Need Help Guys , finished harpooning the tank on my 2002 PSD this morning (not exactly what I had in mind for the 4th of July). Got the work all done without much difficulty , all the hints on here were great. Problem comes in after 1st fill up , gas leaking in a slow steady drip from the top of the tank. It appears from what I can feel , that the gas is from around the sending unit , all the lines appear fine. Possibilty that I did not tighten the large nut that holds the sending unit in , I marked the pieces before I took them off , but could not get them tightned back to where the marks lined up when putting the unit back together. Is there a special tool used to take that large nut off? I just used brute strength to get it off , but it won't allow me to get it back on. Can I drive the truck ? Will the leak stop once the fuel level goes down? I will drop the tank again once I can get the fuel level down. But again , is it safe to drive till the 40 gallons or so are gone?

Also , the whole purpose of harpooning was to expedite the fill-ups. Before , I would fill up and after the 1st click , I could get 4 more gallons in , but it took forever. Lots of foam , pump , wait , pump, wait , etc.... I was under the impression that harpooning would eliminate the wait. 1st fill up and same results , 1st 33 gallons went smooth , last 3 gallons pump , foam , wait , pump, foam , wait. Am I filling too high when filling to the top of the filler neck? I trimmed the tubes in the tank just as the instructions read.


HELP GUYS - HAPPY 4TH to ALL

 

Hi, it's possible you cross threaded it , very easy to do and the O ring is not sealing. Some guys soak the plastic ring in very hot water to soften it some or let it sit in the sun awile before you try to put it back on. It also helps to use a little vasaline on the threads , I had no trouble getting mine back on by hand doing it this way. Hope this helps

 

You will probably have to drive it that way for a while to get the fuel level down to a point that you can drop it again unless you have a way to store that much fuel. 38 gallons of diesel is going to be pretty heavy.
I tightened mine up with a hammer and small block of wood using the ridges on the ring to pound against. No leaks and after doing the harpoon. I am only able to squeeze about 1 gallon in if I want to spend enough time at the pump.

 

I just had mine down yesterday and it was a beyatch to put back on without cross threading. Took 2 of us to put back on at about midnight.

 

75% chance it is cross threaded. it took me about 15 minutes to get it threaded on correctly.

to remove it and tighten it up, i used two vise-grip looking devices. instead of having jaws on them, it had a chain that is used for oil and fuel filter canisters, i guess. put them opposite of each other, sit on the tank to hold it and put your weight into it, it will slide loose.

 

I used the same method as Guzzle with a block of wood and a hammer and was able to get them to line back up. It seems like such an easy thing that you can't mess up, but it took me about 10 minutes before I got it on correctly as well. It would feel good for a turn and then would not go anymore.
How short did you cut your tubes? This willl effect how much you can put in before the foam, fill, wait happens. I only left about 1 inch on mine and I can fill it right up and don't worry about the last gallon anymore.

 

I cut the breather tube to about 1 inch as well. We will see how it goes after I fix the leak. I don't feel as idiotic now knowing others had the same problem. Thanks for all the help. I will let you all know what was up once it is fixed.

 

Did you only cut one tube, or did you cut the vent tube right next to it as well?

Also the nut for me was a pain to get back on. I had the most trouble getting it started without cross threading it. That process alone took more than 30 minutes. Once I got it started correctly, then I had to hammer it tight. That took another 20 minutes. It's slow progress, but if you take your time you should be able to get it right.

 

I cut both tubes , as instructed , I was told it would not matter. The truck is at my mechanic's tonight , hopefully get it back tommorrow. The leak was not as bad today after the trip to work and back.

Question , once I get the truck back , what should I expect at fill up time? When the gas nozzle clic's , should it be full? It was my impression that it would be full. Again , thanks all for the help.

 

More than likely you won't get a complete fill up when the nozzle clicks off. Expect possibly another gallon or two to fit in there. I can fit another gallon to 1 1/2 gallons to fit before fuel is in the filler neck. I did this mod because fillups became a real pain after I moved. It used to be that after the first click, I would fit another 4-5 gallons of diesel in the tank before it was full. After moving to higher altitude, I typically had to put a minimum of 8 gallons in before the fuel was at the neck. Fillups were taking 30 freakin minutes!!!!!!!!! If I was in a hurry I'd fill up to the first click, then drive off and the gauge never even reached the "F".

Anyway, good luck and hope your rig is fixed soon.

 

I am so PO'd. The Ford dealer has sent the mechanic the incorrest gasket for the sending unit 3 TIMES!!!!! The dealer says it may be Monday before they can locate the correct one. Have the fuel tanks themselves been that modified since 2002 that the sending unit for a 2002 PSD 40 gallon tank has changed ? I hate to go the weekend without my baby. I am having PSD withdrawls!!!! Hopefully Monday.

 

How did you lose a gasket. I dont even remember seeing mine.

 

The gasket was not lost , I was assured by my mechanic that it should be replaced. It did not look bad at all to me , but I trust this guy. The gasket on my unit was black and right under the sending unit , fits into a shallow groove on the the top of the fuel tank.