96 F150, 351W, 4x4 package

Any one done this? I know it's a but of the pain, but my front tank has a leak and the pump is on it's last leg and/or fried and I really see no reason to keep it in and try and fix it. It will also allow me to do the dual exhaust I've wanted, as well as cut down on a little weight. Also let me buy cheaper bed sides.

Any input is welcomed!

 

Yep it's been done and it's not too hard, do a search and you should see a pic of the plugs I made for the fuel limes.

 

What did you make them out of? I've got access to a lathe, I figure I can make some that go in with a little force and put the JB weld to them.

 

If you got a lathe you're laughing bit you don't need anything like that if you can find a couple studs that are the right size. I made plugs from factory engine studs shown in the pic below..



What you do is cut the threads off 1 end and then shape the "nut" portion so that it can be retained by the factory clip on the fuel line.

The fuel line connectors look like this, and note that the send and return lines are different sizes.. 5/16" and 3/8".

 

Ummmm....
Let us know how far you get on your 16 gallon rear tank. Next you'll be asking how to install the 33 or 38 gallon gas tanks in the rear.
Dual exhaust is no reason to remove more than half your fuel capacity. That's just silly. True dual exhaust is unnecessary in such a low performance engine. And if you do the measurement, if you run the pipes down the factory location, and dump the passengers side out the drivers rear, and vice versa, they will be the same length within a few inches. And if you do a dual inlet/dual outlet muffler, it won't matter because there's usually either an x inside or the less restrictive pipe gets a little more flow to even out the back pressure of each cyl bank.
Cheaper bedsides.... How much cheaper. And patch panels cost the same if that's what you mean.
Cut down on some weight.... Really.... A full tank of gas is only 150lbs. I don't think you'll gain anything from dropping 150 lbs.

That's just my input.
I say spend the money and fix the tank, and continue saving your money for exhaust. Because I prefer to go more than 180 miles on a tank of gas.

 

It all depends what he's using the truck for. I've mainly used my rear tank since I bought the truck last fall because the front one seems to make the engine lug. Once I found that out, I've stayed away from that tank. It's great for bombing around town and I fill up about every week and a half. Not perfect, but it seems nicer on the wallet that way (about $50 fillups versus $100+).

 

Same price wether you fill up once a week after driving 100 miles or every other week driving after driving 200..... Your logic is flawed.
When I have more reason to upgrade my rear tank, it's getting the 38 gallon upgrade. Even though my truck only gets 5000-7000 miles a year, I want to fill up as little as I have to. When you're towing or driving long distance, it's nice to have the range.

 

My logic isn't flawed, just addapted to my situation. I get paid weekly and drive small distances within town which happens to be full of gas stations. More stops for a less amount makes sense. The extra 150lbs of extra mass being moved around isn't necessary. Although neither is my truck's weight, when the weather is good.

I understand your logic and the need for a long distance hauler that doesn't need to stop as often. OP, what sort of situation are you? Are you a short or long distance driver? That may change your opinion on if you want to delete your tank or not.

 

You could also used a fuel filter in place of a plug.

the fuel will just flow through to the other tank.

the 32 gallon upgrade is nice to have.

you can get better MPG's if you fill up your tank.

on a unrelated subject a new Mercedes diesel car can get 900 MPGs on a full tank.

 

Everything is wrong in this post.
Putting a fuel filter on that way will not work.

One, the fuel lines are different sizes and the fuel filter has the same size nipples on each end.

Two, if you could get a fuel filter on the two lines the fuel pressure to the engine would be low and the engine either would not run or run very bad.

Three, MPG has nothing to do with a full tank other than less weight to move.

 

everyone has their own opinion on doing things.

take into account capping a supply line will build up pressure. or block flow immediately. seems like a good idea.

doesn't mean there wont be any more (likely) or less (probably) pressure in the line.

wont effect running condition right?

but with the ford setup the gas flows between two tanks.

if your smart enough to figure out the correct compression fittings and filter you can keep the line intact in case you want to reuse the line if you decide to put the front tank back in.the filter is there for fuel flow and venting in this case.

no pressures to worry about with the filter setup because no line is capped and the fuel moves freely.


and BTW all new models trucks vans suvs :MPGS are based on a full tank of gas.

if your getting better MPGS on a half a tank or less, your full of it. bs.

if you say you can go to a gas station 2-3 times a week and get better MPGS,

your full of it.

look at your odometer and i'll look at mine.

capping the line might seem like a good idea if youre drunk and in junior high, and for the first time ever you attempted to try and fix your truck in what you deem the "right" way.

but no pro, mechanic or tradesman would recommend fitting a engine plug in a fuel line is hardly worth the time or effort.

 

88_FORD,
What I posted above is fact and not an opinion.
That is how the system works.
You have no idea how a 1996 F150 fuel system works do you?

 

Wow! Much vitriol in this thread
By far the best suggestion so far in this thread (and the only concise answer to PGids question) was posted by conanski. PGid clearly has decided what they wish to do with their truck. I see no reason to demean or belittle their wishes and frankly some of the comments here are in poor taste and rude!

My $.02-- Once on a 1990 f250 4.9 4x4 I deleted front tank while installing a new pump in rear tank. At the time no one could have persuaded me to repair front tank/pump rather than deleting.
Two+ yrs later I decided to r&r deleted tank and bring it back online because it occurred to me (after the replacement pump died) that a second working tank was prudent to prevent walking.

At the time I drove approx 20,000 miles per year. Logically alternating between two tanks will prolong failure from wear for both pumps. With roughly 40,000+ miles on one failed pump it would not be unreasonable to expect twice that from two.
Sure, its painful to fill both tanks at $100+. The solution is really simple, do not empty both before going to the pump!. Thats MY logic based upon MY needs/experience. Back then one tank was as logical as two tanks are today (I simply did not have $ to retain both tanks).

Concerning plumbing fuel pressure line into return line using a fuel filter in order to bypass unwanted tank; subford is absolutely correct, it will not work-pressure will be too low for truck to run properly. Ask me how I know??

1990 f-250 4.9 ZF5 D44HD 2"lift in progress full float3L55 in near future 200,000+
1995 f-150 4.9 M5OD bone stock except A/C delete 187,000 miles on clock

 

clearly instigating with no real effort into details.

the line is not pumping fuel back into a tank that is no longer there.

the line a filter would be used as a vent to vent gas vapor.

you wouldn't be giving free information online.

your backyard shenanigans and hoopla are not impressive.

I have done more with less in half the time.

 

I'm just now getting started with a similar issue. The front tank gauge doesn't work and the rear pump pressure is low. After going through the effort of lifting the bed I planned on replacing both after seeing prices for full assembly parts around $200 each. But poor reviews on quality (and I assume the same happened to trdsmn) led me back to OEM at twice the price. So I'm deleting the rear tank.

I'm not sure I can fab a plug to fit into the connector like Conanski shows, so I'd considered cutting the fuel line and plugging it there with a worm gear hose clamp. Since the rear tank wont be selected shouldn't there be minimum pressure on the line? Let me know if you've had problems with this solution.

Since I don't put a lot of miles on the truck, fuel sits for a long time, so holding less in tank seems overall better. And hopefully I'll only have half the maintenance costs in the future.