Fuel Selector Valve Nightmare

OLDBULL8

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Those Azone FSV's are made by Pollak, same make as the Ford one's. I wouldn't pay that kind of price from Ford dealer..
 

Agnem

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Can't say for certain, but I think LMC carries the Ford FSV. Not sure on the price. If you had one that was getting hot, it was because the motor stalled between throws. There are limit switches and diodes that basically shut off power to the motor once it has thrown completely one way or the other. They really are fine devices, but like anything will go bad over time. I can't fault any of mine. I had one get stuck between tanks and leave me sit on the PA turnpike on my way to the Indiana IDI Rally. I couldn't understand whey it would fail after 23 years? :dunno

LOL

I would sooner buy a $300 OEM one than anything else. After all, it's going to last just as long as the original.
 

Petri317

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Well, knock on wood, I've secured a $154 OEM one, which I like a whole lot better than $320. If this falls through, autozone it is.
 

HammerDown

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Can't say for certain, but I think LMC carries the Ford FSV. They really are fine devices, but like anything will go bad over time...

I would sooner buy a $300 OEM one than anything else. After all, it's going to last just as long as the original.
X2 or, I would take the original apart and and fix it myself .;Really
 

RLDSL

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A couple of years back, I had my original FSV fold on me so I blew the cash on the new dealer replacement job from Ford, and that POS lasted a grand total of 3 months before it went TU on me up north on a trip and left me with one tank. Barely made it home, I spent the whole trip hunting fuel stations. Insane with a 150 gal tank in the bed -cuss

The manual valves went in straight away after that..
 

MIDNIGHT RIDER

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A couple of years back, I had my original FSV fold on me so I blew the cash on the new dealer replacement job from Ford, and that POS lasted a grand total of 3 months before it went TU on me up north on a trip and left me with one tank. Barely made it home, I spent the whole trip hunting fuel stations. Insane with a 150 gal tank in the bed -cuss

The manual valves went in straight away after that..


Same story here.

More than twenty years ago, I was cruising along with a big HEAVY load of cattle when the engine just shut-down right in a busy intersection.

You are not gonna push a truck and load of cattle out of the road.


I won't go into all the details, but I went to FORD and got a replacement valve.

It lasted maybe two months and shut me down again with absolutely no warning.

Another Ford valve and same story, then two different brand valves from two different parts-houses --- same story.

All of these failures within the same year.


Then a light finally came on in my head and I installed a manual valve --- only one at first, on the DRAW lines, for the first ten more years or so.

I would fill all three tanks.

I had the RETURN connected direct to one tank.

I would run that tank dry and switch to a full tank, watching the gauge on the RETURN tank until it showed FULL again, then switch back to it and so forth and so on.


Then, I got real smart and added a second manual valve for the RETURNs.


I would not let someone professionally install brand new :puke: electric valves in my truck if they paid me ten-thousand dollars and promised to follow me everywhere I went and replace them anytime they failed. :)
 

Petri317

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Boy oh boy. I sure hope my new valve lasts a little longer than that. I honestly didn't know they had such a short lifespan. If this new FSV takes a ****, I will be running manual valves.
 

OLDBULL8

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Petri317:
First thing I would so is put an inline filter on each tank source line. Thats what I did. My rear tank, it's the same as a diesel fuel tank, but the fuel pump is in the tank and the in tank filter was covered with mud and rust. Motor home was not used for 3 years, rear tank is metal, front is plastic. I did take the OEM pump apart and cleaned it, polished the contacts, put it back together, now I have a spare. With the filters in the source lines I anticipate no trouble for a long time. I just got the biggest inline filter they had to fit 3/8" lines.
 

HammerDown

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Amazing how my 24 year old oe valve appears 100% healthy, I can hear it slam from front to back when I hit the switch...guess they don't make'em like they use to :dunno
 

Agnem

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I'm wondering if that is true Ray, or if perhaps these dealers are sourcing non-Ford valves. Are they coming in Motorcraft boxes?
 

towcat

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mel-
all the valves are built to ford spec by Pollack. they hold the patent and modify according to design spec from ford. ford has spec'd for proprietary electrical connector and feul line barbs. the earlier trucks used off the shelf Pollack valves, therefore the connectors was different and rubber hose was used in place of nylon line.
 

ken74amx

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They normally don't go bad and if I recall the ford service manual instructs to clear the lines to the tanks and to also inspect the tanks for debris. I will never put manual valves in. I even am adding a second fsv with my third tank that is going in the bed. Also how do you switch the fuel gauge over?
 

OLDBULL8

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They normally don't go bad and if I recall the ford service manual instructs to clear the lines to the tanks and to also inspect the tanks for debris. I will never put manual valves in. I even am adding a second fsv with my third tank that is going in the bed. Also how do you switch the fuel gauge over?

For three tanks you have to have two six port FSV's and two Front/Rear selector switches. The gage circuit is simple, wire in a relay. The plumbing is a little more involved.

For plumbing.
FSV#1 is for Front/Rear Tanks. Source #1 Return #1 Source #2 Return #2

FSV#2 is for Bed tank. Source #3 Return #3 Source#4 Return #4

Source #1 and #2 outlet lines hook to Source #4 inlet, use a tee at the inlet port.

Return #1 and #2 outlet lines hook to Return #4 inlet, use a tee at the inlet port

Source #3 inlet just hooks to the suction of the bed tank.

Return #3 inlet just hooks to the return of the bed tank.

Outlet of FSV#2 source hooks to the 3/8" line running to the engine.

Outlet of FSV#2 return hooks to the return 5/16" line coming from the engine.

Original Frt./Rear selector operates in the normal way.

Second Frt./Rear selector should be labled #3 and #4. Selector has to be in #4 position to draw fuel from either Front or Rear tanks, when in #3 position, fuel will be drawn from the BED tank.

The fuel gage will operate in the normal way for Front and Rear tanks.

For the Bed tank FSV#2 connector is marked 1-2-3-4-5 or A-B-C-D-E F pin is not used.

1-2 or A-B is the motor to select the tank, 3-5 or C-D is the gage indicator from the tanks, 4 or D is the direct circuit to the fuel gage.

A relay has to be energized by the FSV#2 when the BED tank #3 is selected, a NO contact has to be in the 4 or D wire, and a NC contact has to be in the FSV#1 4 or D wire, the FSV#2 4 or D wire has to be spliced into the FSV#1 4 or D wire after the NC contact so it's direct to the fuel gage.

The 1-2 or A-B can be either Positive or Negative depending on which tank is selected, so when installing the relay, make sure it's energizes when the switch is in the #3 position.

When marked #3 #4 selector is switched to #4, fuel will be drawn from the Front or Rear depending on which tank is selected, when selected to #3 fuel will be drawn from the BED tank and the Front/Rear tanks will be blocked.

I hope you understand all of this.
It was confusing to me just to write all this, hope I'm correct. Took 2 hrs. just to type it.
 
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