Dodge Dekota gas tank replacement

[Kickin’Chicken]

I read somewhere that there is a popular gas tank replacement for our Comanches. Seems like they were using a Dekota tank.

 

Any help or advice will be appreciated as I am frustrated with trying to get a new sending unit to fit my tank. I’ve butchered up a new unit, rigging the pump into my old sending unit, but it’s working sporadically.

 

TIA 

[Dzimm]

Are you doing a 97+ swap?  The Dakota tank is usually used for the swap because the 97+ XJ wiring works with the Dakota fuel unit by swapping a couple wires around.   You can use a 97+ XJ fuel unit as well since the hole is the same size, however it won't reach the bottom of the tank so you lose some capacity. 

 

It would take a lot of work to make the tank work with the older style fuel units and wiring and is probably not worth it. 

[Kickin’Chicken]

2 hours ago, Dzimm said:

Are you doing a 97+ swap?  The Dakota tank is usually used for the swap because the 97+ XJ wiring works with the Dakota fuel unit by swapping a couple wires around.   You can use a 97+ XJ fuel unit as well since the hole is the same size, however it won't reach the bottom of the tank so you lose some capacity. 

 

It would take a lot of work to make the tank work with the older style fuel units and wiring and is probably not worth it. 

I’m not familiar with the ‘97+ swap but I have the factory 4.0 with the Renix system mated to the aw4/231.

 

What to do? My sending unit is crap and it’s my understanding that new sending units will not fit in my tank?

 

I bought one from Autozone that they said would fit, but it didn’t.

 

Again, TIA for the advice.

[coolwind57]

Did you look into these guys yet?  They may have some ideas or recommend rebuilding your old sending unit.  Who knows, they may even have an OEM sitting around since they specialize in this area.

 

http://tristarrradiator.com/

[Kickin’Chicken]

2 minutes ago, coolwind57 said:

Did you look into these guys yet?  They may have some ideas or recommend rebuilding your old sending unit.  Who knows, they may even have an OEM sitting around since they specialize in this area.

 

http://tristarrradiator.com/

No. Thanks. I will give them a call.

[johnj92131]

Kickin'Chicken,

 

Here is a link to a How To:  Refurbish your fuel sender article in the DYI section:  You many want to read the article simply for a good understanding of what the problems are with the fuel sender.

 

 

[Kickin’Chicken]

On 12/29/2017 at 6:13 AM, Dzimm said:

Are you doing a 97+ swap?  The Dakota tank is usually used for the swap because the 97+ XJ wiring works with the Dakota fuel unit by swapping a couple wires around.   You can use a 97+ XJ fuel unit as well since the hole is the same size, however it won't reach the bottom of the tank so you lose some capacity. 

 

It would take a lot of work to make the tank work with the older style fuel units and wiring and is probably not worth it. 

Can you explain the '97+ swap?

I at least want to make an informed decision on which way to go. My tank was full of rust flakes and gunk. I'm thinking seriously about modifying the bottom of the tank so it will work with a Cherokee sending unit. But if the '97+swap is a more overall beneficial modification, I may as well tackle that while I'm flopping around with this tank. 

[Dzimm]

The 97+ swap is a full replacement of the electrical system, drivetrain, interior including dash, doors, fenders, front clip, etc.  from a 97-01 XJ.  Read through some of the 97+ swap build threads (Alexia has a very detailed thread on the swap and there are a few others on the build thread front page right now) for more info. 

 

It's definitely not worth it if you are just having an issue with your fuel tank.  I was asking because the Dakota tank is usually only used when doing a 97+ swap because the Dakota fuel sending unit/pump wiring works with the 97+ wiring harness and gauges.  

 

Edit:  That being said, I'm sure you can make the Dakota tank work with an older style MJ or XJ assembly but you'd have to cap the top of the tank and have to figure out where to cut the whole in the side of the tank for the older assembly but as said above, this will be a lot of work.   Otherwise the tank itself physically fits under the MJ very well (15 gallon Dakota tank fits no problem, 22 gallon Dakota tank comes very close to the rear diff on SWB MJs and I'd only recommend that combo if you modify the tank slightly or are lifted in order to avoid contact).

[Kickin’Chicken]

1 hour ago, Dzimm said:

The 97+ swap is a full replacement of the electrical system, drivetrain, interior including dash, doors, fenders, front clip, etc.  from a 97-01 XJ.  Read through some of the 97+ swap build threads (Alexia has a very detailed thread on the swap and there are a few others on the build thread front page right now) for more info. 

 

It's definitely not worth it if you are just having an issue with your fuel tank.  I was asking because the Dakota tank is usually only used when doing a 97+ swap because the Dakota fuel sending unit/pump wiring works with the 97+ wiring harness and gauges.  

 

Edit:  That being said, I'm sure you can make the Dakota tank work with an older style MJ or XJ assembly but you'd have to cap the top of the tank and have to figure out where to cut the whole in the side of the tank for the older assembly but as said above, this will be a lot of work.   Otherwise the tank itself physically fits under the MJ very well (15 gallon Dakota tank fits no problem, 22 gallon Dakota tank comes very close to the rear diff on SWB MJs and I'd only recommend that combo if you modify the tank slightly or are lifted in order to avoid contact).

Why not used the Dekota tank and Dekota sending unit?

[Dzimm]

You'd have to look at wiring diagrams to see if the right wires are even there.  I'm positive the sending unit will make the gauge useless no matter what you do.  I'm also not positive but I believe the fuel pressure will be wrong for the Renix.  

 

I suppose you could find an aftermarket or other oem pump that works with the truck and attach it to the Dakota assembly body.  You could also try to find a way to attach your MJ sending unit (if it still works) to the main body of the Dakota assembly.  There is just a ton of custom work involved here. 

[johnj92131]

3 hours ago, Kickin’Chicken said:

Can you explain the '97+ swap?

I at least want to make an informed decision on which way to go. My tank was full of rust flakes and gunk. I'm thinking seriously about modifying the bottom of the tank so it will work with a Cherokee sending unit. But if the '97+swap is a more overall beneficial modification, I may as well tackle that while I'm flopping around with this tank. 

 

If your fuel tank is rusty, why not just replace it with a new Comanche tank?  Lots of them on Ebay for about $100.  Then get your existing fuel sender repaired/rebuilt.

 

Seem like the easiest solution from my point of view.

[Kickin’Chicken]

1 hour ago, johnj92131 said:

 

If your fuel tank is rusty, why not just replace it with a new Comanche tank?  Lots of them on Ebay for about $100.  Then get your existing fuel sender repaired/rebuilt.

 

Seem like the easiest solution from my point of view.

Agreed. I'm gonna order a new tank from Amazon. Then I'm gonna try to make a stock Cherokee sending unit work by either modifying the tank or cutting the sending unit and adding length to it with fuel line extension. I will take pics and start a new thread if I'm successful. 

[Kickin’Chicken]

Removed my tank and looking for a new replacement but confused. My tank has this 16 gallon tag on it. 

 

The truck is a long bed and the tank had 3 straps holding it in place and looks like this:

 

[Dzimm]

32 minutes ago, Kickin’Chicken said:

Removed my tank and looking for a new replacement but confused. My tank has this 16 gallon tag on it. 

 

The truck is a long bed and the tank had 3 straps holding it in place and looks like this:

 

Get the larger tank.  You'll have no problem getting it to fit in a LWB truck. 

[johnj92131]

I assume you are confused because the tank says 16 gallons????

 

3 straps EQUALS a 23.5 gallon tank.

 

If your truck is a short bed - order the 18 gallon replacement tank.

 

If your truck is a long bed - then you can also order the 23.5 gallon tank. BUT only if you truck is a long bed.

 

Both take the same fuel pickup.

[HOrnbrod]

OP, add a signature to your profile so we know what you are driving.

 

https://comancheclub.com/forums/topic/51707-cc-members-create-a-signature-to-describe-your-mj/

 

The 16 gal tank was the standard in the LWB; the 23.5 tank was optional.

[Skorpyo]

4 hours ago, HOrnbrod said:

OP, add a signature to your profile so we know what you are driving.

 

https://comancheclub.com/forums/topic/51707-cc-members-create-a-signature-to-describe-your-mj/

 

The 16 gal tank was the standard in the LWB; the 23.5 tank was optional.

With the site format update you might want to update the instructions so it says something like:

1. In upper RH click on down arrow next to username
2. Select Account Settings
3. On left side of screen select "Signature"
4. Edit and Update

Not sure how foolproof it needs to be, but I always say nothing is foolproof, you just haven't found a sufficiently capable fool.

[HOrnbrod]

24 minutes ago, Skorpyo said:

With the site format update you might want to update the instructions so it says something like:

1. In upper RH click on down arrow next to username
2. Select Account Settings
3. On left side of screen select "Signature"
4. Edit and Update

Not sure how foolproof it needs to be, but I always say nothing is foolproof, you just haven't found a sufficiently capable fool.

 

Good idea - thanks and done. 

[Kickin’Chicken]

53 minutes ago, HOrnbrod said:

 

Good idea - thanks and done. 

Found it but it says my picture is too big. 

[HOrnbrod]

I may have a different interface since I'm a mod. Try the procedure Skorpyo wrote up and see if that works:

1. In upper RH click on down arrow next to username
2. Select Account Settings
3. On left side of screen select "Signature"
4. Edit and Update

[Kickin’Chicken]

Decided to clean this one. I pored two gallons of muriatic acid in the tank and soaked it over night. Then pressure washed it. It's really clean now. Next I'm gonna modify the Cherokee sending unit to fit in my tank. Then I'm gonna seal the tank with "something".....

 

Any suggestions would be appreciated. 

[HOrnbrod]

On 1/4/2018 at 4:03 PM, Kickin’Chicken said:

Found it but it says my picture is too big. 

 

Shrink your picture to 195K or less.........

[Green Mesa XJ]

Muriatuc acid? How did you clean/neutralize the acid? It will eat all the rust in a tank then creat more if it’s not sealed off.
I may be completely wrong on this. I know it’s a old school trick, I also know muriatic acid like to eat and eat causing a worst problem in some cases.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[Kickin’Chicken]

On 1/6/2018 at 11:54 AM, Green Mesa XJ said:

Muriatuc acid? How did you clean/neutralize the acid? It will eat all the rust in a tank then creat more if it’s not sealed off.
I may be completely wrong on this. I know it’s a old school trick, I also know muriatic acid like to eat and eat causing a worst problem in some cases.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Washed it out with water. Cleaned most of the gunk out. I then decided to beat the heck out of the baffle till a Cherokee sending unit would fit in there (somehow or another.) This is an old tank so why not experiment with it till I decide on a permanent fix?

 

Anyway this is what the new sending unit looked like after I "modified" the tank:

[Kickin’Chicken]

After I got the tank back in I took the sway bar off then went off roading. To my pleasant surprise the front end decided to engage! Previously it would not. Anyway, just like that I had 4wheel drive. 

 

This is the max articulation I could get with the factory shocks.