Transfer Flow removing tank

b and j · 01-05-2009, 10:46 AM

I have a hole in my 46 gal. tank and need to remove it. Does anyone know if the tank moves down enough to remove filler hose or does this have to be done at the filler cap first?
Brent
2004 SMB 4 x 4 RB50

**daveb** · 01-05-2009, 02:36 PM

Seems like I saw a detailed post on this somewhere here. I know Jeff@work did it.
http://www.sportsmobileforum.com/viewto ... 8e55b7aa72

You might try to contact him.

b and j · 01-06-2009, 06:52 AM

Thanks Daveb I'll check that.
Brent

oclv · 01-09-2009, 09:13 AM

As long as we are on transferflow, does anyone have issues filling their tank? Mine seems to blow gas out the filler neck at least twice when filling. I have talked to them and apparently they do not have a tank approved for 2004 Ford vans and newer, just up to 2003. My van is a 2004 and apparently is not supposed to have a Transferflow. I have a sales meeting in Chico on Monday and the meeting is near where they are made. I am going to drive the van up and let them take a look at it to see if it was something in the installation. They are busy on Monday, but said they could take a quick look at it. I may have to go up at another time if needs to be taken off and re installed. oclv

Greg In Austin · 01-09-2009, 10:36 AM

OCLV,

That does not sound right. Isn't the 46 gallon tank that SMB installs a Transferflow tank? Did I misread something somewhere...

We made sure that our 46 gal tank was set for TX and not CA, and we have seen no issues at all. We have put as much as 44 gallons in at one fill.

I filled up 4 times in the last week and had no issues with any of them.

In fact, other than when I am trying to get every last drop into the tank that I can, trying to defeat the automatic shutoff, I have never seen our tank spit or overflow.

Curious here.

.

jage · 01-09-2009, 10:58 AM

My TF tank requires a steady hand and slow pump to fill completely, because I need to do the vent tube mod. Three times now the diesel has spilled out the back of the filler tube (a vent line?) before backing out the neck- it's always a mess, but doesn't always happen- sometimes the diesel level reaches the shutoff first even at slow flow.

Is that the same problem?

Ford_6L_E350 · 01-09-2009, 11:56 AM

If you are talking about 'foam' coming up the filler and shooting out, it is a common problem - both with vans and Ford Pickups.

Ford has a vent tube that sticks down into the tank. As fuel pours into the tank, it makes foam. When the foam reaches the vent tube, it shoots up the vent and out the filler.

Once the foam gets to the vent tube, it is difficult to add more fuel. And I had 10 gallons still to go when that happened. The first time I forced myself to stand there and fill the tank slowly, very slowly. Took almost 30 minutes.

There is a modification to prevent/eliminate this. You have to drop the tank, pull the fuel pump module out, locate the vent tube and make a hole in it nearer the top. I believe my hole is about 3/4" from the top of the tube - you need to leave some room for expansion. You can make a notch in the tube with a hacksaw, drill a hole with a drill bit or have at it with a Dremel tool.

I took my van back to Salem-Kroger (they installed the tank) and had them fix it. They dropped the tank, modified the vent tube and reinstalled the tank in about 2 hours. Now I can just let the pump shut off and the tank has more than 40 gallons in it - or more than 600 miles.

It is not a problem with the tank, it is because of Ford's answer to some air pollution requirement. The long vent tube cause about 4 gallons of the tank to left empty for expansion. The modification to the vent tube leaves a similar amount of air in the T-F tank. The air pollution laws are probably why T-F only offers the tank up to 2003, when we all know the same tank fits and works in later model vans. Can't fault them for that. And I wouldn't push the issue with T-F for fear they would stop selling tanks to SMB and S-K and others.

Mike

Greg In Austin · 01-09-2009, 12:19 PM

Mike,

I agree that it is not a "problem" with the tank, but i understand that the Transferflow tanks are installed in two different configurations... one for CA and one for the rest of the world.

I understood it was the CA configuration, which I think did have to do witht he venting, that cause the slow or limited fill problems and thus possibly the spurting issue OCLV is describing.

When I heard about this, I talked to SMB to make sure that my tank would be configured for non-CA. I was worried since the tank would be installed in Fresno with the 4WD work even though the truck was coming to TX. The SMB TX guys made sure it was thusly configured, and I have seen no problems what-so-ever.

I seem to remember other folks that had non-CA SMBs that had the tank installed with the CA config and thus still had the problem.

I do NOT know what it is that they change to eliminate the problem, and I don't remember if it was here, the Yahoo group, or elsewhere that I learned this (sorry).

.

jage · 01-09-2009, 01:01 PM

It says something about the California config on SMBs site, I remember when I was having the fueling problems and became convinced I had a smaller (33 gallon?) tank based on info buried in the SMB website.

**daveb** · 01-09-2009, 01:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oclv

As long as we are on transferflow, does anyone have issues filling their tank? Mine seems to blow gas out the filler neck at least twice when filling.

All the time since day one. And I'm not spending any money to deal with it so I fuel carefully and listen for the gurgle warning.