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Please help! Fuel tank install 1981 Westy disaster!
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CarstenR
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PostPosted: Sat Dec 09, 2023 3:23 pm    Post subject: Please help! Fuel tank install 1981 Westy disaster! Reply with quote

Hey everyone, we had likely our last nice day of weather here in southeast Michigan, so I decided to spend part of the day putting the new fuel tank in the Opa Bus to hopefully get to start it for the first time. After five hours of effort,

Opa Bus: 1, Carsten: 0

The issue I ran into was the crossover hose on the fuel tank. I purchased the tank refurb kit from GoWesty and installed all the grommets and hoses. but when I had the tank under the bus, the crossover hose was simply not long enough for me to push the fittings into the grommets on either side. I took pictures of how the old hose was routed to MAKE SURE I would route the new crossover hose correctly. I used a floor jack to manupulate the tank into various positions. After routing the crossover hose three different ways two times each, it just doesn't seem long enough. I feel utterly defeated. As in bleeding-in-three-places-and-ready-to-sell-the-effing-thing-and-quit defeated.

I know this is a difficult question for anyone to answer, but does anyone have any idea what I'm doing wrong? It seems like the only way I can possibly get the fittings pushed in is with the tank fully installed, and then I CAN'T REACH THE FITTINGS! Is there some sort of trick I'm missing here? I watched several YouTube videos to try and figure out what I was doing wrong, but none of them helped with the install of that tube. It just seems to work for everyone else, apparently. I didn't find anything in the forums here either.

Any suggestions or help would be hugely appreciated.

- Carsten
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Carsten Ramcke
Allen Park, MI
1981 Aircooled Westfalia: the 'Opa Bus'
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fxr
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PostPosted: Sat Dec 09, 2023 3:39 pm    Post subject: Re: Please help! Fuel tank install 1981 Westy disaster! Reply with quote

It's not that you're doing something wrong, it's that you haven't done it right yet...

Yes, it's a 'mare getting that into place. IIRC when I did it, I had to get the rear of the tank located, then prop up the front as high as possible so I could just get my fat hand in there to get the bits fitted correctly. I'm sure others will chime in with encouragement!
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SLOWoody
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PostPosted: Sat Dec 09, 2023 3:57 pm    Post subject: Re: Please help! Fuel tank install 1981 Westy disaster! Reply with quote

I learned after about 10 attempts, to kept the connections of the the other end of those crossover tubes to the expansion tanks off. This would allow me to put the crossover tube in place on the gas tank before I fully lifted the tank into place. The connection to the expansion tanks was then easily done from the wheel wells. It took me 11 times of attempting to connect the crossover tubes and lift the tank into place without them popping off. My wife stayed very clear of the garage that night and learned a few new words that should never be said in public.
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Vanagon Nut
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PostPosted: Sat Dec 09, 2023 5:49 pm    Post subject: Re: Please help! Fuel tank install 1981 Westy disaster! Reply with quote

With safety first in mind....

I wonder if releasing the e-brake *might* allow the cross over hose to rest a little lower?

Neil.

My '81. In RH of image, you can see the e-brake cable. I don't know if it was set or not when I took the photo. (taken during long brake line replacement)

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

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Synergy Solutions
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PostPosted: Sat Dec 09, 2023 6:01 pm    Post subject: Re: Please help! Fuel tank install 1981 Westy disaster! Reply with quote

The go westy stuff is a tad too small in my opinion. A longer strech would make it significantly easier to get it in with the tight angles and no be fighting how its routed
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Im a Mobile Aircooled VW mechanic, and work on old and new cars alike. Specialty in Camper busses/Vans, TDI, and FI diagnosis and repair.

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E1
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PostPosted: Sat Dec 09, 2023 6:39 pm    Post subject: Re: Please help! Fuel tank install 1981 Westy disaster! Reply with quote

Wouldn’t it be Magic if this stuff included a nickel’s worth of printed instructions?
Embarassed

Glad you’re getting help, OP… we all hear Ya!

Perhaps a Vanacope IPA at 42% would be fitting.
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vanagonjr
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PostPosted: Sat Dec 09, 2023 7:39 pm    Post subject: Re: Please help! Fuel tank install 1981 Westy disaster! Reply with quote

Not sure if this will help, but a write up on such I have listed on the LiMBO. Club FaceBook page.
https://lookaside.fbsbx.com/file/fuel%20tank%20dro...awyHvCkuqb
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MartinJS
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PostPosted: Sat Dec 09, 2023 9:04 pm    Post subject: Re: Please help! Fuel tank install 1981 Westy disaster! Reply with quote

I think it's maybe the most frustrating job I've done on my van.

When I finally figured out how I could make it work for me (it took several tries of different techniques), it was when I put the crossover hose and fittings (with the vent hoses threaded out above the frame into the wheel well) in place over top of everything running just above the tank that it crosses.

Then I installed the tank with the rubber grommets in place and a dab of vaseline on them. Laying under the frame and tank parallel to the van, I then reached up into the wheel well (as others have mentioned) and across the frame, grabbing the fitting and pushing the barb through the grommet finally worked.

Yes, I did push one of the grommets into the tank at least once. Coating the grommet in vaseline on the inside circumference then pushing the barb slow and steady with a little circular motion is what got it to slide into place finally. It did take a few tries but after failing a few times, you kind of get used where everything is and doing it blind isn't so bad.
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danfromsyr
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PostPosted: Sat Dec 09, 2023 10:28 pm    Post subject: Re: Please help! Fuel tank install 1981 Westy disaster! Reply with quote

YES you have to and can access the upper vent lines through the wheel wells.
well not as easily if 1. you have large ham fisted hands. or 2. AC gets in the way on the driver's side

but our method is to install the cross over pipe into the DS vent hole only, and feed it up over (iirc) the shifter while installing the tank.
once the tank is in place you can reach in via the PS wheel well and pop the vent into place.. give the vent fitting and grommet a shot of lube, ie WD40, spit, fluidfilm etc. be nice to it yet forceful and it'll pop in w/o braking the small nipples. you kind of hold the fitting in your palm with the large & small fitting nestled between fingers

in fact this is how we undo them 1st for service.. there is a delicate yet forceful grasp on the fitting and up lift with a slight lean&twist
I wear a knit glove cause I tend to fail my save vs giving blood.

the top grommets and the fill neck grommet can all be serviced w/o dropping the tank.

it helps to have a small light with a magnet on it.. which are far more prevelant than the old 110v glass bulb drop light era of mechanics.
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Wildthings
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PostPosted: Sun Dec 10, 2023 1:59 am    Post subject: Re: Please help! Fuel tank install 1981 Westy disaster! Reply with quote

When I did the tanks on my 83 1/2 and my 91, I had bought kits from two different suppliers, one was pretty custom and one used pieces that appeared to be OEM or at least OEM in shape. The custom one was a pain to get everything in place and even then there were stresses on the pieces that caused leaks to occur. The one using the stock shaped parts was a breeze to install in comparison and gave zero problems, so I bought a second one of this design for the other rig and threw out the ill fitting parts.

This has been 15 years back at this point so I can't remember who I got what from anymore, but would recommend looking carefully at the online ads to see what looks the closest to the original parts. IIRC the OEM crossover fittings were "Y" shaped and the ones that gave problems were "T" shaped.
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campism
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PostPosted: Sun Dec 10, 2023 5:55 am    Post subject: Re: Please help! Fuel tank install 1981 Westy disaster! Reply with quote

Wildthings wrote:
This has been 15 years back at this point so I can't remember who I got what from anymore, but would recommend looking carefully at the online ads to see what looks the closest to the original parts. IIRC the OEM crossover fittings were "Y" shaped and the ones that gave problems were "T" shaped.

What he said. I did mine a couple of years ago and they began leaking on fillups again since so I'll have to redo them soon. The original Y-shaped fittings seem to aim the hoses properly to clear the various cables, rods, and wires above the tank while the T-shaped replacement fittings seem to make the hoses more likely to interfere.
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CarstenR
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PostPosted: Mon Mar 18, 2024 7:33 am    Post subject: Re: Please help! Fuel tank install 1981 Westy disaster! Reply with quote

Many, many thanks for everyone's suggestions. The score is now Opa Bus: 1, Carsten 1. It took me four hours, but the gas tank is in, with the crossover hose connected. When finished I was bleeding from the back of my left hand, my left forearm, and two spots on my head from smacking into stuff as I crawled under and out from under the Opa Bus.

But the fuel tank is in. The solution was a combination of what several of you suggested. I ended up placing the crossover tube with the Y-shaped fittings and the expansion tank lines in place without the tank in place. Then I lifted the tank into position using two floor jacks. I was able to reach both the DS and PS tank openings with their grommets through the wheel wells and without taking the wheels off. Thanks to some grease and effort, I got the DS fitting in, then with a little more effort (still was a pain in the a$$) I got the fitting in the PS also through the wheel well.

I decided to replace the power cable from the battery to the starter since I had the tank out, so there is a cable running from the battery box that still needs to find its way to the starter. In other words, I have a little more work before I can try and start the bus (it has been waiting for a decade for that moment).

But I'm getting there! You cannot imagine my excitement for getting past this hurdle. Well, actually, I'm pretty sure you can! Wink
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Carsten Ramcke
Allen Park, MI
1981 Aircooled Westfalia: the 'Opa Bus'
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