Hey guys! i'm new to this site and looking for some advice on how to get my truck up and running again. its a 1993 f150 xlt 4x4 with an extended cab and a full length bed and dual gas tanks. I know its a v8 and i think its the 5.8 windsor but would need to double check.

Me, Southpaw, and the infamous Black Horse
I inherited the beast from my dad. He bought it brand new in 1993 when i was 4 years old and it was his first new vehicle. I grew up in this truck going hunting, fishing, camping, commuting etc. He finally gave it to me when the cost of fuel caused him to get a toyota corolla as his new daily driver in 2011. Ive continued the tradition of taking her into the mountains and to all of my jobsites and have affectionately renamed her the black horse. Everybody knows me by my truck and everyone loves her. There is a ton of sentimental value in this machine and i plan on keeping her on the road for the rest of my life if possible. I recently went away for about 3 and a half years and left her in the care of my older brother with instructions to drive her often and maintain the fuel and oil. he let the truck sit for almost 19 months before he started it and it was sputtering and had almost no power. Shes been sitting in the same spot ever since. I am almost 100 percent certain that the problem is expired fuel in the tanks and i want some advice on the best course of action for someone on a budget to get her roadworthty again. siphon the fuel, replace the fuel filter and change the oil are my first thoughts. im also considering dropping the duel tanks and having them cleaned and re-sealed at a local radiator shop. am i on the right track???

 

If he never ran it again after the 19 month sitting and it sat for another year and a half, the tanks need to be taken care of first and after that new fuel filter and then see what happens after fresh fuel, tanks and filter. Don't put more than about 5 gallons in the tank since you may need to lower them again for new fuel pumps. RockAuto is a good source to find and identify the parts and then buy locally if you want. What mileage is on the truck? Did rodents infest the truck? If so it may not be for the budget limited since they eat all the wiring they can find and it gets expensive quick. If you have a 351 it will say so on the intake. Or get the motor letter from the door jamb and someone can tell you.

 

I will look under the hood tomorrow for the engine type and take a look at the wiring. the interior looks pristine so i'm hoping that means that i've managed to stay rodent free. if i drop the tanks whats the next step after syphoning? my plan was to take them to a radiator shop to get them cleaned and sealed and to have the pumps tested. i'll have more info for you tomorrow. Thanks!

-K.Schu and the Black Horse
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That's cool it's been in your life so long. I've had my truck since '04 but you've got a decade on that!

Rodents don't always make it inside. I've had some chew damage on my truck over the years, all external. Fuel line & wire loom, thankfully no actual wire damage. But a chewed (or otherwise severed) vacuum line could cause poor running for sure.

Make sure the battery is charged and the connections are clean & tight. Next up fresh fuel and filters (air & fuel). Pulling the tanks kind of sucks so until it is needed, I wouldn't. I would check fuel pressure if still having issues, before pulling the tanks.

Also a good idea to check for codes.

 

Yeah the Black Horse is a permanent fixture in Tacoma where i'm from. We've been everywhere together! she's like family to me! thats super dope that you've had your 250 since 04'... do you have pics of her?

so just siphon the tanks, add new filters and check the battery before adding 5 gallons of good gas? any additives? that would at least get me on the road to a better spot than my driveway to drop the tanks if necessary. what about sediment in the tanks?

- K.Schu

 

Also, check your air filter, and air inlet tube from air filter box to radiator support/grille opening, sometimes birds and or bees nest in there, suffocating the engine from air. I'm just north of you, and bumble bees like to nest in there.

 

For the cost of cleaning the tanks you could probably buy new ones. Mine sat for years and I replaced everything in the fuel system. Tanks, FDM's, Filter, and pressure regulator.

 

Sitting for 19 months isn't great but I wouldn't have expected the fuel to go that bad, that quickly. Fresh fuel and filter are a good place to start given how long it's sat until now but I would be surprised if that was the cause of the initial running issue. Check the fuel pressure, make sure there isn't a nest in the airbox (I would check the glovebox for mice too, they love nesting in gloveboxes for some reason), and check your vacuum lines. If you get it going and it barely runs, I would try blocking off the vac line to the EGR; my dad's '87 had the EGR solenoid seized open when we got the truck and it didn't run for crap like that. And, yeah, run codes on the off chance the computer knows what's wrong.

 

If you've got any doubt at all, just buy replacement tanks, they're cheap (roughly $100 a piece). I've got an 87 F150 I pulled out of the woods outside of Bothell, that sat with the front tank full of old fuel for about two years, and it's junk, I thought I could get by flushing it out, and changing the fuel filter a couple times, and it's just not worth the aggravation.