Retrofitting the 33 gallon tank

[MaxCarnage]

Latest update with my dealer and the 33 gallon tank capacity re-flash. So they want to take my truck in a couple weeks when my skid plate support bracket comes in and dive into the ECU/BCM more to see if they can change the capacity from 23 gallons to 33 gallons and get it correct.

Correct me if I'm wrong (not sure if anyone has had a dealer reflash and get this to work), but I thought the dealer had to ask FCA permission and send them info in order to get this done at the dealership?

 

[Tellsch]

No idea on the dealer stuff.

Alpha does this in 5 minutes though. The investment in the sw is small compared to all the time spent with the dealer. You can also change other things like fogs on with brights, drl staying on with signal, etc.

 

[MaxCarnage]

No idea on the dealer stuff.

Alpha does this in 5 minutes though. The investment in the sw is small compared to all the time spent with the dealer. You can also change other things like fogs on with brights, drl staying on with signal, etc.

Yeah I get that. Just trying to do it threw the dealer to avoid any warranty voiding. The only downfall of Alpha OBD seems to be if you ever have a dealer re-flash anything, you'll have to add everything again.

 

[ALT_F13]

Actually, I recently discovered there is a crossmember that can be used and would give you what you are looking for. It is #22 in the diagram below. You can bolt this up without the longer skid plate and accomplish what you want but it is the crossmember for the longer skid plate to give it strength up front. The part number for the 33 gallon skid plate is 52029964AD, the crossmember part number is 68348386AB and the part number for the four hex nut/retaining clips to hold up the crossmember is 06508646AA. You will also need 4 M10x1.50 bolts to bolt the crossmember to the frame (I forget what length I bought). If you are bolting the skid plate to the crossmember you will need 2 more M10x1.50 bolts. Once in place this crossmember is plenty strong enough to be used to add support for the tank (it sits about 1" below the tank).

View attachment 96472

Thank you for this info, helped me to understand what is the idea behind long fuel tank skid plate for 33 gallon tank.
I've upgraded from short skid plate to a long one, and I was surprised how front part bends easily. Protects the tank no doubt, but it will bend if you apply truck weigh on it during rock crawling. Now I see that just skid plate is not enough - you need a crossmember to add strength in the front of the skid. It it not needed for a short skid plate.

 

[MaxCarnage]

Here's some extra info on the 33 gallon skid plate if you need it or want it. I have a Rebel, so I decided to get the longer skid plate. Overall I'm into this $1360. It's a bit more expensive swap for my truck, because I have the skid plate (Rebel) and went from a 23 gallon tank. I still need to fix the DTE issue. That's been a work in progress with my dealer, which if they can't resolve here within the next month I'll be using Alpha OBD. Just trying to do the FULL installation with them.

1 - 52029964AD - 33 gallon skid plate
1 - 68348386AB - Crossmember for skid plate

There is also 4 nuts and retainers you need for the cross member too, but my dealer didn't charge me for them or list them on my paperwork.

Here's a picture of the skid plate crossmember:

 

[Kordyte]

I recently purchased a 2021 Laramie with the 5.7 eTorque and didn't notice the 23 gallon fuel tank until a fillup a few days later. It really became noticeable during a camping trip where I was towing a travel trailer and had to fill up more frequently than my old 2014 Bighorn that had a 33 gallon tank. I've read most of this thread and I'm curious if there's any more recent feedback from people that have had this swap done by the dealer and successfully flashed the ECM to report correct fuel level and DTE? I've considered doing the swap myself, but still have a lot of time left on the factory warranty and would like to minimize red tape should anything go sideways with the fuel system.

 

[2020Big4x4Horn]

I recently purchased a 2021 Laramie with the 5.7 eTorque and didn't notice the 23 gallon fuel tank until a fillup a few days later. It really became noticeable during a camping trip where I was towing a travel trailer and had to fill up more frequently than my old 2014 Bighorn that had a 33 gallon tank. I've read most of this thread and I'm curious if there's any more recent feedback from people that have had this swap done by the dealer and successfully flashed the ECM to report correct fuel level and DTE? I've considered doing the swap myself, but still have a lot of time left on the factory warranty and would like to minimize red tape should anything go sideways with the fuel system.

It's an easy swap if your halfway mechanical. The hardest part for me was was disconnecting the lines and plugs on top of the pump, there isn't much slack to let the tank down and get your arm up in there.

Sent from my SM-G988U using Tapatalk

 

[Rammit]

I second the previous post. Easy install. Only issue was getting the range to read properly. Big thank you to Bw1605 with helping me with that. There is also an issue with the third tank strap but we have a solution for that too.
good luck.

 

[Kordyte]

I second the previous post. Easy install. Only issue was getting the range to read properly. Big thank you to Bw1605 with helping me with that. There is also an issue with the third tank strap but we have a solution for that too.
good luck.

Yeah I could tackle it myself with all the detail provided in this thread, but I'm weighing the cost and warranty coverage of having the dealer do it. If I was outside of the warranty period I wouldn't hesitate to knock it out myself.

 

[imacreative]

Any luck on getting the ECU flashed to get the correct fuel level? I 'm interested in going from 23 to 33 as well.
Thank you.

 

[MaxCarnage]

Dealer update:

I was working out of town all week, however my dealer finally got ahold of me with some updated info on the DTE flash. Ram supposedly has to add the ability for this flash to my VIN. Once that is done, the dealer at that point will be able to update and flash it. Without Ram corporate doing this, the dealer doesn't have any access to change this.

That's what the Service manger told me this week. So hopefully soon Ram will do their part, so that the dealer can do theirs. I was told that Ram doesn't want to give dealers access to this, because they don't want dealers doing this on a regular basis. They didn't say exactly why, so your guess is as good as mine.

 

[interwebposts]

I've been slowly collecting parts for this project. After a few hiccups my 33 gallon tank arrived. I was a bit surprised to find this rattling around inside. Does anyone know what this is, if it's supposed to mounted internally and broke off, or if it can be taken from the old tank? It has springs and other components that make me think it's some sort of pressure relief valve. But I can't find an obvious mount within reach of my arm.

It seems like a fairly 'brittle' component to have inside a fuel tank.

 

[Kordyte]

Dealer update:

I was working out of town all week, however my dealer finally got ahold of me with some updated info on the DTE flash. Ram supposedly has to add the ability for this flash to my VIN. Once that is done, the dealer at that point will be able to update and flash it. Without Ram corporate doing this, the dealer doesn't have any access to change this.

That's what the Service manger told me this week. So hopefully soon Ram will do their part, so that the dealer can do theirs. I was told that Ram doesn't want to give dealers access to this, because they don't want dealers doing this on a regular basis. They didn't say exactly why, so your guess is as good as mine.

Thanks for the update. Please let us know when the hammer drops and the dealer is actually able to flash!

 

[Bluesurf]

I guess this is a good spot to talk about my truck's fuel tank and system. Last Friday I stopped at Walmart Market to grab gas. I thought their pumps sucked. I could only get in half gallon and the pump would shut off. So then I drove down the road to Sam's to get gas. Same situation I managed 3/4 gal. I had to click away. Down the road was Costco so I went in to get gas. They have great new pumps, same trouble not even half gallon. I figured I better call the Service Dept. On my way home I stopped at Kroger, no gas would go into tank. I brought my truck in yesterday. I got a call from the Service Agent. I nearly fell over. He told me it will take a week to get all the parts? What parts? He said everything from the nozzle hole to the 33 Gal. tank and some actuators will be replaced. He gave me the option to pick up the truck. (no way) I asked him to hold the car and park it indoors while parts are ordered. I am so baffled? I know many people have trouble with the neck's, however this seems excessive. I wonder if anyone had a similar situation.

 

[MaxCarnage]

I guess this is a good spot to talk about my truck's fuel tank and system. Last Friday I stopped at Walmart Market to grab gas. I thought their pumps sucked. I could only get in half gallon and the pump would shut off. So then I drove down the road to Sam's to get gas. Same situation I managed 3/4 gal. I had to click away. Down the road was Costco so I went in to get gas. They have great new pumps, same trouble not even half gallon. I figured I better call the Service Dept. On my way home I stopped at Kroger, no gas would go into tank. I brought my truck in yesterday. I got a call from the Service Agent. I nearly fell over. He told me it will take a week to get all the parts? What parts? He said everything from the nozzle hole to the 33 Gal. tank and some actuators will be replaced. He gave me the option to pick up the truck. (no way) I asked him to hold the car and park it indoors while parts are ordered. I am so baffled? I know many people have trouble with the neck's, however this seems excessive. I wonder if anyone had a similar situation.

That sounds like a fuel filler neck. They had an older style especially in the 19s, that was redesigned. I've read quite a few 19s that have had your issue, with having the pump click off a lot. They should be starting with the fuel filler neck imo, make sure it's the newer style. I wouldn't have left my truck at the dealer, personal opinion though, just leaves more room for more problems like scratches and dings. Lots of parts are on back order, so expect delays. A week is nothing. I've waiting months for all these parts to do this conversion.

 

[Bluesurf]

That sounds like a fuel filler neck. They had an older style especially in the 19s, that was redesigned. I've read quite a few 19s that have had your issue, with having the pump click off a lot. They should be starting with the fuel filler neck imo, make sure it's the newer style. I wouldn't have left my truck at the dealer, personal opinion though, just leaves more room for more problems like scratches and dings. Lots of parts are on back order, so expect delays. A week is nothing. I've waiting months for all these parts to do this conversion.

Thank's for your input. Funny thing since I bought my truck I never had an issue at the pump. This situation came out of nowhere.

 

[MaxCarnage]

Thanks for the update. Please let us know when the hammer drops and the dealer is actually able to flash!

I have an appointment with my dealer this Friday. He's calling it a recalibration not a flash, I guess that's the technical term. Ram corporate did their part and gave permission for the dealer to add the 33 gallon tank to my vehicle. I believe they had to add it to my specific VIN.

I'll keep you posted once it's all finalized.

 

[htfeep]

I've been slowly collecting parts for this project. After a few hiccups my 33 gallon tank arrived. I was a bit surprised to find this rattling around inside. Does anyone know what this is, if it's supposed to mounted internally and broke off, or if it can be taken from the old tank? It has springs and other components that make me think it's some sort of pressure relief valve. But I can't find an obvious mount within reach of my arm.

It seems like a fairly 'brittle' component to have inside a fuel tank.

View attachment 104050

Go look at my post here.
I had the same thing rattling around but mine had a pipe on it that looked clearly broken on one end. For the life of me, I couldn't figure out what it was. I even used my phone to take pictures down inside the tank and couldn't find where it went. I eventually just gave up, mounted the tank, and went on my merry way. I now have just over 8,000 miles since the conversion and the only issue was the vent tube coming off once right after the 1st tank fill.

 

[MaxCarnage]

Dealer DTE update success!

Steps your dealer must do to get the DTE to work:

1. Your dealers MUST involve Ram Corporate (FCA/Stellantis). Ram Corporate MUST remove the old tank value 23/26 gallon and add the new 33 gallon tank to your specific VIN. This is called your Vehicle Configuration data.

2. Once Ram Corporate adds the new data, your dealer needs to do a "Restore Vehicle Configuration". This process is very simple. My dealer did it in less than 5 minutes. Once that is done, my dealer printed me off a "Restore Vehicle Configuration" page that shows Fuel Capacity - Old Value 23 - New Value 33.

You will likely get resistance from Ram. They don't seem to want dealers to do this upgrade. Seems like some are trying to claim false warranty, in an attempt to get this upgrade done for free or cheaper. Also sounds like Ram is fearful customers aren't putting all the correct parts in. Just tossing in the tank for example and not putting in a new pump (23 gallon has different pump). Their could be other reasons as well. Just know your dealer has to get Ram to make this change. If they do not, your dealer cannot do anything.

The change was instant. First fill up, averaging 17.6mpg at the time.

 

[imacreative]

Thank you very much for the information! This will be helpful when I talk to my dealer.