Fuel Tank Problems

[FarmNut]

I don't know a damn thing about mechanics and bought a rig for my farm that came with issues. I'm poor, broke and doing everything I can on the cheap. Oh sweet, innocent, naïvete that led me to believe the person selling wouldn't LIE about the truck they were selling for $900....

Anyway, 1973 f-250 (which was sold as a 1972, but it matches the 1973 specs so i assume he was wrong on that part, too!) with duel tanks both of which have problems. The side one has "sludge" and the main tank in back has leaks somewhere at the top of the tank. Bad ones that you can smell gas fuming out of, anytime you open the tank theres a vacume suction...

Truck has been starting, but stalls after a minute as if fuel is not making it to the engine. New fuel pump.

I finally balled up and dropped the side tank with the sludge as the back tank is going to be a feat to access thanks to an aggressive welder who put on the hitch.

Oh man. The gas I poured out was brown. Its rusted all up in the tank with a solid mass of something rolling around. Suprisingly only one hole in the tank despite the rust on the inside. My friend suggested I just pour in white vinegar and let it eat off the rust then patch the tank and call it good. How feasible is that option? Or would I be better off using a tank repair kit that seals the inside of the tank? I'd prefer not to have to spend almost $200 on a new tank, no, ebay doesn't have any that fits the specs of my tank.

On the topic of tanks I see people use custom gas tanks: whats the purpose and how much performance does it actually improve? Is it really worth $500 for a custom gas tank?

Expect lots of questions from me as I get this hunk of junk running again.

 

[holtz]

In my experience with fuel tanks as far as patching up holes, it is not worth it, as many of these trucks that are out there it shouldn't be hard to find a replacement set. Depending on where you live in Oregon, If you are close enough I may have what you are looking for. I have tried brazing them , epoxy and what ever else i could find and they always found a way to leak and the other question is how bad is the inside and how many more areas will start leaking.You can do like the rest of us and buy a cheap parts truck.

 

[Fellro]

Fuel tanks have gotten quite inexpensive these days, especially at the rate the fuel loss would start to add up to...

The question would be do you have a factory front tank or an add on. If it looks very similar in nature to the rear tank, it is more likely to be factory. Also, the switch should be on the dash, not a valve you turn by the seat.

73 would have the newer body style, which was mostly the same until 1979. The body line on the side is indented, while on a 72 MY it would bump out. That is why you find 73-79 often referred to as dent sides, while 67-72 are referred to as bump sides. It isn't entirely uncommon to find some of the parts match a 73 while the body indicates a 72. I have even seen a few cases where the body styling didn't quite match the MY that was specified on the title. Keeps life interesting for a parts guy...

 

[Mil1ion]

I don't know a damn thing about mechanics and bought a rig for my farm that came with issues. I'm poor, broke and doing everything I can on the cheap. Oh sweet, innocent, naïvete that led me to believe the person selling wouldn't LIE about the truck they were selling for $900....

Anyway, 1973 f-250 (which was sold as a 1972, but it matches the 1973 specs so i assume he was wrong on that part, too!) with duel tanks both of which have problems. The side one has "sludge" and the main tank in back has leaks somewhere at the top of the tank. Bad ones that you can smell gas fuming out of, anytime you open the tank theres a vacume suction...

Truck has been starting, but stalls after a minute as if fuel is not making it to the engine. New fuel pump.

I finally balled up and dropped the side tank with the sludge as the back tank is going to be a feat to access thanks to an aggressive welder who put on the hitch.

Oh man. The gas I poured out was brown. Its rusted all up in the tank with a solid mass of something rolling around. Suprisingly only one hole in the tank despite the rust on the inside. My friend suggested I just pour in white vinegar and let it eat off the rust then patch the tank and call it good. How feasible is that option? Or would I be better off using a tank repair kit that seals the inside of the tank? I'd prefer not to have to spend almost $200 on a new tank, no, ebay doesn't have any that fits the specs of my tank.

On the topic of tanks I see people use custom gas tanks: whats the purpose and how much performance does it actually improve? Is it really worth $500 for a custom gas tank?

Expect lots of questions from me as I get this hunk of junk running again.

Don't salvage them if they are really bad.

Think about this.

You're brushing your teeth and you need to rinse twice. all there is, is dirty filthy water in a cup on the porch.

Do you want to rinse with that water?
No..of course you don't.

Fuel tanks.
You have two choices.
1) you replace the gas tanks with good ones.
2) you have your tanks cleaned and prepped professionally.

Fuel tanks get steam cleaned.
Then once dry they get sprayed inside to remove any water still in it. Then a sealer/coating.
The problem is......the metal fatigues and deteriorates.

Maybe try to find a tank online or locally.

 

[FarmNut]

Hum, the switch is a knob by the seat. So maybe it is a 1972? Side before axle tank. Behind axle tank is not easily accessible without removing the back end of the truck.

I just counted my money from selling pigs...guess I can afford a new tank afterall

 

[Big Jim F150]

Try LMC truck they have tanks both front and rear for your truck and you might want to consider new sending units also.

 

[Mil1ion]

http://www.blueovaltruckparts.com/s-164-tanks.aspx?PageNum=0

I suggest you buy from this guy.

He could use the business to keep
sponsoring truck sites.

He's a great guy to deal with

Mention my name.

 

[Fellro]

Businesses that sell parts for restoration and the like are getting better value from their advertising dollars BY sponsoring forums such as this. They pretty much have an audience that is interested in their products when they do. BOTP, Jeff's Bronco Graveyard are two of the better suppliers for classic parts without breaking the bank. You can also get tanks from many local parts stores. Spectre may not be the best in the land for brands, but they get the job done.

 

[FarmNut]

I ended up buying a new tank and sending unit from LMC...but then the sending unit was bent and just this weekend i got the parts. Got the tank in place but now im having a heck of a time getting the hoses back on! Replaced the smaller (overflow?) hose, but the fuel filler hose is on the filler neck so tight that I'm leaving it...doesn't look to have leaks or cracks. hopefully I can get the darn thing on the tank, though! The new hose is so damn tight i can't slip it over the lip on the pipe fittings. I need more brute strength!

the tank came so nice and shiny and make me want to paint the other parts...until i unstalled it and scratched the hell out of it. Well, welcome to farm like, gas tank! Deal wid it! (I don't have a shop to do this in. I'm doing this on gravel. Wish i had a sheet of plywood, even! the guys at the auto parts store were totally laughing at the moss in my hair. )

 

[Mil1ion]

I ended up buying a new tank and sending unit from LMC...but then the sending unit was bent and just this weekend i got the parts. Got the tank in place but now im having a heck of a time getting the hoses back on! Replaced the smaller (overflow?) hose, but the fuel filler hose is on the filler neck so tight that I'm leaving it...doesn't look to have leaks or cracks. hopefully I can get the darn thing on the tank, though! The new hose is so damn tight i can't slip it over the lip on the pipe fittings. I need more brute strength!

the tank came so nice and shiny and make me want to paint the other parts...until i unstalled it and scratched the hell out of it. Well, welcome to farm like, gas tank! Deal wid it! (I don't have a shop to do this in. I'm doing this on gravel. Wish i had a sheet of plywood, even! the guys at the auto parts store were totally laughing at the moss in my hair. )

Head for a carpet remnant store.

 

[Fellro]

Use something like a silicone lubricant spray, makes them go on a lot better.

 

[FarmNut]

I ended up buying a new one, im down there, might as well do it right, right? Went on the pipe just fine!

only.....It was 1 inch too short and I need to buy another one. FML

 

[cbaker65]

I ended up buying a new one, im down there, might as well do it right, right? Went on the pipe just fine!

only.....It was 1 inch too short and I need to buy another one. FML

Try heating the hose up with heat,it should slip on easier.

 

[FarmNut]

its been a long struggle but I got everthing back up in place. overflow hose was cut short dispite the fact i gave the guy my original you'd think he'd cut it the same length, right? nope. I managed to get it on with little hose to spare. and the moment we've all been waiting for:


....

and my battery was dead despite having it not hooked up to anything the whole time. new f' battery and it doesn't hold a charge, the guys at NAPA blamed me.

So i hooked up my car and started it off my sedan.


...

and fuel is still not flowing to the engine. Started and stopped.

I'm supposing the 3 gallons I got in the tank (plus the 2 cups I poured into the engine) wasn't enough to get a good flow. I had to buy one of those "safety" gas cans and I'm spilling more gas than I'm getting into my tank! I guess I'm going to break down and hire someone to take a look at the truck.

Anyway, for fun I added pictures. I told you I'm a farm nut and I used bailing twine to keep my tank in place while I put on the straps. Worked really well! Me puzzling. And then the beast in all its ugly, brown retro glory. If it behaves and starts to run it might get a paint job.

 

[Fellro]

So, a couple things... Take compressed air and blow through the fuel line to make sure it isn't plugged. Also will help verify if it is going to the right tank. Also, make sure the fuel filter isn't plugged. Something you can do to take the pump to motor section out of the equation is to take a small tank or can and run a fuel hoes out of it. The pump should be able to pull fuel out of the container and run on that just like it would from the regular tank.

 

[FarmNut]

Fuel line isn't clogged. My uncle checked the fuel pump right before I started this project and it worked...just seems like I can't get the damn thing primed! got 1/4 tank of gas (8 gallons doesn't go far!). Poured gas into the carb, it turned on hit the accelorator and bleahg. dead. its just not pulling. unless....

did uncle screw up my fuel pump? hummmmm....

 

[FarmNut]

Finally called in some help!

I could blow through the fuel line to the tank from the fuel pump, but nothing was flowing through from the tank. Eventually figured out there was something in the toggle switch between tanks. By passed the whole swtich, just going to run on one tank and tada! its got fuel to the engine!

now to figure out why when I started to drive it for a joy ride there was no power.