twin fuel tanks
Turbo Mini Forums

Can i run twin fuel tanks with fuel return pipe fitted.

No reason why not but you really should do the follwoing to my mind.

T the two tanks together for the fuel pick-up (obviously).

Put a high level balance pipe in feeding back to the top of the tanks and tee the return into that.

Run the tank breathers out of the top of the tank as high as possible, through non return / anti inversion valves and then the breathers out in the normal way.

Make sure you use non vented tank caps too so that the breathers can work properly and you don't end up spraying your body work with fuel.

I personally prefer to use hard lines for fuel lines and just small lengths of flexible to make the conections.

Every day is a school day ...........

How fast and how expensive ...... the same question...

Hi, i run twin tanks, i have a right hand cooper 's' tank.

i just have a return to the left hand tank as they level each other out from the tee that runs to the pump.

It all works fine.

thanks, tanks now on order.

Many thanks or tanks
Chris barkas

Surely the fuel feed from the left hand tank should be seperate from the balancing pipe between the 2 tanks if your return is only fed to the left tank?

If the fuel supply is teed into the balance pipe then isnt there a chance of the right hand tank draining as the returned fuel is pumped into the left tank?

Not really, so long as they are linked the pump will produce a certain amount of suction and the fuel will come from where ever has the highest head. That will ultimately even itself out.

The reason I like the dual returns is that it helps with the balancing of the tanks, not necessarily because the flow will spilt evenly to each, beacuse it won't with out some assistance. What it will do is allow the air in the tanks to balance.

Prabably not too much of a problem if the breathers are working properly however.

Also I guess not a problem if the fuel balance pipe is a good deal over the minimum required size either.

Maybe I'm over thinking it ... LOL

Edited by RogerM on 13th Jan, 2007.

Every day is a school day ...........

How fast and how expensive ...... the same question...

the fuel will always find one level if the pump is situated after the balance pipe tee piece, for instance if both tanks were empty and you only filled the left tank the balance pipe will feed the right hand tank making the fuel level.

Your right Mark, the only thing is how long it takes.

More of a problem when your running low and giving it a hit of stick around corners. As I said not too much of a problem if you have a good sized link pipe but most of the tanks out there have fuel outlets that will struggle to supply a turbo pump anyway, let alone do the balancing at the same time.

Edited by RogerM on 13th Jan, 2007.

Every day is a school day ...........

How fast and how expensive ...... the same question...

good point Roger, but if you get it that low you better be on your way to a petrol station! lol .

Agreed but there has been occasion it's got that low on the road trying to find a Shell station. Also when on track I like to have as little fuel on board as possible, not only so I'm not dragging loads of weight around but also when some idiot runs into me there is less to leak out.

Every day is a school day ...........

How fast and how expensive ...... the same question...

I was thinking of running a ballance pipe between both tanks that just links the 2 and then put a seperate supply fitting on the left hand tank. Doing this the tanks should always be ballancing each other as the supply will be taken from else where

Anything that equalises the tanks will help...

Every day is a school day ...........

How fast and how expensive ...... the same question...