2001 explorer sport clogging fuel filters

[Echo11]

HI, trying to help my nephew out here. He has had problems the last few months with fuel filters clogging. He first had this happen on the way home from work. He had the old ran out of gas symptom. The garage changed the filter that time as he was busy. Ran fine for weeks then did the same thing. He installed another new filter and it ran good another month. 3rd time he changed it out it only lasted a day till it gave the same symptoms. Runs a short while then sputters and shuts off.

I was wondering if these have a known problem with this happening. bad gas tanks or lines or something.
He also said he has an error that says o2 sensor. Why he plugged it in w/out a check engine light I am not sure but he did and found that o2 error. And the check engine light does work. It lights up when you have the key forward. But does not light while driving..
Any ideas what this may be would be appreciated..!!! thanks, jeff

 

[Mbrooks420]

If it’s clogging yep filters the tank must be pretty nasty inside. Time for a new tank. Some places “boil out” tanks, but I’d just replace it for the cost. I’d consider throwing a new Bosch fuel pump in when it was down, or cut an access panel when the tank is out of place.

 

[Echo11]

Thanks very much for the reply.. I was thinking tank. The new pump is a great idea while it is down anyway..

 

[Mbrooks420]

You can get the Bosch kit for around $50. The super cheap pumps usually don’t last terribly long.

 

[Turdle]

Just to add my .02, the 02 sensor code most likely is a lean condition being reported due to the lack of adequate fuel flow. ( hunch)

The specific code number is really needed. There are several possible o2 sensor codes.


edit. Snickers candy bar in the fuel tank will give these very same symptoms. It's an old cray cray ex girlfriend hack.

 

[Echo11]

Cool, I did talk with him and he is taking the tank route. And a new pump.
Any idea who has a good priced aftermarket tank ?
AZ has no aftermarket, they want 278.. Rockauto was 113. Ebay has one for 108 w/free ship..

 

[Echo11]

Just to add my .02, the 02 sensor code most likely is a lean condition being reported due to the lack of adequate fuel flow. ( hunch)

The specific code number is really needed. There are several possible o2 sensor codes.


edit. Snickers candy bar in the fuel tank will give these very same symptoms. It's an old cray cray ex girlfriend hack.

That makes perfect sense to me. LOL, snickers huh..My friend got sugared once long ago. Easy to figure when he pulled the gas cap and saw it all over the place.

 

[974X4BLACKSPORT]

Dont forget to clean the fuel lines out also when the old fuel tank is removed, (if dirty tank is the problem), check the lines too if they are steel for rusting. If a vehicle has been sitting for a long time, condensation in the tank can make it rust bad.

 

[Echo11]

What is the best way to clean the lines?? I am thinking it should just be from the tank to the filter. Maybe run something through that short stretch or possibly just blow it out with the compressor..

 

[J_C]

This does not make sense. A tank will gradually rust out, building up a blockage over time. It won't suddenly get to the point where one long-used filter clogs and then another right away, and another, and another THAT fast, unless something was dumped in the tank. *I could be wrong*, but this does not seem likely.

I would sooner suspect a misdiagnosis and the real problem is probably a bad fuel pump, pressure regulator, or possibly a pump relay, or wiring damage or connector corrosion, causing intermittent failure.

If the vehicle can suffer some extra downtime, I would pull the tank and inspect it before buying a new one, and would at least put a new pump and sender (and strainer sock if not included) in while the tank is down, considering the vehicle age.

You don't need anything special to clean the line between the pump and filter. After the tank is back on and some gas put in, just don't put the filter on yet and turn the ignition key to the notch before starting it. This will activate the pump and dump gas out where the filter goes, for that short moment the pump primes the fuel line before starting the engine (you do not need to try to crank the engine, just have the key in the run position right before the furthest crank position).

If the tank is very rusty the line between it and the filter may be too. If rust scale is coming from it internally, it's too far gone to be cleaned out and needs replaced.

 

[Echo11]

Well I forgot to say how this started on him.. He was driving down a street here in town that was being worked on. It was a mess to say the least.. He said it went down right after hitting some very bad holes. I thought maybe he knocked some junk out.

So we can drop his tank and inspect. Have a new pump on hand to install.
I can take a look at his wiring connections.
Can a pressure regulator or relay be tested??

 

[J_C]

You can test a relay by swapping it to the position of another one but if it's intermittent it could take a long time to see the change. If nothing else pans out then I would just get a new relay.

Pressure regulator, you measure pressure at the fuel rail, when it is having problems. Shortly after putting a new filter on you should be able to assume it's not clogged yet. Intermittent problems are a PITA to troubleshoot. There may be some pro tool you can hook up to the sender to measure pressure generated under power but that is beyond my pay grade.

I still go back to inspecting the tank. If a bad road impact caused a lot of rust to break loose, you should see signs of that. It should be filthy inside if enough is making it past the pump strainer sock to clog filters this fast. You would probably see it in the gas when you drain the tank.

 

[Echo11]

Yea, swap the relay out. Should be something in there that matches.

I did not know about the regulator / rail test at all. Not sure how he could pull that off unless he owns the test device. He is in the country no where near a place he can rent / borrow one. I have told him several times though to get out and check the rail for pressure / gas when this happens and he has not. I thought if he has good pressure and gas squirting out than his problem is something other than no gas delivery. Actually it's down now. I will find him a regulator tester and have a look. The vehicle does not run or runs a minute or two and quits i believe. should I just turn the key forward to run the pump and check pressure? Maybe I can hook it up and try starting it and if it runs watch for pressure dropping as the symptom starts?? I will definitely get under there and listen for that pump, that one I knew.

Yes, I agree on intermittent problem's. I was a tech many years in a compact disk plant. Can not even think how many times I had to sit and watch a machine just waiting. More often than not it would act up when I hit the bathroom or took lunch after waiting for hours.. lol..