How to install an auxiliary fuel line in your Sprinter | DIY campervan diesel heater install

[@goldendeceiver]

Thanks for the video guys, it helped me a lot. A few people asked what size hose to use, I used 5mm ID for the short fuel line inside the tank and 8mm ID for the outlet on the outside of the tank. I then used a 1/8 to 5/16 brass reduction fitting to connect the 8mm hose up to the 4mm Clear fuel tube supplied with the heater.

[@iddondepths]

exactly the info I'm after. cheers Tim 👍

[@fernandogalarraga4512]

Hello, the piece of hose (3 cm) that you used to connect to the outside of which ID is it? Thanks.

[@winston6720]

@goldendeceiver I can only find submersible fuel hose in 8mm ID, would that work instead of the 5mm ID you mentioned?

[@ngt206]

And with your help Myron I got mine done today. I did use a brass insert at the reduction join, as I do think you need to do this to give the clamps something to grip on (as previously mentioned) Another tip that might help others with regards getting the stubborn fuel pump cap off. I used a chain wrench. One that you might use to get a crank pulley off. Worked a treat. Thanks again, great instructional.

[@halfabee]

Great video very concise with the perfect amount of detail. I paid a company to install my diesel feed to the heater if I had seen this video first I would have done it myself.

[@HannahandMyron]

Thanks so much. Maybe it’ll come in handy if you ever do another van build.

[@handyhenry8654]

Amazing! Hats off for doing it in a field.

[@tompiperson4793]

You are a wizard with the camera angles. So many videos let down by bad camera work.

[@karlslezak]

On 2014 2500: Make a sling with 2 lengths of rope to lower and raise the tank. Hose from tank is 3/8, hose in tank can be 1/4" i used a V-belt as a wrench.

[@alanmay1945]

Great video, very informative indeed and presented nicely with clear instructions and clear video shots in very nice quality. I had not known any of these connections, and you've shown everything, thankyou! best wishes from Alan, in Norfolk UK.

[@HannahandMyron]

Thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed the video :)

[@sihaughey8498]

Excellent video. Clear and concise, thanks for not making the video about yourself. Chur bro.

[@1980jamesm]

to anyone looking for a connector, Amazon.com Dorman 800-188 This should mean you dont have to use an enlarged piece of fuel pipe on the external aux nipple.

[@lucmerryduke5022]

Very helpful, many thanks! Btw I used a (rubber) strap wrench on the pump retainer ring -- it was just strong enough to tighten it to the right position.

[@HannahandMyron]

Thanks Luc! That’s a great tip, I broke a few of the plastic tabs off when hitting it with the hammer. 😯🚐😃

[@shineonusa931]

Thanks for the video! Really helps you get a good idea of the field, before diving in. Two thumbs up 👍🏻 👍🏻

[@HannahandMyron]

Glad we could help!

[@camperbuildchaos614]

Hello my friend, you are playing a dangerous game with the way you connected the fuel line on the outside of the tank. You should never do it like that, but if you are going to do that you need to add a hard tube insert into the inner line so the hose clamp will have something to squeeze when tightened. Hope that helps my friend. Great video's!!!

[@antoinevenne3302]

Camper Build Chaos in your opinion what would be a safer way to go about connecting your heater to your gas tank?

[@themotofirm]

Antoine Venne there should be a little barb adapter between the two hoses (typically plastic or brass) with two different diameters, so you can slip it into each of the different hoses. Then hose clamp each side, so you have something solid to clamp it against. If you try to clamp one hose to another hose like in the video, it will just squish the inner hose, and can easily slip out over time or with any significant pressure.

[@orangealpine5267]

I thought that too, It would have been better to use the bigger diameter fuel hose all the way to the heater and use a reduction fitting near the heater, Much easier fix if it leaks, A great little film though and thanks for posting

[@cjc1103]

You need to make the aux fuel line shorter so it is a couple of inches above the bottom of the tank. This prevents the diesel heater from completely draining the fuel tank dry, leaving you stranded. Also you should replace the o-ring. If your van is more than about 10 years old, you might also consider replacing the fuel pump as a preventative measure.

[@ukPreTzeL]

Thank you so much for the clear, helpful video. I'm planning to do mine this weekend. I don't suppose you remember which two sized fuel lines you needed?

[@mihaimanaila1620]

What a great video!Thank you so much!

[@van_mod1]

Excellent video!

[@rajakhan354]

Great vid exactly what I needed Thanks

[@HannahandMyron]

Glad it was helpful!

[@JourneymanHandcraft]

Success we did it!!! Thanks so much for the video it really helped us every step of the way 😁😁👌

[@HannahandMyron]

Ah I’m so happy to hear that!!!

[@franckybzh6470]

Thank you guy ! Nice !

[@adriansava381]

Gracias por este video… llevo 2 semanas buscando Gracias

[@justdomore]

Great video! I'm not intimidated so much for the task to come after watching you do it. Thanks! :)

[@HannahandMyron]

Thanks so much Joanna! I'm so glad we could help. Good luck! 😀

[@JakeEarp]

Amazing video!

[@HannahandMyron]

Thanks heaps Jake.

[@TheJonathandyce]

Thank you Great info very helpful.

[@nickriley5132]

Awesome vid . Saved me paying to have my next van build heater installed 👍

[@HannahandMyron]

Thanks so much Nick! Glad I could help. 😀

[@LucasCorroto]

Great video guys!!!!

[@HannahandMyron]

Thanks Lucas!

[@alexkaa6351]

Nice video!

[@joaotakayama]

Super helpful video!!!!!!

[@davemallon2974]

Bloody good video mate! Thanks.

[@HannahandMyron]

Thank you so much! Glad you enjoyed it. ☺️

[@Matthew-bt1ne]

Great informative video and just done this same thing on Peugeot Boxer (Dodge ProMaster). A nagging question occurred to me though - Won’t the heater fuel supply be limited to only the fuel the sender reservoir (swirl pot?) contains? To pickup form the main tank the extra fuel hose would need to be outside of the sender unit? Not sure of how these work but assumed the sender reservoir only gets topped up while the fuel pump is running, or does it also refill passively on a non-return valve maybe?

[@user-kc8gl8kv4s]

Can you advise what is the dimensions of the fuel hose used for the auxiliary fitment both internal and external and an excellent video viewing from Scotland

[@tanveersandhu6962]

thanks so much

[@chrisdavies5783]

Hey man..... This video has helped me out loads...... So cheers.🍻 Just a couple of questions though, as I'm a bit worried about air in the fuel line system ...... Did you need to bleed the (van) fuel line / return? Or did your sprinter start/ run ok without bleeding? Thanks again for your help so far guy's........ Cheers🍻

[@Joop3000]

Hi, i got a question. Is blue the fuel return line? Did you see that perhaps?

[@gman1003]

On the larger hose from the outlet onto the smaller hose, you really should have used a reducer connector. Tightening one hose onto another is not a good connection.

[@Aethelwulf_Freawine]

Excellent job! Another reason not to get a diesel van. Propane is a good option in north america where the winters are too severe to live in a van. My class c has 14 gallon propane tank with 30M BTU furnace. Many folks use space heaters with portable propane tanks. Cheers!

[@HannahandMyron]

We’ve found the diesel to be great. In europe it’s really the only option for vans. Propane is great too! We don’t use it for cooking (we have an induction hob) so it made sense for us to go with diesel rather than install another power source. Hope you’re keeping warm! It got down to -10c here last week so we were very glad to have the heater ❄️🌨☃️ Thanks for watching and commenting 😊

[@maarten_notjustagrip]

Unvented combustion causes massive condensation. Space heaters are the main culprit. Wet heat. Bad tradeoff.

[@gman1003]

What's another reason not to get a diesel van?

[@JourneymanHandcraft]

Hi Guys! I'm looking at doing this myself to my sprinter. Can you tell me did you have to bleed the system after you refitted the tank?

[@HannahandMyron]

Hi Brian, no we didn’t need to bleed the lines. We tried to not shake the line going to the engine once disconnected to keep the fuel in it and it started fine even though a lot of fuel had leaked out. The fuel pump for the heater self primes.

[@JourneymanHandcraft]

@@HannahandMyron that's fantastic thanks for the help! I don't suppose you remember what size fuel line you purchased? Would mean I can get it ordered before I start the project this weekend! 😁🤙 Thanks so much!

[@HannahandMyron]

Hi Brian, no sorry, I believed it was a standard diesel hose size, from memory I would guess it to have a 5mm internal hole. The same size hose that came with the heater. Good luck!!

[@ngt206]

3/8" to the aux nipple worked just great

[@brianchristensen5050]

Great video and helpful comments. Would this work on a gasoline/petrol Sprinter? Thanks

[@jameswills1156]

Great video! Do you know if your van build specs had the KL1 Auxiliary Diesel Fuel Tap? Our does not and I'm trying to determine if when I drop our tank it will have the port and I can just drill it out and connect hoses (like you've shown in the video) or if I will have to drill a completely new hole in the yellow plastic cap and install a full standpipe assembly.

[@HannahandMyron]

Thank you very much James. Ours didn’t have the auxiliary tap, if it does there is a line that hangs out the front of the tank so you don’t need to drop it at all. My guess is that Mercedes will only make one plastic tank top and will have the extra port on the top, no aux tap specd they leave it blocked off like mine or if you specd it Mercedes will drill it out and attach 30cm of line just like I did. Best of luck!

[@Ian-yn9uh]

Thank you for making this video, i'm now gathering parts to install. What size fuel line did you use to connect to the fuel pump?

[@ngt206]

I got mine done today and 3/8'' worked a treat

[@ukPreTzeL]

Hi Nigel, did the 3/8th work for both inside and outside the tank? Many thanks

[@ngt206]

No. The 3/8 hose for the internal pick up, and by my records I went with 12.7mm hose (or 1/2’’) directly from the outside portal. This saved messy joiners at that point as I was able to fit a hose clamp on to the fuel tank aux portal. Hopefully this helps😊

[@ukPreTzeL]

@@ngt206 Brilliant! Thank you for the help.

[@ngt206]

@@ukPreTzeL you're very welcome mate. Good luck with it. Also, the other challenging part of the fit out is getting the fuel pump assy cap off. It is well and truly torqued up. However, I found that my chain wrench (much like you wound use to get a crank shaft pulley off) worked a treat. It was only JUST big enough if I used a screw driver on the very last link. I only mention this as I noticed how much trouble many people have had with removing this stubborn cap. This is something like the tool I have: www.bunnings.com.au/haron-4-chain-pipe-wrench_p4900076?gclid=CjwKCAjw_sn8BRBrEiwAnUGJDovZrdP8frAiWAg2Uwx4hdLTX4gYSJ8ekgQYA_C-HoRaDzMx-uqGHxoC-KUQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds Good luck

[@zacharywallen9924]

Hi Myron, thanks for a great video. I followed pretty closely on my 2008 sprinter. I guess the only real difference was i ran the planar plastic fuel tubing right to the tank's pickup instead of running the black fuel hose like you did. I've been having a heck of time with faults which I'm now pretty certain are caused by air bubbles that appear coming from the tank. I guess i didnt get the tubing, hosing, adapting setup secure enough which means Ill have to drop the tank again. The result has been a little surprising to me, cause it felt fine at the time. Did you have any trouble with air getting in to line on the tank side of the pump? Perhaps using that fatter fuel hose as a lead like you did provides better draw from the tank, cause it seems the little planar pump "couldnt suck a golf ball through a garden hose" so to speak.

[@GBPaddling]

Excellent job 'Bruce'........Just one question - Why didn't you just 'T' into the fuel line? It would've been FAR easier. Just ribbin' you by the way, I know your Kiwi, ha ha.

[@HannahandMyron]

Haha! When Mercedes adds the auxiliary fuel line from factory, it comes off the tank (like we installed it) rather than the fuel line. So we figured we'd try replicate what they do as much as we can. We've had a rather expensive issue with our fuel pump before so we didn't want to interfere with it at all - especially if we were running the heater and the engine at the same time. Thanks so much for watching - glad you enjoyed the video. 😊

[@camperbuildchaos614]

You couldn't T the line because the fuel pump is in the tank of the van an that line is pressurized. The heater fuel pump is set to add the correct amount of fuel to the heater, the van fuel pump is set for the huge diesel engine an would flood the heater an eventually pour raw fuel out of the air intake pipe or exhaust pipe.

[@HannahandMyron]

@@camperbuildchaos614 yep that was our thinking too.

[@George106106]

Hi, can you remember what was the inside diameter of the fuel line you used inside of the sender unit?

[@Mika-yo2lq]

Would be interesting for me too ;)

[@ukPreTzeL]

I am hoping for this as well. I plan to do mine this weekend, and can hardly drive anywhere once I start :D

[@jean-pierregevrey3891]

Merci

[@MrTomgillespie1]

Hey guys if you did put a T in the fuel line, would the heaters pump be able to draw fuel through even tho the main fuel pump would not be running in the fuel tank?

[@HannahandMyron]

Good question! I have heard of people doing it that way and it working but can’t confirm 100%.

[@tonytca9439]

In theory it would work but make sure it was connected to the pumped supply and not the return as the return could suck air from the tank. Some people are concerned the pressurised feed will swamp the heater but its not that high pressure its a lifter pump in the tank and the heater little pump is a fuel metering pump solenoid which squirts like 0.025ml to the heater thru a tiny hose and would probably work fine if tapped into the van fuel line with some pressure behind it and im sure many people have gotten away with it. BUT if you want to be safe and not have any problems with the heater or the van drop in a stand pickup tube in the tank. Webasto, Eberspacher etc always fit stand pipes.

[@rafal9949]

Super👍👍👍👍👍☝☝☝

[@HannahandMyron]

Thanks so much 👍👍

[@jameswoolnough2659]

Do you know how to blank off the auxiliary outlet when you’re removing a heater?

[@HannahandMyron]

I would leave 10cm of the rubber hose on the outlet and put a bolt in the other end of the hose, and clamp down until tight

[@jameswoolnough2659]

Hannah and Myron I found some putty sealer for fuel tanks last night, was thinking of just removing the inner tube and pushing some of the putty into the aux fuel port up top. Any thoughts on that?

[@jameswoolnough2659]

Hannah and Myron also thank you for your reply!

[@HannahandMyron]

You're welcome James. I am just a little worried the putty will not seal well to the smooth inside of the plastic port. The putty may be designed to make a chemical bond and join to the plastic. That would be something to look into. But I’m a bit of a worrier so would do both and never have to think about it again. Hope that helps. 😀

[@jameswoolnough2659]

Thank you again! Tbf I read into it a little more after I replied, works best on metal. I’ve found and ordered a blanking cap now though so all good. Thank you!

[@alanmay1945]

I was thinking, would'nt it be a lot simpler and easier just to tap into the van fuel line pipe, by cutting it then inserting a Tee junction, then just connect the heater fuel line to the Tee branch? Any reason why not? I don't want to be getting all that tank out and messing around disturbing all the tank inner workings.

[@HannahandMyron]

When Mercedes adds the auxiliary fuel line from factory, it comes off the tank (like we installed it) rather than the fuel line. So we figured we'd try replicate what they do as much as we can. We've had a rather expensive issue with our fuel pump before so we didn't want to interfere with it at all.

[@gdrozd555]

WHY? Sprinters have a line out ready for aux heaters installed from the factory. You can find it right next to big hose that comes down from the filler neck

[@HannahandMyron]

Hi Greg, not all sprinters do. I have done this on 4 sprinters 2011 up to 2018 and none have had them. All are manufactured for the UK maybe some countries got it and others didn’t? I take it you’re from the US?

[@gdrozd555]

@@HannahandMyron My 13 and 14 had it. Long tall and extended tall 3.0 and 2.1

[@HannahandMyron]

@@gdrozd555 that's lucky! Are you in America? I've heard of quite a few US and Canadian people having it on their vans but no one in the UK.

[@gdrozd555]

@@HannahandMyron Yes. US

[@BeachRoadStudios]

@@gdrozd555 Working on my 2017 Made in Germany (for Canadian market) and discovered it doesn't have it either...I even called Mercedes with the VIN to verify - no KL1 came stock from the factory with this one. It really does depend on what was ordered from the factory apparently.

[@woutergregoor8459]

Cheers guys. Planning on doing this to my van soon.. Any clue what size fuel line I need (inner diameter)?

[@HannahandMyron]

Not 100% sure but I’ll check to see if we have it written down anywhere. We just took it in to a mechanics garage and showed them and they found one that matched and sold it to us.

[@marineaudo61]

Hi ! Did you guys get an answer on the size ? Thanks !