I recently removed the FSV (Fuel Selector Valve) and replaced my fuel lines with Gates Barricade rubber lines, McMaster Carr ball valves and ran the wires for the fuel gauge and a toggle. There are not a lot of pics of this work and especially the wiring for the switch. The manual valve install is pretty well documented, but I would like to show pics of my install to help those like me who benefit from pictures to make descriptions more clear....
Parts List:
2 "3-way" ball valves (1) 3/8" and (1) 5/16" inside diameter
http://www.mcmaster.com/#ball-valves/=r5kgay Made in USA.
Brass Elbows (3) 3/8" and (3) 5/16"
pnevmo ebay seller
hose clamps (about 12)
Home Depot sells 10 packs cheap
Fuel Injection Hose
Gates Barricade from pageauto1 ebay seller.
25' 3/8" feed and 15' 5/16" return
"Pipe Dope" or equivalent sealer/adhesive
Wire 25' of 12-14 gauge wire (get half in 1 color and half in another)
Home Depot / Lowes sells it by the foot for $.29/ft
SPDT Toggle Switch Single Pole Double Throw
ebay
Wire Butt Connectors
Zip ties
Electrical Tape
(optional) soldering gun and solder wire
RTV liquid gasket
hex head screws and washers (4) each for ball valve mount
Just a few notes about parts....
The ball valves... Those of you who have auxiliary tank will want "4 way" ball valves. Get ball valves with metal ball valves inside. I chose McMaster because they had metal valves, were affordable, and were made in the USA. Customer service was very good.
There is a general consensus that the worm gear type clamps are not ideal for diesel fuel hose. In retrospect I should have used fuel injection hose clamps which clamp with uniform pressure but still use a screw to tighten. For me the squeeze type clamps are not ideal for this job.
The Gates Barricade Injection Line Hose is very good stuff. It has I think a 30R16 rating. It is over $4 a foot at NAPA. Ebay price was just over a buck a foot with free shipping from the seller mentioned.
I wanted to stick with a stock fuel hose size which is 3/8" feed and 5/16" return. You could use 3/8" for both and be fine. It would make assembly easy and prevent any possible mixups.
The toggle switch was a pain in the ass to find and figure out. NAPA, Advance Auto, Auto Zone, Pep Boys, Tractor Supply all had basically the same switches and not the "on-on". There is only one type of toggle that works for this job well. It is an "on-on" with a common terminal in the middle. This means that it goes from "on" to "on" only. There is no "off" in the middle or it won't work. The back of the switch must have 3 terminals. You could probably split the fuel gauge wire and connect some to both terminals if you had a toggle with the "off" in the middle.
*Edit* If you want to skip running new wire and the toggle and just use the factory selector switch, please scroll down to "laserjock"s comment and my response.*
It will eliminate the need for the toggle switch and wire. It will also save you the steps involved in tearing the guts out of the factory switch.
About Ebay... My favorite part about ebay is that in most cases you can find what you want cheaply AND with free shipping if you are willing to search for it. That's why I like it better than Amazon.
*Unscrew your fuel filter just enough to break the seal* The FSV is mounted to the frame right beside the front fuel tank. First step is to cut the fuel lines from in front of the FSV. This will allow the fuel to drain from the engine. I am suggesting you cut them because they run on top of the FSV and are difficult to access from there. If you are replacing them with new line it won't matter much if you cut them. You will want a catch can of some kind for the diesel fuel, and it is helpful to have a screw handy to plug the line. Vice grips would work very well also, but bear in mind most of your fuel lines are metal so you will have to find the rubber only pieces before disconnection or you will get a diesel bath while trying to figure it out after the fact. The ends of the lines before the quick connects are rubber for 10" or so. Unplug the wiring harness.
This is what your FSV looks like. It will be mounted just like this with the right side facing towards the front of the truck and the left towards the rear.
At each pair of male connectors, the feed is against the frame and the return is inside towards you.
Since you will not be using the quick disconnects, you can use a long flat head screw driver to stick into the plastic clips holding the connectors and twist until one of the legs break and then pull them out. In the pic below the top line has the v shaped clip head and the bottom line shows the barbed legs tips. The clip is a horseshoe shape.
http://www.rowand.net/Shop/Tech/images/FordEFIFuelLineConnectors03.jpg
There are two screws holding the FSV to the frame, and you will find the fuel lines hold it pretty firmly in place until they are disconnected as well.
Get the lines off both sending units, the FSV, the return coming off the driver side injector nearest the firewall at the little brass junction block and disconnect the line at the lift pump. You will have to open the plastic clips holding the metal lines and i would cut the tape holding the return and feed together just to make removal easier.... The clips need to be popped up from the tab on top and then they open out and down.
Next you want to decide where the best place is for your valves.... I put mine here, but if I had an auto tranny or 2wd I would have mounted them on the side of the hump on the floor. My seat gets in the way a little. I laid the valves on the floor and got into a driving position with the door closed and reached down to where I wanted to mount them to give me an idea of what it would be like. You may never have to do it, but I wanted to be able to switch tanks on the road while driving if necessary so it was important to have them in a spot that was easy to get to.
Parts List:
2 "3-way" ball valves (1) 3/8" and (1) 5/16" inside diameter
http://www.mcmaster.com/#ball-valves/=r5kgay Made in USA.
Brass Elbows (3) 3/8" and (3) 5/16"
pnevmo ebay seller
hose clamps (about 12)
Home Depot sells 10 packs cheap
Fuel Injection Hose
Gates Barricade from pageauto1 ebay seller.
25' 3/8" feed and 15' 5/16" return
"Pipe Dope" or equivalent sealer/adhesive
Wire 25' of 12-14 gauge wire (get half in 1 color and half in another)
Home Depot / Lowes sells it by the foot for $.29/ft
SPDT Toggle Switch Single Pole Double Throw
ebay
Wire Butt Connectors
Zip ties
Electrical Tape
(optional) soldering gun and solder wire
RTV liquid gasket
hex head screws and washers (4) each for ball valve mount
Just a few notes about parts....
The ball valves... Those of you who have auxiliary tank will want "4 way" ball valves. Get ball valves with metal ball valves inside. I chose McMaster because they had metal valves, were affordable, and were made in the USA. Customer service was very good.
There is a general consensus that the worm gear type clamps are not ideal for diesel fuel hose. In retrospect I should have used fuel injection hose clamps which clamp with uniform pressure but still use a screw to tighten. For me the squeeze type clamps are not ideal for this job.
The Gates Barricade Injection Line Hose is very good stuff. It has I think a 30R16 rating. It is over $4 a foot at NAPA. Ebay price was just over a buck a foot with free shipping from the seller mentioned.
I wanted to stick with a stock fuel hose size which is 3/8" feed and 5/16" return. You could use 3/8" for both and be fine. It would make assembly easy and prevent any possible mixups.
The toggle switch was a pain in the ass to find and figure out. NAPA, Advance Auto, Auto Zone, Pep Boys, Tractor Supply all had basically the same switches and not the "on-on". There is only one type of toggle that works for this job well. It is an "on-on" with a common terminal in the middle. This means that it goes from "on" to "on" only. There is no "off" in the middle or it won't work. The back of the switch must have 3 terminals. You could probably split the fuel gauge wire and connect some to both terminals if you had a toggle with the "off" in the middle.
*Edit* If you want to skip running new wire and the toggle and just use the factory selector switch, please scroll down to "laserjock"s comment and my response.*
It will eliminate the need for the toggle switch and wire. It will also save you the steps involved in tearing the guts out of the factory switch.
About Ebay... My favorite part about ebay is that in most cases you can find what you want cheaply AND with free shipping if you are willing to search for it. That's why I like it better than Amazon.
*Unscrew your fuel filter just enough to break the seal* The FSV is mounted to the frame right beside the front fuel tank. First step is to cut the fuel lines from in front of the FSV. This will allow the fuel to drain from the engine. I am suggesting you cut them because they run on top of the FSV and are difficult to access from there. If you are replacing them with new line it won't matter much if you cut them. You will want a catch can of some kind for the diesel fuel, and it is helpful to have a screw handy to plug the line. Vice grips would work very well also, but bear in mind most of your fuel lines are metal so you will have to find the rubber only pieces before disconnection or you will get a diesel bath while trying to figure it out after the fact. The ends of the lines before the quick connects are rubber for 10" or so. Unplug the wiring harness.
This is what your FSV looks like. It will be mounted just like this with the right side facing towards the front of the truck and the left towards the rear.
You must be registered for see images attach
At each pair of male connectors, the feed is against the frame and the return is inside towards you.
Since you will not be using the quick disconnects, you can use a long flat head screw driver to stick into the plastic clips holding the connectors and twist until one of the legs break and then pull them out. In the pic below the top line has the v shaped clip head and the bottom line shows the barbed legs tips. The clip is a horseshoe shape.
http://www.rowand.net/Shop/Tech/images/FordEFIFuelLineConnectors03.jpg
There are two screws holding the FSV to the frame, and you will find the fuel lines hold it pretty firmly in place until they are disconnected as well.
Get the lines off both sending units, the FSV, the return coming off the driver side injector nearest the firewall at the little brass junction block and disconnect the line at the lift pump. You will have to open the plastic clips holding the metal lines and i would cut the tape holding the return and feed together just to make removal easier.... The clips need to be popped up from the tab on top and then they open out and down.
You must be registered for see images attach
You must be registered for see images attach
Next you want to decide where the best place is for your valves.... I put mine here, but if I had an auto tranny or 2wd I would have mounted them on the side of the hump on the floor. My seat gets in the way a little. I laid the valves on the floor and got into a driving position with the door closed and reached down to where I wanted to mount them to give me an idea of what it would be like. You may never have to do it, but I wanted to be able to switch tanks on the road while driving if necessary so it was important to have them in a spot that was easy to get to.
You must be registered for see images attach
Last edited: