Had dual fuel tank recall done on my 1992 (150K miles) F150 last month. Now I'm OK when using the front tank, but when I use the rear tank, it still tries to pump fuel into the front, again causing a fire and explosion hazard when it overflows the front tank. I am really sick of this - it is unconscionable that Ford doesn't make this right. This is the first Ford I've owned since 1981, and it is quickly looking like it'll be the last!

I read on another thread that the tank allowing the fuel "in" has the bad fuel pump and that the problem is the pump having a bad check valve. I find this hard to believe because I know the dealer didn't replace any pump and yet the recall did fix the front pumping into the rear tank. The part cost for the recall "kit" was only $25. My rear tank pump is very noisy and that hasn't changed, I know the front pump is relatively new (less than one year old). TO make matters worse, prices for affected parts are very expensive!!

This is all very confusing and I am at wits end. Any suggestions? I'm planning to contact the Ford dealer on Tuesday and if I get nowhere, I will contact NHTSA next.

 

Ive read so many troubles about the dual tank troubles here that it seems everyone with dual tanks has the same trouble . The way I understand it is that a defective fuel selector valve is what causes the fuel to be pumped to the front tank . As for the noisy pump , mine gets noisy when its hot outside , in the winter it hardly makes more than a hum . Again , numerous Ford truck owners have noticed the same . It seems the pumps made by Walbro , they also make Weedeater carbs , are the ones that make the noise . It doesnt nessecarily mean the pump is bad although when they are noisy they sure sound like they are going to fly apart . My pump has well over 100K miles & still going strong .

My dad had the fuel pumping to the front tank fixed by Ford on his 96 at no charge . Im not sure what the deal for your 92 will be , but talk to the Ford service manager and make it clear it needs to be repaired & they need to eat the cost of it .

 

Newbie question - what year vehicles are affected?

Thanks,

Greg
'96 XLT

 

I know this may be over simplified and inconvient, but why not just use one tank and bypass all the engineering/misengineering on these tanks? I realize you may have to fill up rather often, but it appears to be safer and cheaper than reengineering the stupid fuel tank issue. I remember an old dune buggie we had, with a strap on beer keg for a tank, worked well.

 

rogerw, i think i am going to do what you are saying and get rid of rear tank on my 88 f150. ihad single tank on 85, and it was not a big deal.
but, i did have problems with gas gauge reading wrong, any suggestions on this subject?

 

Re using just one tank -

My front tank is the only one not pumping into the other, so naturally the prob is that my front tank is only 13 gallon capacity! That's a lot of stops to fill up! Maybe I can just live with it, but it's a liability at re-sale time. And to me, the principle of the thing is that Ford produced a half-a**ed design and expects us to "live with" it or spend hundreds fixing it over and over. I say no way, Nasser!

The shame of it is that I really like the truck - it is very comfortable and attractive! The inflatable lumbar on the seats is just incredible!! Of course, it's Lear or some other 1st-tier company that made those seats, not Ford!

 

erics:

If your front tank is now overflowing, the front pump is defective. The recall fix is not working, and here's why: The safety recall repair was the installation of two external check valves in the supply side fuel lines near the tanks, and a new pressure regulator. In these fuel pumps, called Fuel Delivery Modules (FDMs), there is a check valve for the supply side and another one for the return side, called a shuttle valve.

When you had the recall done, those external check valves only prevented gasoline from transferring tank to tank if the internal supply side check valve(s) failed. Since you still have the problem, the shuttle valve in the front FDM is probably leaking, or torn. Fuel is now returning from the engine into the wrong tank. The recall won't fix that. You dealer will probably tell you that you need a new front pump, which is true, and you will have to pay for it, because, technically, the recall fix is still working. We see this all the time; you are not alone. Now it is possible that the external check valves are not working, and you could get them replaced under warranty. Most dealers, though, won't check out the system properly, and will try to sell you a new fuel pump, because of the amount of labor involved.

But, don't forget Ford's safety recall warranty is only 12 months/12,000 miles, which I find mindboggling.

 

I had the same problem and frustrations with my '90 F150. Went to the Ford dealer, who told me the recall was already done on my truck. No solution there. Posted a complaint with NTHSB and then bought a new FDM for the overflowing front tank. This is really the only solid fix. My point is the front FDM isn't hard to change. Took me all of about an hour once I got to it. The part ain't cheap, but what is these days? The easiest way to get to the front FDM is to remove your bed bolts/nuts, loosen tank filler hose clamps, unhook tail and license plate lights, remove tailgate and lift or scoot the bed back to gain access. Sounds pretty complicated but its simple. I know from experience this is a LOT easier than dropping the tank to get to the FDM. If you do this, take your time and go slow and have another warm body on hand to help you if you need it. The bed isn't that heavy once you get the tailgate off. This won't solve Ford's bad engineerng or your frustration with it, but it's the best way to deal with the problem if you like your truck well enough to keep it.

 

I hate to break it to you, but the previous owner replaced the front tank less than one year ago with a brand new pump in a vain attempt to fix the overflow problem. He also replaced both filler caps too. No dice. So my front pump is relatively new, and the problem existed before the "FDM" was replaced. Occam's Razor holds that something else must be wrong besides the front pump (FDM). It seems unlikely to me that this new pump is also defective. Besides, my rear FDM has never been replaced, is noisy as hell, and I'm supposed to believe it's OK?!? The rear tank was overflowing before the recall but now it isn't, yet that pump was never replaced, so why do I now have to replace a perfectly quiet front pump? Looks to me like it's just about time to put the truck back on the market...

Thanks for all your help and advices, and I apologize for sounding irritated - it's not you guys...

 

One more thing you might try before giving up, if you are pretty sure the front pump is OK. Re-check the fuel return lines, especially the one to rear tank. If it is kinked or pinched it could cause high return fuel pressure. This high pressure could cause the shuttle valve in the front tank to open, when it shouldn't. The front pump could be malfunctioning, but not really defective.

By the way, noise is not a symptom of this fuel crossflow problem. Good luck.

 

Thanks for hangin' in there with me, Autotech.

My first action will be to take it back to the dealer to give him a chance to assess whether he's still responsible for anything. I'll hold off on taking any further action (or using the rear tank) until I see how that goes.

To give you an idea of how much money I have to throw at this issue, let me just say that the main reason I bought this truck was for towing this 1987 24' Bayliner boat (and trailer) I bought in May. So now you where where the money's siphoning off to...

BTW - Here's a photo of my truck, see how you like it! (plus I'm testing my ability to post HTML images here)

 

Well, I paid $1k for my 1990 F150 4.9L 4x4.
I believe that the rear tank fuel is being pumped into the front tank, but the problem is my front tank sending unit seems to have died.

Anyone know where that sending unit grounds?

Anyway, I'm planning on just switching back and forth between front and rear tanks and just not ever completely filling either of them until AFTER this hunting season. Then I can tinker.

 

Had the same problem. The back tank was dumping into the front. Took into Ford 3x and they said it was fixed. (all 3x) I asked them why it didn't work the previous repairs and they said the part was faulty. Needless to say, the problem still exits but am too lazy to bring it in for a 4th time. I only fill the back tank so overfillig the front would not be a safety problem. The fuel pump is making a humming noise when I'm using the front tank. I dont know if that has anything to do with anything. Anyway, just wanted to share.

 

I have a 91 f-150 that had the same problem. I took it to a dealership and had it repaired free of charge. The cross-flow condition was repaired but the fuel pump in the rear tank still is noisy and the truck doesn't run well off of it. I think the problem is mainly with your dealership and the fuel pumps that ford refuses to recall.

 

I had the recall done on my 93 last year. I never had a problem fuel overflowing (before or after the recall) on either tank until I put a locking gas cap on the rear tank. I've been using a locking gas cap on the front tank for years, but never had a problem until I put one on the rear as well. Fuel would still out of the rear cap, so I put the stock cap and the leaking stopped.

Dan