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Slow Refueling

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Old Nov 19, 2006 | 02:03 AM
  #1  
leeward's Avatar
leeward
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Slow Refueling

I drive an '85 F-250 6.9 with duel tanks, have a devil of a time refueling. I've been told that there is a vent for the tanks, but have been unable to find a vent tube. I could fill up faster with an eyedropper. Overall running condition improves as I learn more and fix mostly maintenance-related issues. Thanks for all the help. Any answers out there?
 
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Old Nov 19, 2006 | 04:51 AM
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have to drop tanks to get to the vent tubes on the rear the front you can take the tank part of the way down to find it its just a 1/4 lin in a one way check valve they do stop up i myself got a couple of later style necks the one with the vents in the filler neck and converted both tanks on my 85 now fills realy good
 
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Old Nov 19, 2006 | 10:23 AM
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Saigon
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I have an 86 and have the same problem,too lazy to check the vent tubes but I found that if I hold the fueling handle in the 3 oclock position it fills up better, seems that as time passes diesel fuel here is foaming more and more!!
 
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Old Nov 19, 2006 | 01:24 PM
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Originally Posted by dwaymar
have to drop tanks to get to the vent tubes on the rear the front you can take the tank part of the way down to find it its just a 1/4 lin in a one way check valve they do stop up i myself got a couple of later style necks the one with the vents in the filler neck and converted both tanks on my 85 now fills realy good
Is it possible to just replace the filler necks on both tanks to correct this problem?
 
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Old Nov 19, 2006 | 01:50 PM
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yes you can replace the filler necks with the vents on the side but you still have to get to the vents on the top of the tanks
 
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Old Nov 19, 2006 | 06:01 PM
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I have a 90 gal transfer tank in my 87' that fills into the front tank. I drilled a hole in the fillerneck and brazed a piece of 1/4 inch tube to it and then went to flexible hose to my transfer pump. I had done that about three weeks bfore I put the tank in so it was acting like another vent and when I filled the front tank what a differance it made! It was like night and day. Now that the tank is on it's back to its normal slow self. I am thinking about adding a second one to the neck to act like a vent I would do it to the rear as well, But who knows when that will be.
 
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Old Nov 19, 2006 | 07:43 PM
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My 86 had the vent tube inside the filler neck.
You can get to it by only removing the neck.
After I removed the internal vent, my tanks filled much better and it quite spitting at me.

You can also remove the tank and then run an external vent tube up to the filler neck.
You have to remove the filler neck and braze a fitting on there to attach the external vent line to.
 
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Old Nov 19, 2006 | 09:31 PM
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i once forgot to pop the vent plug back on top of the tank, it took fuel really good then, it was crazy, i think i got like 23 gals in the back tank before it ran over, lol but i always found that if you drive up on a block of wood about 4" it will help fueling. if you dont like that idea, you can pull your tanks down and pop the vent thingy off the top of the tanks, get a large 90*brass fitting with hose barbs, id say about 3/4" and shove it in that grommet where it is tight. get a piece of hose to fit it and run that hose straight up in between the inner and outter bed, make sure the end of the hose is at least above the fill neck, secure that 3/4 hose to the fuel neck with a zip tie. what you are doing is just increasing the size of your vent tube from 1/4 to 3/4 i did that to my grandpa's pickup and it works fine. unless you try to fill it all the way up to the tippy top, then it spills out a little from the top of the vent tube. i hope i helped a little. and if the hold the nozzle out a little just right where it shoots the fuel right down in there it helps a little.
 
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Old Nov 20, 2006 | 02:34 AM
  #9  
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one other thing on the older fors the fill neck has a black hose down into the top of the tank this was the early type vent i think in 86 they went to the vent hose on the out side of the neck this hose has a real prob when the fuel is foaming so just pull the necks and pull the hose out of the midle of it and this will help fueling alot
 
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Old Nov 21, 2006 | 10:41 PM
  #10  
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That small, black plastic tube that dwaymar is talking about is used on my 86. It got flattened when I was hauling about 4,500 lbs of firewood in the box, and I had trouble filling. I recently had the box off, and maybe I didn't line it up right when I put it back together. I took some 3/4" drip line tubing, a few feet long, and worked it down that little plastic tube, and then filling was full speed again.
 
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Old Nov 22, 2006 | 10:48 AM
  #11  
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Has any one tried using a long piece of tubing, inserting it when you fuel up and pulling it out when your done...just a thought.
 
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Old Nov 23, 2006 | 12:31 AM
  #12  
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Originally Posted by bc6.9
Has any one tried using a long piece of tubing, inserting it when you fuel up and pulling it out when your done...just a thought.

Thanks to all for your suggestions and sharing your vast experience. This idea from bc6.9 is a great short term solution I can try until I have time to pull the tanks. Thanks, bc6.9!
 
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Old Nov 23, 2006 | 07:47 PM
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From: florida
i have 2 tanks and both took forever to fill. i removed the vent completely and made a 3/4 inch pipe vent. now i can't put the fuel in too fast. however if i try to totally fill the tanks it pukes out a pint of diesel on the ground. so now i never completely fill the tanks completely. usually put in 15 gallons in each tank and i am good to go. when i get the truck back to florida in the spring i will devise a check valve vent that will eliminate spitting out fuel when i completely fill the tanks.
 
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