Just completed a rear gas tank swap in my 89 Grand Wagoneer. This post is meant to document the process I went through.
Why did I do this? At half a tank, my Jeep would start to sputter, hesitate, or die while taking turns and accelerating out of a stop. It did this when carbed and fuel injected. I threw a new pickup tube and fuel pump at it and nothing changed. Later, I was running two fuel pumps and it was very noisy. Rust is also a concern in my area so the saddle tank setup would eventually become a problem.
Why this setup? This setup does not require any notching of the frame and the fuel level gauge seems to work well enough. The fuel pump design solves any fuel starvation issues when turning or steering. The nylon lines won’t rust or corrode and parts themselves are cheap. There’s also plenty of ground clearance and it moves the fuel tank to the spare tire area.
Why not this setup? The gas tank is smaller than stock…. 19 vs 20. For me, it felt like I doubled the size since I had to fill up at half a tank before. Pressing fittings onto nylon can be a pain without the proper tools. I gave it shot with simple tools and decided it wasn’t worth the frustration so I dropped a lot of money on the tool (I used KD tools kit). I’m happy I did since it saved me a ton of time. Obviously… no spare tire.
Does it work? Short answer, yes. I have no problems with fuel starvation, cold starts, and as mentioned before the fuel gauge is good enough. It’s also quiet. It can be heard priming when the ignition is turned on, but it’s muted. I can’t here it all when the engine is running.
Why did I do this? At half a tank, my Jeep would start to sputter, hesitate, or die while taking turns and accelerating out of a stop. It did this when carbed and fuel injected. I threw a new pickup tube and fuel pump at it and nothing changed. Later, I was running two fuel pumps and it was very noisy. Rust is also a concern in my area so the saddle tank setup would eventually become a problem.
Why this setup? This setup does not require any notching of the frame and the fuel level gauge seems to work well enough. The fuel pump design solves any fuel starvation issues when turning or steering. The nylon lines won’t rust or corrode and parts themselves are cheap. There’s also plenty of ground clearance and it moves the fuel tank to the spare tire area.
Why not this setup? The gas tank is smaller than stock…. 19 vs 20. For me, it felt like I doubled the size since I had to fill up at half a tank before. Pressing fittings onto nylon can be a pain without the proper tools. I gave it shot with simple tools and decided it wasn’t worth the frustration so I dropped a lot of money on the tool (I used KD tools kit). I’m happy I did since it saved me a ton of time. Obviously… no spare tire.
Does it work? Short answer, yes. I have no problems with fuel starvation, cold starts, and as mentioned before the fuel gauge is good enough. It’s also quiet. It can be heard priming when the ignition is turned on, but it’s muted. I can’t here it all when the engine is running.
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