1991 Extended Range loyale Wagon - additional fuel TANKS

[jsyme]

I am very interested in extending the driving range of the car.  As far as I can tell it's as bare bone stock as they could possible come.

I've driven the car 2 full tanks of fuel now. It will swallow 11 gallons and push across the 250 miles (as measured by my odometer) lines pretty easily - but I haven't run it dry. Edmunds.com calls for a 15.9 Gallon tank, but all I've ever got int there was 11 gallons.

 

22.73 MPG by my math.. meh mileage

 

1991 Extended Range Loyale Wagon 4WD manual trans 13" wheels. 202,000 miles on the odo.

I still intend to raise the car 2" and fit 15" rims for a 4" effective lift.  but not today.

 

I've run biodiesel in the past and worked through the drama of 2 tanks in a GMC truck. Being able to haul 60 gallons of fuel under the bed was nice. 

 

Can I do it with the Loyale? Large hoses? a 2nd auxiliary tank pump setup?

Ebay calls out $160 to $260 for the standard 15.7Gallon tank with a 3 year warranty.  

Has anyone built a fuel cell where the spare tire goes under the hood? Before everyone tells me how dangerous it is recall the Volkswagen Beetle trikes fuel cell was also above the engine. Maybe install a welding with a few DC 12 volt batteries?   - sorry I'm getting side tracked.

 

Build one into the floor tool box in the rear? thoughts? failed attempts?

[john in KY]

Fuel tank under the hood?  Wonder what the outcome would be when the car is involved in a front end collision?  Engine smashes tank, tank ruptures, gasoline flows on hot exhaust...guessing not a real concern after all. 

[matt167]

Ford Model A tank was behind the dashboard.. and they about exploded on a front end collision..

 

before you even think about size constraints, consider gasoline is about 6 pounds per gallon, so 15 gallon is 90 pounds.. Your car is gonna feel that extra weight

[DaveT]

Under the hood does not seem like a good idea to me.

[Sapper 157]

Has anyone built a fuel cell where the spare tire goes under the hood? Before everyone tells me how dangerous it is recall the Volkswagen Beetle trikes fuel cell was also above the engine.

 

I am no volkswagen expert by any means, however, the fact that a Volkwagen bettle used a front fuel tank does not excuse the fact that it is a dangerous idea. I would agree with everyone else... DO NOT, for your own safety and the safety of your passengers, mount your spare fuel tank in the engine. Like others have already said, if you get into a front-end collision.... BOOOOM. Maybe mount it in the rear? 

[skishop69]

Those VW trikes were all made by aftermarket companies and sold as kits, therefore did not require any safety regulations. Secondly, that fuel cell was in an open air environment, with a heat shield and around 18"-24" up from the engine proper. You cannot place a fuel cell in a confined, heated area not to mention the legal ramifications if you're ever in an accident and someone is killed or injured due to the modification.

[carfreak85]

Yes, VW fuel tanks used to be front-end mounted.  We also used to use mercury in household products, painted our houses with lead paint, thought that cigarettes made you more healthy, drove cars without seatbelts and steel dashboards and if someone was sick, we used to bleed them out.

 

Yeah, sometimes change is for the better...

[jsyme]

AWESOME!  LMAO.. I'm sold.  no fuel tank under the hood.  

 

So, talk to me about solutions fitting a 2ndary tank or larger main tank.

 

Thanks all.

[rdweninger]

Sounds like alot of work to add a second fuel tank.   One easy option comes to mind.

1.  After 300 miles of driving - Stop at a service station and fill up the stock fuel tank (we have lots of them here in America).

    If you want extra gas, mount a few jerry cans off your rear bumper (like a Jeep).

[Dee2]

Edmunds.com calls for a 15.9 Gallon tank, but all I've ever got int there was 11 gallons.

22.73 MPG by my math.. meh mileage

 

If you want to improve your range, the simplest thing to do is to improve your gas mileage.  The tanks are 15.9 so the first thing to do is find out why you only can fill 11 gallons.

 

Secondly look into ways to get better mileage.  Replace the oxygen sensor, clean and sharpen your plugs, proper air pressure in your tires, clean your air filter, etc. 

 

After all that is accomplished, then see where your at on mpg.

[TomRhere]

Yeah, it's a 15.9 gallon tank in the EA82 bodied vehicles.

 

Being yours is SPFI and Manual trans, you should be getting 32+ MPG. Anything under say 28 MPG is cause to start looking for the reason(s).

 

There is a few things to throw gas mileage off, so one must do some investigating.

 

Brakes dragging, wheel bearing(s) not quite right on fitment, exhaust restrictions, CTS (coolant temp sensor) faulty, cam timing, disty timing, tire pressure, front-end alignment, yada, yada, yada

[rdweninger]

Second that.  Should be getting 30+ with manual trans. 

    Fuel gauges read low on ea82s.   If you run the tank until you're out of gas - then put in 2-gal from your trusty extra gas can, when you get to the nearest gas station, you will take 13.9 gal.   Ask me how I know. 

   I, also,in the past, would fill the tank with about 11 gal when it read Empty... so I had to test it.

[wagonist]

Don't know about gallons, but they list cars here as having 60L tank. I've fit 65L in one time, but I wouldn't recommend doing that with an EFI car.

 

If you're fitting a lift kit, and dropping the rear diff down, you can cut the fuel tank through the middle & weld in an extra 2" of metal. Was done here a couple of times, but you need to be really careful & need to get it sealed again. You also need to extend down the fuel sender.

Adds about an extra 15L I think (it's been a while).

[superooo]

Im sorry but the comment about bloodletting and change is amazing, solid gold

[robm]

First, fix the car!  I normally get 600+ km on 50 l of fuel, which is over 28 MPG US.   (On cruise control at 50 MPH, I once pulled off 800km on a tank, with a few liters left!)

 

Extra jerry cans on the roof, perhaps?  In an accident, they may get thrown clear, rather than becoming part of the problem.

 

 

[TomRhere]

As stated. You need to find cause of your low mileage issue.

 

I have repeatedly hit 200 miles+ driven at the 1/2 tank mark, and usually drove between 340 & 360 miles a week before topping the tank back off.

Best run on a tank of go-juice was 445+ miles.

[jsyme]

* 2 bottles of seafoam have been run through it - that helped the 'knock of death' feels. My best friend is a mechanic and he says... just run a quart of red ATF transmission fluid through it the same way. Why? Well because it has excellent detergent properties and costs a lot less. I'll do that next time.

* I intend to replace the oil pump mickey mouse gasket soon. It knocks rough, and I believe this is the true source of the rattle.

* cleaned air cleaner. it was lightly dusty.

* replaced fuel filter

* replaced fuel pump. the original one died. The new Ford Fuel pump is stupid loud but it has much better pressure. I wouldn't recommend doing it. It's LOUD....

 

new test:   I confirmed that my 15.9 gallons will push me 352 miles. I drove it till dry. = 22.13 mpg 

 

* The amber fuel alert light DOESN'T light up EVER! I only replaced the T10 bulbs in my instrument cluster, and the 'fuel empty' light is a T5 bulb so I left it there.  I didn't even realize it was a thing until the I replaced all the Light bulbs for T10 LEDs in my new 1989 GL wagon instrument cluster. Hey look at that!

 

* I'm at 7000 ft here in Colorado Springs, and all the pumps in town run 10% ethanol in all gasoline products.

 

* Maybe it's out of time by a tooth?

* maybe the distributor can be adjusted to help it. it doesn't smell rich but... ?

* Top speed is 80 mph @ 4000 rpm in 5th gear (a friend told me because I would never go 5 over the highway speed limit)

* It makes up for not having any torque at low RPM, by also not having any HP at high RPMs.. he he

* The recent severe hail damage (20-25 minutes of golf balls.) totaled 2 other cars, but since this car only has Liability insurance, I'm sure this is a dramatic improvement to wind drag and therefore an improvement to fuel efficiency as per the evidence shown by Myth-busters. My hood looks like a metal representation of a newly plowed field ready for seeding... beets or hammers.

 

Now 203,700 miles on it ...   hmm

[l75eya]

What exactly are you trying to do? Get better fuel economy? Remove the plastic body cladding (the black strips on the doors etc), lose the pass door mirror, remove the inner wheel liners, take the carpet and insulation out of the back, take out the rear seatbelts, remove the rear axles and reinstall just the stubs, lose the differential and driveshaft, cap the trans or swap in fwd trans, complete tune up, take off the muffler. Boom, 35-40mpg.

[jsyme]

Well, that is less desirable. I'd prefer to keep it a fully functional 4x4 with seat belts and carpet. 

 

I get the concept though,  saw off all the doors and the roof,  chuck the spare(s), hood, fenders, seats, dash etc.. and install a bi-cycle frame for stearing and shifting and just wear a hat in the rain. Boom! 50 mpg.  awesome!