1994 F150 45,000 miles

Going to have to drop both gas tanks. One to replace the sending unit(thing that indicates gas level), the other to flush out trash and clean filter on the pump.

Questions

I have access to a lift. would it be easier to take the bed off or go from under the truck?

How hard is it going to be to take off and put back on the stuff on the top of the tank.

Can I buy the parts aftermarket or will I have to go thru ford

Would you go ahead and replace both fuel pumps while I'm into this?

What will all this cost?


I can work on simple stuff and going to try and tackle this, any advise appreciated!

Brian

 

underneeth is the easiest way...there's just 2 straps that hold the tank in..you can get replacement tanks at car quest..autozone or any other parts chain...i replaced the rear tank in a '89 F250 a couple of yrs back..was'nt a big deal...zap!

 

I'd go from the bottom. Dont forget the 3 screws inside the fuel doors that hold the filler knecks inplace. I always just use a floor jack and 2x4's to support it.

 

I just dropped both tanks in my mom's 86 F150. The back was leaking and the front was not indicating on the gauge. Before you get a new sending unit, check if it works with the other plug on the other tank. I thought we had a bad sending unit until I did this check and it turned out to be fine, I guess the previous owner just didn't plug it in correctly when he replaced the front tank, and fyi, these sending units are over $100. An impact is also nice for wrenching off those strap bolts, but the hardest part is getting your fuel lines and filler hoses hooked back up as there is not a lot of slack.

 

be careful too, the hardlines on the top of the sender get rusty. i jsut attempted to do the tanks on my 88 f150, and all the lines broke. also, you do not need to take out the screw in the gas door, there should be a flexible hose with 2 clamps on it underneath. undo those, and then get the straps off. there is a long *** rigid plastic tube inside the rubber hose, so be careful not to kink or crack it.

 

Thats why I always leave the filler neck attached. If you do bend break crack that hard plastic vent tub you will start getting error codes, engine light will come on, poor fuel economy, etc.

 

Will I have to buy the whole assembly on top of the tank to replace the sending unit?

 

What do you mean by whole assembly? You may have to get new locking rings, but check the sending unit before you buy one to see if it is truly faulty. Also, it is easier to remove the screws holding your filler necks on. It just gives you more flexibility to get your rubber filler hose lined up and back on.

I just reread your post and as far as replacing the fuel pumps, with just 45,000 miles, I probably wouldn't bother. These pumps are low volume units and really don't work that hard. It's your pump on the frame that works the most(unless Ford changed this set-up, they use to have three pumps from late 85 on to ?) I know you're trying to be proactive in your maintenance, but this is one thing you could probably let go for now

 

if your going to do all the work of dropping tanks and whatnot by all means do yourself a favor and change the pumps and everything else downstream...FILTERS will need to be changed as a result...keep it clean!...zap!

 

Sure, why not? Injectors, fuel rails, lines, inline high volume pump, filter canister, just do the whole shabang.