I drive a company truck with a 95 gallon aluminum transfer tank in the bed. The tank has a filler cap on the drivers side and an electric pump on the passenger side. The cap is a radiator style cap with a rubber gasket and a hole for a padlock. The cap and pump both are locked. The truck is an '08 and I assume the tank and cap is about the same age.
I also pull a box gooseneck trailer.
I have been in Tucson, AZ for the past two weeks. Temperatures range from about 70° at night to as high as 115° during the day.
Now my odd situation. Atleast four times since I have been here the cap has been popped off the filler pipe. The cheesy cap is pretty easy to pry off or even overturn and bend the ears open to remove. I have never done this but now that I look at it it is entirely and easily possible.
I assumed somebody was stealing diesel. Not a far stretch really.
So today I decide to remove the filler pipe and just put a plug in it. Not really lockable but harder to get through than the cheesy cap.
When I took the filler pipe out I looked into the tank and it is still pretty full, like 90% full. It doesn't have any kind of gauge so I really have no idea if any is missing but I was surprised to see how full it is.
If someone had stole some a few different times they didn't take much.
It was about empty when I left Texas so I put some in at each stop. Again, no idea how full it was though. I do know if it is topped off it will spray diesel on the back window of the truck and it didn't do that.
We don't use the tank much unless something comes up like needing fuel for a forklift or generator. I haven't used it since I have been here.
My question is, do those caps go bad and not vent properly? Could pressure pop the cap off given how full the tank is and the temperature swing here?
The cap is always in place just jumped off the rim. I have rebent the ears a couple times to make sure it locks on properly but it still happens.
It is always loose in the morning, never the evening. I would assume it would have the most pressure later in the afternoon during the hottest part of the day but it is never popped off then.
I have also thought about somebody maybe putting something into the tank to be destructive. I can't see any reason why but that doesn't keep if from happening.
Anyways, any thoughts or experience with anything like this? I have replaced the filler with a Teflonned steel plug. If it is a pressure issue bad enough to damage the cap I hope that solid cap won't cause other damage.
TIA
I also pull a box gooseneck trailer.
I have been in Tucson, AZ for the past two weeks. Temperatures range from about 70° at night to as high as 115° during the day.
Now my odd situation. Atleast four times since I have been here the cap has been popped off the filler pipe. The cheesy cap is pretty easy to pry off or even overturn and bend the ears open to remove. I have never done this but now that I look at it it is entirely and easily possible.
I assumed somebody was stealing diesel. Not a far stretch really.
So today I decide to remove the filler pipe and just put a plug in it. Not really lockable but harder to get through than the cheesy cap.
When I took the filler pipe out I looked into the tank and it is still pretty full, like 90% full. It doesn't have any kind of gauge so I really have no idea if any is missing but I was surprised to see how full it is.
If someone had stole some a few different times they didn't take much.
It was about empty when I left Texas so I put some in at each stop. Again, no idea how full it was though. I do know if it is topped off it will spray diesel on the back window of the truck and it didn't do that.
We don't use the tank much unless something comes up like needing fuel for a forklift or generator. I haven't used it since I have been here.
My question is, do those caps go bad and not vent properly? Could pressure pop the cap off given how full the tank is and the temperature swing here?
The cap is always in place just jumped off the rim. I have rebent the ears a couple times to make sure it locks on properly but it still happens.
It is always loose in the morning, never the evening. I would assume it would have the most pressure later in the afternoon during the hottest part of the day but it is never popped off then.
I have also thought about somebody maybe putting something into the tank to be destructive. I can't see any reason why but that doesn't keep if from happening.
Anyways, any thoughts or experience with anything like this? I have replaced the filler with a Teflonned steel plug. If it is a pressure issue bad enough to damage the cap I hope that solid cap won't cause other damage.
TIA