Last year my rear fuel tank got a leak.A piece of dirt got in between the skid plate and the tank and wore a hole in it.
I just stopped using it and simply adjusted to using the front tank.
Well the front tank now has a leak and I'm needing to swap at least the front if not both.
What all is required to do the front? and rear tank?
1994 F250 4x4 turbo Diesel

Any help would be welcome

 

Exact same thing happened to me years ago, I never did replace the rear one, still the original, I did replace the front one though.

Pretty straight forward, hardest part is getting the skid plate off. Then un strap, drop 'er, un clip the lines and swing away.

Rear tank is pretty much the same, I didn't bother with mine since I hardlly used the truck in the past years, plus I have my spare tire under there.

 

Ok thanks IDIDieselJohn
The temp here is -17C and dropping into the -20's tonight so I will wait till morning as I'm doing it out in the driveway

 

Its a bit of a pain in the rear, but not terrible. The rear tank in my truck had been replaced at least once before I bought it, and the original front was leaking. Pulled the front tank and found that the plastic rock shield on the front collected dirt, trapped the water in the dirt, and rusted out the seam.
The tank was out for quite a while before I replaced it last fall. I painted the replacement to hope and keep the rust away for longer, and did NOT replace the plastic tank ruster...errr rock shield. I'm glad I did replace it, as the rear tank started leaking this summer... I just got a good deal on a replacement, and will be painting that one before install as well. But might be waiting for warmer weather.

If you want to do both in one shot, I've heard its easier to pull the bed and do them from the top. Disconnect the rear turn signals, unbolt the bed (like 6 bolts?) and remove with a cherry picker or a few friends. Then you can deal with the hoses and wiring without straining them, and not be laying on the cold ground dumping fuel, dirt and gunk all over your self.

 

You can probably fix it...The fuel tank repair kit that NAPA sells works great...You have to take the tank off. Clean it very good and wipe it down with brake cleaner.. Where I work we get holes it tanks on dump trucks allot. I have fixed holes in the sides of 75 gallon tanks you could stick a quarter through....Tried it a few years back because these tanks are over a grand....

 

BTW...Tried it on oil pans..Didn't work...I guess the "cold to hot" metal expansion let it come loose.

 

Ok the fuels drained and I've started phoning around for pricing.
The Ford dealership has them priced at $417 for the AFT tank and $430 for the Midship tank.
West Can on the other hand has them for $120 for the AFT tank and $130 for the Midship tank.
NAPA could not find any TANK that said DIESEL
Is there a reason for the difference or is that the price for buying from a dealer?
Is there a difference??

Catfish101,I asked them about a REPAIR kit.. the guy said the only thing they have is this putty you soften up in your hand then apply to the outside of the hole saying that it wouldn't repair anything bigger than a pinhole.
Do you have a name for the stuff your referring to?

 

I wonder if this is what catfish is talking about.

Store Locator | NAPA Online

 

Turbotuff, I just got a rear tank from Advance for like $88 (there was a nice promo code posted a few days ago). It supposedly fits gasser and diesels... I can't remember exactly what I did to make things fit when I pulled the front tank from a gasser 460 and fit it to my diesel. I do know the shape of the tank was different, so I have to fiddle with the pickup tube and the sender arm. I remember having to grind something either on the lock ring, or the sender. I THINK (but not certain) that the senders are clocked at different angles and there are tabs and notches that line them up.

If I don't forget, I'll try and pull out the old diesel tank and see how the gasser sender/pump fits in. The new tank I just got is for the rear, and I haven't had a chance to pull the rear tank out yet. Good news is, I have tomorrow off. Bad news is, I don't have to work because we are getting one hell of a snow storm. If I get the new tank painted, and the weather looks good this weekend, I may try swapping rear tanks, but I don't feel like freezing my butt off if I can wait till spring.

 

I think it is deere55, I'll know if it will work once I get the tanks out.
Hopefully I'll get the AFT out tommorrow.
I hear you tecgod13 , it's -17 C or about 0 Fahrenheit here and will drop into the -20's tonite.

Would still like know if there is a diff between the dealer tanks and the aftermarkets from WestCan or Napa or whoever.

 

I've never looked into the dealer tanks vs others, but I'll be damned if I'd pay that much difference!!
Dealer price is probably so much higher for a few reasons, its an actual Ford tank, and these are old trucks, so they are probably scarce. Since they are scarce at the dealers, it might have a heavy shipping price tacked on. Since its an actual FORD tank you are paying a premium for the FORD name.

Aftermarket tank is probably just as good if its from a decent company. They are still making them, so they are cheap and easy to find. The one I ordered is made from Ni-Terne steel, which is a nickel layer followed by a lead layer. Supposedly its the way they used to make them, and better than galvanized steel. I don't know why, but supposedly diesel and galvanized steel don't mix. Also the zinc in a galvanized tank is sacrificial, after a while it will be used up, and the tank will eventually rust. Ni-terne tanks are supposed to be better in this respect (at least the research I just did says this).

I plan on painting my new tank before installing it to add another layer of protection.

 

Totally agree,a good primer then maybe a rubberized undercoating protection for rock and grit.

Are the fuel pumps inside the tanks?
Are they in through the top?

 

The idi diesels dont have fuel pumps in the tanks they are just sending units and the pickups. I wish my phone would not of died i had a picture of the rear tank from my 91 frame. There was only fuel in the front tank when i bought it, and the back tank cap was on so tight that i broke it getting it off. Pulled the skid plates and droped the tank and found that the front edge of the tank had a big rust hole that ran all the way across the tank.

 

Ok so the sending unit just screws out after dropping the tank then I assume.

 

On my 95 it had a steel sleeve with a spring inside of it, you use a tool to expand the springs and then slide the lines off. After you get the tank out there is a lock ring that holds the sending unit in place, turn the lock ring untill you can remove it. The 91 frame uses the same style of clips as the fuel filter has on them, i dont know which one they used on the 94.