Fuel Filter Light
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Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 11,231
Likes: 130
From: Thomasville, GA
Fuel Filter Light
Hey everyone, long time no see...
Got a problem with my truck recently. I'll be driving down the freeway and my fuel filter light will come on. It just gradually gets brighter until it is on completely, then the truck loses power and sometimes shuts down completely when I stop. It happens more when I am passing or giving it a lot of go pedal. I can drain the bowl and it gets better for a little while, but it comes back again.
I've changed the filter twice this month, run multiple tanks of fuel from different stations, and the last filter I switched still looked fine.
The problem seems to happen most when I am running on the front tank (stock tank from '95) but it seems to go away when I switch to the rear (38 gallon tank I installed about 3 years ago).
Any ideas?
Got a problem with my truck recently. I'll be driving down the freeway and my fuel filter light will come on. It just gradually gets brighter until it is on completely, then the truck loses power and sometimes shuts down completely when I stop. It happens more when I am passing or giving it a lot of go pedal. I can drain the bowl and it gets better for a little while, but it comes back again.
I've changed the filter twice this month, run multiple tanks of fuel from different stations, and the last filter I switched still looked fine.
The problem seems to happen most when I am running on the front tank (stock tank from '95) but it seems to go away when I switch to the rear (38 gallon tank I installed about 3 years ago).
Any ideas?
Thread Starter
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Hotshot
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 11,231
Likes: 130
From: Thomasville, GA
Cleaned it last time I swapped filters and it was sqeaky clean...
Could be this, maybe the sock in the fuel tank is gummed up?
Lead Driver
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 8,476
Likes: 37
From: Madison, WI
Could be, but it's not a sock, but a metal and hard plastic strainer. We usu. call it the "showerhead". Looks like this:
. Sometimes the showerhead itself comes off, falls apart, and the broken bits get caught in the line, or sucked up to the filter.
If you've got a place to put it, and a couple guys to help you, supposedly removing the bed is the easiest way to get to it. Alternative is to drop the tank, not much fun esp. if it's a 4x4 (the skid plate isn't exactly feather light...). You'll want a new lock ring for the sender/line plate if you opt to take it off; it's pretty-much a given that you have to destroy the existing lock ring to remove it.
How much fuel is in the front tank?
If you've got a place to put it, and a couple guys to help you, supposedly removing the bed is the easiest way to get to it. Alternative is to drop the tank, not much fun esp. if it's a 4x4 (the skid plate isn't exactly feather light...). You'll want a new lock ring for the sender/line plate if you opt to take it off; it's pretty-much a given that you have to destroy the existing lock ring to remove it.
How much fuel is in the front tank?
Thread Starter
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Hotshot
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 11,231
Likes: 130
From: Thomasville, GA
Could be, but it's not a sock, but a metal and hard plastic strainer. We usu. call it the "showerhead". Looks like this: Amazon.com: E5tz9j306ba Oem Diesel Ford Fuel Tank Sender Pickup Screen/Strainer: Automotive . Sometimes the showerhead itself comes off, falls apart, and the broken bits get caught in the line, or sucked up to the filter.
If you've got a place to put it, and a couple guys to help you, supposedly removing the bed is the easiest way to get to it. Alternative is to drop the tank, not much fun esp. if it's a 4x4 (the skid plate isn't exactly feather light...). You'll want a new lock ring for the sender/line plate if you opt to take it off; it's pretty-much a given that you have to destroy the existing lock ring to remove it.
How much fuel is in the front tank?
If you've got a place to put it, and a couple guys to help you, supposedly removing the bed is the easiest way to get to it. Alternative is to drop the tank, not much fun esp. if it's a 4x4 (the skid plate isn't exactly feather light...). You'll want a new lock ring for the sender/line plate if you opt to take it off; it's pretty-much a given that you have to destroy the existing lock ring to remove it.
How much fuel is in the front tank?
Isn't a faily common problem with the stock tanks having the inside de-laminate or something?
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Joined: May 2013
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I'm not aware of tank delamination problems with our OBS models. I've read about some years of SDs and vans having delamination problems. Those folks report fuel filters full of a silvery substance, which is the lining of their fuel tanks. Nasty.
If you haven't found the reason for your fuel restriction problem and it's continuing, I'd advise you look for the source. It will likely get worse and bite you at the most inconvenient time.
Look from the fuel tanks (obviously the front one, if you've identified that's where your problems seem to come from), the shower head pickups, the fuel lines, the tank selection switch.
I'd suggest you use a tire pressure gauge on the Schraeder valve on the fuel filter housing to see what it says. It should show 40 to 50 psi or so with the engine idling.
If you haven't found the reason for your fuel restriction problem and it's continuing, I'd advise you look for the source. It will likely get worse and bite you at the most inconvenient time.
Look from the fuel tanks (obviously the front one, if you've identified that's where your problems seem to come from), the shower head pickups, the fuel lines, the tank selection switch.
I'd suggest you use a tire pressure gauge on the Schraeder valve on the fuel filter housing to see what it says. It should show 40 to 50 psi or so with the engine idling.
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Thread Starter
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Hotshot
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 11,231
Likes: 130
From: Thomasville, GA
I'm not aware of tank delamination problems with our OBS models. I've read about some years of SDs and vans having delamination problems. Those folks report fuel filters full of a silvery substance, which is the lining of their fuel tanks. Nasty.
If you haven't found the reason for your fuel restriction problem and it's continuing, I'd advise you look for the source. It will likely get worse and bite you at the most inconvenient time.
Look from the fuel tanks (obviously the front one, if you've identified that's where your problems seem to come from), the shower head pickups, the fuel lines, the tank selection switch.
I'd suggest you use a tire pressure gauge on the Schraeder valve on the fuel filter housing to see what it says. It should show 40 to 50 psi or so with the engine idling.
If you haven't found the reason for your fuel restriction problem and it's continuing, I'd advise you look for the source. It will likely get worse and bite you at the most inconvenient time.
Look from the fuel tanks (obviously the front one, if you've identified that's where your problems seem to come from), the shower head pickups, the fuel lines, the tank selection switch.
I'd suggest you use a tire pressure gauge on the Schraeder valve on the fuel filter housing to see what it says. It should show 40 to 50 psi or so with the engine idling.
I shimmed my FPR about 3 years ago (was reading 65 psi after) but I suppose I should check it again. Really wish I had the time/money for electric fuel...
Cargo Master
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 2,111
Likes: 0
From: Yreka, CA
Thread Starter
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Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 11,231
Likes: 130
From: Thomasville, GA
THEN maybe I can save up for some fun truck stuff!
Freshman User
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 27
Likes: 1
fuel filter light
mine started coming on at acceleration then would go off when i leveled out at crusing speed it started staying on longer then it would not go out and left me on the side of freeway thinking fuel pressure regulator started tearing into it last night cant find the fuel pressure regulator any help would be great thanks
Hotshot
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 11,132
Likes: 3
From: Southern West Virginia
mine started coming on at acceleration then would go off when i leveled out at crusing speed it started staying on longer then it would not go out and left me on the side of freeway thinking fuel pressure regulator started tearing into it last night cant find the fuel pressure regulator any help would be great thanks
