Ran out of fuel on a HMMWV

NormB · Dec 23, 2017

StackJ said:
Great solution. Now, the question is: You're 30 miles out, some dude in a truck just gave you some fuel to limp where there is more fuel. No air around. What do you do then?

Holy Zombie Post Saturday!

I found a solution that worked for me. Used this setup after replacing sender/gaskets/fuel lines/stuff. Used ONE CO2 cylinder (PV=nRT), opened the bleed screw atop the filter housing and let ‘her rip. Worked great, truck fired right up after having the fuel system apart for about a month. Surprised the heck out of me, I thought I’d be cracking injector line nuts and such.

YMMV.

The valve stem I plumbed into the filler cap (had a photo somewhere, couldn’t find on my ipad or phone), gave me a chance to clean the seal and lube it with some dielectric grease. So the inflator and a couple of CO2 cylinders fit in a tool kit under a rear PAX seat. That’s about $40 of insurance and an hour or so of tinkering time. Valve stem is short and fits under the cap tightener (nomenclature?).

Might consider a can of ether in case I need to reset the bead, but I carry a spare if things get THAT t*ts up.

NB

cwc · Dec 23, 2017

There is a vent tube that connects to the filler tube inside the wheel well. You can take apart the fitting and blow into the tubing while capping the fitting on the filler tube with your finger. I have been able to force fuel out the filter vent with just lung power, but an air source is better of course. It is bit of a technique to generate sufficient pressure without popping your ears. You can breathe and maintain the pressure in the tank by keeping your tongue on the end of the tubing.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

DCIV · Dec 23, 2017

NormB said:
Holy Zombie Post Saturday!

I found a solution that worked for me. Used this setup after replacing sender/gaskets/fuel lines/stuff. Used ONE CO2 cylinder (PV=nRT), opened the bleed screw atop the filter housing and let ‘her rip. Worked great, truck fired right up after having the fuel system apart for about a month. Surprised the heck out of me, I thought I’d be cracking injector line nuts and such.

YMMV.

View attachment 713176 View attachment 713177 View attachment 713178

The valve stem I plumbed into the filler cap (had a photo somewhere, couldn’t find on my ipad or phone), gave me a chance to clean the seal and lube it with some dielectric grease. So the inflator and a couple of CO2 cylinders fit in a tool kit under a rear PAX seat. That’s about $40 of insurance and an hour or so of tinkering time. Valve stem is short and fits under the cap tightener (nomenclature?).

Might consider a can of ether in case I need to reset the bead, but I carry a spare if things get THAT t*ts up.

NB

I would love to see this.

NormB · Dec 23, 2017

I’ll get a photo of the stem mounted in the cap up later.

karlsmith · Dec 23, 2017

dangood said:
I have had to start over 30 of these things. Holding down the throttle around 50 percent while pressurizing the fuel tank with a air blower gun while someone cranks is sure fast most of the time. There is a metal fuel valve on driver side hood right above the driver front tire. open it up while you crank and pressurize the tank with air until it dribbles a little diesel seems to work nicely followed by shutting the valve closed quickly.

Total STUD move!!!

NormB · Dec 23, 2017

And it really works. Of course, after getting the thing running I opened the cap to depressurize the system.

DCIV · Dec 24, 2017

Nice! You should sell those if they really work.

karlsmith · Dec 26, 2017

Great idea! How much does the valve cap interfere with loosening/tighting your fuel cap?

NormB · Dec 26, 2017

karlsmith said:
Great idea! How much does the valve cap interfere with loosening/tighting your fuel cap?

not at all, there's about 1/2" clearance underneath, give or take. Depends on what cap you put on the stem, too.

StackJ · Dec 31, 2017

That is something you should sell! Looks like you have to extend all the way through the rubber though. Not entirely sure. Whatever the case, it might be handy to extend the concept all the way to take a little air from the tires. I don't think much pressure is needed for the tank. Probably just a little positive - like 2 - 3 lbs. If you're out in the boonies, that would solve it. You wouldn't be lowering the pressure in the tire that much (volume).

Of course, I think the best case is to suck, not blow.

The objective is to get fuel through the system. Pressurizing a tank is ok (with all of the ingenious suggestions) but it might be easier to simply disconnect the fuel / water separator or put something on the drain line to get flow.

https://www.amazon.com/Wekster-Mult...=1514741129&sr=8-23&keywords=hand+vacuum+pump

Retiredwarhorses · Dec 31, 2017

I start new engines with new fuel tanks monthly in the shop....I have no issues and done right takes approx a few minutes bone empty to start up.

karlsmith · Jan 2, 2018

NormB said:
View attachment 713243And it really works. Of course, after getting the thing running I opened the cap to depressurize the system.

Was it necessary to drill any holes through the metal plate on the inside of the cap for the air pressure to enter the tank?

NormB · Jan 5, 2018

karlsmith said:
Was it necessary to drill any holes through the metal plate on the inside of the cap for the air pressure to enter the tank?

Short answer: yes.

Longer answer: Sorry. Working past few days (8am to 9pm plus commute time), took a look this AM. Looks like this:

IIRC, and the best I can see under the metal plate, the rubber seal is pretty much held in place by the cap and is hollow inside. There's no o-ring/seal between the cap "tightener" or the internal nut/washer arrangement - potential sources of leaks to atmospheric pressure (and a YUGE ball vent atop the tank anyway) so I seriously doubted this would make any difference regarding water or air intrusion. It's not a new idea. Someone else posted the suggestion back when the post about the plumbing supplies (around $30 at local big box store) came up. Great idea, unless you run out of fuel somewhere remote.

I just measured where the stem would fit, drilled, reassembled and tested it. Works great.

YMMV.

Ran out of fuel on a HMMWV

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