my 04 e450 6.0l 96k"manbulance" sprung a leak on the fuel system on the road today makin a run back from cali to oklahoma. Was makin the I-70 transition in colorado and noticed the smell of diesel and then smoke,pulled over and diesel streaming at a good pace with the key on,looks to be somewhere above my compressor and twin alternators is where the area of the leak origionates fars as I was able to see. I'm a newb admittedly so my question is where exactly is that secondary fuel element? Had the 90 k service done in cali,(94.8k) fuel filters,oil,trans,rear diff etc..was talkin with a friend who says the plastic housing on the filters are prone to crack/break with improper removal/installation. the van style 6.0 is so crowded I can't get an eye ball on much of anything. Somebody point me in the right direction please, i'm not stranded but i'm stuck here till I get this straightened out. I'm up all night till I figure this out.....and if your any where near brighton,co I'll make it worth your while

 

watched a you tube video got a general idea where to look for filter will look in the morning, still think the e450 van style 6.0l location to be different than what i saw on an f250 6.0l.....

 

Primary filter is on the frame rail and has a filter cap on it, for a larger of the pair filter. Youu likely need new cap and filter. Secondary filter on engine housing beside oil filter cap, likely same location as truck. This is probably the one leaking. You need a big socket to properly do this, likely where they did yours they just used the 1/2 inch insert for ratchet and split the filter cover. I would change both filters, primary on frame first, secondary second, just to be sure no bits in fuel system. In the first set of this 6.0 section, check out tech folder.

 

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...ue-spring.html
Check out the second picture. The keyhole shaped cover is a common leak spot. It has a matching shaped o-ring behind it (likely a dealer only part). In the pic, the air intake tube from the intercooler to the intake is moved and the upper radiator hose is off. You should be able to get to it without removing the rad hose. The screws are Torx - T20 if I remember right.

 

The screws are T25.

 

I think you nailed it.....I pulled the upper hose loose and the inner cooler line off to just be able to see the filter on mine since its a van,filter cap etc looks intact as well as i could see,will revisit this and look for my leak on fuel pressure regulator if I can acess it, hell I'm tryng from inside (dog box off)and out and its a pain in the *** to acess!!!

 

The ONLY thing that can leak fuel from the area you describe, is either the main fuel supply line to the passenger side cylinder head, and/or the banjo bolt/washers, unless it's migrating there from the fuel filter housing which seems unlikely. On an E-Series, the secondary fuel filter housing is the only part that resides on top of the engine. The oil filter housing is bolted to the driver side of the engine and accessed from the bottom. Not that it makes any difference in your situation.

For what it's worth, if you want to access the secondary fuel filter housing, don't torture yourself trying to do it from the rear with the engine cover removed. I am about as computer illiterate as they come, when it comes to uploading photos, so I'll direct you to this link to help you:

DTS Articles - 6.0L Power Stroke E-Series Fuel Filter Removal

If the leak does happen to be coming from the fuel pressure regulator housing as others seem to think, the part number from Ford is 4C2Z-9T517-AA for an E-Series. And the four screws are TX-27 by the way, NOT TX-25 or TX-20.

 

Holy crap that engine compartment is tight!

 

main fuel supply line to the passenger side cylinder head sounds likely as well as it seems??? to be passenger side related.....any pics or tips on accessing this as well as the pressure regulator?

 

Hey B, definitely listen to m-chan, he knows his stuff. When I read "dual alternators" I was thinking driver side.

 

I know its not the regulator so it has to be the main supply line to the head but ill be dammed if i can see it. i know any idiot should be able to follow a line but its evading me

 

Funny I just did my blue spring and I used a t25 bit. It worked great lol!

 

If your van has dual alternators, I don't envy you a bit!!! To access that line and banjo bolt, you would need to remove that hot side charge air cooler pipe, just to even see the line fitting to the cylinder head. With a dual alternator setup, you would also need to remove the secondary alternator, belt and mounting bracket just for access to it!!!

If you are interested in part numbers, the main supply line from the secondary fuel filter housing to the passenger side cylinder head is 4C2Z-9A274-BA, and the washers on the banjo bolt would be 3C3Z-9A375-AA (which you would need two of).

My suggestion is to remove the secondary alternator, belt, mounting bracket and charge air pipe assembly, and cycle the key from OFF to RUN a couple of times to give you an exact visual of what it is that's actually leaking from that area.

GOOD LUCK AND HAVE FUN!!!

 

the fuel line where the banjo bolt meets the tubing was spraying every where(got a video of it) yep had to remove both alternators and the pulley tensioners and brackets. had the local parker fittings/hose distributor braze the connection(free by the way if your ever in denver and need their services great people)other wise it would have been a day or longer to ship one in. Now In desperate need for the diagrams to detail the belts,bolts pulleys for this motor(vin#1fdxe45p54ha86972) as I was assisting the mechanic on this work and I guess he's "uncertain" where all the bolts went/are etc.(I just kept him in tools,he did the wrenching).I was told by the owner they were knowledge-able on these vehicles thats certainly not the case. I tried getting a manual from the dealership today to no avail,they keep giving me internet addresses to order from rather than what I need. By the way the service manager quoted me 2 hours at the dealership to do this job,that seems really lean but 10 hours and only half way done is ridiculous!!!!

 

12/05/2021

Unable to access the DTS site. Do you have this info? Thx Rog