Depressurizing the fuel lines
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Joined: Sep 1999
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Depressurizing the fuel lines
To release the pressure you must trip or unplug the inertia switch then run the motor. The switch is incase of an accident it shuts of the fuel pump. It should be under your dash near the brake pedal I prefer to unplug it because if you keep tripping it then it becomes to sensitive.When you are done just plug it back in and start.This switch is also the first thing you should check if you can't start your truck in a parking lot. If you see red at the top of the switch push it down to reset because somebody has bumped your truck.
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From: Bel Air USA
Depressurizing the fuel lines
An easier way is to unplug the fuel pump relay under the hood. Try to crank the engine for about 2 to 3 seconds to bleed the pressure off.
If you try the inertia fuel switch I believe that it is located on the passenger side instead of the driver's side like mentioned earlier.
If you try the inertia fuel switch I believe that it is located on the passenger side instead of the driver's side like mentioned earlier.
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Joined: Jul 1999
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Depressurizing the fuel lines
I'm going to change my filter,too. I found the relay to be behind the passenger-side kick panel on the right side of the truck. My manual talks about changing "O"rings on the fuel rail but I am unclear about the fuel filter. Are there "O"rings that need changed when I disconnect the fuel lines at the filter? Do I need the special tool to disconnect the garter spring connector or will some 90* bend needle-nose pliers do the trick? I would hate to get it apart and be stranded in my own driveway...
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Joined: Jun 1999
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Depressurizing the fuel lines
From what I found out from a Ford mechanic who is now an instructor at a local Vo-tech school you will need to use the special tool for the fuel lines IF you have the certain type of connectors requiring this tool. Some connectors only need the plastic clips removed from the lines next to the filter slid out and others require the special disconnect tool. The only way to determine this is to get under the truck and look. If you do indeed need the special tool take special caution not to bend the "prongs" inside the female part of the lines (the ones that go onto the filter). If they are bent while removing they will have to either be resprung or you may have to replace the entire fuel lines. The instructor/mechanic lent me his own tool that was needed since he had two of them. I haven't done this project yet, but will attempt this tomorrow. I haven't heard of any "O" rings that require replacement. Please notify me of what this is.
Thanks and Happy Holidays
Thanks and Happy Holidays
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Depressurizing the fuel lines
Frank: I just changed my fuel filter for the first time. Mine is the Garter spring type that requires the removal tool. My truck has two fuel tanks and Ford couldn't find it in thier hearts to move the filter down the frame another foot so you could get to it. I loosened the skid plate (4x4) and dropped the corner closest to the filter to get my hand up in there. I had the plastic tool on backwards. I finally figured out the flange goes inside the fuel line to loosen the spring (duh) and like magic the fuel line popped right off.
Your new filter should have plastic caps to keep the dust out. Get one ready to cap off the old filter when you pop the line because fuel will run out all over. You have to use the tool to re-connect the lines also. When putting the rear safety clip back on I used a small nut to hold the clip ends open to get it started on the fuel line. (it is really hard to reach) Once started pop the nut loose with a screw driver. Hope these tips help.
I emptied the old filter in a can. It holds a lot of fuel. At 75,000 miles it was really full of dirt and sand. The original owner lived in Florida...
Your new filter should have plastic caps to keep the dust out. Get one ready to cap off the old filter when you pop the line because fuel will run out all over. You have to use the tool to re-connect the lines also. When putting the rear safety clip back on I used a small nut to hold the clip ends open to get it started on the fuel line. (it is really hard to reach) Once started pop the nut loose with a screw driver. Hope these tips help.
I emptied the old filter in a can. It holds a lot of fuel. At 75,000 miles it was really full of dirt and sand. The original owner lived in Florida...
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Depressurizing the fuel lines
Yea, I had close to the same problem with mine, except that mine isn't 4X4. I wish they would have moved the filter forward about 6 more inches also. The fuel tank was interfearing with the removal of the filter and its holder. I wish that I had read your post before attempting this project. Man, that fuel tastes awful. Yeap, I got a mouth full of gasoline, even though the inertia switch had been disconnected and the 2-3 sec. attempt to start. I didn't have that much of a problem removing the front fuel line, it was the rear that was the booger. I didn't have to use the tool, as you stated you did, to reinstall the lines. I just pushed them back onto the filter until I heard them "click" into place.
Man, was that filter clogged. I attempted to blow through the filter, in the correct direction of normal fuel flow, and hardly could get the air to pass through. But, to compare the old with the new, I also blew through the new one. WOW, what a difference. I didn't know that the old one was so restricted.
Anyway, thanks for your reply to my posting. Maybe in the future we can share ideas on how to attempt other projects on our trucks.
Later.
Man, was that filter clogged. I attempted to blow through the filter, in the correct direction of normal fuel flow, and hardly could get the air to pass through. But, to compare the old with the new, I also blew through the new one. WOW, what a difference. I didn't know that the old one was so restricted.
Anyway, thanks for your reply to my posting. Maybe in the future we can share ideas on how to attempt other projects on our trucks.
Later.
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Depressurizing the fuel lines
There is an easier way to depressurize the lines on most Ford EFIs. There is a Schrader valve on the injector manifold, it is the same type as on your tires. Look on the chrome tubing next to the distributor ( on a 302 anyway) and you will see a black cap on the chrome rail, unscrew it and you will see it. Just put a small screwdriver in there and deflate it like you would a tire. Change the filter when the truck is cold. Old filters can accumulate alot of back pressure as Im sure you found out. Mine once had enough pressure to spray gas all over me, the underside of the truck and the very hot catalitic converter right next to my head. I change it when its cold now.
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Joined: Aug 1999
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From: Bel Air USA
Depressurizing the fuel lines
If you had properly de-pressureized the fuel line you would not have gotten the so-called back pressure.
What you are doing at the schrader valve is probably not doint what you think it is.
What you are doing at the schrader valve is probably not doint what you think it is.
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Depressurizing the fuel lines
Your right I wasn't doing it the right way when I got sprated with gas. The truck would hardly run anymore because the filter was clogged. I was in a hurry and disconnected the filter without depressurizing anything. Now I depressurize the Schrader or wait until morning when the pressure drops(I think the check valve in the pump is leaking a bit) and and everything is nice and cool.
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