Patient: Ford F-250 7.3L Lariat Crewcab
Diagnosis: water/ condensation in the fuel tank
Treatment: fuel additive - "Diesel Kleen" or something like that - that emulsifies the water so it can be burned off. Supposedly it also de-gels and de-sludges the tank.
Prognosis: still fuxated, need advice.
Twice I've had problems with my truck where I let the tank get down to where the Fuel Low idiot-light came on. Each time, the engine began knocking and running poorly. And each time, I de-watered the Fuel/Water Separator, filled the tank up and the problem went away. The symptom is too much water getting into the Fuel/Water Sep (by the way, the fuel contamination idiot-light doesn't come on). But the cause of the disease is there's got to be too much water at the bottom of the tank for the Diesel-Kleen to be able to absorb and burn off.
I bought one of those El Cheapo siphons from an auto parts store but I can't seem to get the curves and kinks out of the clear plastic tubing. I want to get it pretty much straight so that when I remove the fuel-cap and feed the tube into the tank, I'll be sure it's going to the very bottom of the tank where the water is. Can anyone suggest a better way to de-water my fuel tank without it costing me an arm & a leg?
If you decide to drop the tank as mentioned above then it would be worth cleaning the two small filters (attached photo) and inspecting the pick-up "foot". These can crack off.
I'm using the Fram fuel/water filter. And yes, every time I've had the Low Fuel light rough-engine issues, I drained water out of the fuel/water separator filter bowl. I used a turkey baster to get it damn near bone dry and sure enough I could see the water at the bottom of the clear glass I siphoned it into.
Okay, I finally had a chance to buy some of that stiff, opaque plastic tubing to attach to the siphon. The only problem is that when I took off the fuel cap and stuffed the hose in, it would only go about 2 or 3 feet and then stop.
*it felt kinda mushy when it bottomed out and wouldnt go in further
*I didn't hear any hard plastic-to-metal "tink" sounds when I stuffed the hose in
*the end of the hose wasn't wet with diesel fuel despite the tank being 1/2 - 5/8's full
Why can't the hose reach the bottom of the tank? Is there some kind of anti-siphon feature in F-250 fuel tanks to prevent theft? I mean....***, right? :frown2:
As for fuel additives, my local Advance Auto carries both 9-1-1 and Diesel Kleen - I bought a quart of each. I'll alternate additives each time I fill up.
Meanwhile, I bought a new fuel/water sep drain valve from NAPA and installed that. At least now I can drain off the water periodically as it accumulates in the bottom of the filter.
Okay, I finally had a chance to buy some of that stiff, opaque plastic tubing to attach to the siphon. The only problem is that when I took off the fuel cap and stuffed the hose in, it would only go about 2 or 3 feet and then stop.
*it felt kinda mushy when it bottomed out and wouldnt go in further
*I didn't hear any hard plastic-to-metal "tink" sounds when I stuffed the hose in
*the end of the hose wasn't wet with diesel fuel despite the tank being 1/2 - 5/8's full
Why can't the hose reach the bottom of the tank? Is there some kind of anti-siphon feature in F-250 fuel tanks to prevent theft? I mean....***, right? :frown2:
As for fuel additives, my local Advance Auto carries both 9-1-1 and Diesel Kleen - I bought a quart of each. I'll alternate additives each time I fill up.
Meanwhile, I bought a new fuel/water sep drain valve from NAPA and installed that. At least now I can drain off the water periodically as it accumulates in the bottom of the filter.
It doesnt sit long but I drive such short distances that I only have to fuel up twice a month. Not using farm fuel. I buy from name-brand fuel stations.
I'm over here by the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain, in Mandeville. Y'all got some good fishin' over in your ******* of the woods, especially big doormat flounder.
Thanks KLHANSEN. I'll try your advice this weekend when I also remove/replace the left front brake caliper. I also went to Harbor Freight and bought a better siphon than the one I had initially bought at AutoZone. It sucked....er, didn't suck....er, you know what I mean. :laugh2:
Please click on link above and comment if y'all have any suggestions.
Thanks,
Catch
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