i been trying go around to shop for a fuel vavle selctor so i can use the orginal wiring/plugs for the fuel valve selector but instead when i went to auto part store they have one wire or they said i ll have to cut my wires and make another switch or whatever ... so i m asking anyone know where i can buy almost like stock so i can use my stock switch and wirings/plug/clip whatever u call it? it s the last thing i m working on my truck to get a 2 year project going!!! thansk everyone p.s my trucks a 81 but cab's a 85' running with 429 engine.. 4x4

 

Dealer?

 

other than dealers? if anybody can think of or someone had been working with this kind of problem??

 

If your selector valve has more than one wire for hookup... more than one electrical wire then I believe that it is for a FI engine... it will most likley also have 6 fuel ports on the valve itself. the extra ports are to accomodate return lines....if this is the case go back to the parts store and have them look up the correct part (by application) the one that they tried to sell you before ( one wire with a chassis ground) is for a carb engine with a mechanical fuel pump (or an electric pull pump I suppose if someone before you converted to an electric pump).. either way it sounds to me like the parts store tried to sell you a the wrong part.

 

i think i only need a one wire and 3 ports.. mine are carb... maybe i ll have to work around my switch and use not stock and not stock fuel selector...? or how can i wire it with other undercarriage wirings??

 

Mabey I am confused.... Are you looking to replace the fuel selector valve or the selector valve switch in the cab??? If you are replacing the valve ( half way down the drivers side frame rail) then simply purchase the $15 Wells brand selector valve. If you are wanting to replace the switch in the cab then I would suggest going to the junk yard and scalping a switch out of an Econoline van and relocating the switch to under the steering column. or replace the stock switch (if you can find one in the bone yard) I don't think that your chances of finding one at a parts store or thru a dealer are very prommising....

 

i m speaking of the valve... but i want to use my stuck switch so i m trying to figure out cuz i got some wiring mess up cuz my carriage is a 81' and the cab's a 85' so i took 85's wiring but i notice the wiring for the valve is different from the 81' or should i worek with the 15$ wells valve??? or ford dealer??? i did ask auto zone for the wells part and it says for me to wire it my way and one to the ground and one to the switch will that work??

 

I have done the fuel valve Selector install on 2 different trucks...an 80 f1504x4 and an 82 f100 2x I am not farmillar with the chassis wiring of a model as late as the 85. the only concern that I have is the location of the fuel pump...had it been relocated to inside the tank by 85??? If not I feel that you would be better off to run your own wiring...while it sounds intimidating it really is not.. if you buy the wells valve it comes with a fairly easy to read wiring diagram. it does not however come with a new switch. the install that I am most proud of is my 80 4x4. it did not have dual tanks but when I replaced the bed the donor did. so of course, I had to have dual tanks...most functional mod I have yet done to the truck.

be sure to run all of your new wiring inside split loom and use heat shrink butt-connectors (more expensive but worth their weight in gold).

as for the switch, I do not know the internal wiring of the stock switch (on the heater control pannel right???) I do know that as far as accessability I found that relocating the switch to below and left of the steering column worked best for me... not in the way, easy to get to, don't hit it with my leg, not accessable from the passenger side (the kids and friends with a sense of humor cant reach it). I origonally ordered the switch from wells. the one that they recommend and list on the wiring diagram..don't waste your time and money...

Go to the junk-yard and find an Econoline Van with dual tanks. the switch is located at the bottom of the dash, below and left of the steering column. remove the switch, the black plastic indicator pannel that it is mounted on (it says "Main / Aux " or "Front / rear" on it). also be sure to take the connector that it is plugged into and be sure to cut the wires back far enough that you can splice it into your wiring.. it is a much cleaner install if you can use the stock switch connector instead of 5 loose wires with spade ends on them.

the only wires you will use from the origonal wiring (If I remember correctly) are the power wire and the single wire to the fuel guage. once you Identify these wires it is all downhill from there.

...Now that I think about it, since your truck already has stock wiring you may be able to splice into it and use that. But I think that it will be easier if you run your own..that I guess will be your prefrence..

I hope that this helps.. If you have any other ??? I will be around

 

thanks i ll try buy one of those and study the wirings more and see if i canm do that and hope it be all that also can u show me what wires run from the coil... look at my other post for the coil i m wondeirng the negative and the postive on the coil i have wire on them but i m notb sure where they goes ? can anybody help too? i had a few answers but they werent helpful

 

I hope the lack of activity in this thread is a sign that the 3-port valves don't have many problems, but I may have one. It's an '82 F150 XL, standard cab, short bed, automatic, 302 V8, carbureted, 72K miles. I just bought this thing from the son of the original owner. Pampered would be an understatement - it looks like it came out of the factory last week. Locals who know the truck say it's never been rained on.

Anyway, it was pretty but wouldn't start; cranked fine, no fuel smell at carburetor on either tank. Squirting fuel into the carb made it start right up. I suspected the fuel pump, and had it towed into a shop. After 10 days, the shop said it was just out of gas, and to come pick it up. I don't know if they put gas in it or not, but somehow they got it running. Switching between tanks didn't make any difference in the gauge or engine, so I suspected the selector switch. Sure enough, it was intermittent in all positions. Replaced the switch, and the gauge now changes as the switch is switched, but I don't know yet if the selector valve is switching or stuck, but I suspect stuck. I haven't pursued it much since it's cold and wet outside, but I've just moved it inside and will start working on it this weekend.

So I have 2 questions:
1) how do I tell how much fuel is in a tank if the gauge shows zero (not below zero), but the engine runs when switched to that tank? Could be either very little fuel, the valve not switching, or a bad sender. Thump test is indeterminate.
2) is the old 3-port selector valve overhaulable in the home shop?
I have an aftermarket valve on the way (the Ford valve is no longer available), so will know more soon, but would welcome any thoughts.

And a forum question: Most of the pictures experts have posted in the past aren't viewable; howscome?

 

1. You could get under there and take vise grips and pinch off the line to one of the tanks. When you switch to that tank it should die, or it may go ahead and die anyway if the valve is stuck in the pinched line position.

2. I would not mess with the old valve, install the new one when it comes in.


A lot of the forum pictures are now missing because they are hosted by photobucket. Photobucket used to let you put links into your posts and the forum software would go grab the picture from photobucket and put it in the post. Now photobucket has decided to charge money for this feature. I and many others are not going to pay photobucket to do this, so the pictures links are dead.

 

Thanks for the tips. New valve arrived today, with a bunch of cautions not to use it, so we'll see what happens. I've also got a water level I can repurpose to measure the fluid level in a tank, I think.

 

Is there any reason I couldn't use 1/2 of a 6-port valve for this application?

 

Sounds good at first glance, but it gets kinda complicated.

The 6 port valves are motorized. A small motor moves the internal mechanism one direction, an internal position switch then shuts off the power, and the valve stays put. The same process repeats in the other direction when the other tank is selected. There is no spring-loaded action. Power from the switch is always present for whichever tank was selected, but it's the internal position switch that shuts off the motor.

The 3 port valves are powered in one direction by a solenoid, and spring-loaded the other way when power is released. Power is applied constantly for one direction and removed for the other.

To make it even more confusing, it appears early and late 3 port valves operate in opposite directions.

In 1981, power to the solenoid opened the port to the rear tank, as seen on page 58:

Fuel Tank Selector & Gauges - ???Gary's Garagemahal

On my '84, and '86 as seen on page 95, power to the solenoid opened the port to the front tank:

Fuel Tank Selector & Gauges - ???Gary's Garagemahal

i do not know how '82 or '83 trucks were configured. No idea why they made such a change.

 

D5TZ-9A050-A .. Fuel Tank Selector Switch-Located in heater control panel - 5 terminals / Marked: D5TB-9A050-AA / Obsolete

1975/86 F100/350 with single fuel line system.

MANDERBACH FORD in Temple PA has 1 = 610-929-3683.

RPN PARTS in Erie PA has 8 = 888-864-9305.

HIGH BUCK! BOB ALLEN FORD in Overland Park KS has 9 = 913-381-3000.