Shopsmith Forums

Dusty
I found a ford truck forum that you need to check out.
http://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/11645 ... -help.html

Apparently your fuel pump is outside the tank. The schrader value should measure between 38-45 PSI. From reading the forum I found most non start or won't run long problems were:
1 fuel filter.
2. cat converter
3. in tank screen clogged
4 fuel pump or switch.

I still think I would call my insurance carrier and see what they will do with critter damage.

Ed in Tampa wrote:Dusty
I found a ford truck forum that you need to check out.
http://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1164504-f450-fuel-problem-need-help.html

Apparently your fuel pump is outside the tank. The schrader value should measure between 38-45 PSI. From reading the forum I found most non start or won't run long problems were:
1 fuel filter.
2. cat converter
3. in tank screen clogged
4 fuel pump or switch.

I still think I would call my insurance carrier and see what they will do with critter damage.

Thanks for that link, Ed.

That is an awesome forum for Ford enthusiasts.

I posted there and have gotten some helpful feedback even though I was unable to find a category into which my rig fits. I don't think they place themselves in the RV category - I was unable to find an E-450 Super Duty 6.8L V10 Gas grouping.

Ed in Tampa wrote:Dusty
I found a ford truck forum that you need to check out.
http://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1164504-f450-fuel-problem-need-help.html

Post # 13 is 'interesting'.

Dusty my guess is you would post here http://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/index.php

In the second sub group down. Titled "super duty heavy duty"
And in the first section titled Super Duty & Heavy Duty (381 Viewing)
1999 to current Ford F250, F350, F450 and F550 Super Duty with diesel V8 and gas V8 and V10 engines

I think this is link to the right place http://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/forum30/

But hey what do I know I drive a 90 Dodge Dakota 3.9 V6 with only 115,000 miles on it.

Ed in Tampa wrote:Dusty my guess is you would post here http://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/index.php

In the second sub group down. Titled "super duty heavy duty"
And in the first section titled Super Duty & Heavy Duty (381 Viewing)
1999 to current Ford F250, F350, F450 and F550 Super Duty with diesel V8 and gas V8 and V10 engines

I think this is link to the right place http://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/forum30/

But hey what do I know I drive a 90 Dodge Dakota 3.9 V6 with only 115,000 miles on it.

Thanks for the link, Ed. I have read many of the posts here and in doing so have confirmed that others on that forum have had a very similar experience.

I have tried some of the recovery methods (like thumping on the bottom of the fuel tank with a rubber mallet) to no avail.

I know what there is for me with regard to the inertia switch, the fuel filter, the fuel pressure.

I have a 50 gallon tank that is full, meaning very heavy. Not a job to be done on my back in the driveway.

It will be going to a service center for repair. I expect that it has a defective fuel pump and/or fuel filter along with the mutilated vacuum lines.

All I need to do now is hold off the pack rats until AAA gets here to haul it away.

Once again, this forum has been fabulous and there was not a bit of sawdust involved.

dusty wrote:All I need to do now is hold off the pack rats until AAA gets here to haul it away.

IF ya have a defective fuel pump, you'll probably get to FILL the tank when ya get it back.

beeg wrote:IF ya have a defective fuel pump, you'll probably get to FILL the tank when ya get it back.

Yeh, I am sorta resigned to that. There is no way the shop will remove and then reinstall 55 gallons of fuel for me. However, I am not sure that I want it. What would I do with it if they tell me the system was contaminated.

Dusty
How did this all work out?

Ed in Tampa wrote:Dusty
How did this all work out?

I have not yet had the work done that will tell me. It is not fixed yet.

I had the fuel line open between the tank and the filter. There appears to be no pressure from the fuel pump (which is in the tank).

Money to do the work is the delaying factor right now. But it will get done. It better. We have a vacation planned in December that is dependent on that.

Most of these systems have a relay in the circuit usually at the fuse block. On my Astro it is identical to the one for the A/C enable relay so I was able to temporarily swap them to check the one for the fuel pump.
These problems are much easier to solve if we could just throw money at them and keep replacing stuff until it works. Unfortunately that is how many dealerships operate. A former dealer acquaintance once told me that was why he sold his dealership, that he could only hire "parts replacers" who didn't care at all how expensive the job came out for the customer. He was a long time dealer who had matured to the point that he was very concerned with how his customers perceived him in this smallish community and didn't like being seen as a gouger (I don't think it bothered him much in his early days ).

Last week I was reading a Chevy forum where some guy asked advice and got good advice from several Chevy techs and he seemed grateful but then the guy started replacing all sorts of kind of off the wall stuff that did not help him and ignored the good advice. He suddenly had an unnecessary $500+ spent and still had the original problem that was actually fairly simple and cheap.


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