1999 ford F250 5.4L Ok don't get me wrong, I love this truck but unfortunately it is plagued with problems. including a clogged heater core, inop ESOF, spewing coolant (expansion tank) and my defrost position doesn't work.

I only paid 4400 for it and it is in pretty good shape, an alot has been replaced on it...ALOT regardless, I knew it would need a bit of work when i bought it but damn...all of this seemed to happen right after I bought it LOL.

SO on to my latest problem, I went out to start the truck because I haven't ran it in about a week. ( i need to replace the expansion tank/flush the heater core) .So since the weather has cooled down a bit I'd figure i'd start it.

Well long story short It ran fine last week but tonight it wouldn't start,...it would crank but would not turn over. So I have my wife come out an turn the key to the run position and listen for the fuel pump....nothing...then I grab my trusty mallet and gingerly beat around on the fuel tank. I have her start it again and low and behold I hear the fuel pump and the truck magically starts.--so apparently I need a fuel pump.

So I go to rockauto and there is about 50 of them. does anyone know the one I need for a 1999 5.4L 250 extended cab with a long bed? part number would be appreciated


Also, I have never had to drop a tank before and honestly don't know if I am going to have the time to. so my second question, how much would the average shop charge me to put the pump in if I supplied the part?

Thanks

 

I would call your local Ford dealer and give them your VIN and ask them what the part number for your fuel pump would be. There are a lot of aftermarket opinions but Ford can tell you the part# you need and then you should be able to give it to rock auto or wherever and see what they come up with for Generic ones or you could buy a Ford one.

Getting your fuel tank dropped and the pump replaced is going to cost you about 450.00 + cost of the fuel pump. Honestly you could do it your self for the cost of the pump. All you need are some good jack stand to get the truck up as high as it can go on the jack stand safely so they lock, then get under there and disconnect the filler hose hose from the fuel door, once you have it loose, then there are a couple of clamps at each opposite end of the tank.

before you go to drop it you will need to support it so it doesnt drop down and destroy any electrical connections, so use a couple of adjustable tie down straps and find two places on the frame near each end of the tank and put them across like the clamps holding the tank are, dont snug them tight leave some slack in them so that when you take the two metal straps holding the tank up off the tie down straps so it take the weight of the tank .

Once the tie down straps start to take the weight of the tank slowly let the tank down enough so you can get to the hose and electrical connections on top of the tank. You may need a little gizmo that most auto parts sell to disconnect the fuel line from the tank ( they are pretty cheap to buy or maybe you can rent one ) Once you get your electrical and other hose connections and breather tube undone and you are sure everything is disconnected you can let the tank down to the ground.

Once the tank is down to the ground slide it out from under the truck and clean any dirt and grime surrounding the indentation where the hose connections and fuel pump are located and clean it really really good, you dont want any debris going into the tank and clogging up the fuel pump or filters. undo your bolts that hold down the lock ring. Once you have done that then take something that wont make a spark like a brass punch and a rubber or plastic mallet and work the hold down ring loose, once the hold down ring is loose take that off, then once again check for any grit, dirt, dust that may be lurking there and clean it off.

Once you have done that then you should be able to get the pump loose, now before you pull the pump loose make note of the tab or mark indicating its placement and orientation, you will need to put the new pump in that same orientation like the old one was. once you have the orientation marked go ahead and pull the old pump out, now there is going to be some residual fuel hanging out there so have some kind of plastic pan handy to catch it and pull the pump out slowly and navigate it out, the lower part of the pump is a little elongated so you need to navigated it out, you can just pull it straight out.

Once the old pump is out, your new pump will need the new O ring it came with put on like the old one was on the old pump, put a little gas on it with your finger to give it a little lubrication once you have the ring in then its time to put the new pump in, orientate the new pump and make sure the orientation is correct with your mark then put the lock ring on and put it back in place. You will need to put the bolts back on the lock ring and then torque them down ( sorry I cant recall the torque spec but you ought to be able to find it ) torque them down to spec and its time to raise the tank up not tight to back in place but close enough so you can re-connect all the hoses, breather and electrical connections and then you can raise the tank back up and put the tank clamps back on to the tank back and bolt the clamps up, then re connect your filler hose. Might need to cycle the key a few times to prime the pump and then you ought to be good to go


Here is a youtube video of a guy that did it if you kinda want to see the procedure yourself

 

It's easier to pull the bed off than drop the tank!

 

once you get that fixed, just fix those other issues one at a time. Don't try to do it all at once.

 

Thanks all, either way it looks like i either spend a lot of money or do it myself. taking the bed off never occurred to me but seeing how it will more than likely be just me doing it (if I go that route) I don't know how i'd get it off myself. the OEM pumps are about 450 if I replace everything (hat,hoses,etc) which would probably be the safe bet seeing the mileage on the truck. aftermarket is substantially cheaper from what I saw. but then quality comes into play

I guess i'll copy the VIN and make some calls tomorrow.

 

There is another way to the fuel pump with out taking the bed off, but it's tricky and you have to be extremely careful, what you do is take off you filler neck from the gas door and make sure it is detached, then the bolts and nuts holding the driver side of the bed down all need to come out, then you go and loosen the bolts and nuts on the passengers side so they are only 3/4 of the way out

Once you have that done you need someone to help you tilt the bed up from the driver side so that it is at a 45 degree angle, then you need to stick a bunch of bracing in 2x4s or 4x4s and use those to hold the bed in that 45 degree angle which would provide you access to the fuel pump.

Now you have to be sure your bracing is super secure, because if it isnt and the bed comes down it could hurt ya bad or worse. My uncle and I used this method to do this on his truck but we used a combination of 4x4s and 2x4's to do all the bracing with and more than a few of each to make sure that bed couldnt go anywhere and one person watching to make sure that the bracing was not moved or bumped into.

I would not reccomend that method unless you brace it real well and have someone with you to watch and make sure no bracing gets moved and they can watch you back

 

if you drop the tank, a motorcycle jack is awesome to lower it with, also, make sure you have as much fuel out of the tank as possible.

 

Was think the same thing!

 

NO WAY on a 99 will it ever be easier to take the box off.

You will very likely end up grinding or cutting off every one of the bed bolts. Unless this truck has been kept out of the rust belt it's entire life you could end up with the bed supports destroyed before you get the box back on because they are highly prone to rust. If you pull the box they will likely fall apart in the process, you won't be able to even tighten the box down securely and it will rattle like crazy.

Granted I have a nice shop, all the tools, and plenty of experience with changing pumps, but I changed the fuel pump in my 2000 F250 4x4 long box last year, took me about an hour and a half from start to finish. An ATV jack, a good floor jack or even ratchet straps can help but it's smarter to just siphon the gas out first. When empty the tank does not weigh all that much.

Don't try to go through the gas filler, the rollover valve is tough to get past. Instead pull the filler neck and hose and feed your siphon hose directly into the tank. It's very easy to get the hose in right where you want it and get almost every drop of gas. My 38 gallon tank was just filled when my pump failed. When finished siphoning I had less than a half gallon left in it. The toughest part was finding a place for that many gallons, I filled every vehicle and fuel can I had.

Everything is long enough you can drop the front of the tank almost all the way down to the floor, leaves plenty of room to disconnect the fuel lines, vents and wiring easily. If it's a 4x4 you really don't even need to jack the truck up.