I've been lurking on this site for a while and have used this forum to answer lots of questions as I try and resurrect my 1996 F250 460 5spd.....

Today I pulled the rear tank thinking I just needed to replace the fuel pump. After getting it out I found the sending unit is rusted beyond repair, the pump is trash and the tank has about 1/2" of sludge in the bottom of it. Looking on line I found a Spectra tank and pump combo at O'reilly Auto Parts...

Spectra Premium F1G1FA - Fuel Tank | O'Reilly Auto Parts

(not sure if that link works)

it's $370 at O'reilly but I can get the same unit shipped from ebay for around $240....

Has anyone used these units before? Are they worth getting? I realize that OEM is the way to go, but i'm trying to keep this project affordable. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

I usually have good luck with parts from places like O'reilly's and autozone, but I've never used one of their fuel pumps. If you check the ongoing thread about fuel pumps you'll see that most pumps from stores like this are not held in high regard. I would have no qualms about the tank itself but the guys here recommend motorcraft pumps.

 

i installed that exact setup on my truck last year and its been holding up fine. it fit perfect and even included new straps. the only thing thats funky with it is that you have to splice in a new connector to plug in the fuel pump but it comes with instructions that make it very easy. i got my kit from rockauto for a very good price.

More Information for SPECTRA PREMIUM F1G1FA 215 on rockauto

i actually need to do my front tank as well but nobody makes a front tank/pump combo kit like that. your gonna have a hell of a time getting the old fuel lines off btw. otherwise it was a somewhat easy job. im short so i didnt even jack the truck up. i sat indian style underneath it and did everything by myself.

 

I have the front tank both spectra. The only issue I had was the fuel pump. The first one I ordered came in a crushed box so I had them get me another one. That pump was messed up but it could have been my fault, The gauge wouldnt read right we orderd a new one. When I took the pump out the sending arm was unclipped and most likley my problem but I had the new pump so i just installed it and returned the other one. So far no problems with them

 

Thanks for the replies....I was getting kinda scared thinking I would have to piece all these parts together, it was looking pretty expensive. I'll order this setup from ebay and let you know how it works.

 

Just ordered it from Rockauto, $237.64 shipped. Hope will be here early next week.

 

Got the tank early this week after I found where Fedex had sat it by a tree at the end of our road. (UPS can find our house, Fedex seems unable)


The tank did show up in good condition, the box was fine and the pump assembly was installed. It came with an extra connector to spice on to the pump but the one that was already attached was the one I needed. I double checked the measurements before starting and it was a perfect match. Total install time was about 3-4 hours. (The worst part was the razor sharp edges of the new tank, had to wear leather gloves the whole time which makes things a little trickier).

The only other issue with the install was the retaining clip on the larger (3/8" ?) fuel line. I bent it pretty bad when I removed the old pump. The replacements I bought at the local parts store didn't really want to fit. There were two sizes in the package, the 10.5mm was an exact match to the smaller (5/16' ?) clip but the bigger one I needed was too long to fit in the end of the fuel line. Ended up "Repairing" the old one....Hope it holds.

When I was finished I dumped about 3 gallons of fuel in, turned the key on and off maybe 3 times and started it right up. Gauge works perfectly and I haven't found any leaks (yet).

Even with all the cussing and bleeding it went fairly smoothly. I've seen people say to remove the bed to do this. It would have been 100 times easier without the bed on the truck, just not sure how big of a hassle it is to remove the bed.

 

Sounds familiar!!!!!

Gald you got it going!!!!!

 

Yea its not to bad i jacked the body up a bit but it went in pretty easy. When I had to pull it back out we figured 2 hours tops to get it out new pump in and back in but i think it was quicker then that

 

Quick update and problem...

Put about 300 miles on this truck since I installed the new tank and pump. A couple of days ago I was driving along about 55 mph and started noticing a significant power loss. Felt like it was running out of gas. Switched to the front (original tank) and it instantly corrected and ran perfect. Rear gauge showed 1/4 tank. Put gas in it making sure the gauge wasn't wrong. Still ran terrible on rear tank.

This morning I checked the fuel pressure on both tanks, both showed about 32 psi at the rail. Drove it to town and back on the rear tank and it ran fine most of the way but did start to lose power about 3 miles from home, just not as bad as last time. Didn't have time when I got home to check the pressure.....

Did I get a faulty pump from spectra or is it possible I did something wrong on the install?

I plan on driving it tomorrow until it starts running bad again then checking the fuel pressure...I'll update when I do.

Any ideas or suggestions would be appreciated...

Thanks

 

Maybe a bad connection on the new wire harness that had to be spliced in?

 

This one came pre-wired with the correct connection. But did include another connection and wire splices. I got the bed unbolted this evening, but didn't have time to get any further. Hopefully sunday I can get the bed off and get it figured out.

Thanks for the info, I'll be sure and check the connection anyway.

Rockauto is going to send me another pump under warranty. Still kind of scared to put the same brand pump back on and have to do this all again.

I'll update when I get this fixed.

 

sorry to hear about the problem. they are gonna only send you the pump? part of the idea behind buying the assembly is that its sealed and wont leak. hopefully it was just a dud pump. mine has over 10k miles on it without a problem. good luck with the fix

 

Installed the fuel pump that Rockauto sent and have it in for a couple of months now. So far so good, keeps good pressure and doesn't cut out. I was way more careful when I installed this one, raised the bed instead of dropping the tank. Still haven't ruled out operator error in my installation of the first pump. (I had a kinked fuel line after the first install, may have burned up the pump that way)

Anyway, the Spectra combo fuel tank, pump and sending unit are well worth the money, just take your time and install them properly.

 

getting the rear tank up without kinking the line is a hard thing to do