Float/FP Hose and weird plastic piece in tank??

[Van]

I found my fuel pressure drop problem...I think.
Split hose on fuel pump in tank.

And the reason my fuel gague was wacky.

But what is this large black plastic piece floating around inside the tank??
It's not secured to anything.

 

[jlsparky7]

You definitely found your pressure problem.

Im not sure what the thing floating in the tank is...

 

[Van]

Great.

I can move that thing around. Might be why the float is chewed up.
Not sure if it's supposed to be secured somehow. Can find nothing by Googling it.
There is a teardrop shape in the metal in the tank that corresponds to the opening in the plastic.
Not sure.
Dang. Got to get it back together NOW!

 

[jlsparky7]

definitely get it out of there if you can.

 

[CDW6212R]

That probably caused the damage to the hose and the float. My 99 Sport tank was empty of anything, I think my 98 was also. These are steel tanks. The old 94 and back tanks were plastic and had a valley molded into the bottom to collect gas at the pump. I wonder if that's what you have in yours, and who put it there.

 

[Van]

It was put in before the tank was assembled.
Much larger than the fuel pump mount hole.
Might be to keep the float steady as to not let the gauge wander with sloshing gas.

I got some "Quick Steel" gas tank mender to glue it in place.
"Impervious to chemicals", or so it says.

What a freakin' joke!

 

[ranger7ltr]

The black plastic piece is a baffle....

The baffle is normally located in the bottom of the tank to help keep a certain amount of fuel around the fuel strainer/pickup...

The baffle should not be loose though... I am wondering if the tank has taken a hit in the area of the baffle...

Good find on the damaged line on the fuel pump...While your tank is off it would be a great time to clean it out.. I spent a long weekend day cleaning, flushing, and de-varnishing the inside of the tank thanks to it sitting with a half tank of fuel....

I have a spare 99 Sport tank in my garage that just needs cleaning....

 

[Van]

I used the Quik Steel gas tank epoxy.
Loaded it up on both sides over the teardrop.
Flattened it out over the hole in the plastic box.

What a wonderful idea.
Oh well, I've seen worse things from GM and Chrysler.

Thanks to all that helped!

 

[Van]

Success!

Starts and runs great!
No "Check engine" light!
Fuel gauge works.
Holds pressure and reads 50 psi while running.

 

[CDW6212R]

Uh, how accurate is your gauge? The 99+ pressure should be much higher, about 60psi at all times.

My truck had a slight pressure loss, I was seeing 50-55psi at idle, and dropping under load. My big symptom was lack of power at higher rpm's, not normal driving. I drove my truck for months while hunting for a vacuum leak, before checking the fuel pressure.

Take your truck out and run it hard up to the 5500-6000rpm limits, run it through 3rd gear somewhere. I'd check the pressure again, I think you should have 55-60psi at least, at all times.

 

[jlsparky7]

Glad its fixed.

 

[Van]

>>Uh, how accurate is your gauge? The 99+ pressure should be much higher, about 60psi at all times.<<

Accurate.

Book says 35-60.

 

[CDW6212R]

Stop praying to books, they all have tons or errors in them. That one is way off, likely a fool combined the old pressures with the new.

The older Fords pre-1999 need 35-42psi, which varies based on vacuum at the FPR. You saw your fuel pressure regulator in the tank, right next to that hole in the hose.

Your FPR maintains a virtually constant pressure, it should be over 55psi, basically 55-62psi is what I believe. I got my information from here on the forum, the dumb books, and in person from a master Ford tech, and myself testing my own truck with a gauge.

Be careful of what you take in as facts, often they are wrong.

 

[Van]

Well, it runs like brand new, so I'll say it was a bad gauge in the new kit loaned from Auto Zone.
They probably don't buy the top-notch for loaner tools.

 

[CDW6212R]

That's good, I would conclude that also. My leak was not so obvious like yours was. The two hose clamps were not really tight on mine, and the hoses had dry rot. I bought an entire pump assembly, so I swapped it all. I now have several spare pump parts.