Airdog 100, 150, 165?

brunok

jngahsfvjkafui
May 13, 2009
96
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38
San Angelo/Kerrville, TEXAS
which one would i need to support about 600hp for now and maybe up to 800 in the future? or any other pump recommendation?

I was looking at Kennedy but for the price and filter combo Airdog seems better...
 

othrgrl

Diesel Addiction Owner
Mar 10, 2008
2,151
4
38
Wilmington NC
www.mydieseladdiction.com
I think that the AirDog 150 is the best bang for the buck. It has the same 150 gph pump as the AirDog II 165. The selling points of the 165 are that it is "easier to install" and has an adjustable pressure regulator. To install it you can do it without lifting the bed or dropping the tank because it doesn't have a draw straw. However with the new quick connect style AirDog 150s you can easily install them without the draw straw if you choose, and if you choose to do so on either you run the risk of sucking the fuel basket in the tank dry faster than what fuel can get into it at low tank levels - making the truck hard to start and hurting performance when you are low on fuel. For the 165 the remedy is to remove the tank or bed and pull the sending unit to drill holes in it so it can fill faster, so there goes the "easier installation". The adjustable pressure regulator is supposed to come preset at the same 9-12 PSI that the AirDog 150 comes with. If you adjust it too much higher it will start to cause idle issues, so what's the point of having it adjustable.

I had an AirDog 150 on my truck installed per the instructions during my 10 second passes - I think it will be plenty of fuel for your 600-800 rwhp goals.
 

blk smoke lb7

<-----Lots of green $
Nov 8, 2010
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belvidere,ill
I can tell you how much better it is to have the draw straw,when i installed my airdog 150 i got the draw straw with the kit i bought so i said what the hell and put it in,when efi was installed in my truck it was the same as the hot +2 eliminator on setting 10 the 425 h.p. tune and we had to take the fuse out as the key had to stay on.well we forgot to put the fuse back in but my truck never missed a beat,we tested it on every tune hard and i was on it hard on the way home and i never lost fuel pressure and the cp3 had to suck thru the pump that wasnt pumping!!! Put the draw straw in :thumb:
 

GMC_2002_Dmax

The Still Master
I have a ADII-165, I like the adjustable feature, I did not use the draw straw, I did drill the cup.

I just got fuel, 33.22 gallons in a 34 gallon tank and had no issues whatsoever with fuel starvation.

With the draw straw you screw yourself once the tank level gets low, forget about running down to almost empty.

As far as install, if you have to raise the bed it is way easier than dropping the tank.

:thumb:
 

SgtKilroy

'Merica!
Sep 30, 2009
859
0
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SoCal
Sorry for the off topic, but where are yall drilling the cup? Around the base? Would a billet pickup be adequate?
 

custom8726

Active member
Feb 25, 2008
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Upstate N.Y
I have a ADII-165, I like the adjustable feature, I did not use the draw straw, I did drill the cup.

I just got fuel, 33.22 gallons in a 34 gallon tank and had no issues whatsoever with fuel starvation.

With the draw straw you screw yourself once the tank level gets low, forget about running down to almost empty.

As far as install, if you have to raise the bed it is way easier than dropping the tank.

:thumb:

I will respectively disagree :hug: I installed the draw straw and have run my truck within a 1/2 gallon of empty without issue. Also it takes 10minutes to drop the tank and you dont need a extra set of hands like you will if you pull your bed, JMHO.. Heres a pic of how I cut some slots on the draw straw...

ADpick-up3.jpg


ADpick-up2.jpg
 

bml2200

Member
Oct 16, 2008
256
0
16
IL
I did the Hellman sump instead of the draw straw with the AD150 on my truck so I wouldn't have to worry about the 1/4 tank issues. Worked great and was pretty easy to install.
 

blk smoke lb7

<-----Lots of green $
Nov 8, 2010
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belvidere,ill
I will respectively disagree :hug: I installed the draw straw and have run my truck within a 1/2 gallon of empty without issue. Also it takes 10minutes to drop the tank and you dont need a extra set of hands like you will if you pull your bed, JMHO.. Heres a pic of how I cut some slots on the draw straw...

ADpick-up3.jpg


ADpick-up2.jpg
I totally agree,i used my motor cycle lift and some blocks it was easy and i 45 degreed my pick up and have run the truck very low and never any issuses.
 

JoshH

Daggum farm truck
Staff member
Vendor/Sponsor
Feb 14, 2007
13,713
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Texas!!!
I just install them without dropping the tank. I don't see the need. I've never had a problem with the lift pump holding pressure with the stock pickup.
 

othrgrl

Diesel Addiction Owner
Mar 10, 2008
2,151
4
38
Wilmington NC
www.mydieseladdiction.com
I have a ADII-165, I like the adjustable feature, I did not use the draw straw, I did drill the cup.

I just got fuel, 33.22 gallons in a 34 gallon tank and had no issues whatsoever with fuel starvation.

With the draw straw you screw yourself once the tank level gets low, forget about running down to almost empty.

As far as install, if you have to raise the bed it is way easier than dropping the tank.

:thumb:

Like Custom8726 I have to disagree as well. IMO the "1/4 tank issues" are the cause of one of 3 things:

  1. People cut the straw too short so it is not close enough to the bottom of the tank.
  2. People bend the float arm while removing the stock sending unit - bending it down would mean that it would hit the tank bottom before it came to the end of it's travel, throwing off the gauge so that it shows you have fuel when you are actually empty.
  3. People cut the straw the right length or a touch long but don't notch the end as Custom8726 shows.

I have had to drive over an hour with the low fuel light on in my truck to find a station that had fuel; when I filled up my 26 gallon tank it took just over 25 gallons.

I'm not saying that there is anything wrong with the AD II pumps, only that the extra cost is not warranted in my opinion. A new spring will adjust the pressure in the AirDog 150.
 

1lowdiesel

<- wish i was there
Sep 18, 2008
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The only kit that comes with the draw straw is the 150. The DF165 hooks right to the top of your stock sending unit like the 100. The 165 has dual inlet ports to allow more fuel to enter the gerotor thus pushing more fuel, also the DF or demand flow means that not as much fuel is returned to the tank, the ADII has a different base that recycles the unused fuel back through the filters to be filtered again and reused. This way the filters will have more of a capacity and less chance of draining them.

Some trucks that need the extra fuel capacity for heavy fueling motors (like the cummins killer truck) we will run an FPII class 8 unit, this will usually double the fuel capacity and eliminate any fuel recovery issues.
 

GMC_2002_Dmax

The Still Master
Parking on a hill with low fuel and a draw straw is a recipe for a no-start or a stall condition.

The purpose of the factory fuel cup is so that the fuel is pulled from/returned to the same location.

I am not trying to start an argument over this, just pointing out that not everyone lives in flat land and not everyone parks on a flat driveway.

I have been in trucks tuning them that run with small amounts of fuel and when then accelerate the fuel goes to the back of the tank and starves the truck for fuel.

To each their own I guess.

As far as changing a spring, it is far easier to loosen a jam nut and turn a adjustment then dick around changing a spring to save a few $$$$,

JMHO.

:hug:
 

Atouchofgrass

New member
Jun 19, 2010
526
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CT
Tony, i most certainly agree with you. Parking on a hill 90 percent of the trucks life i had too go with the Airdog 2, i have no modifications too the fuel cup. I like running my tank down too a half gallon and have no issues on a moderate incline. Airdog 2 gets my vote!
 

othrgrl

Diesel Addiction Owner
Mar 10, 2008
2,151
4
38
Wilmington NC
www.mydieseladdiction.com
Tony, i most certainly agree with you. Parking on a hill 90 percent of the trucks life i had too go with the Airdog 2, i have no modifications too the fuel cup. I like running my tank down too a half gallon and have no issues on a moderate incline. Airdog 2 gets my vote!

With the AirDog 150 you can disconnect the factory supply line at the sending unit and click the AirDog 150 line right onto it, without pulling the tank or bed. You'll just have a draw straw left over to use in the 64 oz fountain drinks from Hess that they don't have tall enough straws for :)

Why not mount the draw straw at the rear of the tank? I'm not saying that AirDog II is not a good setup, just that for the average guy the extra $100 isn't warranted. I make more selling the AirDog II pumps, so you would think I would push them more.....
 

Atouchofgrass

New member
Jun 19, 2010
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CT
I hear ya, not causing an argument, just stating that i agreed with tony. I got mine for a helluva deal and couldn't pass on it!
 

GMC_2002_Dmax

The Still Master
With the AirDog 150 you can disconnect the factory supply line at the sending unit and click the AirDog 150 line right onto it, without pulling the tank or bed. You'll just have a draw straw left over to use in the 64 oz fountain drinks from Hess that they don't have tall enough straws for :)

Why not mount the draw straw at the rear of the tank? I'm not saying that AirDog II is not a good setup, just that for the average guy the extra $100 isn't warranted. I make more selling the AirDog II pumps, so you would think I would push them more.....

What if you park facing down a hill, the rear straw will do you no good, what if your low on fuel and are coming down Rt77 from VA into NC as I do quite often and miles of driving down hill could be a problem with a rear draw straw.

Again, not trying to argue about it just stating that the factory setup was designed for a specific purpose to not run out of fuel with a low tank condition. A better setup IMHO is a billet fuel pickup with 5/8" line up to a AN bulkhead and you have no issues with that setup.

As far as connecting to the factory sending unit I already did that

http://www.duramaxdiesels.com/forum/showthread.php?t=22355

They didn't think of a RC/LB when they designed these pumps so I had to make it work and did.

The reason I dislike the draw straw is because unless you run with at least 1/3 tank IMHO you are asking for problems.

JMHO.
 

1lowdiesel

<- wish i was there
Sep 18, 2008
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Yea putting the tube at the back of the tank is a no no. You're asking for issues at that point.

You can put a tube down into the sending unit itself but that is quite a bit more work for not much reward. On a duramax, imo, there is no reason to go with the ADII unless you need that sort of volume. Then if you need to go bigger like i said earlier the class 8 unit is the way to go.

For most people with the normal upgrades (chip exhaust programmer turbo) the 100 or 150 is best. And yes you can just take the 1/2 QC fitting and snap it right onto your tank on the 150 kit.

As for mounting, we are getting ready to come out with a new mounting bracket that will end all the issues with different bed and cab configs, it's just going through it QC stages and approvals.
 

Cbum

New member
Feb 2, 2010
96
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Church Point Louisiana
The ability to run a tank low sure is nice . But I come from the old school and never try and run it that low . Low or empty tanks invite condensation ,heat build up ,tax fuel pumps . And no matter how well designed rough driving conditions ,sharp turns abrupt stop and goes traffic you are just asking for air entrapment and do it enough time premature wear of the fuel system . Besides what if a filter media fails or is defective any sludge water etc. will play havoc. While many of my older equipment I have the ability to sound tanks easily with Kolor cut paste to check for water new vehicles I don't . My own equipment I install drain petcocks to guage tanks periodically.

I know filter failure is rare but my luck I am that one in a million .


I know Duramax trucks or at least mine have fuel coolers but they don't cool sh!( when packed with mud crud space bugs etc. Besides how many of you inspect or clean your fuel coolers

I know this rant doesn't pertain to the original posters question but thought it pertenant to some of the info posted here

I am from the old school and technology has passed me by but wanting to learn . But also some may learn from and old farts experiance .

I wonder how many lift pumps and cp3 failures are due to consistantly running tanks near empty . Just because you can and have gotten away with it in the past doesn't mean it isn't doing damage . Just food for thought .