Well the truck died, but i know why, lol ran out of Diesel.

But let me get to the questions i have, I have made it a point since i got the truck to fill it up when my gauge reads 1/2 a tank, so when it got down to 1/4 a tank left I wasn't too worried cause i was headed to get some diesel, lol i was literally in the turn lane still coasting about 25miles an hour and it just cut off, no brakes, no power steering (Shes a big heavy bitch as im sure you guys know) luckily it was about 1am (so not much traffic), and i was able to coast the big girl right to the pump.

But my question is, do i really have 1/4 of a tank left or is my gauge just off by that much? Could this be the pickup tube if so how do i fix it/adjust it?

I have 2 fuel tanks, I'm wondering what size they are, but fyi, im only using the back one. Lately I have been doing too much other things (prepping it for paint, adding new speakers/sub-woofers, I go to school and work 40hrs a week so the weekend is really the only time i have to work) to fix the front one that leaks I haven't even really investigated it yet.

Thanks for the help guys.

 

Sounds like the pickup broke off. Do a search, it happens so often its discussed almost weekly......

Rear tank is ~19 gallons, front either 16 or 19 depending if its a long tank or short one.

Good chance the front tank rusted out, but possibly could be a broken line. My guess is rusted out under the plastic rockguard (read as mud collector/tank ruster).

 

no kidding right.. kicking myself for getting rid of my plastic front tank, thought i wasnt going to use it, but with a 15gal rear tank i do miss it. 98% sure my pickup is broke as well, i can almost die going around alot of corners before it finally dies for good lol

 

Just curious, how do the belt straps work? Do i really have to cut them? Lol is there anyway to undo them where i can reuse them, sorry I would go and check myself, but im at work now.

And would you suggest just using 3/8" rubber hose with the V cut into it or is that a bad idea? If its a viable solution that wont cause me grief, how much hose should i put in the tank.

 

The straps bolt into place and can be reused.

 

the obvious first question to determine if you have a broken pickup or an incorrect gage reading is how much fuel you were able to put in the tank after running out. as you read above, the tank is 19 gallons (unless someone upgraded it).
for how much hose to put in the tank, until it just about touches the bottom of the tank. buy a foot of hose (its cheap) and use as much as you need, it'll probably just stick a couple inches past the broken pipe, but i haven't done it so i can't be sure.

 

my fuel pickups are busted too...in both tanks *facepalm*

Have been meaning to fix them but haven't gotten around to it yet.

Also I have read on here that it's much much easier to pull the bed vs dropping the fuel tanks.

 

be thankful you have two tanks....and why are you guys all so complaining about the front tank....I have never had a problem with any of my front tanks on any F-series truck I have owned. Its always been the rear tank thats the problem.

 

Just speculation here b/c I haven't been able to pull the front tank yet either but I'm thinkin the fifth wheel might be a weaking point ie water dripping down causing problems. Not sure just been thinking abt what culdve happened.

 

i once had a truck whose previous owner left a pile of organic matter in the left front corner of the bed, and this served as a catalyst for rust, which went through the bed and into the front tank, destroying it. but i've never had a bad pickup tube

 

usually what happens is the portion of the pickup tubes on the outside of the front tank rot due to road dirt, winter salt sitting on top of them but you would notice that leaking when you turn off the truck. the other thing that happens is the rubber pickup screen in the tank brakes down and falls off, in which case your truck will die when you stillhave 1/4 tank of fuel

 

a bad gauge in the tank will usually read full all the Time right until the tank is just about empty them it will bounce all overthe place everytime you start to move or make a turn and when your just about out of fuel it will read dead empty

 

finding a new pickup assembly is not easy and if you do find one they are not cheap! if the outer tubes are rotted dorman makes replacments that have to be brazed in with silver solder. as for the screen in the tank I replaced mine with a 3inch piece of fuel line with a "v" notch cut in the bottom. my rear tank has been like that for 2 years with no problems. just make Sure the tank is clean

 

pull the bed off. It takes about 10min and its so much easier than laying on the ground dropping tanks.

 

The weak point is how they are designed. The plastic guard for the front tank will trap dust and dirt as you travel down the road. Water will get help by the dust and dirt and rust out the tank.
There are also some flat spots on the top of the tank, and by the fuel inlet as mentioned. These also collect dust, dirt, and water. Unless you climb under there on a regular basis and somehow wash all the stuff off the tanks, they're going to collect debris up there. In the winter, salt spray off the roads will collect all over everything, including the dust and debris on the tanks. Once that salt gets there, its going to stay forever and rust out the tank. A fifth wheel might allow the water to directly drip on the tank more often while parked, but it will get there while driving in wet weather.

When I bought my F250, the rear tank had already been replaced, and the front was no longer being used as it had rotted out at the seam (where the plastic debris collector sits). After driving it for two years, I thought I had to replace the rear tank again, but after dropping it, found that the lines coming off the sender had some leaks. However, there was a good amount of rust on the top of the tank where debris collects.
My 84 Jetta had the fuel tank develop some leaks. Some spots around the filler were leaking, and the seam looked horrible as well, these are flat spots where dirt and moisture collect and can't be cleaned off. The Rabbit I have for parts was also rusted all over the top of the tank, and so was the Rabbit pickup.

The pattern here? Like I said, dirt collects on top, water collects in the dirt, it all rusts to ****. The bottom of the tanks don't look back at all because air gets there to dry it out and it can be easily cleaned off.

I painted the hell out of the new front tank I put in and am in the process of painting the new rear tank too. I'm hoping that will at least stave off the rust a little longer, although its going to happen again at some point no matter what.