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Venting about my truck
It seems like a lot of the repairs that I need to do on my truck are SUPER SIMPLE... except in practice.
Right now I have a leaky fuel filler hose. Right where it goes into the gas tank, it's leaking only when I fill up. This is apparently a fairly common problem and it's not that hard to replace the tube. The end that you put the fuel into has 3 bolts. The end that goes into the tank has an adjusting bolt hose clamp. Really simple, right? Except getting to it. The "easy way" is to lift the truck bed off, replace tube and put the bed back on. No big deal, right? Except when the truck is a '96 and the bed hasn't ever been lifted that I know of and so the bolts are practically welded in place. Oh and it has a bedliner. And you need to remove the tailgate. And the tailgate has a broken latch so you have to dismantle it. Sigh. So I dismantled the tailgate, removed it, removed the bedliner, cleaned the bed out good, let it dry and sprayed all 6 bolts with PB Blaster. I'd ordered the part online, since the Ford dealership wanted $500 for it. FOR A HOSE!!! Part arrived today, so I went out and made attempts on those bolts. 5 out of the 6 broke loose, but I did not remove them, just got them to start to move. The only one that refuses to budge? The one right over the fuel tube. Yeah. So I sprayed it with more PB Blaster. I wedged my head under the wheel well and I can reach the hose clamp I'd need to remove. Not sure how I'll manage to get a tool to it and remove it, mind you, but I can feel it. Not sure but it feels like it's covered in years of gunk which might make it crazy to take loose. So I have to wait until the weekend ANYway, because I can't risk getting the truck half dismantled and then not be able to finish/put it back together and not be able to drive to work. The PB Blaster can soak in and hopefully make it work later when I try again. Of course, I'm not certain how I'll actually get the bed up and out of the way... or back on. I'm working on that plan. Really. The last adventure was replacing the engine spark plugs and wires which is a NIGHTmare. It got done. Oh and a heater coil control valve which was actually dead easy. Wish me luck! Sorry to ramble on. Gonna go beat my truck with a Ford tool until I feel better. |
look closely near the backside of the filler neck. I know your vehicle is a '96 but on a '97 and a '98 there is a bracket plus a bolt. the bolt goes into the frame up HIGH. When installing the new one rub a little grease inside the hose to aid in getting the hose over the tube neck. Good luck. Allow several hours for the task.
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When I replaced the spark plugs on my 96 Bronco I tried to get the rearmost old ones out by coming in from above but I could only get a minimal amount of turn before the wrench hit something. The first one took 25 minutes to get out. Then I found out that, if I put all my ratchet wrench extensions together, I could come in through the wheel well and had plenty of room to swing the wrench.
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I feel your pain. I have spent many hours of work replacing a part that costs less than a dollar.
Sometimes, it can even be worthwhile to let someone else fix it. That, and some fixes become not worthwhile. My truck will continue to leak oil because it's a horrible job to fix, and oil is rather cheap. So I'll just keep adding it to and letting it leak. The wifes car was given to a mechanic to fix since it was spraying gasoline. Another horrible job, particularly since I don't have a lift. It was almost a pleasure to give someone else several hundred dollars to have them do it instead of me. |
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I don't care the religious affiliation, or devotion, the engineers who design our vehicle should spend eternity trying to fix them.
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Well today I soaked the bolts again with PB Blaster. I have spent the week spraying them every day and working them so they are started. Today I got home from work and really started removing them.
I busted my pipe I use as a breaker bar. I found a different couple pipes, one too short to be really effective, the other too long to be used effectively in the confines of the bed. With more PB Blaster applied, and lots of creative cursing and barked knuckles and banged up fingers, I got five bolts completely removed. Do you remember how I said there were six bolts? Yeah. I got five out. #6 is the one right over the stupid gas tank/filler tube. And it ain't coming out. I've spent the afternoon working at it, adding PB Blaster, gun oil, turning it back and forth, using the extra long breaker bar, hitting it with a hammer, cursing it loudly.... nothing. It just sits there, half removed, mocking me. Fordy, I even got mad enough to decide I would cut it off. But I only have a circular saw, and the bolt head is so close to the front wall of the bed that I can't angle the blade in to cut the stupid thing. I know now I will be buying a angle grinder in the future. Foxtrapper, I would have paid the mechanic to do this, except for the fact they quoted me $170 for the labor IF I got the part. And it's a 20 minute repair... if I could get to it. Nimrod, I also replaced my spark plugs and wires recently. I spent a few extra dollars and got a extension that has some wobble built in, so you don't have to line up directly. It was worth the $8 more. That's still a real bear to do, mainly getting the last back plug put IN, rather than getting them removed. But I saved a few hundred dollars by not taking it to the mechanic for that too. Agmantoo, it looks like this will go into a second day to get it done. I think I have a friend coming(from an hour away!) to bring a angle grinder and cut it off tomorrow. I have good friends. I'm going to go out and hit the truck a few more times with a hammer just to make me feel better. It's a Ford, it likes it. |
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Might want to try and get a wet rag up around that hose.
Sparks + Vapor=.... |
after thought
Try setting the bolts, no nuts, back in the P side. Jack up the D side,block it and you should have enough room with out removing the bed.
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Thank you guys so much!
I finally got my bro out with a sawzall and we cut the head off the last bolt. No sparks! I'm not sure how those sawzalls work like that but it sure did. Then it was lift the bed up and move it back about 2-3 feet and set it down. Replace the part(literally 10 minutes work), lift and replace the bed, and fasten the neck of the filler tube back into place against the bed side(which required "forcing it" which is after all, the way of the Ford). Now I have to put the bed bolts BACK in, and I got one 3/4 wrenched in and realized... It's 89F out, in full sun, and I'm dying. I'll go back out later after it's cooled down some and put more in. It's almost as hard to put them back! Still not sure what I'll do for the cut off bolt. I think I may just have someone drop a cut over the stub and a little weld and not worry about it for now. Sure I'll have to have it cut off next time I need to raise the bed... but I am not sure I can remove the old bolt at all either. All told, the actual work of the repair took about 30 minutes at most. Removing the bed bolts is what took forever and putting them BACK is going to take forever too. EDIT: I almost forgot, there's a little hose right beside the part that was undone as well, I think it's something to do with the vapors? At any rate, I reattached that too. |
If you don't drive over 125 mph three should hold it on .
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..................Sawzalls are used mainly for removing the gonads from Camels ! , fordy:goodjob: |
Well the one that was cut was a corner bolt(front driver corner).
Squeeky the Wonder Truck doesn't go 125 mph. At 99.9 it shuts down(governor?). And no, not admitting how I know that. :whistlin: Thanks again. I do like being able to do work on my vehicle myself, just like doing home repairs and projects myself. Occasionally I have hangups like this stupid bolt and they drive me to distraction! It's so frustrating to have to yell for help on something that I should be able to take care of myself. |
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Okay, I'm a moron.
That one bolt was in 3/4 of the way and jammed and I couldn't get it the rest of way in, so I gave up on it and tried putting the front corner one in(the one that wasn't cut off) and it wouldn't grab. I crawled underneath to check the bed was down on the frame properly, yep. I checked the mounted nut was in place, yep. I got lots of rust in my eyeballs, check. Finally thought... maybe the front bolts are longer than the back 4 bolts? SO I checked the remaining 4 loose bolts and they're all the same length. At this point, at least some of you should be facepalming for me. The bolt that was 3/4 in and jammed was the extra long bolt that goes in the front slot. THAT'S why it wouldn't screw all the way in! I had to back it back out and put it in the front slot and putting the 5 bolts in place was not hard at all(with lots of PB Blaster). So putting the bolts back in did NOT take long at all once I figured out that I had to put the RIGHT bolts in the RIGHT slots. Still have not done anything about the cut bolt in the front corner. Truck runs fine! The bed didn't fly off or anything! I fueled up today though and the new fuel tube works a charm! I'm so very pleased!!! |
I guess you put a copious amount of never cease on them bolts :peep:
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Actually, my store didn't have any, although I couldn't remember the right name so I just sprayed them heavy with PB Blaster. I will have to secure that one cut bolt, so it'll be "seized" up and have to be cut anyway if I have to re-remove the bed.
I may pick up the "never seize" stuff though and pull the bolts one by one and coat them suckers though. |
We call it Anti-seize compound. That's what it says on the can we have.
And Wolfy-hound, if it was easy it wouldn't be any fun, right? :) |
That's so darned true. And if it were easy, everyone would do it themselves and no one would be impressed when I manage to blunder through a repair myself!
Thanks for the info, I'll try to find a can tomorrow. |
You sound just like me.
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Couple of late suggestions. Kroil instead of PB Blaster. I hope you were spraying the bolts from underneath the truck. I heat hoses like that in hot water before putting them on the metal nozzles or pipe.
I've had the bed off an 87 misbegotten, ill designed Chevy so many times, I can almost snap my fingers these days and get the bed off. As far as the number of bolts, I've gotten by with two ... but they were the two best bolts. :) |
I did spray most of the bolts from underneath, but once I got a couple turns, I would spray from the top so it would run down the shaft to the underneath.
As hot as it was, I don't think the hoses needed any hot water. Everything was HOT. I had to use gloves when lifting the bed off so I wouldn't scald my hands. Thanks!! I will keep an eye out for Kroil. I'm always looking for more/better lubricants. |
Did you get the $170 one from autozone or the $30 one from ebay?
I dropped the tank to change mine. |
I know Wolfy-hound has his truck fixed now, but another suggestion for getting a hose on when it doesn't want to go, especially as small one, is to spit on/in the hose end. The spit acts as a lubricant and the hose will usually go right on.
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I got a $100 fuel tube from Rock-Auto online. I don't have any way to raise my truck up to get to the fuel tank to drop it and no real way to raise it back up easily to reattach it. So the bed was easier(despite all the issues).
I didn't spit on the hose, but I did use a little bit of windex to make it slicker. Worked a charm. It was a snug fit which is good! And I'm a female, not that it particularly matters though. |
I went to autozone and they wanted $169. I'm like "its a rubber hose! How can it be $169?!?" I knew there had to be a cheaper way. Luckily I found them on ebay for $30 shipped, which is what I figured their value to be in the 1st place.
I never thought of moving the bed until I had the job done. Dropping the tank was what the book said to do, which wasn't too bad. It isn't heavy when empty. If I had it to do again, I'm not sure which way I would do it. |
Yeah, the Autozone type places kept telling me I had to call the dealership where I found that ridiculous $500 price tag on a HOSE... ugh.
I hit google to find out what was involved and I'd say it was about 1/4 that said drop the fuel tank and 3/4 said move the bed. Removing the bed seemed so much simpler.... |
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That reminded me I have a bedliner with a 100 screws around the perimeter holding it in the bed (because when I pulled loads out of the truck, the liner wanted to go with the loads). |
That bedliner would suck. Mine was just jammed in place. Just took some cursing and yanking to get it out. I haven't put it back yet... haven't even put the tailgate back on yet! LOL. Soon. I got the anti-seize stuff but it keeps raining now.
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Careful with the anti-seize stuff... get a wee bit on your finger and before you know it, its all over you. A little bit goes a long way. You probably have a lifetime supply.
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Considering what the weather fronts from this Tropical storm are doing to my knees and joints, I might need to use some anti-seize on myself!
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As for Kroil vs PBblaster, I've used both, can't say I've found any of the various Kroil formulations to be particularly superior to PBblaster. If you stumble across a can, sure, pick it up to try. But I wouldn't go hunting very hard for it. Some day I'm going to buy a can of Mouse Milk, just for the name. |
I've done this a couple of times. Use a transmission jack to lower gas tank...much faster than removing the bed!
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Wolfy, you sound like my wife. We have an '03 Dakota and an '05 Jeep Liberty and she's not afraid to dig in and help with repairs. She's probably better at changing brakes than I am.
I for one like when women defy the stereotypes and hunt, farm, and fix stuff. My wife's a tomboy through and through and I love her for it. And Rocky, I think the tranny jack is a great idea, but more of a specialized tool that many people might not have. I'd probably take the bed off too, but this thread goes to show that there can be a bunch of "right" ways to fix a problem. It's always good to have options. |
Thanks for the replies and ideas. Yep, no tranny jack here, I have a distinct lack of tools when it comes to specialty vehicle tools. I can say "used to have" a ton of stuff but that's all long gone.
I used to change out the starters on our diesel trucks, work on outboard boat motors, etc. When something breaks, you gotta fix it. I've never ever seen any reason to go wringing hands to find someone else to do it just because of gender. Especially house repairs, I dearly loved my husband, but I always could finish a plumbing or building project in half the time, with a more professional job in the end than he could. I simply waited for him to go try to find some essential tool he had to have, then went ahead and built the aquarium stand or replace the sink drain before he reappeared. I suspect he liked that. I know a lot of people who don't know how to change a flat tire. That's just really unacceptable to me. |
A person should be able to fix their home, transportation, and their body. Plus, one should be able to defend themselves both physically and legally to a reasonable degree.
Women tend to be more interested in fixing their hair than anything else. I guess if you have a nice appearance, you won't have to worry about fixing anything else, but isn't that the definition of prostituting oneself for basic necessities? An empty gas tank weighs about as much as an empty garbage can. Just drive the truck with a spare can of gas (in case you run out) until its been on E for a while. No jack required, but an extra pair of hands would be appreciated. |
I always have a can of fuel. Normally I also have 2 gallons of water too, but until I finish with the truck bed, the water stays out(no tailgate).
With it being summer here in Florida, if I see someone on the side of the road, out of fuel.. I'm able to stop and give them a couple gallons to get them to a fuel station, instead of them trying to walk miles to a station in the heat OR waiting for hours for a service to bring fuel to them. And I don't need to risk giving a stranger a ride in my truck with me if I already HAVE the fuel in the truck. Plus, I've run myself out of fuel a couple times. |
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