f 250 fuel system

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

got dual tanks in an 88 utility body. helper ran one tank dry and tryed to crank it for a while before he switched tanks now the tank he ran dry won't feed when you switch to it. its full. is vapor lock a possibility?  pump messed up?  any motorheads got a clue?

[Thor]

I've read that Fords have a big problem when the tanks run dry. Apparently, it kills the fuel pump.

[Azrael256]

Yup.

It'd be a mechanical diaphragm pump that works off this little lever that the cam wiggles.  P-I-T-A to replace.  I had *three* of the blasted things come right out of the box with a defect so significant that I noticed it while it was still in my hands.

For some reason, however, you'll find an abundance of aftermarket electric pumps on the shelf right next to this little chromed metal plate that's tailor-made to cover the hole in the block left by the defunct fuel pump... Kinda makes you think...

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

ouch  and what kinda song and dance do i have to go through to swap the pump?

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

are there seperate pumps for each tank?  one tank works fine still

[mfree]

Read carefully, people.

His transfer pump is shot, not the engine-driven fuel pump.

Get under the truck and see if the transfer pump is running when switched, if not then there's your key. If it's running and nothing's moving, then the pickup probably has a hole in it or the pump sucked air and needs priming.

BTW, vapor lock requires lots of heat.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

how to you prime it?  and wheres the lil booger hid at?

[Thor]

There's a pump in each tank, I THINK. It's also possible that it could have become clogged due to sediment in the tank. The key is what mrfree said. Crawl under and see if the tank pump is running for each tank. You'll probably need to drop the tank to repair/ replace it.

[mfree]

Actually, I'm thinking about this and I wonder if the equalization between the two isn't done with just a siphon tube. If that's the case, opening up the full tank and pressurizing it with something could get the air out of the siphon, or really just parking on a severe incline with the empty tank downhill could do it too...

or I could just google. I knew these trucks were problematic to start with;

http://www.misterfixit.com/dualtank.htm
http://www.misterfixit.com/fordfuel.htm
http://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/259866-fuel-tank-problem.html
http://www.automotiveforums.com/t316750.html

[Brad Johnson]

I think the 88's have in-tank electric pumps.  Pump is most likely dead.  New pump means dropping the tank.  In a utility body it isn't as much of a pain as a full bed, but it's still bad enough.  The biggest pain is trying to empty the tank before dropping it.  Dropping a full one is a massive (in more "weighs" than one) headache.

However, check the switch and relay first, just to make sure it isn't an electrical gremlin.

Brad

[ilbob]

ford pu trucks of that era used a pump that was not self priming. if you ever ran it dry, the fix was $300.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

thanks all and mfree i owe ya one i checked and found both pumps working  then pressurized the bad tank with an aircompressor and a tennis ball to make a seal  works fine now  heck gas in that tank has increased since i bought it to 40 bucks

[jeepmor]

Time to buy a Chevy.....

I was just about to suggest the air compressor help myself.  I recall my old Vanagon fuel pump having the oh so smart german design of utilizing the fuel to keep from overheating.  Once you ran it dry, the pump killed itself because it would overheat.  Glad that didn't happen here.

[Thor]

Time to buy a Chevy.....

I was just about to suggest the air compressor help myself.  I recall my old Vanagon fuel pump having the oh so smart german design of utilizing the fuel to keep from overheating.  Once you ran it dry, the pump killed itself because it would overheat.  Glad that didn't happen here.

LMAO......... my wife's office manager has a Chevy and she runs it out of gas quite often. She's on her THIRD fuel pump in less than a year !!