring pressure valve that takes some positive pressure to get air past it. Not a real good venting idea. I changed it to a straight roll over valve which allows full venting unless up side down. And I hate it when that happens

 

Is that 1/4 inch hose, thats being used. I have yet to do my vent-kit also.

Tony

 

Ya I did the same thing. Got some 1/4" X 6 Ft. fuel hose and connected the two vents to a brass tee and zap strapped it along the wey ending up by the filler hose in a loop. Interesting that the rear vent was completely open ( attach hose suck and blow). Our fuel tanks were designed for gas and diesel. Gasoline requires capturing all vapours for emmisions brought to by the peoples republic of Calif (love that saying). The front was tight as a ducks behind? This is a must do for all diesel newbie's. Fuel expands and contracts as diesel is circulated by the lift pump then cp3 and returned to the tank. Simple explanation but the point is when the truck sits overnight and fuel cools off it will contract and suck in whatever the rear elbow vent allows. The depression it sits in will fill with water/snow/road salt/dirt whatever. Yes this a major fault and should be a recall issue in my opinion. Remember on our high powered common rail electronic multi-fuel injected computer controlled engines..........KEEP IT CLEAN. Tell me again why yuppies drive diesel pick-ups?

 

I need to add note that standard longbeds have 36 gallon tanks and standard shortbeds have 34 gallon tanks. There's a difference in the tops of the tanks where those hose barbs are installed. On the 34 gal tanks the barbs are mounted on mounds instead of depressions at the top of the tank, so shortbeds are less susceptible to water collecting. The depression seen above is obviously a 36 gallon tank right?
Even the 34 gallon tanks have the hose barbs, one white, one black and neither have hoses attached so I felt compelled to add short pieces of 1/4" rubber hose to both. I didn't try blowing air into either of them but I think I will next time I'm under it.
Nat

 

Yes, the picture is of a 36 gallon tank. The barbed fitting on the pictured tank was open according to the owner of the truck. Can't hurt to put hoses on both just in case. Seems like a pretty dumb way of designing a fuel tank, especially on a diesel where cleanliness is next to godliness.

Casey

 

Right Casey! Is it true that DC is adding hoses at the factory now or not on the 2005's? Anyone know?
Nat