My 89 F150 will no longer draw gas from the main tank. Not a biggee
as the truck is my beat to crap 'wooding' rig and hasn't been more
than 30 miles fromthe house in over 20 years.

I want to recover the gas that is in the tank (full) somehow. Is
there a way to beat the anti-siphon baffle? Or is there some other
way to drain that tank?

Harry K

On Jun 10, 11:47*pm, Harry K wrote:
My 89 F150 will no longer draw gas from the main tank. *Not a biggee
as the truck is my beat to crap 'wooding' rig and hasn't been more
than 30 miles fromthe house in over 20 years.

I want to recover the gas that is in the tank (full) somehow. *Is
there a way to beat the anti-siphon baffle? *Or is there some other
way to drain that tank?

Harry K

if you will never use it again punch a hole in the bottom of the tank
and have a pan at the ready to catch the leaking gasoline.

if the gasoline is very old in the tank it might be best to just
forget about it, gasoline spoils after sitting too long, so you could
put the gasoline in another vehicle and muck it up.....

so you were warned

On Jun 11, 5:36*am, bob haller wrote:
On Jun 10, 11:47*pm, Harry K wrote:

My 89 F150 will no longer draw gas from the main tank. *Not a biggee
as the truck is my beat to crap 'wooding' rig and hasn't been more
than 30 miles fromthe house in over 20 years.

I want to recover the gas that is in the tank (full) somehow. *Is
there a way to beat the anti-siphon baffle? *Or is there some other
way to drain that tank?

Harry K

if you will never use it again punch a hole in the bottom of the tank
and have a pan at the ready to catch the leaking gasoline.

if the gasoline is very old in the tank it might be best to just
forget about it, gasoline spoils after sitting too long, so you could
put the gasoline in another vehicle and muck it up.....

so you were warned

Gas in that tank is fresh. I last used out of it about 2 weeks ago
when I filled it. I discovered the problem yesterday when I was on
the way home with a load of wood. Reserve near empty, switch to full
main and nothing. Tried it twice. Will be trying it again tomorrow
hoping it is just a sticking switch.

Harry K

Harry K wrote:
My 89 F150 will no longer draw gas from the main tank. Not a biggee
as the truck is my beat to crap 'wooding' rig and hasn't been more
than 30 miles fromthe house in over 20 years.

I want to recover the gas that is in the tank (full) somehow. Is
there a way to beat the anti-siphon baffle? Or is there some other
way to drain that tank?


* Disconnect battery
* Disconnect IN fuel line and redirect to container
* Reconnect battery
* Turn on ignition

On Jun 11, 8:45*pm, "HeyBub" wrote:
Harry K wrote:
My 89 F150 will no longer draw gas from the main tank. *Not a biggee
as the truck is my beat to crap 'wooding' rig and hasn't been more
than 30 miles fromthe house in over 20 years.

I want to recover the gas that is in the tank (full) somehow. *Is
there a way to beat the anti-siphon baffle? *Or is there some other
way to drain that tank?

* Disconnect battery
* Disconnect IN fuel line and redirect to container
* Reconnect battery
* Turn on ignition
Unless fuel pump is mechanical...

Disconnect fuel line, extend with pipe to container. Connect
compressed air line to tank filler (wrap some rag/cloth round it to
make somewhat airtight.)
Fuel is displaced out of tank.
Be careful not to overpressure tank.

On Jun 11, 5:08*pm, harry wrote:
On Jun 11, 8:45*pm, "HeyBub" wrote: Harry K wrote:
My 89 F150 will no longer draw gas from the main tank. *Not a biggee
as the truck is my beat to crap 'wooding' rig and hasn't been more
than 30 miles fromthe house in over 20 years.

I want to recover the gas that is in the tank (full) somehow. *Is
there a way to beat the anti-siphon baffle? *Or is there some other
way to drain that tank?

* Disconnect battery
* Disconnect IN fuel line and redirect to container
* Reconnect battery
* Turn on ignition

Unless fuel pump is mechanical...

Disconnect fuel line, extend with pipe to container. Connect
compressed air line to tank filler (wrap some rag/cloth round it to
make somewhat airtight.)
Fuel is displaced out of tank.
Be careful not to overpressure tank.

I rather suspect the pump is in the tank, probably best to drop tank
remove pump and then pump the tank dry.

electric pumps in tanks frequently fail suddenly, sometimes smacking
the tank with a hammer will shock the pump into running.

I have done the same thing on vehicle starters

On Jun 11, 6:07*pm, bob haller wrote:
On Jun 11, 5:08*pm, harry wrote:



On Jun 11, 8:45*pm, "HeyBub" wrote: Harry K wrote:
My 89 F150 will no longer draw gas from the main tank. *Not a biggee
as the truck is my beat to crap 'wooding' rig and hasn't been more
than 30 miles fromthe house in over 20 years.

I want to recover the gas that is in the tank (full) somehow. *Is
there a way to beat the anti-siphon baffle? *Or is there some other
way to drain that tank?

* Disconnect battery
* Disconnect IN fuel line and redirect to container
* Reconnect battery
* Turn on ignition

Unless fuel pump is mechanical...

Disconnect fuel line, extend with pipe to container. Connect
compressed air line to tank filler (wrap some rag/cloth round it to
make somewhat airtight.)
Fuel is displaced out of tank.
Be careful not to overpressure tank.

I rather suspect the pump is in the tank, probably best to drop tank
remove pump and then pump the tank dry.

electric pumps in tanks frequently fail suddenly, sometimes smacking
the tank with a hammer will shock the pump into running.

I have done the same thing on vehicle starters

right...

whack it with a 2x4 and you may get the pump to start..

Mark

Oren wrote:
On Sat, 11 Jun 2011 14:45:44 -0500, "HeyBub"
wrote:

I want to recover the gas that is in the tank (full) somehow. Is
there a way to beat the anti-siphon baffle? Or is there some other
way to drain that tank?


* Disconnect battery
* Disconnect IN fuel line and redirect to container
* Reconnect battery
* Turn on ignition


Does the fuel pump run very long? I don't know about the fancy tanks.

Would the computer shut down the pump, timely and interrupting flow?

I think the pump runs until you switch off the iginition. In normal
operation, gas not used is returned to the tank.

On Jun 10, 8:47*pm, Harry K wrote:
My 89 F150 will no longer draw gas from the main tank. *Not a biggee
as the truck is my beat to crap 'wooding' rig and hasn't been more
than 30 miles fromthe house in over 20 years.

I want to recover the gas that is in the tank (full) somehow. *Is
there a way to beat the anti-siphon baffle? *Or is there some other
way to drain that tank?

Harry K

Thanks all. Sounds like a trip to the local mechanic. I'm waaayyy to
old to crawl around under a rig anymore. Ford shop says "dunno what
will be found, I don't know what type of system is in the truck,
couild be switch, pump, or something else". They didn't even know if
there was a pump in both tanks or a common pump. Real helpful guys,
how about looking in the freakin manual to see what system is there?
Of course I _could_ visit the library but it still comes back to
someone else will have to get the gas out if I can't siphon it.

Harry K

That tank is held in place by 2 metal straps on each end of the tank.
It's pretty simple to loosen/disconnect the straps, lower the tank and
you have easy access to the gas, via the hole after removing the pump
assembly on the top of the tank.

You can disconnect the fill pipe/access, about 15" past the cap (half
way between the cap and tank), behind the fender/wheel well. There is
a rubber hose, inside the pipe, that needs to be removed, then the
tank can be syphoned (after reassembling the pipe, if you want to).
If you try to replace the rubber hose, it will kink, and subsequent
filling of the tank will take forever, as the gasoline tries to flow
past the kink. Those rubber hoses are inserted into that pipe in a
special way.

I would think the switch, for transferring from one tank to the other,
is bad, not the pump.

Sonny

Sonny wrote:
That tank is held in place by 2 metal straps on each end of the tank.
It's pretty simple to loosen/disconnect the straps, lower the tank and
you have easy access to the gas, via the hole after removing the pump
assembly on the top of the tank.

You can disconnect the fill pipe/access, about 15" past the cap (half
way between the cap and tank), behind the fender/wheel well. There is
a rubber hose, inside the pipe, that needs to be removed, then the
tank can be syphoned (after reassembling the pipe, if you want to).
If you try to replace the rubber hose, it will kink, and subsequent
filling of the tank will take forever, as the gasoline tries to flow
past the kink. Those rubber hoses are inserted into that pipe in a
special way.

I would think the switch, for transferring from one tank to the other,
is bad, not the pump.


Tried that when I had to replace the fuel level sensor. Bitchin' job to
lower the tank.

But there's an easier way.

1. Buy a one-ton chain hoist from Harbor Freight (~$45).
2. Park truck under sturdy oak tree.
3. Attach cables from chain hoist to various lifting points on the bed.
4. Remove (up to eight) bolts holding the bed in place.
5. Raise bed. You may have to disconnect various tail-light harnesses and
the gas filler tube.
5a. Drive the truck out from under the tree
6. Replace pump or gas gauge sensor.
7. Reverse the above process to get everything back to where it ought to be.
8. Sell the chain hoist on Craigslist for more than you paid for it.

The wags at the dealership wanted over $700 to replace the fuel level
sensor. I bought just the sensor on Ebay for less than five dollars! That
five bucks, and an afternoon's work resulted in a fix.

On 6/12/2011 6:54 AM, HeyBub wrote:
Sonny wrote:
That tank is held in place by 2 metal straps on each end of the tank.
It's pretty simple to loosen/disconnect the straps, lower the tank and
you have easy access to the gas, via the hole after removing the pump
assembly on the top of the tank.

You can disconnect the fill pipe/access, about 15" past the cap (half
way between the cap and tank), behind the fender/wheel well. There is
a rubber hose, inside the pipe, that needs to be removed, then the
tank can be syphoned (after reassembling the pipe, if you want to).
If you try to replace the rubber hose, it will kink, and subsequent
filling of the tank will take forever, as the gasoline tries to flow
past the kink. Those rubber hoses are inserted into that pipe in a
special way.

I would think the switch, for transferring from one tank to the other,
is bad, not the pump.


Tried that when I had to replace the fuel level sensor. Bitchin' job to
lower the tank.

But there's an easier way.

1. Buy a one-ton chain hoist from Harbor Freight (~$45).
2. Park truck under sturdy oak tree.
3. Attach cables from chain hoist to various lifting points on the bed.
4. Remove (up to eight) bolts holding the bed in place.
5. Raise bed. You may have to disconnect various tail-light harnesses and
the gas filler tube.
5a. Drive the truck out from under the tree
6. Replace pump or gas gauge sensor.
7. Reverse the above process to get everything back to where it ought to be.
8. Sell the chain hoist on Craigslist for more than you paid for it.

The wags at the dealership wanted over $700 to replace the fuel level
sensor. I bought just the sensor on Ebay for less than five dollars! That
five bucks, and an afternoon's work resulted in a fix.



Chuckle. Sonny must not live in salt country. It has been a lotta years
since I was under a pickup truck, but back then at least, the tank
straps and the bolts holding them were one of the first points attacked
by rust. On any truck over a few years old, removing them often meant
destroying them. If you did have to remove them, it was enough of a PITA
that it was considered good practice to replace them with new parts 'as
long as you had it apart anyway'. Same notation for the bed hold-down
bolts. For those big suckers, a smoke wrench was often needed.

--
aem sends...

"aemeijers" wrote

Chuckle. Sonny must not live in salt country. It has been a lotta years
since I was under a pickup truck, but back then at least, the tank straps
and the bolts holding them were one of the first points attacked by rust.
On any truck over a few years old, removing them often meant destroying
them.


You bring up a good point. Some Fords will be recalled to replace tank
straps. If the subject truck is among them, the dealer will have to take
the tank down.

In article
,
Harry K wrote:

On Jun 10, 8:47*pm, Harry K wrote:
My 89 F150 will no longer draw gas from the main tank. *Not a biggee
as the truck is my beat to crap 'wooding' rig and hasn't been more
than 30 miles fromthe house in over 20 years.

I want to recover the gas that is in the tank (full) somehow. *Is
there a way to beat the anti-siphon baffle? *Or is there some other
way to drain that tank?

Harry K

Thanks all. Sounds like a trip to the local mechanic. I'm waaayyy to
old to crawl around under a rig anymore. Ford shop says "dunno what
will be found, I don't know what type of system is in the truck,
couild be switch, pump, or something else". They didn't even know if
there was a pump in both tanks or a common pump. Real helpful guys,
how about looking in the freakin manual to see what system is there?
Of course I could visit the library but it still comes back to
someone else will have to get the gas out if I can't siphon it.

Harry K

Maybe it's just me, but I'd be looking into fixing whatever is wrong
with the feed from that tank, rather than salvaging the gas from it. I
guess you English people are too retarded and backwards to do that,
though.

It's simple to know what you have. *DO YOU HAVE FUEL INJECTION? *If
yes, the pump is in the tank. *If you have a CARBURETOR, the pump is
on the engine. *You may be too old to crawl under the car, but come
on, I'm sure you can determine if you have a carb or F.I. *- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -


The '89 F-150 I had was fuel injection, long wheel base. The tank was
easy to lower and the straps were not rusted to any degree. You
didn't need to be a mechanic, just have common sense, to do a detailed
inpsection or a fix, relative to the poster's described problem, which
was similar to what I had to do when I removed my gas tank.

Sonny

On Jun 12, 4:53*pm, "A. Baum" wrote:
On Fri, 10 Jun 2011 20:47:07 -0700, Harry K wrote:
My 89 F150 will no longer draw gas from the main tank. *Not a biggee as
the truck is my beat to crap 'wooding' rig and hasn't been more than 30
miles fromthe house in over 20 years.

I want to recover the gas that is in the tank (full) somehow. *Is there
a way to beat the anti-siphon baffle? *Or is there some other way to
drain that tank?

Harry K

If the tank is of no use now or in the future, punch a hole in the bottom..

I've debated doing just that

Harry K

In article ,
Harry K wrote:
On Jun 12, 4:53*pm, "A. Baum" wrote:
On Fri, 10 Jun 2011 20:47:07 -0700, Harry K wrote:
My 89 F150 will no longer draw gas from the main tank. *Not a biggee as
the truck is my beat to crap 'wooding' rig and hasn't been more than 30
miles fromthe house in over 20 years.

I want to recover the gas that is in the tank (full) somehow. *Is there
a way to beat the anti-siphon baffle? *Or is there some other way to
drain that tank?

Harry K

If the tank is of no use now or in the future, punch a hole in the bottom.

I've debated doing just that

Harry K

FYI I've successfully fixed pinholes in the bottom of at lease 3 fuel tanks
with a sheet metal screw and a dollop of epoxy. and never had one fail.

--
Better to be stuck up in a tree than tied to one.

Larry Wasserman - Baltimore Maryland - lwasserm(a)sdf. lonestar.org

On Mon, 13 Jun 2011 21:22:15 +0000 (UTC),
(Larry W) wrote:

In article ,
Harry K wrote:
On Jun 12, 4:53*pm, "A. Baum" wrote:
On Fri, 10 Jun 2011 20:47:07 -0700, Harry K wrote:
My 89 F150 will no longer draw gas from the main tank. *Not a biggee as
the truck is my beat to crap 'wooding' rig and hasn't been more than 30
miles fromthe house in over 20 years.

I want to recover the gas that is in the tank (full) somehow. *Is there
a way to beat the anti-siphon baffle? *Or is there some other way to
drain that tank?

Harry K

If the tank is of no use now or in the future, punch a hole in the bottom.

I've debated doing just that

Harry K

FYI I've successfully fixed pinholes in the bottom of at lease 3 fuel tanks
with a sheet metal screw and a dollop of epoxy. and never had one fail.

My gas tanks have always failed on the top. They didn't leak unless they were
full(ish). I just had one replaced on my wife's car. They wanted $1500 for
the tank and another $500 labor. At least I found a tank in a junk yard.

On Jun 12, 9:07*pm, wrote:
Being an 89, I dont know if you have fuel injection or carburetor. *If
you have FI then the fuel pump is in the tank. *If so, the pump may
have died. *But first check the wiring. *Put a meter on the line near
the tank. *Flip switch to that tank and see if there is power. *

One way to empty it if there is not a simple wiring problem, would be
to put two small floor jacks under the tank with a wide plank between
them. *Jack it tight, but not enough to crush the tank. *Remove the
tank straps, and lower the jacks slowly. *Yea, disconnect all hoses
and wires as you go down. *Since the tank is full, it will be heavy,
so I'd have someone down there to make sure it stays on the plank. *Or
just put a bunch of old couch cushions or an old foam pad there. so if
it tips it wont wreck the tank. *When it's all the way down, remove
the ring holding the fuel pump or float "thingie" ( i cant think of
the correct word), then pull that out, and have someone help pour the
gas in a clean 5 gallon pail (or several of them). *Then you'll need a
funnel to put the gas in proper containers. *Of course, NO SMOKING
when doing this.

OR, if it's under the truck bed and accessible, you can do as I did to
a GMC pickup. *I got tired of lowering the tank because of those
crappy intank fuel pumps. *I just cut a hole in the truck bed right
above the fuel pump. *Then I made a panel to screw over the hole.
Now, if I want to work on the fuel pump I can just remove about 10
screws and pull the pump. *

Those damn in the tank fuel pumps are the biggest mistake the auto
makers ever did. *The mechanics love them though, because they are
getting rich on this mistake. *A local mechanic told me replacing in
the tank pumps accounts for 1/3 of his business, and a typical job is
$600 to $800. *Deduct $60 to $130 for the pump itself, and he is
making a big profit on every job, which he said averages 3 hours of
work, depending on how rusted things are. *

****, I remember changing the old (on the engine) fuel pumps on the
shoulder of the road which took 20 minutes and cost $20 to $30 for a
new pump, gasket, and sealer, and they would last another 10 years. *

Fuel injection in and of itself seems to be a good thing, but they
really need to devise a better pump system. *I dont know why they cant
put them under the hood or at least NEXT TO the tank, nto IN it.

----------

On Fri, 10 Jun 2011 20:47:07 -0700 (PDT), Harry K



wrote:
My 89 F150 will no longer draw gas from the main tank. *Not a biggee
as the truck is my beat to crap 'wooding' rig and hasn't been more
than 30 miles fromthe house in over 20 years.

I want to recover the gas that is in the tank (full) somehow. *Is
there a way to beat the anti-siphon baffle? *Or is there some other
way to drain that tank?

Harry K- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

It's FI. I will probably take it to the local mechanic and have him
run electrical tests. Pump will most definitely _not_ be replaced if
it is bad. Switch maybe.

Harry K

On 6/13/2011 9:02 AM, Harry K wrote:
On Jun 12, 9:07 pm, wrote:
Being an 89, I dont know if you have fuel injection or carburetor. If
you have FI then the fuel pump is in the tank. If so, the pump may
have died. But first check the wiring. Put a meter on the line near
the tank. Flip switch to that tank and see if there is power.

One way to empty it if there is not a simple wiring problem, would be
to put two small floor jacks under the tank with a wide plank between
them. Jack it tight, but not enough to crush the tank. Remove the
tank straps, and lower the jacks slowly. Yea, disconnect all hoses
and wires as you go down. Since the tank is full, it will be heavy,
so I'd have someone down there to make sure it stays on the plank. Or
just put a bunch of old couch cushions or an old foam pad there. so if
it tips it wont wreck the tank. When it's all the way down, remove
the ring holding the fuel pump or float "thingie" ( i cant think of
the correct word), then pull that out, and have someone help pour the
gas in a clean 5 gallon pail (or several of them). Then you'll need a
funnel to put the gas in proper containers. Of course, NO SMOKING
when doing this.

OR, if it's under the truck bed and accessible, you can do as I did to
a GMC pickup. I got tired of lowering the tank because of those
crappy intank fuel pumps. I just cut a hole in the truck bed right
above the fuel pump. Then I made a panel to screw over the hole.
Now, if I want to work on the fuel pump I can just remove about 10
screws and pull the pump.

Those damn in the tank fuel pumps are the biggest mistake the auto
makers ever did. The mechanics love them though, because they are
getting rich on this mistake. A local mechanic told me replacing in
the tank pumps accounts for 1/3 of his business, and a typical job is
$600 to $800. Deduct $60 to $130 for the pump itself, and he is
making a big profit on every job, which he said averages 3 hours of
work, depending on how rusted things are.

****, I remember changing the old (on the engine) fuel pumps on the
shoulder of the road which took 20 minutes and cost $20 to $30 for a
new pump, gasket, and sealer, and they would last another 10 years.

Fuel injection in and of itself seems to be a good thing, but they
really need to devise a better pump system. I dont know why they cant
put them under the hood or at least NEXT TO the tank, nto IN it.

----------

On Fri, 10 Jun 2011 20:47:07 -0700 (PDT), Harry K



wrote:
My 89 F150 will no longer draw gas from the main tank. Not a biggee
as the truck is my beat to crap 'wooding' rig and hasn't been more
than 30 miles fromthe house in over 20 years.

I want to recover the gas that is in the tank (full) somehow. Is
there a way to beat the anti-siphon baffle? Or is there some other
way to drain that tank?

Harry K- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

It's FI. I will probably take it to the local mechanic and have him
run electrical tests. Pump will most definitely _not_ be replaced if
it is bad. Switch maybe.

Harry K

the sending unit/pump assy can be removed without dropping the tank
completely out of the truck. And by the way, those pumps are not
particularly expensive for those older ones.

--
Steve Barker
remove the "not" from my address to email