Well all, I broke down and replaced the FDM on the front (center?) tank of my dual tank 95 F-350, 7.5L. It isn't the toughest thing I've ever done with a wrench by a long shot but it shure ain't as much fun as it looks. Follow the instructions in your Haynes on how to relieve the pressure in the fuel loop before starting.

I dropped the tank and it wasn't that big a deal. I did spent an inordinate amount of time trying to get the hoses off the tank. I have the little collar-like tools but they weren't fat enough to push the fingers off of the little rings on the inside pipe. I finally used a tiny slot blade screw driver to push them back. I loosened the filler pipe between the frame and the body. It has another smaller (filler) hose (1 1/4"?) inside it that was a pain to remove. It went back in without any problems during tank installation. Examine the wiring all the way back to the frame and then another couple of feet. I had the connection hidden way back up there after I spent 15 minutes trying to cut it loose at the tank (Not!). I left the straps hanging and used a Walker style floor jack with a 6" piece of 2 x 4 on it to hold up the tank while unhooking the plumbing/wiring and then to dropping it out. It tank was much lighter than I expected.

Getting the old FDM out of the tank was a piece of cake. Use a brass punch and a small hammer to get the top ring off to prevent sparks. Before starting this job, I just drove the truck to empty the tank. 11 mpg in town and it doesn't take long. Take it easy on the sender unit and attached float; they have to be reused. I used the instruction sheet that came with the new FDM ($177 w/taxes and lifetine warranty) from NAPA to install it. The instructions were clear and simple to follow. Not many bits to tinker with. I was uncomfortable with the way the instructions say to hook the wiring up. The KD comes with a couple of crimp wire splices. I soldered my wiring together instead and covered it with some of that plastic electrical shrink hose stuff. It shirnks a lot so start with a good sized diameter. Putting the entire unit back into the tank was made easier using a little dielectric grease on the (single in my case) rubber gasket. I had difficulty getting the holding ring to start before greasing the seal up. Everything has lugs to position them so you don't have to worry much about putting everything back at the correct angle. Just don't forget which end of the tank is the front. The hose connections are different sizes also so you can't screw them up either.

The tank installed in about half the time it took to get it out. The difference was that the hoses going back on didn't take nearly as long as coming out. I used lots of WD-40 on the old rusty bolts for the straps and rock guard on disassembly. I used an air impact wrench and an air ratchet where possible. After hooking everything back up and before raising the tank again, I hooked up the battery and reactivated the inertial safety cut-off gizmo in the sidewall of the passenger floor boards so I could listen for the FDM to spin up briefly. Then I unhooked the battery again. After the job was done, I put three gallons of gas in the tank so the FDM wouldn't run while dry.

The only assistance I had was my wife driving the Walker jack when raising the tank back into the truck. I suggest going over the operation of a floor jack with whoever helps you before starting this phase of the job. It turns out that "Twist the handle toward you" means different things to different genders. I could have saved a lot of hurt feelings if I had been more thoughtful. I do appreciate her help regardless of my language that day although I'll probably never convince her of that.

Regards,
Dan in Colorado

 

Thanks for the complete report. Also thanks for the heads up on gender communications.