• Fuel fill problem-I have had my truck for three years and have never experienced the slow fuel fill at the pump problem until the last two weeks. It is quite irritating as it takes 20 minutes to fill the tank.

• Hard start, I let the glow plugs do their thing and turn the key and it cranks up, then shuts off. Usually second start will work, it has been 30-45 degrees F here. 15w-30 synthetic oil. Changed every 6000 miles. Mainly highway miles. Seems to have gotten worse in the past several months. I recently moved from New Mexico to Georgia. I had the truck serviced after the trip, but still runs bad. I've tried diesel treat in the tank, thinking I picked up water somewhere. Three tanks later, no change.

• Rolling blue/white exhaust smoke upon starting, yep lots of it

• Exhaust smokes ALOT when accelerating.

• My truck also makes a clunk sound when I put it in gear

I love my truck...

The fuel problem is the biggest headache, and hopefully the easiest fix, I've read a couple things and think that the breather tube may be clogged or kinked. I will check that out first. Any suggestions are appreciated.

 

Could it be that your fuel tank has broken its straps and is hanging on by the fuel filler rubber hose?

 

I think duct tape could fix that. No, all fuel tank straps are intact...got another suggestion?

 

Is the tank loose?

Have you checked underneath for it moving around?

 

Have you tried a different fuel station, maybe the pump itself is slow & messed up, it happened to me once at a Sonoco.

 

Sorry. I thought you were just kidding, but yes I have checked it and it is not loose.

 

You have a clunk sound.

That suggest something in the driveline, or induced by the driveline.

I would test a different station / pump first.

Then empty the tank and start kicking things around down there.

You cannot tell a partially loose tank (because of the weight) if it is not nearly empty.

At your vehicles age, it is not impossible that rust have broken something.

So leave nothing ruled out - yet.

 

Yes, I have tried numerous gas stations and pumps at those places. The fuel foams up and the fuel nozzle clicks off. I'm not using the the clip on the handle to fuel either. It just shuts off, repeatedly. I have to wait for several seconds for the foam/vapors to go back down and then can fuel for about 3 seconds then repeat. Rather annoying.

 

I will look at it again. Although, my truck does not have rust as the truck has been in the desert soutwest all of its life. It has 89,000 miles and yeah, probably has some worn parts even though I've been diligent on regular maintenance and repacements, it doesn't rule out aging straps. I will double check again, I have 3/4 tank of fuel right now, so it will be another four or five days befoer it's empty enough to check for loose/broken straps.

 

You might have to drop the tank or pull the filler tube to find the restriction. Maybe the vent is plugged or kinked like Gear wrote.

 

I found this, which means shop time. If this is true of my truck is there any damaged being caused by the slip yoke not sliding smoothly on the output shaft splines?
TSB 05-26-10 ISSUE:
Some 1997-2006 E-Series, 1999-2006 F-Super Duty, 1997-2003 F-150 and 2004 F-150 Heritage 4x2 vehicles may exhibit a driveline clunk or bump that occurs as the vehicle starts to move forward, following a stop. This condition may be caused by the slip yoke not sliding smoothly on the output shaft splines.

ACTION:
Lubricate the slip yoke with Motorcraft PTFE Lubricant. Refer to the following Service Procedure.

SERVICE PROCEDURE

Verify the condition.
Remove the driveshaft per Workshop Manual Section 205-01. Be sure to index-mark the driveshaft during removal to maintain alignment during reinstallation.
Lubricate the slip yoke with 7-13 grams (0.25-0.46 oz.) of Motorcraft PTFE Lubricant.
Re-index and reinstall the driveshaft per Workshop Manual.
Verify the repair.

 

Empty the tank as much as possible by driving. Drop the tank OR unbolt the bed and lift the bed up to gain access to the sending unit cover. Then pull the sending unit out and inspect. At the same time, do the harpoon mod (write-up is in the Tech Folder).

 

I will get the fuel level down so I can do that and then look up the "harpoon mod"

What is easier, dropping the tank or unbolting the bed? I have a long bed.

 

droping the tank is pretty easy.

 

I raised the bed. I used a floor jack and a cut-off piece of 4x4 to lift it (after unbolting). I then used 4x4 or 2x4 pieces (can't recall which) to wedge under the bed to keep it raised and prevent the possibility of it falling on me. I took out all but the back two bolts (torx type, but I forget the size). I loosened the back two enough to allow it to be lifted. Leaving these two still loosely screwed in helps to keep the bed stable.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/2...-the-tank.html

http://www.billpounds.com/truck/fuel...nkHarpoon.html

(thanks Bill!)