I saw that they were, but I don't want to have to deal with this problem again. And something tells me that Ford hasn't re-engineered the part to keep it from happening.

While I was at it, I also extended the return line 3" behind the float. I don't know if it makes a difference on the 6.0L, but some claim better performance and gas mileage on the 7.3L.

 

That's the foot valve and strainer that's been in use since the mid 80's. The concept is that should there be a lot of water in the tank that ices up and clogs the strainer the side valve opens to allow fuel to get pumped.

With the newer low sulphur fuels being so hygroscopic it would be pretty rare to have the icing situation occur.

But copper and brass don't react well with diesel long term. I know for farm storage tanks that's avoided.

 

DieseltechRon did a video on the 7.3L hutch mod in which he used brass couplers and no strainer. He said he's been doing it for years without any problems, but the guys at Stuart Hose and Pipe also recommended against copper and brass as everyone in fuel industry has moved away from them. Since they didn't have a stainless 5/16" coupler and I didn't want to pay $25each, I used zinc plated steel. They didn't have a definitive answer about the long term effects of using that in a diesel tank.

 

Chris, I've not heard of anyone who had issues. I could post a few things that would keep you up at night wondering but you don't need that. These tanks are small and the fuel is changed often compared to storage. I'm a technical guy so I can bring a counterpoint to the table.