F-250 Fuel Tank Replacement
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F-250
Fuel Tank
Replacement
After all the fuel issues I recently had to fix, it did not surprise me to find a fuel tank leaking. This truck has two tanks and the front one started leaking. Of course it happened just after filling the tank, so I lost most of the tank while driving. It leaked and blown all over the trailer and Rallycross Miata.
Inspection prior to removal only revealed a pin hole where a rock was lodged between the tank shield and the tank. I had visions of removing the shield and installing a screw to seal the hole. However, when the shield was removed, there were some spots on the bottom of the tank. Lightly touching them with a screwdriver caused them to leak. So the tank was toast.
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Removal of the tank required removing the screws holding the filler tube, loosening the filler tube pipe clamps, disconnecting the fuel lines and disconnecting the fuel pump electrical connector on the frame. To get to the fuel lines, the tank had to be lowered a little to allow removal of the retaining clips and insertion of the tank connector removal tool.
The tank was supported with a floor jack and block of wood. It was almost completely empty due to the holes, so removal was pretty easy.
I ordered a Sprectra Premium Fuel Tank F6C from Advance Auto Parts. They had a special offer of $40 off and free shipping. Total to my house was only $85.59! It came to my house a few days later. I had already removed the old tank so I was ready to install the new one immediately. I reused the OEM fuel pump assembly and installed the new tank.
The smaller hole near the pump is for a vent. The plastic vent and rubber surrounding it must be removed and transferred to the new tank. Luckily it came out and went into the new one without breaking. It is probably a good idea to order a new one to be sure.
When I was moving the old tank to the scrap bin, I noticed a rattle inside the tank. I found a broken piece of plastic that used to be the screen and pickup. This explained why I could only run the tank to about 1/4 full and it would only take about 12 - 13 gallons on a fill up. I had not noticed the pickup missing until now so the new tank had been installed without it.
I spent a few months debating the need to install the pickup screen considering the effort required to remove the tank again just to install it. But I decided it was worth it to be able to get to the whole 19 gallons in the tank.
I ordered a new one from DieselOring.com in June and installed it a week later. Removal of the tank this time was more difficult since it had close to a half tank of fuel still in it.
Now the rear tank will probably start leaking? Anyway, the truck is fixed for now.
02/26/2015