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navegator's avatar
navegator
Explorer
Jun 26, 2015

Ford E-350 fuel pump going bad what it did

Going up hill into San Diego South on the 215, stepped on gas, half way up gradient lost some power not all and heard clattering from engine, I thought it was the cruise control, disengaged cruse control and it got a bit better, latter on going into Flagstaff it was a bit sluggish on the uphill gradients, performed OK on flats and down hill, reached Cortez and had the dealer replace the fuel filter.

That improved the uphill going but not to much, had lunch in Chama and proceeded to Santa Fe, NM on the way in there is a very steep gradient and the RV started to really bog down, right lane 4 way flashers first gear doing 24 to 25 miles per hour goosing the gas pedal, crested the summit, next day took to Ford dealer, diagnostic is the fuel pump going out.

We are glad that it did not happen on the road to Las Cruces, we have the Good Sam insurance for this type of situations, the other symptom is that it is hard to start, cranks and catches after the fuel line pressurizes.

Heed the warning signs of major problems so that you won't be stuck in the boonies, specially with the heat out there.

navegator
Class C

10 Replies

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  • navegator's avatar
    navegator
    Explorer
    Jul 02, 2015
    The in tank pumps are actually cooled by the gasoline, running the fuel tank dry in any fuel injected vehicle with a tank fuel pump will over heat the pump and cause all sort of problems, it is best to fill up when the gauge shows half of one quarter left, so as not to run dry.

    I had the pump replaced in Santa Fe NM by Ford, I believe that not running for several years and being close to the sea plus high humidity and heat caused some condensation "aka" water to settle in the pump area and cause some damage or just siting around not running, it had 1/4 tank at all times, noticed the hard start in Pal Springs and got progressively worse up to Santa Fe coming in from Chama, on the steep hill, nearly stalled a couple of times.

    An inline high pressure pump might cause more problems down the line with the injectors and the pressure regulator, it might work for a while until some connection ruptures down the line and causes a fire.

    With the new pump and the filter it runs great.

    navegator
  • maillemaker's avatar
    maillemaker
    Explorer
    Jul 02, 2015
    My fuel pump burned up on my 1990 E-350 Winnebago. First what burned up was the fuel pump relays. That should have been a warning. Replaced those, and a couple of months later the fuel pump itself burned up.

    And when I mean "burned up", I mean "burned". The top plastic portion of the fuel pump was vaporized. The spade connector on one of the contacts was molten slag. It's amazing that this kind of action can happen inside the fuel tank and it does not explode, but that's what no air does for you.

    I have heard that running low on fuel exposes the pump and can cause it to overheat. We were low on fuel when the first relays burned up.
  • j-d's avatar
    j-d
    Explorer II
    Jun 30, 2015
    Possible but impractical to install a high pressure pump into the fuel line. Possible in that it can be done but involves hacking on the lines. Won't work if in-tank has totally failed. Impractical in that you'll still need an in-tank, probably sooner than later. And removing the booster (at least in my friend's case) rendered it and/or the line useless.
    What it MAY do, of course, is keep you moving to where somebody can drop the tank.
  • navegator's avatar
    navegator
    Explorer
    Jun 29, 2015
    It is possible I suspect that the culprit was more of condensation and water from high humidity living in San Diego I started to notice the hard start problem before we moved to the desert in Palm Springs, right now we are in Van Horn in Texas and the engine lights up normal have used several tanks with Chevron fuel, in 2007 I did the spark plug inserts, all else checks OK.

    navegator
  • pnichols's avatar
    pnichols
    Explorer II
    Jun 29, 2015
    I wonder if stale gas in the tank after sitting around all that time messed up the fuel pump?
  • navegator's avatar
    navegator
    Explorer
    Jun 29, 2015
    The RV is 2001 Ford with the v-10 engine, it has 14000 + miles, it sat for about 7 years while we recuperated from the housing fiasco, we had to live in it after we walked away from the house, it also sat in the desert for the last year with temperatures of 102 to 118.

    When the engine starts to cranck and does not light up immediately that is the pump loosing the pressure, the fuel filter will also starve the injectors but the engine should ignite normally and idle, the filter will make the engine stumble on acceleration, the pump will not it will just not have any get go.

    Replaced fuel pump by Ford dealer in Santa Fe and goes 60 miles up hills unless the gradient is steeper, then it slows to 55 in second that is with the cruise control engaged.

    navegator
  • pnichols's avatar
    pnichols
    Explorer II
    Jun 29, 2015
    Lars,

    What year is your Ford chassis and how many miles do you have on it?

    Thx.
  • j-d's avatar
    j-d
    Explorer II
    Jun 29, 2015
    We were just in Chama, took the train ride into Colorado. From what I remember of our trip by car Santa Fe TO Chama, good thing you weren't trying to go that way. The train trip is excellent. It's available in full and half trips, half being Chama to halfway or so for lunch then return by bus. Can be done that way from the CO end too. Many say the upper half is more dramatic than the lower (Chama) end but my group liked that end better. If your trip includes lunch, it's GOOD and plenty of it! Don't plan dinner out that night.

    Did Ford in Santa Fe get you fixed up and running well again? I considered laying out an access hatch from inside the coach down to the top of the tank at the pump. Gave up on that. It would have been in the hallway in front of the bathroom. Under the bed, I'd've done it. IF, that is, I could figure out the boxed steel frame and not cut down right into a 1x2 steel tube. It's flooring on top, sheet metal on the bottom, so really hard to figure a place to lift a section out of. Will have to face dropping the tank. You KNOW it's gonna be Full.
  • Harvey51's avatar
    Harvey51
    Explorer
    Jun 29, 2015
    Thanks, Navegator! Will watch for those signs.
    I already replaced the fuel filter to make work easier for the pump. A tricky little job getting those "quick disconnects" disconnected.

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