fuel smell
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Freshman User
Joined: Aug 2004
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fuel smell
I have a fuel leak, traced the smell. On the drivers side, under the cab/bed area the fuel lines enter a black box thing, attached to the frame, this is where the fuel seems to be leaking from. I did not check it out to the extend I will, but what is that black box? I have dual tanks, and I thought the front/back tank switch in the cab went to a switch near the carb. Any suggections? Truck is a 1983, f250, 4x4 460 4bl
Senior User
Joined: Jan 2005
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That is your tank selector valve. It is operated by the switch in the cab. The original setup is the Ford plastic lines. When it is cold , they get brittle. Any vibration can cause them to crack, so that is probably what happened. Or the hose is just pressed on and there are not clamps holding the hose tight, just a plastic connector. That connection could be leaking.
If it is the tube you can cut out the cracked area and replace it with some hose, but the rest of it is probably about ready to go to. I would either replace it all with rubber hose or get a better set from the junkyard. You could check with the dealer but I am guessing it is pretty pricey.
As for the thing by your carb, that is the "hot fuel" system. The tee has a supply line from the pump(s), a line out to the carb and the other line is a return to the tank. So fuel is cycled through all the time. By cycling the fuel it ensures that the fuel in the line does not boil and cause vapor lock. Also the return fuel sprays on the intank pump and cools it, if you have electric pumps.
Hope that helps!
If it is the tube you can cut out the cracked area and replace it with some hose, but the rest of it is probably about ready to go to. I would either replace it all with rubber hose or get a better set from the junkyard. You could check with the dealer but I am guessing it is pretty pricey.
As for the thing by your carb, that is the "hot fuel" system. The tee has a supply line from the pump(s), a line out to the carb and the other line is a return to the tank. So fuel is cycled through all the time. By cycling the fuel it ensures that the fuel in the line does not boil and cause vapor lock. Also the return fuel sprays on the intank pump and cools it, if you have electric pumps.
Hope that helps!
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Freshman User
Joined: Aug 2004
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I took off the skid plate to get better access to the switch area. The top of the switch has a total of 6 lines, 2 for each tank, and 2 toward the motor. I could not tell what was leaking, so I went and purchases new fuel hose to fix my problem. The 1st line to the engine when pulled apart, leak some fuel in the line as expected. The 2nd line from the engine did the same, but the side from the switch continued to pour so I reattached the line with the old hose. Do I need to work fast because I have both tanks full of fuel? I think I can handle lossing a few gallons total while I switch all the six lines. The top of the switch where the 6 lines attach to, is plastic, should this switch be replaced? From this plastic piece, there is rubber hose connecting to an aluminum type hose.I cant be sure where the leak is coming from, and I prefer to only do this once. Sorry for being long winded, thanks for the help.
