Before I get into it too much, do we want this here or in electrical? I don't see a fuel systems section.

This is the third pump in it (last replaced in April), van has 54,500 miles, had it 3-1/2 years.

Details to follow once we know where to place this thread.

OK, Lots of voyeurs...

I'll lay it out here since there seems to be no preference as to where this is.

Vehicle: 2006 E-350, V-10, Quigley 4x4, 5 sp Torq-Shift, now @ 54,500 miles, took delivery 9/06.

One year ago this past December (that would be 12/2008), during a cold snap and several days of wintry weather van started acting like it had water in fuel system. I treated it with isopropyl several times with no improvement. After a few days it got so bad I couldn't climb moderate hills at speeds over 25-30 mph.

In January I put it in the shop (dealer) and all they could find was faulty fuel pump and some "rust dust" on the bottom of the tank. There was some rust showing around the seal where new tank end was placed (this allows room for transfer case, shrinking tank to 31 gallons). Dealer had outside contractor install a coating on that end of tank. This coating is used in restorations. New pump, fresh fuel and filter installed.

At the end of April we embarked on a driving vacation. After less than 1,000 into our trip it started to act up again. We could roll along ok unless we needed to call for more fuel, then it would buck and snort and eventually throw a code if I kept pushing it, lean bank code iirc.

We finished up Tennessee, made it through Arkansas, and across Oklahoma to OKC and our friends' home. I knew John had a connection with a Ford dealer or two. Dealer diagnostics initially turned up nothing until they tried it under load, then they found faulty fuel pump, low pressure under load.

John and I found the only real (there was a virtual one, but nobody could lay a hand on it) fuel pump showing on the computer in all of Oklahoma City, about $415.00 with tax and all. My dealer back home did get me $380.00+ for the pump he installed...and he left it in the back of the van...didn't want or need it.

We had no difficulty installing the new pump, what with the added ground clearance of the lift provided by the Quigley upfit. There was absolutely nothing other than one of those foil circles from the seal in the neck of an isopropyl bottle. Remaining fuel was perfectly clear. We installed a new filter as well. That was late in April 2009. Mileage was shy of 50,000.

I haven't driven the van a lot lately, recuperating from appendectomy. Son chauffeured me and I wasn't feeling up to snuff enuff to pay attention. But yesterday I had to take wifey to appointment in the city. Gas was low, but plenty of time to gas up along the way. Came up behind an 18 wheeler at the foot of a long upgrade with plenty of vision. Laid on the gas and as soon as the engine got would up it started bucking just like before, fuel starved, it seemed.

I am going to replace the fuel filter today and report back, but I never use gas cans, never fill from home or farm tanks, and always treat for water, well, 8 out of 10 tankfuls I do.

I am starting to wonder about the product I use for treatment. I'll pay attention to see if I get any crud out of the old filter.

If I have to replace this pump, I think I may look into an aftermarket performance pump and filter set-up. I can't be swapping this out every year or so.

Sorry this is so long, but this has been quite the saga.

If the tank was low it could just be a bit of water from condensation in the tank.
Try some Thermoaid from NAPA this seems to be the best dry gas you can find and use.

Im wondering if you are over treating?
maybe eating up something in the fuel pump?

That would be my only guess...

If the filter dont fix it, then put a pump in it, but only treat the fuel if you think you got a bad batch...

There are only about 5 stations in town where i get my fuel from, i have consitently gotten good fuel from them, several other stations in town i have gotten bad gas from.

Very noticeable in the mileage the truck gets from tank to tank...

It WAS the Fuel Filter

Although it has been less than a year, maybe about 10,000 miles, it was a restricted fuel filter. I guess this will be a lesson to me to change it every other oil change.

I remember another poster (long ago, in a land far away) mentioning that these V-10's have to have the filters changed religiously. I have never had an EFI engine quite this fussy, but then again, I never had one that could guzzle gas the way this one can if you ask it to.

Always before this I scheduled (if I even remembered to do it then) a fuel filter change for the fall service interval each year. I guess I missed a change or two on the Crown Vic. Started having idling issues and got a gasoline smell...filter had rusted through and was leaking...ooops!

I am going to cut back on the treatment, however. There was nothing but a bit of silt coming from the old filter intake. Absolutely no water, no crud other than the fine silt...now where did that come from? Maybe the additive bottles! I buy it in bulk and re-fill my own "single-serve" bottles. I'll have to watch that.

Thanks for the help and I hope this will help others remember to service that fuel filter.

The fuel filter helped for a while

But as the tank got below half it started bucking under heavy, at first, then moderate acceleration.

Dealer took it Friday, haven't heard back yet. Starting to get worried $$$$

More later.

On the 4th pump.

Well, to follow up:

My dealer decided it was the pump again. The third pump was replaced under warranty, but it is still a puzzle as to why they went bad.

I have had vehicles with almost 200,000 miles on them, well over 10 years old, with the original fuel pump. Go figure. Also have treated with the same product for most of ten years.

Man that sucks. Hopefully this one lasts you awhile

Fuel pump issues

If anyone knows of any persistent fuel pump issues in E-Series or other trucks, please respond here.

If anyone knows of an additive issue which might cause or accelerate fuel pump problems, please respond here as well.

Thank you.

I've got almost 100,000 miles on my '05 E-350 V10. I run the cheapest gas I can find (from Key West to Homer Alaska) and never put anything else in the tank...never changed the fuel filter unless it's a regular service item and I wasn't aware of it.

...I never go over 55mph - even still running the original brakes...


Man, I love this van.

That's great.

I won't tell you the problems I have had with the rear brakes. Those rear calipers seize and wreck the rotors. Must be the salt they use on the roads here.

You probably frequent stations using ethanol and that keeps the water from being a problem. Other than that, I don't know how you do it. I never used to use anything for it and plugged that little in-line filter on the carb of my 351 (5.8L) when I ran a delivery tuck. Never again and until now, never a problem...always use something. Unless you use gasohol, there is no way to keep water from accumulating in the tank and unless you totally avoid areas where it falls below 32 degrees, it will be a problem eventually.

I helped one fellow driver who never heard of dry gas, in Rochester, NY, here in the Northeast where we have some of the coolest, dampest weather in the country. He had to replace several filters before his truck would run...all of them filled with water. You are fortunate.

Tell me about never driving over 55. There must be a story here. How does that work out on the Interstates where they want to run 80? I had to keep it down to about 40 on a 140 mile trip during a spell of bad weather and I got the best mpg ever, but most of the time that is impractical.

Just wondering.

MuddyAxles said:

Tell me about never driving over 55. There must be a story here. How does that work out on the Interstates where they want to run 80? I had to keep it down to about 40 on a 140 mile trip during a spell of bad weather and I got the best mpg ever, but most of the time that is impractical.

Just wondering.

Click to expand...

If you run the speed limit two things happen:
1) when folks pass you they cut in too soon and you have to brake
2) you often come up on someone going slower than you and then need to change lanes to pass.

If you never go over 55mph, six things happen:
1) when folks cut in after passing you they're way up there
2) you never need to change lanes
3) you never need to touch the brakes
4) you don't have to keep track of any speed limits
5) you're more relaxed when you get where you're going
6) your mileage is about at it's max (I get 17 on the road)

It all started when I just got tired of being in a hurry. I've never had or been responsible for an accident that I'm aware of because of only going 55. I haven't even been pulled over in 30 years. I do keep up with traffic on the interstate IF there's a steady stream of traffic in the left lane and folks behind me have a hard time getting around me (I65 north into Indianapolis comes to mind).

OK then!

Well, can't fight with that. With the extra weight of the 4x4 I have determined my best mpg comes at 40-45, which is just too slow for all but inclement weather.

My best ever is 14, but a simple stiff headwind will suck the gas right out of the tank for me. I have had portions of a tankful approaching 15, but had a good tailwind that day.

While driving OTR my route put me in Ohio, the bane of many OTR drivers until recently, for about 40% of my 2,000 mile week's mileage. I never got even a second glance and never drove 55 mph. Cars were allowed to go 65, usually went 75, which was a dangerous situation caused by speed limit laws, but that is another story.

I set the cruise for 62, passed any visible "speed enforcement deployment" (aka revenue enhancement) officers at 61. 13 months of that, not one pull over. And I got 0.5 mpg better on that half of the trip, but there were fewer hills as well.

I do like to see that you're keeping track of what is going on behind you as well. I always tried to maintain my safety zone on all sides, hardest is that one in the front, like you say. Expert horn usage helps when they're too close, but you have to be ready for the novice who stands on the brake every time he blinks.

In line with your thinking, last years vacation put us over 5,000 miles of U. S. highways in 16 days, of which we were stationary 5 days. 5,000/11 = 454.5 miles average per day. Two-thirds of those miles were on non-Interstate, many of them two-lane highways.

We didn't press too hard, usually put in 8-10 hours a day. i guess the point is you can make decent mileage AND see some countryside without having to drive 70.

I have written...

I have written to the manufacturer of the fuel additive. They are willing to take a look at the fuel pump to try to discover what went wrong.

I might add (and I know this is in the wrong thread) that they are having increasing reports of rust in equipment diesel tanks where you would not expect it. I don't know if the rust occurred before using the additive or while using it, but there is a huge problem with gasoline and diesel behaving in ways we are not prepared for it to act, causing damage and driveability problems.

In another forum I tried to convince some guy named Ed that all these "environmental" changes have been forced too quickly and that the affected environment (transportation and storage systems, maintenance practices and recommendations to name a couple) just could not respond quickly enough to adequately develop and test everything that was being changed.

I know I read that at one point in time, just after the change recommendation to 5w-20, the only 5w-20 produced was for the manufacturer's production lines...it wasn't even available to dealers for a while.

Point being, new stuff is designed by engineers in a laboratory setting for use in a perfect world. Products are used in the real world where conditions change. Time and testing helps refine things.

Or, maybe I have bad luck and got three bad fuel pumps in a row (but then, why did the first one last 45,000 miles?). Who knows?

Wow- thanks for all the quality information and for letting an old "VAN FAN" see another awesome 4x4 Van!
I am sorry no one initially responded; This is definitely a great place to post this, but there is one other place you might want to copy and paste your issues to, and that is our tech support forum as well-
http://www.fordtruckfanatics.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=27
Yes, we are all members and family, here, but the techs, specifically, hang out there and answer TONS of questions just like yours, and don't always have the chance to check out the model-specific threads! Conversely, we try to keep that tech forum for the techs only, and that helps streamline the topics and resolutions.
Thanks again- and I'll see you again soon, I hope!

Tom

I did that...

on 4/17. No bites. Maybe it was the title?

Hard to say. Not that they are sticklers, but they like to generally see a synopsis in the title, like Year/Make/model/issue... but you can send VINCE (Blacksnapon) a PM, too http://www.fordtruckfanatics.com/forum/private.php?do=newpm&u=24

sorry to read about ur pump issues... reminds me of my hs beater... i had to replaced 3 in the 4 years i was driving it as the DD... i just always chalked it up to gremlins in the vehicle (it had issues)... could be that you happen to of gotten a lemon.. every line seems to have a few come off and reach the public...

That's scary to think of.

Follow-up

Well, so far so good. Just went past 60k and this last pump is still pumpin'.

Really have to wonder if the additive was breaking down the coating inside and plugging things up.