Hey guys,

I am a new poster here but have read this forum for quite a long time. I can not express my gratitude for everything that I have learned from all of you. Thank You

I've had my 2002 PSD Ex for almost 4 years and the thing has been bulletproof....Until yesterday that is.
We were headed to a big Labor Day weekend family reunion and she was running like a top. Got off the interstate and when we came to a stop I knew something wasn't right because the injectors were a little noisier that usual. I figured that since we were only a few miles out that we would finish the trip and check it out when we got there.
Well, we never made it. She died within a half mile. I went through the usual checks; oil level, wiring harnesses, good voltage, ect... no codes with Torque Pro either.
So, I then moved to fuel. Drained the fuel bowl (into a bucket of course) turned the key and had no flow. Voltage at pump was good, the pump just wouldn't do anything. You could feel it jog some but it wouldn't engage. Mind you this is at 1:30pm on Sunday. We managed to find a NAPA about 3 miles out that closed at 2pm that had a pump. Got the pump installed, primed her with 3 ignition key turns and fired right up on the fourth. Thank you Lord!!!

Sorry for the long winded story, now onto the reason for this post.

The only pump that NAPA had was a re branded Airtex E2236 pump. I can't say that I can find much good about them. So, my game plan is to order an OEM pump from Riffraff and keep the Airtex as my spare.

What I was wondering is that since I'm going to tear back into it, can I also install a pre-pump strainer/filter on my Ex even though there has never been any in tank mods performed (it's on the list but may not be done until next year)? I was thinking something like the Case 87329736.

My Ex has 115k miles and I believe this pump to be the original Bosch. I did tear the old pump down and it looked nice and clean inside, however the inlet screen did have some junk on it. See attached photo.

Thanks again!! I hope that I'm now going to get over my fear of posting on here because of not wanting to look like the idiot of the bunch.
Murf

 

You can certainly install one, but it'll be of limited value since you'll still have the screens in the tank. You'll also be introducing 2 more places for air intrusion in the fuel line. The pre-pump screen is important if you remove the OEM screens in the fuel pick-up when doing the hutch mod.

Honestly, and just my opinion, I'd leave it be until doing the full hutch mod. Otherwise you're just adding a chance for air intrusion. Before doing any of that, I'd install a fuel pressure gauge. It'll tell you when you need that hutch mod.

 

I would be less concerned about the pre-pump filter and more concerned about what the screens look like inside your tank. If the fuel filter inlet screen looked like that, I imagine the screens inside the tank are much worse.

Of course if you do drop the tank and do the in tank mods, then by all means, do add the pre-pump filter. Till then I'd skip it. If you're already running a partial restriction from clogged screens, no need to add more resistance to the flow.

 

Thanks for the replies guys.

I forgot to mention it in my first post, but I am definitely looking at a fuel pressure gauge. I kind of figure that if I had one, I could of caught this before it became an issue.
I was thinking that a pre-pump filter may keep that crud out of my new pump until I have time to do the in tank mods. However, I don't want to create an issue by trying to prevent another.
We were going to take the Ex on a road trip down south in a few weeks but I'm not sure if I trust it by the look of that inlet screen.

I do trust and value what you guys are telling me.
Thanks again!!

 

Fail


Fail


Win


If you want a "Done that" T-shirt, I have extras. If you want a permanent fix that doesn't interfere with the fuel flow, I recommend the pre-pump strainer.

Your pump doesn't look like it was plugged enough choke - it looks like it just up and died. The in-tank screens would have prevented that from getting there, so it's possible you're picking up some dust from a bad O-ring seal on the pick-up line, or the in-tank screens blew through.

 

Or the in-tank foot has fallen off. I've seen numerous reports of the foot laying in the tank when peeps went inside the tank for the first time

 

Even worse... the foot is laying inside in many small pieces, some of which get sucked into the pickup line and start blocking fuel flow.

 

Tugly,
That is correct, the pump looked great when I tore it down. It just quit running, it was so hot that you really couldn't touch it. I don't think that the junk on the pump screen had anything to do with the pump failure. However , I do agree that it is an indication that something isn't right somewhere else. I was just trying to figure out a way to keep that junk out of my new pump until I could drop the tank.
What was it that failed on your first two pictures? Did they cause a restriction or was it air intrusion?
Thank you for the help.


DaveP/F250,
I agree with what you guys are saying. My Ex only has 115k miles on it, but I guess it isn't a mileage thing. No matter the miles the in tank equipment has been sitting in fuel for fourteen years.
Thank you guys for the replies.

 

I can address your questions to Rich (Tugly) in a general way, since he's an early to bed/early to rise kinda guy. The small red filter looks like a Baldwin BF7725, a fairly common fuel strainer for these trucks. Down side is they have smallish barbs that can leak air if not double clamped or otherwise sealed with exuberance. The big white one with a water drain is a small micron fuel filter, which blocks fuel flow enough to have a bad impact on fuel pressure. Especially in his set up with "stage two" injectors and tuning. Those puppies get hungry. So both of those are fails, at least in his application. The Racor is the better choice because it has volume and is a strainer, not a filter. You do not want to put undue filtration before the pump. The filter in the bowl is fine for that.

Stock OEM Bosch is about the best pump you can get.

All that said I'm running a Carter pump from the Irish with a Fram G3 in front of it. Kinda lame, but it works.

 

aawlberninf350 covered it (thanks bud).

The little guy is flimsy, and double-clamping is pretty much out of the question. This fail had air intrusion that I couldn't clear up. The Baldwin/NAPA fuel filter/water separator was just too much restriction. My fuel pressure gauge "submarined" with either filter when I gave it any significant throttle. I'd even go so far as to say I could here little tiny screams of "Dive! Dive! Dive!" from the gauge at stock-ish WOT.

 

David/Rich,
Thanks for the explanation and answering my questions. I appreciate it very much.
I do think that I've got a game plan. I placed an order for a new Bosch fuel pump, Isspro EV2 fuel pressure gauge, and gauge pod from Riffraff.
I'll go ahead and install the gauge first and run it for awhile and monitor fuel pressure. If the fuel pressure isn't tanking or doing anything suspicious I'll go to the next step.
I also ordered a few Fleetguard FF5228 strainers based on this thread.(https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...r-options.html) I want to try installing one of these if the pressure checks out. I'm doing this just to see if it has any affect on the pump pressure. Figured I would play around with it. I'm curious if it will cause the pressure to take a dive or not. Besides, I'll go ahead and use the strainer if I have to do the tank mods.
I may need that "Done That" T-shirt but that's ok, I'd rather give it a shot and fail then be curious.

 

I too am in agreement with the "would rather fail then not know" camp (me and enigma)

I would also like to suggest if you are planing on the Hydra like I am perhaps looking into the Hydra pod mount selector, it's like the box that comes with it but designed for a clean install in an empty pod space

 

I wanted to do a follow up on this after I had a chance to try a few strainers on my Ex.
First off I don't recommend using the Fleetguard FF5430 (photo below). No matter how I clamped that dang thing I could not stop it from drawing air in from the inlet side. Single clamped, double clamped, re-clamped, no clamps at all, it didn't matter. Nothing seemed to make a difference. Chalk that up as a fail!
I removed the Fleetguard and installed a Mr. Gasket 9747 with a single clamp on both ends. Fired it up, crawled under and was pleasantly surprised to see it functioning perfect. It does concern me that the 9747 is on the smallish side but I'm going to give it a go anyway.
I also have a Fleetguard FF5288 to try, but that won't be for awhile. I'm hoping that the FF5288 will seal better than the FF5430 because it has ridged port connections where the FF5430 has smooth.

FF5430 on top, FF5288 on bottom



Thanks!

 

Jaime74656, sorry for the late reply. Thanks for the heads up on the Hyrda pod mount selector. I will make sure I leave an open pod when I decide which mount to go with. Currently I am stock but have been thinking more and more about the Hydra.

 

Just noticed the rig pic in your sig. Beyootiful! What color is that?