1995 Bounder on Ford Chassis

[tunabob]

We have a 1995 Fleetwood Bounder 34 foot on a Ford Chassis. The motor will not start. Mechanic checked it out and may be fuel pump. He determined this by testing the relay. I need to know if there is an easy or easier way to get to the fuel pump to diagnose it and change it. Think it is in the fuel tank. Motorhome is in our storage yard so getting it in the air in order to drop the tank will not be easy, Thinking or hoping there is maybe access under the bed but looked and did not see anything. I will be calling Fleetwood techs in the morning and also putting 5 gallons of gas in it to make sure fuel gauge is correct, it reads between 1/2 and 1/4 tank. Generator does start. Thanks for the help. Ken

[Heisenberg]

I used this one. I left the Ford pump in service as a lift pump. I wired a relay initiated by the load side of the crash switch and sent a new 12V circuit to the new pump I mounted on the frame prior to the fuel filter.

[Timster]

It will fail again,it's just a matter of when,been there,done that.You really need to drop the tank and replace the pump with the new style updated pump,it's really not as bad as it sounds,i did mine in the driveway in about 3 hours.

[tunabob]

Update, sprayed starter fluid in intake and it started right up. Ran on its own. Started it 4 or 5 times, all seems good for now.

[tunabob]

Thanks everyone, allot of help here. Looking into an external fuel pump install. Questions: Can the original fuel pump stay in place working or not. Any pics or advice on an external fuel pump install is appreciated, make, location, source, etc> I have looked at rockauto already. Thanks to all of you.

[Jagtech]

The fuel tank on my 1997 F53 Ford motorhome is directly under the rear bed. I was able to cut a 11" square hatch in the floor directly above the fuel pump. This provides easy access to the pump. I could easily change that pump in a campground, without dropping the tank, and without finding a place to store the 200 litres of fuel that might be in it. Depending on the manufacturer of the coach, this may, or, may not, be an option.

[rutro]

We have a '96 Pace Arrow on that F53 Ford chassis. That fuel pump has a distinct sound when it's running. When you put the key in the start position anyone standing by or just behind the rear tires should be able to hear it running. If the pump is running check the frame rail fuel filter, mid way between the rearend and the motor on the drivers side frame rail on the inside between the two rails. Those intank pumps were bad about going out. If it's running you can add an inline pump just behind the frame rail filter and avoid that drop the tank replace the pump hassel. Ours is fuel injected and after I did the add on pump no more problems.... PM me if you need the plans for that add on pump, I got 'em from a forum member here and it's easy if you can use a few hand tools...........

[IndianaRVjones]

Hey still hsve the external pump plans my friend?

[timmac]

sljkansas wrote:
The Mid 90's ford chassics had problems with the fuel pumps. I have heard of owners who cut a hole in the floor under the bed (I guess this will depend to tne setup) to get to the top of the tank and remove the pump. Do a search on the forum and you'll find a lot of helpful posts.

1st off he has a Bounder that has storage in between the floor and gas tank so no way can he do this, and 2nd its a bad idea to cut up floor to get to in tank fuel pump, lower the tank is not just the best way but the only way.

[John_Joey]

robatthelake wrote:
His Generator Does Start! So that means that there is plenty of usable Gas! Seafoam will certainly help ,in any event!

You are correct, I misread the generator post.

All of the suggestions are good except it is Not that easy to cut a Hole in the right spot . Better to drop the Tank.

robatthelake wrote:
One must presume that the Mechanic has done due diligence ,but there are other components that can cause the Fuel Pump to stop running.

I would never assume this. Only real way to tell if fuel is being delivered is with a gauge. If you want to do a shade mechanic trick because of a lack of that tool then a couple of squirts of starter fluid and/or carb cleaner into the air intake to see if it starts, then a slow intermediate spray of carb cleaner to keep it running would tell you if it's fuel related. Would love to know how pulling a relay can do all of this?

[robatthelake]

His Generator Does Start! So that means that there is plenty of usable Gas! Seafoam will certainly help ,in any event!

All of the suggestions are good except it is Not that easy to cut a Hole in the right spot . Better to drop the Tank.

One must presume that the Mechanic has done due diligence ,but there are other components that can cause the Fuel Pump to stop running.

These include the ECM often referred to as the Ford Brain Box which hasn't been mentioned here.

Other parts aside ,from what I have been told, many In Tank , Ford Fuel Pumps have been replaced in those 1990's era Fords with External Holley Pumps accompanied by a Spin On Fuel Filter.These we an option offered by some Chassis makers.

We had one on Our Old Southwind !

[John_Joey]

BTW, most of the bad designed 3 wire fuel pumps on 20 year old rigs have already been replaced with the new 4 wire design years ago.

If you're not very mechanical I would do the following. Put a can of SeaFoam into the gas. Attempt to start it 10-12 times. This is mostly to mix up the SeaFoam and to attempt to push it up to the fuel injectors. Let it sit overnight and also attempt to put a fresh charge into the battery while it's sitting.

After 24 hours attempt to start it again. For certain fuel related problems SeaFoam really is a mechanic in a can. I'm guessing your generator isn't starting because it is gummed up also.

[sljkansas]

The Mid 90's ford chassics had problems with the fuel pumps. I have heard of owners who cut a hole in the floor under the bed (I guess this will depend to tne setup) to get to the top of the tank and remove the pump. Do a search on the forum and you'll find a lot of helpful posts.

[azrving]

Cover all the basics first. You need someone who can troubleshoot it properly. The pump must have good grounds and no corroded connectors. Voltage drop tests.
I would also say that electric in tank fuel pumps should be treated as a maintenance item. At least thats how I treat them. Like other items on an rv or a car it doesn't matter how few miles it has, parts go bad over time. Never run an electric pump out of fuel and always keep 1/4 tank or more in it.it should pump just fine with the amount that is in it. Adding more will just make it harder to remove the tank. Obviously an empty tank is easiest to remove.

[John_Joey]

I always wonder about mechanics that go to the worst thing first after something is sitting for awhile. Only real way to know if it's the pump is to plug a gauge into fuel rail and see if the pressure goes up once you turn the key on.

My bet is you didn't put any stabilizer in the gas when it went to sleep and the fuel is gummed up now. Or, while it was sitting a connection got corroded.

First thing is to determine if the problem is spark or gas. Then go from there. I assume this has been done?