Aluminum fuel cell pick-up ideas

XJsavage

XJsavage

CounterCulture
Joined
Aug 15, 2009
Location
Lyle's Ford SC
I have a Rhodes race cars cube fuel cell in the jeep that I'm for the most part happy with. It holds 20 gallons and has a bottom sump towards the back where I have supply and return lines running to it with 8an threaded bungs. On flat ground it works great but when fuel gets low (below 4 gallons) it'll starve the pump on inclines. Only happens when I drop off a ledge or something. I do not want want to run foam if I can help it as I've heard ethanol fuel will break it down and cause clogs unless there's a specific type of foam that will hold up. Im trying to come up with a solution here. Maybe a drop in aluminum trap door setup to keep the fuel near the sump? Or just keep it filled to the max at all times?
 
With any kind of trap door deal the same problem eventually occurs. When the trapped door area becomes empty, it will still starve. Would one hold enuff? Maybe.

Not sure how much foam will help, but there are foams for methanol. Not sure if they will hold up to ethanol.

I have seen weighted pickups that will swing to the lowest point, "gravity-wise", of the fuel tank. I imagine, some work, some dont.

I know of several people running these rear sump tanks and dont have a notable amount of incline trouble. My thinking is they arent on the downhill long enuff to empty the entire fuel system? The answer may be the size of lines and filters they are running keep enuff fuel in the system to get down the incline?

The rear of the tank is def best place for the pickup 99% of the time. But yes, it will uncover on forward downhill runs when the fuel gets low.
 
Just some background on delivery system, its all 6an line as comes with Russell kit #641600, walbro 255 inline, Russell pre-filter, vette reg, everything has a gentle downhill flow that can push every ounce of fuel from tank through pump. Pump is about 2' from tank.
 
Sounds like there is plenty of supply. Other than if the tank is a extraordinarily low flat tank, sounds like some kind of a baffle or trap door system is what you need to come up with.

Also thinking. Does the pick up come out the bottom or thru the top of the tank? Make sure the pick up is on the bottom. I have seen when they use hoses, the hose will start curling and that lifts the pick up up off the bottom. That would make the fuel moving to the front starve the pick up even sooner.
 
There's no actual pickup "tube" its just what I call a gravity drain. The threaded male nipples come within a 1/4" from the lowest point of the sump
 
Sounds like a bad design if it is a 20 gallon with a flat bottom and gravity feed? Most aftermarket tanks I've seen with any size to it has a drop down sump area for the outlet. Even stock gas tanks I'm used to has this area, but with a tube?
If it's aluminum, could you drop it and add a sump area anywhere at the bottom and add a threaded insert as low as possible?
 
Actually, I can see the sump and still starving in inclines... That case, I'd tilt the tank as much as possible or make sump bigger?
 
That new volley hydromat may be the ticket for you. There's a thread over on pirate about it called goodbye walbro hello hydromat.

Another option would be a surge tank setup. That's what I'm running on my f150 with TBI. A small lift pump fills the 1/2gal surge tank. The Efi pump pulls from it and the engine return goes to it. That way it doesn't empty as quickly.
 
Its exactly like as pictured. Sump size is approximately 4" x6" x2" deep.

HydrMat looks interesting
 
Last edited:
XJsavage said:
Its exactly like as pictured. Sump size is approximately 4" x6" x2" deep.

HydrMat looks interesting
Click to expand...

it looks interesting other than the $700 price tag.

Id say, make sure you have more fuel in your tank; build a deeper sump or trap door/baffle, or run a surge tank.
 
I'm coming up with a trap door design in my head I may try.
 
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