Rear Fuel Tank Issues

[93IHTurbo]

Hello everyone, I'm new to the forums and have an issue with my truck, I have a 93 F250 7.3 Turbo, I bought it back in February from a friend of mine and I abosolutely love it. Best vehicle I've owned. I have had a few issues though. One of the issues I have is my rear tank... My friend previously had a veggie oil setup (transfer tank in the bed, used the "rear tank" option to run it)... He reconnected the fuel lines before he sold me the truck, but when I try to use it, it runs for a couple of minutes and then dies out like it has no fuel... When I flip the switch it reads it has 1/4 to 3/8 of a tank... But it dies... Could my fuel pump not be getting whats left in my tank? Is my fuel pump working? I believe its a mechanical fuel pump, how can I tell if it works? Should I just throw new parts at it for the fun of it? Thank you for the help.

 

[freebird01]

thats a common problem..my guess is the showerhead pickup on the bottom of the line int he tank rotted off

 

[93IHTurbo]

thats a common problem..my guess is the showerhead pickup on the bottom of the line int he tank rotted off

I assume for that I would have to drop the tank, pull it apart and check, I would then assume I should just swap out the pump while I'm in there... How long do the pumps last? I hit 306k on my way home from work last night, I don't know if its ever been changed.

 

[flareside_thun]

There are no in tank pumps on these trucks. The mechanical fuel pump is mounted on the passenger side of the engine block, just like the old carbed vehicles. Yes, you'll need to drop the tank to check the sending unit. Either that, or yank the bed off.

 

[icanfixall]

Welcome to the forum. Now the simplest way to determine if the suction shower head has dropped of the rear tank suction is to fill the tank. If it only takes around 11 or 12 gallons to fill then thats a sure sign you have a broken off suction and you can't draw down any more fuel in that tank. This is a know issue with most of these ford trucks. Dropping the rear tank is tuff with you have 5 gallons moving around in it. But if you have to remove it this is a few tips that work. Find the supply and return lines at the rear frame cross member. Now cut them loose so they have enough movement when you drop the tank. You will need to reach in deep to remove the lines from the sender when the tank is partly out of the truck. Remember the fueel is heavy too. Each fuel line has a plastic clip that holds the line connecter to the tank pickup. Remove both of them and the electrical feeds and the tank is now free from the truck. When removing the sender unit from the tank notice the locating pin in the tank. Thats there so you can reinstall the sender in the correct oreintation for the lines and suction head. Use a punch to knock loose the fastener ring that secures the sender in the tank. Really simple work. Please drain all the fuel out of the tank now and save it to return it to the tank. Clean out all the broken parts and extend the broken pickup with a length of fuel rated hose and a clamp. Cut some slots in the end of the hose so it doesn't suck tight to the bottom of the tank and shut off you fuel suction. There is several ideas on how to make a suction head at the bottom of the tank. Some even install a tee on the bottom od the hose so nothing sucks tight to the tank bottom.. Do a search here for idea...