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Hey all, I was driving my 1989 e-150 with dual tanks the other day and noticed a fluttering loss of power at freeway speeds and quickly switched from the front tank to the rear and it went away. I thought my front fuel pump might be going out so just stuck to the rear tank for the next few days until I could inspect further. A few days later the same thing happened while using the rear tank so when I got home I crawled under the van to poke around and noticed my in-line high-pressure fuel pump appears to be leaking. This seems like it might be the culprit for my loss of power condition. I just figured I'd check in here to see if anyone's had similar experiences and I'm curious if I should be replacing fuel lines as well as the pump or if it's likely only the pump that's leaking. Does anyone have a recommendation for a replacement pump? I think I'll skip Motorcraft's pump being that it's almost $400. The Bosche equivalent is closer to $100, a Carter for around $40 and then there's a Spectra and a Delphi FE0306 both for just over $30. Curious which you guys would pick. Thank you!
Maillemaker just recently replaced his high pressure pump. I think he ordered a Bosch I don't remember but if you contact him, he cold tell you.
I came across the original Motorcragt PF-5 pump which is normally over $300 but I found it for around $100. Being that it was cheap I contacted Ford and sent pics to their counterfeit group. They told me it appeared to be real. I discovered it too is a Bosch pump.
Here is a pic of my pump out of the housing so you can see the pump part numbers stamped by Bosch
I suspect that if the pump is leaking, it would be around the crimped housing.
And to the lines themselves.. I have no experience replacing the lines or repairing them but have from time to time watched some videos and read articles since my van is about the same age as yours. I believe it may be a nylon tubing you buy on a roll and the connectors separate. You cut the tubing , heat it, and force the fittings down into the tubing and let it cool. Sounds easy doesn't it! We know how that goes..
For if it were mine and the pump is the only issue (unless you just have the time), I would just replace the pump, filter, and O-Rings inside the fittings that you loosen.
Where do you get the O-rings and what size? I have no idea. When I changed my heater core last year, I reused the old hoses. Their connectors are much like the fuel line connectors with 2 O-rings inside each fitting, just a bit larger.. I bought 2 new replacement connector ends from NAPA and pulled the O-rings out of the new connectors to use in connectors on the old lines. I want to find the factory molded heater lines and that is why i used the old molded lines..
But here is a diagram of the fuel line connector.. BE CAREFUL removing the hairpins as they will break easily. I think it is the little shipping tabs that don't like to release..
Maillemaker might be able to help you with those too..
Again my lines seem to be in good shape for now but we cant see inside and they are old..
a couple more pics for you
And the Bosch pump can be bought on RA for a lot less then the Motorcraft pump but it is a different part number. I remember trying to trace the ford/Bosch part number an it didn't match anything aviable
If you want to pay for a Motorcraft compete housing and pump. here is one I found and if I find another cheaper I will post it.
The box label shows 04/29/00
around $180 with new housing
THIS IS A N.O.S. FORD ECONOLINE 1987-1991 FRAME MOUNTED FUEL PUMP# E7UZ-9C407-A
https://www.ebay.com/itm/THIS-IS-A-N-O-S-FORD-ECONOLINE-1987-1991-FRAME-MOUNTED-FUEL-PUMP-E7UZ-9C407-A/264302247415?hash=item3d89a43df7:g:dWcAAOSwNZxcbz8 V
@annaleigh You never cease to amaze me with your helpful responses on this forum! Thanks so much for the info on your Motorcraft pump being a Bosch. That's very helpful. I should probably just go with the Bosch pump on Rock Auto for $75 though I am being tempted by this all-metal Delphi pump on ebay for $33. Ebay says it fits my van but that probably can't always be trusted. I should probably do some more searching with the part number:
I guess fuel pumps are one of those things everyone on here says to not cheap out on. Should I play it safe with the Bosch or is Delphi a fairly reputable brand as well? I thought it was interesting the padding that's included with the bosch pump seems so small and thin compared to the one that comes with the Delphi pump I linked to. I suppose I could potentially use the old padding on my current pump if the Bosch one is too thin.
Well I am afraid to recommend a pump with so many posts about people replacing them over and over again! One thing in your favor is that you don't have to drop the gas tank! The only reason I bought the Motorcraft PF5 is because that one was so cheap. I haven't swapped it out yet because mine is still working, I think. Most of the time I only hear the rear pump humm when I turn the key on.
Anyway, you are sure it is the pump and not fuel spraying from the connector over to the pump? The connector looks dry to me and from the pics I would think it is the pump.
My father had a garage in the 70's and I remember some of the name brands used back then but everything is so different now and constantly changing. I have heard good things about Delphi though but don't want to influence your decision since my experience with pumps is limited.
Try and PM Maillemaker and see how his pump is doing. He has some great articles and experience with these pumps
I decided to go ahead and try the delphi pump for $33. It looks decently built and when I looked up the part number I noticed it's usually priced around the same as the bosch model. Given how easy it is to get to I think it's worth a shot for half the price! Thanks for the help @annaleigh ! Hope you're well!
Thanks @Maillemaker I'm checking out the post now! I Just got to the end where @annaleigh mentions her van's wandering idle at startup and that reminded me: I've noticed every time I disconnect my battery to work on the van it doesn't have the sporadic idle issue after reconnecting the battery and starting the engine. My van seems to idle somewhat high at first then I'm guessing the ECU figures out where to land on the proper lower idle speed and it's good to go. No surging or dying ever on that first startup after a battery disconnect. I think that's' because the ECU is learning new settings right? That makes me think the whole sporadic idle issue is ECU related but I've kinda given up on trying to tackle that issue since it doesn't seem to cause any harm. My girlfriend purchased a first-gen ford ranger recently and it does the exact same thing so maybe that's just how these old Fords warm up! I do have a spare ECU for my van I picked up at the junkyard but haven't messed around with it yet.
Anyway, my new fuel pump is in the mail and I can let you guys know how it works out if anyone's interested.
As you note, every time you disconnect the battery you dump the ECM's memory so it has to re-learn the engine sensors.
I had a problem with poor cold idle performance that was due to a bad Engine Temperature Sensor. Replaced it and the problem went away. Be aware that on my engine at least, the Engine Temperature Sensor is not the same sensor as what runs the temperature gauge on the dash.
Their image shows that the sensor you replaced is what sends the temp to the gauge and the one next to the thermostat housing is the one that sends the temp to the ECM. I assume their post is the incorrect one since you replaced the one they think is for the gauge and it corrected your problem. Obvsiously fixing the gauge sensor wouldn't do anything to affect a poorly running engine.
Can anyone confirm which is which just to be sure because I did already replace the sensor next to the thermostat housing when I replaced my thermostat but I am interested in replacing the ECM sensor too since they're inexpensive and seem very important to have working properly! It appears the same sensor is used for both spots, the one with 2 pin contacts.
Well I have some pics that can help with that..
This pic is from when I broke a bolt while changing my thermostat. The ECT sensor is the disconnected sensor with the white plastic housing and orange rubber seal just below the heater hose. The ECT sends the engine coolant temperature to the ECM.
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here is a pic of the gauge temperature sending unit just to the right of the distributor and behind the AC compressor. Brass and screws into the intake intake manifold
Here is a diagram of the intake manifold and shows the approximate locations of the sensors
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Notice the Air Charge Temperature Sensor. The ACT? looks very similar to the ECT. The ECT senses the temperature of the coolant while the ACT senses the air temperature in the intake manifold. Both are used by the ECM to adjust the fuel trim.
I had been gathering replacement sensors for the past year or so and a few months ago my some helped me change several of them out. Because we changed several at one time, I can't say exactly which one fixed my issues. Though we didn't test drive the van after each sensor was changed, we did start the engine to make sure we didn't create a serious problem. If I remember correctly when we changed the ACT, that made a big difference in how the van idled right after start up..
Here are the Motorcraft cartons with part numbers and the old parts.
ECT
ACT maybe ACTS?
Here is the gauge sending unit.
And all of these sensors fit my 88 E150 with a 5.0 but believe they would be the same for the 89.
