My understanding is that they have moved the auxiliary fuel port to a different location so that you no longer have to drop the tank to hook something to the port, like a diesel fuel heater for instance. Not exactly sure what they mean in regards to "extension line".

 

Got it. So to be clear, it's not a second tank, it's an auxiliary line from the primary tank that makes it easier to hook that additional line up to e.g. a heater?

 

That sounds cool. Save us dropping the tank to hit the port? Awesome.

There's a connection point on the top of the fuel tank to tap it for auxiliary use - such as a heater. It uses a higher-level fuel pickup point - meaning it won't pick up fuel if the fuel level is below 50% or something like that. It sounds like 2022 has it extended so you can connect to it more easily.

Some folks have chosen to install a separate pickup line, though; because of the Ford auxiliary pickup not working down lower - like 15% or something more reasonable.

 

I thought I remember reading this on a press release website somewhere. I will look for it, but can't guarantee I will be able to find it. But correct, does not sound like an additional tank.

 

I don't have first-hand knowledge on the new option, but here is my guess based on installing a heater on my 2021. Prior to this option, the auxiliary fuel port is on top of the fuel pump and dropping the tank is the only way to access it to connect your fuel line to it. See the black/yellow bit in the pic below. They will be providing the elbow connector and a fuel line of some sort to connect to. Sprinters have had this as standard equipment for some time.

However, if you ever plan to use your gas heater at an elevation above about 6000ft, cavitation can be a problem and your heater may not work reliably. Espar provides a different standpipe to mitigate this problem. Their standpipe is considerably thinner than the standard pickup line. Compare the diameter of the orange line to the stainless steel line in the pic below. Search the forum for "cavitation + standpipe" for more background on the issue.

So, by Ford making the access to the aux line easier to access, you still may not want to use it unless they also made it thinner.

BTW, the day I dropped the tank and installed the standpipe stands out in my mind as the most difficult day of my entire build, even though the end result was good.

 

BTW, the day I dropped the tank and installed the standpipe stands out in my mind as the most difficult day of my entire build, even though the end result was good.

If I can persuade my local garage (friendly folks, have known them for years, not the dealership) to drop the petroleum tank and install a line for me, should I do that? I’m not yet set in my plans for heating, but dropping the tank myself seems hard and makes a dedicated small (diesel) tank seem a lot more attractive.

 

First, I need to do some more research on the altitude and cavitation issue. My main question is, how effective is the automatic altitude adjustment feature on the Espar M2? Is it ineffective and still requires the alternative standpipe?

 

I believe you are merging 2 issues; fuel delivery and combustion.
- The automatic altitude adjustment manages the fuel & air mixture to be richer or leaner based on the availability of oxygen in the air.
- Cavitation comes into play with fuel delivery since the heater's fuel pump has to pull fuel creating negative pressure in the line instead of pushing the fuel into the line as the standard vehicle fuel pump does.

I have the Espar M2-B4L installed with the Espar standpipe. I have tested only as high as 9000ft but so far have had no issues.

 

Confirmed the Espar doesn't like to pull fuel from that orange line. We dropped the tank more than a few times before the folks figured out the skinny fuel line trick. Thank goodness the heater works at high altitude now. Too many cold nights.

 

Yea, based on all of the trials and tribulations I have read on this forum, as well as the new thinner standpipe that seems to be critical to improved reliability, I cannot imagine this option would be useful for an Espar installation.

My guess is this may option may have been added based on the requests from the large RV makers or Ambulance/Utility converters to reduce the labor involved for them to connect undercarriage generators or ...

 

A too-big fuel line will also cause such issues, even at sea level, Always use official Espar tubing.

 

For the 2022 its says fuel port without having to drop fuel tank.

 

Linking to my post in a similar thread:

OPTION 63F?

Hi guys, I'm in the process of trying to order a Crew Van. I wanted to add 63F to make it easier to add an auxiliary heater for winter use. The dealer is saying they don't see that as an option. Anyone know why that could be? I read through the order guide and it might be that it's only...

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