1996 Ford F150 4.9L (300ci) I6 5MT 4x4

[Christ]

And
The
Fuel
Pump
Dies.
Sunuva...

-.-

[IsaacCarlson]

Originally Posted by Christ

And
The
Fuel
Pump
Dies.
Sunuva...

-.-

seabiscuit......

[Christ]

It's confirmed... no fuel pump.

I'm checking to see if the (probably bad) rear pump will fit in the front tank's holder/sending unit, and I'll be checking at the pump's wiring this weekend to see if it's just a short somewhere (possible, given the condition of other parts of the truck) that can be fixed. It's a fairly simple plug, maybe 6 wires, so it shouldn't be too much difficulty.

It'll be alot more difficult to dig out the roof cement I packed into the lock ring before I put the bed back on to remove the lock ring and get the pump out.

Sucks... I still have a little over 1/2 tank, and there's no drain.

[Frank Lee]

You know the fine art of siphoning?

[Christ]

I do, but I hate doing it, and I have a transmission jack that works perfectly for tank dropping, with straps and all... the tank itself is probably 30-35lbs (or maybe it's just hefty and bulky, but feels heavier than it really is...), and the fuel inside is probably about 80 lbs.

I likely will just pull it down. I'll probably have to order some new tank straps, as well... those ones that are on there shouldn't have been reused, but it's what I had at the time, and I wanted the truck back and running again.

So, the list of work for the week:
Drop tank, replace fuel pump (confirm necessity)
Remove upper intake plenum, EGR tube, clean fuel rail and replace injectors with new, flow-matched units.
Replace head cover gasket and push rod cover gasket.
Clean/paint anything that looks like it needs it.

Begin floor repairs. (Taking pictures)

I decided not to buy the OE patch panels. I'm just going to replace the sheet metal with some from another vehicle, and patch it up the best I can so it will pass inspection.

Later on, comes frame reinforcements. Eventually, 8 lug axles with 1.5 ton suspension (all for an F150.. LOL) and a 5th wheel. And hopefully, someday, a 3 speed splitter for the rear drive.

[Frank Lee]

Don't spring the frame!

[Christ]

Actually, I've got another frame that I'm going to use to box it completely with stacked flanges, then make new cross members to replace the old rusty ones.

This truck has an issue with the front frame section, just behind the pass-side engine mount... the heat from the header pipes has actually destroyed that section of the frame's upper flange for a good 4-6" section that needs to be repaired. While I'm in there, I figure I might as well just box the frame and fill it with soft foam (to keep moisture out). Once it's boxed, it'll be stronger than a Super Duty (high F-series) frame.

[Christ]

*facepalm* Stupid EFI vehicles.

I guess it's a good thing I procrastinate buying new parts... I could have bought the fuel pump and had it in by now, and it still wouldn't have worked.

I put a manual for my new lawnmower in the truck yesterday, and lo and behold, there's the inertia switch, red button staring at me on the passenger side inner kick panel.

I push, it clicks, I slap the door and laugh at myself.

When I violently removed the passenger side plastic kick panel cover, I tripped the switch. Right after that, the vehicle wouldn't start. Go figure.

[comptiger5000]

The inertia switch isn't EFI related in general, it's a FORD thing.

[Christ]

For some reason, I feel like I had other vehicles that used them, too. Either way, it's a nice surprise when you think your fuel pump is dead, and you do your own service work. (I couldn't imagine paying a garage to do the work, only to find out they pushed a button and it fixed your car... magic buttons, eh?)

Regardless -

I got my truck's engine running correctly again! Final culprit - bad spark plug.

For some reason, I got a spark plug with an internal short to ground. Trusting my tools, I never even thought to swap the plugs between cylinders and see if the misfire moved to another cylinder, because my spark checker told me I was getting spark to all 6 cylinders. Stupid me - I didn't stop and think that just because there's current flow doesn't mean you're getting a spark inside the combustion chamber.

So - 6 hours in the garage and a 6 pack ingested, I changed the injectors. Have to tear the whole top end of the intake manifold off to do this, by the way. However, it was worth it. Now that I've done that, the truck feels like it's got a new engine. I mean new. I can bark the tires in 3rd gear if I play the clutch properly, and they're 30" tires. It really comes to life when I give it some throttle, too, even at the higher RPM's, where 300's usually fall on their faces. Running to 4k is not a problem anymore, and getting on the highway, which was comfortable before, is just dandy now. I do believe now that I have a full engine under the hood, I may have to quit using 1st gear most of the time. I feel like it's just wasting energy to shift between 1st and 2nd at ~10-13 MPH.

For anyone with a EFI 300, though, I HIGHLY recommend getting a cheap set of balanced injectors. It's a world of difference. I got mine for under $100 shipped from eBay - "precisionautoinjectors". I negotiated with the seller and got a set for $75 shipped, and they came with a flow sheet showing that all the injectors were perfectly matched within 1cc of flow. Nice, eh?

Now, I have to patch the floors, (I'll get pics), install some bucket seats, and finish my exhaust (air injection tube just sits in the pipe, threads have been stripped since I got it.). The exhaust is 2.5" into a Cherry Bomb Turbo, 2.5" out to a 2.75" turn out in front of the pass-side spring front spring shackle.