I got a project truck for $100 a couple of years ago and i've been fixing it since. It is a 1987 f350 with the 6.9 and t19 manual. I've had no luck with a front tank sending unit but recently i came across a new problem. the tank won't take more than a few ounces of fuel at a time until it flows over. i've dropped the tank once and the breather hose was capped so i removed it and put mesh around it instead, but it didn't fix. am i gonna have to drop the tank again and look at it more closely or is there something else that can cause this?

 

Yes, inside the fuel filler is a plastic pipe, looks just like the lower part of a flexible funnel. It's a bypass that goes from the top of the fuel fill, through the hose, and into the tank. If this is missing it will do exactly as you describe.

 

well i'd say that's it. is there some place i can get it or do i have do buy a new hose. What exactly is the fuel doing in the hose is it closing off the hose or something, thanks.

 

I do not know if they are still available anywhere or not.

As far as the function, I'm only speculating here, but I guess the vent on the top of the tank isn't large enough to vent the displaced air as fuel enters the tank so the plastic bypass hose allows this displaced air to bypass the incoming fuel and into the atmosphere.

When I first pulled my truck's bed I lost one of mine. I put it all back together without it and like you could only get a couple of ounces of fuel in no matter how slow I pumped and it'd spit out the top. I also figured it was the vent, pulled, cleaned it, reinstalled it, blew air through it. Still no go. Went to Pick N Pull, got a replacement hose, installed it, no more problem.

 

would some sort of more reinforced hose work as well i found a whole new hose but that is around $100 and i don't really want to spend that

 

I can't see why some kind of submersible fuel hose wouldn't work, you'd just have to make sure it's large enough and you're able to lock it into the fill pipe somehow so it doesn't fall into the tank.

Here's some pics for reference. One's longer than the other so there must be a front/rear difference.

 

Oh, and I think I may have it backwards in that second pic, the corrugated part goes towards the tank if that makes any difference.

Edit: The long one is 25 1/4", the short one is 19 3/8". The ID of the smooth area is .70, the corrugated part is .80

 

yeah my filler hose has none of that so i'll have to rig something up and see how that works out, thanks.

 

are you needing a sending unit? not able to find one?

 

well i can do without because the odometer still works. but yeah i've been lookin all around junk yards for one.

 

www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1253722-fuel-gauge-troubles.html
read this. rock auto has a pretty good deal on the unit.

 

Chances are the parts yard units will have the metal wore off in side the unit where the finger sweeps. sloshing around over the years eventually wears them out. My install was pretty straight forward not to hard just make sure your wires on plug got to correct wires on sender since new sender has two more connection tabs for elec pump.

 

i think the midship sending unit is an obselete part for the diesel. it has a 2 prong connector while the ones i find have a 4 prong. can they be rebuilt somehow or is it a lost cause?

 

they are. i just trimmed my connector pigtail to plug right up. put a little dielectric grease on it. dont snap down but has held well so far. I have a dumpbed so its easy to work on for me. worst case get a 4 prong connector from junk yard and splice your two wires into it. ground to prong sending unit ground and wire to gauge to sending unit prong leaving two wires from donar plug unused. just trimmed plastic on mine to fit.

 

I found this guy online, but as of yet have zero experience with him. His site says he rebuilds sending units:

Bob's Speedometer

I may contact him someday, I do have a sending unit and a speedometer I'd like rebuilt after the more pressing projects are completed.