Hello FTE's,

Just went through this on my Ranger so I thought I'd share the experience. So my ol' 95 Ranger recently failed the new CA evap smog test where they pressurize the fuel tank with nitro. Test-only center tech said all the recent Ranger failures he has seen are the tank filler hose. He even had one from a 94 on the shelf from a customer. Sure enough the week after when I topped the tank off fuel was leaking from the tank! My old filler hose was cracked and split all around the clamp/inlet area.

So I have a 4x4 SuperCab and getting to the tank isn't easy. I would have pulled the bed but I have a cargo rack. Dropping the tank seemed easier but it's not either. I've heard the new filler hose is $400 from the dealer. I found one online for ~ $52 delivered. Not a bad copy, comes with clamps and filler/cap end. There is a metal guard on it but I double it up by taking the one off the OEM hose. The lower hose clamp is also free where the factory one is molded in place.

I tried to drop the tank 3/4 full - forget about it. Second try it was almost empty, maybe a few gallons. The tank looks like it would drop out all the way if/when you get the lines/electrical/hose off but mine would not. The tank in the SuperCab extends up into the frame in front of the trans x-member which can't be removed. You can get the rear of the tank down and slide it back but it hits the sway bar mount on the rear axle, even though it was fully extended.

I started by unbolting the cap/filler pipe so the hose has slack on it. Next remove the tank support bands. I supported the rear with a jack stand. Wrestle the tank down and back and as close to the drive shaft as possible. Working from the passenger side, up, over and through the drive shaft, muffler, etc. you can get to the hose clamp on the tank inlet. Loosen this along with the fuel lines, vent hose and electrical connector. Now the tank will drop down quite a bit. Working from the drivers side you can now get a pretty good view of the tank inlet.

Make sure the inlet is clean and give it a spray of silicone or WD-40 along with the inside of the new hose (tank end). Pass the new hose in between the frame rail and bed and work it down into position. I had to bump the tank up a bit for the initial fit then the weight of the tank helped bend the hose and pull it down. I was able to position the clamp and tighten it from here (drivers side) working between the frame rail and the bed. It's tight but doable. Use a mirror to ensure the hose is fully seated around the inlet and the clamp is about a 1/4" up from the base of the hose.

Now move the tank up a bit and work from the passenger side again to connect the fuel lines, vent line and electrical. Give things a spray of carb clean and a good wipe, it's dirty up there! While you have the tank on a stand/board etc. and before you bolt the bands back up pressure/function test everything. When you turn the key on you should immediately hear the fuel pump cycle, then start it up and check for leaks from the tank area. Make sure you have the vent line attached, I had to drop the tank a second time to reattach it. This won't affect anything now but it will fail the smog test if it's not attached.

Attach the support bands now and bolt the filler pipe to the bed. I have a skid plate so that went back last. Job done! Probably a 5 to 6 in difficulty but the job requires some patience and tricky positioning to gain access to things. Not sure how a dealer would do this but I bet they pull the bed, would be super easy with a 4 pad/2 post lift. The job took a couple hours and cost < $60 for parts.

 

You're right about lifting the bed. When I did my '91 I just unbolted the bed and tipped it up on the drivers side, using a 2x4 to prop it up while working. Only took a couple hours. The huge cost was the the filler hose, certainly much more than $60 (don't remember now).

 

I did the same thing about 3 months ago, drove around putting 20 bucks worth of gas for 3 years lol until i had to get it smogged in Cali. Just need to make sure the bolts are nice and wd'd on the bed, and a buddy is there to help lift it off. took us 45 minutes or so to change everything

 

Pulling the bed up to check for vapor leaks on a 1990 that failed EVAP now.

Thats the first place Ill check... Thanks for the info!

 

You guys might want to consider a new fuel pump while at it as they seem to be a problem area for the 90 vehicles based on some of the older questions/comments over the years. I know if mine has to be replaced I will as it has over 300K on it and still works but my luck is to R&R something difficult to get at and it will have a failure in the same area not long after. I R&Rd the water pump, the rad began to leak! so just a thought.

 

Wish I would have heard to check the filler hose and EVAP hoses before the tank was dropped and the fuel pump replaced (looked oem at 235k miles). Finally got the bed liner out, now I can go in the top side at least to figure this out...

 

is it a filler hose for a ranger splash.the only filler for a splash that i could find was from lmc truck for 190.00 or from ford for 246.00.is your truck a splash or a fleetside ranger.where did you find a 52.00 filler hose.i need a spare filler hose for my 96 ranger splash.instead of dropping the tank on my splash.i cut a hole in my bed to get acess to the tank .
lrd56

 

Golly, freakin' CRAP! I just priced my "fuel tank filler neck" at autozone and they want 180. Good gosh, its more than a flippin' fuel pump!

This is going to have to force me to look at some alternatives, like putty or bondo, or something. I'm not sure of its condition, I just know that if I fill my tank all the way up, it leaks badly. Also, if I put fuel in from a hand held tank, and pour the gas into the little hole (because I cant get the hand held filler neck to reach down into the normal hole used to fill), much of the gas leaks down from the gas tank. I am assuming this is an issue with the filler neck.

And I'm going to definitely take off my bed. I have a camper top, but I'll try to work around it or just take it off.

 

You don't have to REMOVE the bed, just tip it up to one side.

 

Thanks for the reinforcement - so I just prop it up with a board or something.

I think I'm going to take on this job tomorrow and Sunday.

 

Like others, I just tilted the bed over. Took about an hour.

I did put the jack between the bed to back up the OEM Factory Spec. 2x4 my son stuck under the bed.

Filler Hose
54 + s&h
Was waiting on my front porch a few days after I ordered it.

 

You can get a filler neck alot cheaper than 180. Check out Rock Auto

1994 FORD RANGER Fuel Tank Filler Neck

 

I just ordered a new hose from Amazon.com for around $50.00 got to do it as soon as it arrives. Evaporation stinks at $3.50 a gallon. Thankfully I got a 12,00lbs lift to pick up the service body. Going to paint the front of the bed and back of the cab while its off. Maybe a new fuel pump.

 

if you have a fleetside ranger you might be able to get a filler hose for 180.00 .if you have a stepside ranger you cant get a filler hose for less than 190.00 from lmc truck.or 246.00 from ford.us splash owners should not have to pay more for parts just to own a ranger.
lrd56

 

Changed out the fuel filler hose on my 95 on Wed. Only problem I had with the hose I got from Amazon.com was the gas cap will not fit the new hose. I took the old end off the original and Installed it on the new one. Everything worked just like it was made for it.I will do a little extra anytime to save over $100. on a part. Also the fuel float had a pinhole in it and that was causing the fuel guage to read enpty all the time. Drained the float, resealed it, and reinstalled it and the fuel guage is working properly. Alot accomplished for a couple of hours work. Just didn't get to paint the bed and cab. Oh well, I guess that will be another days project.