Radical SR3 fuel tank swap?
The fuel cell in my 2010 SR3 started leaking. When I inspected the cell I was amazed to see how much it was deteriorating... when they say these cells are only certified for 5 years, they are not kidding. I am planning to replace the cell with a 76L metal tank because it does not expire. Has anyone done this swap? Any advice?
thanks,
Charley
These cars are supposed to have a 20 gallon tank. Mine has the 'fuel cell' option but I'm curious if you know the actual capacity when taking the foam into account? I've been in the habit of refueling every 3 (20 min) track sessions and the car seems to accept ~6 gallons. If the car really does hold anywhere near 20 gallons I could probably run the whole day before refueling.
The Fuel Safe cells seem to have gone the route of planned failure around 5 years. They used to last for many years.
If you are running in SCCA or with any organization that copies the SCCA safety requirements (many do), suggest checking GCR Section 9.3 about the fuel tank requirements.
Craig Farr
2006 Stohr WF1 P2
FARROUT Racing
If you have a straight path from the filler neck to the bottom of the cell, take a 3/8" ID aluminum tube, measure it to proper length, long enough to be removed, but almost to top of filler neck. Cut to that length. Drill holes 6" or so minimum apart, about 1/8 diameter on
all sides of tube. The holes in the sides of the tube are so it can fill with and up to fuel level, more holes are okay and better if cell is larger, so pressure doesn't inflate the fuel level in the tube. . Bevel lower end 45 degrees. Insert tube into cell and leave it there. Prior, make sure cell is empty. Then take even longer and smaller diameter, wooden dowel and insert into tube after adding one gallon fuel. Insert dowel slowly, so fuel doesn't splash out of the top into your eyes, or give false reading. Remove, and mark wet level on dowel with notch. I use a hacksaw blade and go all the way around. Can be marked with sharpie in addition with number for us visually challenged old guys.
Repeat after adding another gallon and so forth until full. Marks will not be equal distance apart, depending on fuel cell shape. ie: closer together at bottom, further apart towards top, if cell is wedge shaped. Then you have an idea of capacity, can measure useage after time on track, and measure accordingly for enough to last, while not worrying about running out , or being over weight.
M
Last edited by marshall9; 10.31.17 at 2:14 PM.
Sounds like a solid, albeit time consuming from the get go, method. Why couldn't they just had added one more sensor to the aim for a low fuel light!
Not just a light, sensor would require more dollars to purchase.Originally Posted by AWay
The aluminum tube stays in cell. Checking with dowel and making decision as to how much fuel to put in takes about the same amount of time as your helper, grabbing a jug and removing the cap. Low fuel is easy to avoid , but the idea is to keep weight down. If you have 20 gal, and run it even half full....well....lift a full 5 gal jug of fuel and you will feel the weight advantage that you lose without a method and a little math calculation.
Pump out the fuel. Put in a known amount (5 gallons). Run the car at speed for 10 minutes. Pump out the fuel. Now you know how much fuel the car actually uses and you can plan accordingly.
Yep, +1. Then, moving forward, when in doubt you can always pump your fuel out and add accordingly. In a 1L WF1, I would usually add 3-4 gallons for qualifying (depending on how long I thought I might be on track) and 5-6 gallons for a race (depending on track and time of race).
Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass; it's about learning how to dance in the rain. God Bless America...especially those who are willing to protect her!
SR3s have four fuel tank options. You could have a 54 L (~14 gal) or 76L (~20 gal) tank. You could also have a metal tank or a fuel cell. Since you know that you have a fuel cell you just need to figure out which size tank you have. The easiest way to figure out how much fuel your tank holds is to use the “pump out” feature. There is a small black plug that is located near the coolant overflow pot. You can buy or make a fused harness that plugs into this plug to power the fuel pump. You simply remove the fuel return line and add a hose to dump the fuel into a fuel can.
Here red is a picture of my fuel dump kit.
I have ave found that I burn about 3 gallons for every 25 minute session. Some tracks burn a little more and some a little less.
I agree with you that it would be great to have a Fuel sender, but when you look at how the fuel cells are constructed you will find that it is harder than it sounds.
Regarding the comment about about trying to put something down the fuel cap to measure the fuel... unfortunately it won’t work because the fuel filler neck is “S” shaped and enters the back side of the tank.
Charley
Pumpout electrical connector
What is the electrical connector that is proper for your pump-out harness?
Knut
I have a 3/8 Schrader valve in a fitting in the pressured fuel line exiting the fuel pressure regulator. I just attach a valve and hose to the schrader and turn on the main power. The car has a two stage ignition power. First position powers the fuel pump and second adds the starter, etc.
Craig Farr
2006 Stohr WF1 P2
FARROUT Racing
It says ITT Cannon SS2-R. And looks like this:
The red wire is wired to the lower step.
Charley
That is a two-pin SureSeal Receptacle. We have that in stock with terminals, $4.35
Thanks for super helpful lead on the electrical connector.
What is the hydraulic connector for the discharge hose? Is that a quick-fit style connector so the entire dump procedure is trivially easy by un-clipping the return line (off the end of the fuel rail?), clipping the quick-fit discharge hose on and hooking up to the pump bypass harness? If so this is a super nice capability. I'm surprised that there isn't more awareness of this and I can see making heavy use of this.
Knut
I made the dump hose from some standard AN fittings from my local car parts store and some plastic hose. This works fine for my purposes because I don’t use it very often, but Radical sells a quickdisconnect system like you described that is very nice, but pricy (PN FL0061 = ~$340 and FL0062 = ~$550, yes you need both). I am sure one could be easily made for less.
Charley
Last edited by CharleyH; 11.01.17 at 9:20 PM.
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