I dropped another 3 gallons of gas in the rear tank turned the key about 4 times and started getting gas through the lines. I'll reassemble it tomorrow after work and try to start it then I'll go after the front tank.

 

That sounds about right Manicmechanic. I had to replace my in-tank pump and remember I had to drop the tank because there wasn't room to get the sending unit out. On my 85 E150, you can get to the fuel lines with no problem and I remember I was going to try to remove the sending unit but for some reason wound up dropping the tank. If I remember correctly, the only difference in the 85 and 88 rear tank is that the hole for the sending unit is larger on the 85.

Great Job Mike! Did you replace the rear sending unit? My 85 sending unit had a hole rusted through the pickup tube near the top and was sucking air once the fuel level dropped down a few gallons.

 

Annaleigh, I replaced the whole assembly in the rear tank, I really don't like the way it fit. When I pulled the old assembly The gasket was a flat one, the new one seemed to be a thinner round one and this made it so the new assembly could actually move around a little bit, it just wasn't tight. I pushed in on the ring ears a little to tighten it up but it still moved some. I'll have to keep my eye on it. I also have to pick up some more line locks on the way home today, the others busted apart while trying to remove them.

 

try the parts store to see if they have a sealing ring. It might be different. Seems like mine were a square cut rubber ring. They would flatten down over time.

 

So in the process of putting everything back together now. It seems that all the stuttering and missing is gone also. I guess when I thought I had a bad injector, plug or wires, it was actually the fuel pump in the front tank trying to warn me it was dying. Flipped the switch to the rear tank, took a minute to push the air out and into the injectors, she roared to life not missing a beat, sounds like a brand new engine.....Now to tackle the front tank...LOL
I want to thank each and every one of your for your comments, tips, experience and knowledge to help me get through this. Had it not been for you guys I probably would have said screw it, I'm done laying on the ground getting scratched and cut. I actually told my son at one point, I don't care what you get for it, sell the damn thing and get it out of my driveway...Glad he ignored me once again....LOL

 

Well, I've only been putting 5 and 10 gallons in at a time and all has been well. Took the wife and the dog to the gas station with me and I decided since gas was down to $4.30 a gallon, I'd top off the tank.....Big mistake. Has started pouring out of the top of the tank. I thought when I installed the new gasket the problem was solved because the delphi pump only came with a skinny little O-ring gasket and the pump didn't tighten up so I put a thicker gasket on it. Still no love I guess. O ordered a new gasket kit from Napa, it should be in today. It comes with one gasket and 3 different locking rings. I hope this one gets it done, I'll be dropping the tank again this Friday.

 

Wow I hate to hear that Mike. I know this must be frustrating.
You should have a rollover or vent valve on top of the tank. Maybe the valve or valve seal?
Did it start pouring out while filling up or after you started the engine?

After you take the tank out and before you remove the sending unit, if you can get it up on a bench outside you could fill it back up and check where its leaking from unless you can see it now.

I don't know if it applies to our year vans or our fuel system but I have read a few posts in the past about fuel being pumped from one tank to the other due to a faulty valve. Just throwing that out there.
I ask if it leaks out when the engine is running because if you crossed up the return lines, it would overfill the tank that you are not using.

You are getting so very close to having this working like it should! You will make it! Hang in there!

 

Yes I fix this and I'll have only, new tires left to do and then concentrate on the AC system. I know the compressor will run because I bypassed the switch for about 2 seconds, but I'm sure it's completely out of R12, so I'll pull a vacuum for a couple hours, cap it off and see if it holds, if not then I know there's a leak somewhere. If it does hold, I'll fill it with the R12 Synthetic I have on the porch somewhere/. You would think a 30lb can of it wouldn't be that hard to find, but I guess I have more crap piled up than I need...LOL

 

Well Mike, after that info, I don't think it's anything on top and is probably the sending unit seal or you just mentioned "slop of the ground"?
the tank has that lip on all the way around and just below the sending unit, so if fuel was leaking from the sending unit, it could go to either side depending on which direction the van is leaning at the time.

I noticed my gasket was a bit small and didn't fit well when I had my sending unit out last time. I just came across a NOS rear Ford sending unit with pump that I am going to buy next month to keep in stock... I was going to buy it this month but bought the fuel reservoir. I'll update that work on my thread here in a bit..

Ah the AC! My son can find more reasons not to help until he needs something and I have not repaired my AC yet. Its been too hot for me to get out there all day but its starting to cool down a bit and I'll be getting to that pretty soon. I have never used the synthetic R12 but the last time I looked, some of that is pretty expensive now days. 30lbs will last a long time. One of my hoses has a muffler built onto it and you cant flush a hose with a muffler so I found a new one. There are NO condensers for our vans (well not when I checked 2 months ago) so I am going to have to flush mine.. Ours are tube/fin type so they will flush out fine. I am replacing the evaporator because I need to remove the evap case check the firewall and gasket/seal because it started leaking water inside the floorboard sometimes. I remember someone making a post where their firewall was quite rusty around the evaporator and I want to prevent that from happening to mine. Normally it is the drain that gets clogged up but I want to make sure. I haven't put my front carpet in yet because of the leak..

Well good luck with the leak repair! The tabs on the tank where the locking ring goes, are they bent outwards any? Thinking that one might be able to bend then down just a little to make the ring tighten up better if need be.

 

All of us techs that have installed a hundred pumps or more have slipped that square sender o ring
If you are on your first few, You expect it
The o rings get too large for the groove if you lube them or play with them too much
You need to be damn careful and inspect that o ring right up to the point of sender contact
Pull the tank back out
Good luck

 

Tank has to come down. I bought a Delphi pump and I should have known better than to use their supplied gasket but I did. The original was a Square flat but this was was an oring and it was only about 1/16th to 1/8th inch round. U didn't like it but I used it, pump was loose, I snugged the ears on the locking ring and I installed....DUMB, DUMB, DUMB, DUMB ,DUMB. Now I get to do it all over again. I ordered Napa kit number 730-5603, gives you a choice of 2 locking rings and 2 gaskets, I guess depending on which tank you're doing....I should have it done by Friday evening.

 

So I lowered the tank enough to get the pimp pulled up and changed the gasket and locking ring. The old gasket didn't slip it just wasn't sealing tight. The new gasket is thicker and square along with a meatier locking ring. But after 4 attempts to get it to seal I've frustrated myself. I'm not not sure why it's not sealing. I'm at a point of either trying gasket maker to seal it in place or ordering a new gas tank. I'm almost thinking there might be a deformity in the sealing area. I mean it works well as long as I don't fill the tank completely, but sometime I walk near the rear of the van and I get a real strong gas smell, I'm not comfortable with that. Now the wife is on me more than ever to just sell it and my pickup truck to buy something else that will transport us and the dogs down the road and still be capable of hauling my enclosed utility trailer. I probably won't be able to get back to working on it until after Labor day though because just too many things going wrong at once, between the oven starting on fire, the refrigerator breaking down and the city water main busting open, all within the last week. I'm staying kind of busy and now the city says because the water main busted, I have to have the line to my house replaced because it's an old lead line that has now been disturbed, so that'll be happening sometime this week to cut through my foundation and replace all the way into the house....OH JOY!!!

 

Just an update for you all, Over the weekend I dropped the front gas tank and replaced the sender assembly, again, there was no float attached to the arm and the sock was missing off the end, but the pump was not corroded and rusted like the one that came out of the rear tank. What I didn't like was being surprised with the fuel lines, which were braided high pressure lines and the had the spring clips and had to have the special lock tool. The return line came off pretty easy but the feed line was a bear. I had to removed the line from the switch valve and pull the line and the sender assembly all at the same time, then another 30 minutes of PB blaster and messing with the disconnect before it finally release. The little tabs inside the line got bent a little so those had to be straightened before re-assembly, OH!! and the front tank I thought was pretty close to empty had over 1/2 tank of gas in it. Anyway, it's all back together, both tanks work and both are reading on the fuel gauge. So now the only things Mechanical are the AC unit, which does run if I jumper it so It's out of R12 for sure. New tires, even though they are like new tread, they're old and have cracks all the way around the outside. The left rear back spring perch needs to be replaced, I can't seem to find one. and replace the battery. After that all mechanical will be done and it's the minor body work left to do....So again, I want to thank each and every one of you for your input to help me along to getting this beast fixed,

 

Well, I'm back again, so both tanks now have new pump assemblies, plus a new tank switch valve for the 2nd time. I put about 10gallons of gas in each tank tonight, it seemed to be ok, then I went out a little later. Took about a 5 mile drive and I notice the gad gauge running on the front rank kept dropping. I pull over into the senior center get out and smell gas real bad. I switch over to the rear tank and the gas gauge goes over full, so the front tank is getting pushed into the rear tank and I guess I still didn't get the pump sealed up. So whats the alternative here for the tanks leaking into one another? Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

One on each tank was the fix
F3TZ-9J274-A
They go on each in tank pump. On the pressure outlet pipe