Duel Fuel Tanks

[bowens]

I have a 17.5 Winner with a OMC 3.0 with two gas tanks. Currently it has a fuel valve that has to be turned if you wish to utilize one tank or the other. I was wondering if there is a way to connect both of the tanks so the engine will draw from both automatically?

 

[Bondo]

Re: Duel Fuel Tanks

Nope,... It won't work without the switch...

 

[HT32BSX115]

Re: Duel Fuel Tanks

I have a 17.5 Winner with a OMC 3.0 with two gas tanks. Currently it has a fuel valve that has to be turned if you wish to utilize one tank or the other. I was wondering if there is a way to connect both of the tanks so the engine will draw from both automatically?

Well, yes....sort of.

You could connect both tanks together. The engine would draw fuel from both tanks (but probably not equally)

Then, when the fuel pump started to draw air from the tank that reached empty first, the engine would quit......and this would happen regardless of the fuel level in the other tank.....(there's no easy way to make the engine draw fuel equally from each tank)
Your best bet is to use the system as it was originally designed and having a selector gives you a sort of "reserve" position of the valve.

Why do you want to defeat it?

 

[searay3]

Re: Duel Fuel Tanks

As stated there is no really easy way, but, you could connect the tanks at the lowest point at the side. Attach a line between the tanks and engine draw from one. We have a few vehicles set up that way. As one tank draws down, the other empties into it keeping a close level between the two. The issues I see are accessibility to route the line under the floor, and of course, modifying fuel tanks is dangerous as they would need to be empty and that can cause explosions during the fabrication. It's been done but is best left to professionals for the fabricating.

 

[HT32BSX115]

Re: Duel Fuel Tanks

Yes, you can do that.

You double the chance for a leak.

That also may run a-foul of USCG regs.

It's a whole lotta hassle to eliminate a selector valve.

 

[Bondo]

Re: Duel Fuel Tanks

The issues I see

Ayuh,... The Coast Gaurd,+ Common Sense says you can't have a fuel tank that is open, except at the Top,+ with an antisiphon valve....

Road Trucks are plumbed as you say, but they don't have a Bilge to collect spilt fuel...