How To: Ranger Fuel Filler hose Swap and Bed Removal | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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How To: Ranger Fuel Filler hose Swap and Bed Removal

Tbars4

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City, State
anaheim hills,california
Year, Model & Trim Level
95 ranger 4x4/ 91 X 4x4
..This job was done on my 95 Ford Ranger 4x4 with no body lift and it has relocated spring hangers in the rear with Chevy springs on it so some stuff may be, or appear to be different than on your vehicle..

Disclaimer:

..This is just how I do it..Do so at your own Risk..

..This is not the safest way to do this so again, this is only what I did and you need to do what you can to protect yourself and be as safe as humanly possible...
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The Cause

..It was that time of the season again and Smog was due on my Ranger..Although it is ODBII compliant, California sees it as ODB1 since Federal law did not require ODBII until the vehicle model years of 1996 cars and trucks..

..This is important Because 95 and older vehicles in Calif. are required to also take an "Evap" test (along with their Smog Test)..This is where they pump about 3# of nitrogen into your fuel tank in order to test your "Evap" system for leaks..(More info on Calif Smog Test can be found here .. )

..Although my Ranger had failed 3 years ago when the test started and I had replaced the Fuel Filler hose then, my Ranger failed the Evap test again this year...

..I've been asked how I replaced the Fuel Filler hose without removing the bed when I previously did the repair so this year I decided to show a couple ways of doing this all by yourself...

..It is much easier if you have someone help you remove the bed but I'll give you a couple options on how I do this and you can improve on how it is to be done safely..;)

..This is a very dangerous and flammable area to be working in so take precautions and having plenty of fire extinguishers and whatever safety equipment you feel comfortable with having under these conditions....
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The Fuel Filler Hose

..Since the "Evap" test has resulted in finding the Fuel filler hose is a common failure part, Ford raised the price of these to almost $500 and aftermarket out here is about $212 plus tax..

.This is a special hose as it is 2" on one end and 2-1/4" on the other..

...The last time I replaced this I found a deal at $150 but it only last 3 years while the OEM lasted many more than that but I surely was not going to pay $500...

..Another way to fix this in the past was to but a fuel rated 2-1/4" Gates 90* degree elbow (about $40 by itself) and then have a muffler shop make a coupler to go inside of the elbow and reduce down to go inside of the remaining 2" hose...

..I was all set to do that and thought that would be a nifty fix for around $80-$100 if you didn't have friends with a muffler shop...Hey, $50-$75 dollar savings isn't half bad...

..Well I did a little more researching and I found on one of the racing forums guys had recently found a deal on Ebay..I looked it up and found out who the supplier was and contacted them personally just to make sure this was right..

..This was $40.20, free shipping and arrived Tuesday when I ordered it Saturday afternoon..The only difference I could see between this one and the one I previously paid $150 for was it did not have a retainer on the bottom hose clamp to keep it from spinning while you were trying to tighten it..A valuable item yes but not over $100 worth..:rolleyes:

1989 - 1997 Ford Ranger Fuel Filler Neck with 6 Foot Bed

AM Price:
$40.20

This part replaces:

OE #: F47Z 9034 P, F47Z9034P, E97Z 9034 B, E97Z9034B,ZZM0-42-210B, ZZM042210B

DORMAN #: 577-902

SPECTRA PREMIUM #: TNKFN518

..What the heck, I'll give her a try and if it last till my next "Evap" test in two years I'm money ahead....:biggthump
http://www.am-autoparts.com/Ford/Ra...opping&utm_source=google_base&utm_content=FMX

..This is their website and filler hose page..
http://www.am-autoparts.com/search.html?words=fuel+filler+hose&x=0&y=0

0607120955.jpg


___________________________________________________

..How to remove just the filler hose without removing the bed..

..First you need to block the vehicle as needed, jack up the rear axle, and remove the drivers side rear wheel in order to better see and to gain some working room..

..After removing the tire, this view is easily seen from the wheel well looking at the Fuel Filler hose where it goes over the frame rail onto the neck of the fuel tank..This is where the damaged hose problem is almost always found, at the 90 going onto the neck of the fuel tank..;)
0607120939.jpg


...This 90* area is a flex area which is like wringing out a wash cloth as there is flex in the hose between where it is attached at the bed to where it is attached at the tank..This 90 also sits right above the fill opening to the tank and is always subject to the fuel vapors in this spot...

...After taking all the safety precautions and also brushing the dirt away from the top of the tank with my hands I proceed to cut the hose as close to the neck on the tank as possible...This gives me more hand room to locate and un-tighten the hose clamp that is holding it on..
0607121107.jpg


..After removing the remnant of hose that was left on the tank, you can see where it dry rotted at the elbow..
0607121119.jpg


...Unlike the OEM hose I originally pulled 3 years ago, this one also cracked at the filler neck..
0607121103.jpg


...I remove this part last as it helps keep the hose from flopping around when I'm cutting it in two at the tank...

..Simply remove the 3 Phillips screws and remember or mark the location of the clip for the fuel cap before removal..;)
0607120936.jpg


..With the screws and cap removed..
0607120937.jpg


..Let the remaining hose now drop to the ground and removal is complete..
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..Install the new hose

..This is what the fuel filler hose looks like from behind the fuel door/gas cap area..Insert the end up to the fuel door opening as this will give you a hand on this end and I also start the 3 screws first to keep it from twisting while trying to work with the other end of this hose..
0607121138.jpg


..Now carefully put the other end over the frame rail and attach it to the neck of the tank..Note the location of the nut on the hose clamp so you can tighten it from this side..
0607121138a.jpg


..Tightening this clamp can be tiresome but attention needs to be taken to do this properly...Take the time and make sure to do it right..

...Last time I had access to a couple long extensions and I actually ran those over the fuel tank to tighten it up...It was easier to do then but since I moved the hangers forward I lost access to easily tighten them up..

...Now go back to the fuel door and replace the hanger for the gas cap and tighten those 3 Phillips screws back up..

...That's all it takes to do this hose swap this way..
 



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..For those who read the previous post and are wondering why I didn't just remove the bed to do the job...My Ranger most all days has a shell on it, a bedliner, custom carpet kit, and about 600#'s of tools..Removing all that takes some time and I definitely need at least one other person to lift the shell off..;)

..Now to the easiest way to do this..:biggthump

Ranger Bed Removal

...If you have a friend that you could borrow for about 2 minutes, but twice in the same day, this job becomes even easier...If not, this is how I tackled it myself..

..Before starting anything on the bed removal you must first find yourself a T-55 torx bit..Before you say you have one you better double check as this is the only place this bit is used on your truck..

..A close up of such a bit...I have every size I needed for several trucks but this one I had to borrow...It's a Big'un..
0621120958.jpg


...For those of you in the rust belt, it wouldn't hurt for you to crawl under the truck and start spraying these 6 bolts from underneath with at least some "Deep Creep" for a couple days prior to help free them up..

..You have six bolts holding your bed down, 2 in the front and 4 in a rectangle pattern in the rear near the tailgate area..I like using my 1/2"x 2' long cheater when removing these as the threads are covered with years of road dirt and you need to first "break" them free..
0621120958a.jpg


...Do not forget to do this..

..This should be the only electrical connection you need to disconnect to remove the bed...If you forget to check for this and other electrical connections and do not disconnect them now, you will be sorry later..(note the location)
0621121049.jpg


...Now simply remove the 3 Phillips screws that hold the Fuel Filler Hose within the Fuel door and remember to mark the location of the clip that holds the fuel cap before removal..
0607120936.jpg


..After removing the screws and the cap, reach up from behind and pull the fuel filler hose out of it's spot at the fuel door area and bend it down toward the ground and below the edge of the bed..

NOTE: Main thing to remember when doing this is not to slide the bed over the fuel filler hose, make sure electrical is disconnected, and watch for places that might smash your fingers or allow the bed to drop off of supporting areas..:D..Oh yea, be sure the bed is safely supported to keep from moving at all times..

..You can do this part by yourself if you don't mind scratching up the top plastic of your bumper...

..This is before...
0621121134.jpg


...And this is after pulling the bed up onto the rear bumper and tires..
0621121052.jpg


..Care needs to be taken as you need to pull this awkward thing uphill as it is trying to slide back down and smash the hoses or fall off the tires..
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The reason I also needed to remove the bed..

..As luck would have it after replacing the Fuel Filler hose, it was found that I had a massive leak detected in my "Evap" system..Since they clamp off the hose up front before the charcoal canister, the only place it could be is at the tank itself and removing the bed is the easiest way to get at it and view everything (Even easier than dropping the tank)

..I just new that the leak was going to be at the large "O" ring on top of the tank for the fuel pump since it is a common issue only if a massive leak is found and it is not the Fuel Filler Hose...

..This is a shot as soon as the bed was pulled out of the way..
0621121055.jpg


..A closer look...Can you see the problem?
0621121055a.jpg


..The tank vent hose was disconnected and laying under the frame rails..:rolleyes:..This is a view of it reconnected..
0621121058.jpg


..Same view from opposite direction(from passenger side)..Notice the fuel filler hose attached to the tank and hanging down out of the way..
0621121059.jpg


Replace the Bed

...Carefully place the bed back to it's original location...Start replacing the screws in the bed to help keep it from moving around..
0621121107.jpg


...There are two different sizes of screws for the bed as shown in this picture...2 of them are longer and go to the front of the bed (center of picture)..The other 4 are shorter and are to be used in the rectangle area located by the tailgate of the bed..
0621121013a.jpg


Now re-install the 3 screws that hold the fuel filler neck in place at the fuel door opening, install the cap and tighten down...

..Next I tightened down all 6 bed bolts slowly and just snug so the bed would align itself...I then tightened down the 4 screws in the rectangle area and then the 2 at the front of the bed as a big star pattern..

Last but not least I reconnected the electrical by the bumper and verified all tail, turn, and brake lights..

..Another job done..:chug:
 






Great write-up, Ted!
 






..Thanks...I'm working on a couple more..:D
 






Found same problem....sort of.

Tbars...Upon removing the bed of my 96 Ranger...and after powerwashing it, I noticed the same tank vent hose missing. Dug around and found a hose under the frame there, but, it had a male connector coming out of it???? Not sure if I blew off another piece of hose connecting the two while washing it, but I didn't notice any ill effects on the ride home from the car wash. How did you discover that this was your leaking problem?? ...Help??
 






..The plastic might have broke off from the piece coming out of the tank..:dunno:

..We have an "Evap System" pressure test out here which led me to find I had a gross leak...I would assume yuour computer would be altering values to compensate for the leak..

..Another issue with this particular hose would be the fuel nozzle would keep tripping when you are trying to fuel up...That is if you have the vapor recovery systems on your gas pumps out there..
 






..The plastic might have broke off from the piece coming out of the tank..:dunno:

..We have an "Evap System" pressure test out here which led me to find I had a gross leak...I would assume yuour computer would be altering values to compensate for the leak..

..Another issue with this particular hose would be the fuel nozzle would keep tripping when you are trying to fuel up...That is if you have the vapor recovery systems on your gas pumps out there..

Thanks...will cut a piece of hose and connect the two male ends...see what happens :eek:
 






..Any updates on your progress?..:popcorn:
 






...Bumpin this thread as I'm using the info again...:D
 






..Update on the fuel filler hose...

Between wheeling and daily driver use this $35? dollar hose lasted a little over a year..I feel better now that I found a cheap one..

..I recently did a 1" puck lift on my truck and do feel the lift will also aid in prolonging the life of this hose on the Ranger..The hose actually is now leveled off with room to move rather than being in the forced down, kinda crimped position..;)
 






Lol I hate that hose! Hen I did my first one years ago before dorman or anyone else sold it ford wanted insane money for that thing and we ended up making one, I think I did a dozen or more of them at the shop I was working out of , the worst one we had to do from the bottom because the customer had just line-Xd the bed!
 






..I am going to give the stock design fuel filler hose one more last chance...:hammer:

..I will find another just to see if the 1" puck lift truly helps prolong the life of this hose...After that experiment, it will be custom..

..A quick search turns up I can still find these for about $40 while the Ford part is $400 and has to be located as it is a discontinued item..
 






Yea about six or seven years ago dealer cost from ford was over $700 that's why we made one for an older guy ( in his 80s no money) we used the ends from the oe hose and cobbed up the hose from a hose we think came from a e350 van.
 






Those aftermarket filler hoses are garbage (made in China too, of course). I've gotten about 1.5 years out of them before they crack just like the OEM one does in 15 years.

My ongoing experiment is to wrap the entire outer hose with good quality electrical tape (I'm using Scotch Super-88). My theory is this prevents the rubber from being exposed to ozone and other pollutants in the air, dry rotting it so quickly (loosen the hose clamps so you can wrap it with tape there as well, since that's the area where they like to crack first).
 






..Bump..Someone was looking for this info..;)
 






Fuel hose fix?

Those aftermarket filler hoses are garbage (made in China too, of course). I've gotten about 1.5 years out of them before they crack just like the OEM one does in 15 years.

My ongoing experiment is to wrap the entire outer hose with good quality electrical tape (I'm using Scotch Super-88). My theory is this prevents the rubber from being exposed to ozone and other pollutants in the air, dry rotting it so quickly (loosen the hose clamps so you can wrap it with tape there as well, since that's the area where they like to crack first).

How did the electrical tape fix work? I´m having the same problem with my 95 Ranger.?? Thanx a lot!
 






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