Our trip snowboarding yesterday was the final step so we could continue working on the heater. Plumbing the fuel lines for the heater required the tank to be virtually empty so we have been driving around for a while to use up the tank. We were actually low enough yesterday that we took an extra gallon of gas in case we ran out. We did not, but we used the extra gallon!
It was a fairly cold day here so we went down to our friend’s RV garage so we could be indoors. Unheated, but at least indoors and out of the wind. We drove the van up on some blocks to give us a little more working room underneath, then we started taking out the bolts that hold up the tank. I wasn’t 100% sure where the auxiliary port was, but I had a general idea. We took out the rear and middle brackets and blocked it up slightly before taking out the front bracket. The fuel lines and hoses near the front have sufficient flex that we could lower the tank a few inches there without hurting anything. When it is empty the tank is remarkably light.
I located the area with the main fuel lines and started looking for the extra port by taking a picture of the top and then inspecting the picture. This method allowed me to confirm the auxiliary port was there.
I recognized the port because it looks almost exactly like the part I got from Ford to insert into the port. The only difference is that the piece currently in the tank is plugged and the piece supplied by Ford has a barbed fitting. Otherwise they are identical. A little toying with it revealed that it was just a matter of sliding back the cover and pinching the middle of the piece to pull it off.
The auxiliary port has a 1/4″ fitting, but the fuel line that comes with the heater is much smaller. I had to run to O’Reilly’s to pick up a bit of 5/16″ fuel line, which fits the 1/4″ fitting and also, fortunately, fits over the smaller fuel line provided with the heater. With that setup I could prep the port and just snap it on.
With the fuel line attached to the tank it was time to route the fuel line to the heater pump. Sara put in a couple plus nuts under the van so we could attach cable guides to hold the fuel line.
With the location we installed the heater, it was really quite simple. The fuel line is only about 3′ total from the tank to the fuel pump.
When I earlier installed the heater in the van I left the fuel line that enters the heater hanging down. The two fuel lines, the one from the heater and the one from the tank, meet at a small fuel pump. The instructions say the pump should be mounted between 15 deg. and 35 deg. and the fuel line after the pump should continuously rise so I built a bracket to hold the pump in a workable position. (From the installs I have seen, a lot of people get by just fine without following those instructions very closely.) The bracket just bolts into an already threaded hole in the frame.
The final step was to hook up the wiring to the pump. I also slipped a heat shield sleeve over the fuel line because it is comes close to the exhaust and I don’t want to die in what my parent’s would call a tragic van fire and my friend’s would call the obvious result of installing my own heater.
So, what’s next? The physical installation is almost complete. The only remaining step is the exhaust pipe has to be routed in some acceptable fashion. I am trying to get another length of exhaust pipe because the kit only included 3′ and I want to run it either across the van or behind the tire. Either way I need another few feet of exhaust pipe. Unfortunately the 1″ pipe I got from O’Reilly’s is too rigid so I need to call the company and see if they can send a longer piece of the pipe they supply (and I keep forgetting to call or I would already have it).
After that is done it is just a matter of hooking up a battery and giving it a try! The heater is obviously a mission critical component for winter travel so having it installed puts us one step closer to on the road!