Our Suzuki Samurai project was running great until it fell over on our last off-road adventure. Once back on all fours, it started stuttering and stalling and hardly had any power. When we shut off the ignition it would start back up and run fine for a while before the stuttering would start again. When we pulled the fuel filter, gobs of rusty fuel dripped out and we deduced that our stock steel fuel tank was in dire straits. Apparently the old tank had rusted a bit while sitting derelict for a year or two before we purchased it, and then when the 'Zuki was laid on its side the fuel washed that rust down into the bottom where the pickup was sucking it up. We looked at the options and determined that a new polyethylene tank from Petroworks would not only assure no future filters would be clogged with crimson flecks of oxidized steel, but it also would afford us 5 extra gallons of fuel capacity over the stock 10-gallon unit. The install was fairly painless, but there were a few unexpected expenses along the way.
When our new Petroworks tank...
When our new Petroworks tank arrived, it came with a zinc-plated 3/16-inch steel skidplate and built-in fuel-gauge sending unit and pickup, so all we should have had to do was bolt it in. We chose the white tank, which allows us to see the fuel level should the fuel gauge ever fail, but a black option is available. Current price for the tank is $365, which is about the same as a stock replacement. We considered getting our original tank cleaned and recoated for about $100, but then we would still be behind the extra 5 gallons and heavier-duty skidplate.
Here is what we found when...
Here is what we found when we dumped out our fuel filter. Rust from years of sitting had corroded the inside of our '92 Suzuki Samurai's tank, and when we laid it over while out wheeling, the rust dropped into the tank and started clogging the filter and choking the fuel supply.
The tank has no option for...
The tank has no option for an internal high-pressure fuel pump. Our Samurai has a fuel-injected 1.3L four-cylinder so we called Petroworks and got its external high-pressure pump ($125). We discussed this with them and the next revision of the fuel tank will offer options for internal mounting of the pump. This would be a welcome upgrade for any fuel-injected Samurai owner as the internal pump is quieter and stays cooler and thus should last longer.
In order to plumb the external...
In order to plumb the external pump we needed to run a fuel filter before the pump (clear disposable version), and decided to keep the stock filter as well for after the pump, thus assuring clean petrol at the throttle body. Be sure and use only specified high-pressure fuel-injection fuel hose and clamps for the route after the high-pressure pump. We reused and extended the stock fuel-pump wires from the original pump so we could plug directly into the stock harness.
Here is one problem we encountered...
Here is one problem we encountered after test-driving our ride. It seems the exhaust rubs the new skidplate and rattles at idle. We will need to either drop the tank again and trim it slightly or adjust the exhaust hangers slightly.