Fuel Line Fitting: Hairpin or Duck Bill Clip? (’85 F-150 EFI 5l dual tanks)

U is a Bronco (utility)
You need to go to the second page to get to '85 5.0l EFI.

-again- I'm sorry I'm having such a hard time getting pics and links to attach to the forum.
(I even ordered a new phone... but "a delivery exception has occurred" because of the impending hurricane, I assume  )
Every hour the update is moving west down the shore closer to me.
I really need to get my stuff out of the marina and to higher ground.

What I'm suggesting is to get the specific Ford part numbers from the MPC and then cross them to the aftermarket, like Wells, Delco, Carter, Spectra, etc..

I'm having a problem with inserting images too, and this is with using a computer

I'm impressed you're doing all this with a phone.

Hopefully a lot of this stuff will get resolved when we get on the new server.

I'm sure there will be teething pains, but at least we will have some control authority.   👍

ArdWrknTrk wrote

U is a Bronco (utility)
You need to go to the second page to get to '85 5.0l EFI.

Thats a huge help! Thanks.

ArdWrknTrk wrote

Every hour the update is moving west down the shore closer to me.
I really need to get my stuff out of the marina and to higher ground.

Marina, like sea level??? Yes, very important.

Back in '65 when the Navy sent me to Rhode Island we looked at property in Providence. A nice waterfront house on an inlet. The relator said the water level got up toward the second floor. That cooled that deal.

Will be looking at the next page.

19 gallon aft tank:. E5tz9h307b
19 gal midship tank (133" WB) e5tz9h307c
16 gal midship tank (117 & 139" WB) e5tz9h307d

ArdWrknTrk wrote

19 gallon aft tank:. E5tz9h307b
19 gal midship tank (133" WB) e5tz9h307c

Thanks for the part numbers.

ArdWrknTrk wrote

Yes, I get it ... you got into the working web site now!

I tethered my tablet to my phone.
My phone just doesn't play nice with the forum.

Jim - doing all this posting with a phone has to be really difficult, even with an iPad tethered.
So, how did the boat make out? Okay, I hope.
The weather news indicated lots of rain but the good part is the wind wasn't quite as bad, but that depended on what side of the eye one was on.

Spent all day today searching for the right part. This evening I canceled the Amazon part because it Haden't even been shipped yet and it was supposed to be here by Saturday. It was to be provided by a seller and not by Amazon. Went to contact them and discovered they really didn't do a lot of sales, and they had a lot of bad reviews that didn't really show up when I ordered it.

Getting parts for an older vehicle is becoming difficult. There are a number of tank and pump/sender models so it is important to select the proper one.
*Called (very long hold), then sent an email to Spectra but no reply.
*Called Parts Geek and talked to a gal in the US from Honduras, difficult to understand. Think she dealt mostly with Spanish speaking customers. She couldn't tell me the manufacturer of the parts.
*Called LMC again and learned their Sender module is just that, no pump, so that is why it was so cheap. The guy couldn't say what pump would be needed. Didn't feel like doing "some assembly required". It wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't so difficult to remove the tank.
*Called NAPA and they want over $150 for the mid tank plus $50 shipping, not in stock and it won't be available for a couple weeks. No rear tank available.
*plus several other places not listed. Besides trying to sort though a whole bunch of seller web pages, entering all the pickup information each time, frankly, I'm exhausted. This has been the third day of this.

Not familiar with these part brands, like, what is trustworthy:
Airtex, Carter, Delphi, Spectra (seems good but difficult to get information)

Then there are all the sellers:
Parts Geek, eBay, Advance Auto Parts, Amazon direct (tends to be good for price and delivery), Amazon sellers, Auto Zone, Carid (would like to know more about this outfit), Rock Auto, Summit Racing, NAPA (expensive, long lead times, lack of rear tank)

I'm really worn out. The days are getting shorter, cooler, and now with a bit of moisture. Lots of outside work that needs to be done, including sealant and painting.

Thanks John.
The wind and rain weren't what I think of as a hurricane. But it was quite a storm. And unfortunately we do have a full moon effecting tides.
Honestly, I have been trying to stay dry on high ground and haven't seen the marina since Saturday afternoon.

I had thought Airtex and Wells were one in the same?
It's hard for me to keep up with all the buyouts and M&A by equity funds in this century.
"What's in a name?" It's pretty meaningless to me these days, as every iconic brand has been gutted and shuffled around.
So, unfortunately I don't feel I can speak to quality for anything anymore....

Others might have better, or more current advice.

ArdWrknTrk wrote

Thanks John.
The wind and rain weren't what I think of as a hurricane. But it was quite a storm. And unfortunately we do have a full moon effecting tides.
Honestly, I have been trying to stay dry on high ground and haven't seen the marina since Saturday afternoon.

I had thought Airtex and Wells were one in the same?
It's hard for me to keep up with all the buyouts and M&A by equity funds in this century.
"What's in a name?" It's pretty meaningless to me these days, as every iconic brand has been gutted and shuffled around.
So, unfortunately I don't feel I can speak to quality for anything anymore....

Others might have better, or more current advice.

Isn’t that a crock? Can’t trust names you used to trust! Seems it’s a gamble anymore. Irks me that they can’t rebuild a window motor and have it go the right direction when plugged in.

Found a phone number for Spectra: +1 (888) 910-8888, called them and talked to the Tech Support Dept x 2, and got the part numbers for the tanks and the pump/sender assemblies:
Mid Tank: F6BSB, pump/sender: SP2148H
Aft Axle: F1D, pump/sender: SP383H

Already ordered the SP2148H.

[Edit August 24: All these items ordered; the pump/senders are not cheap. Now onward to other parts]

[Edit #2, August 27:
The new aft tank and the midship tank pump/sender unit arrived this morning. Yea! the midship tank and the aft tank pump/sender is scheduled to arrive on Monday. Things are looking up …

or, at least they were.
Now, discovered a problem I don’t need.

Later today, while doing a quantity takeoff for the 3/8 and 5/16 Nylon tube connectors I had a not-so-nice discovery. Hadn't really looked at the diagrams for the fuel lines close enough, and while doing so, discovered this little part between the aft tank and the fuel filter, P/N 9189.

Hmmmm... this is NOT a fuel tube connector part number; it's a Fuel Tank Selector! Got on the creeper, slid under the rig and found it,  partially hidden, nestled between the left-side rail and the midship tank. Haden’t noticed it before because of looking the wrong direction and being fixated on the Fuel Reservoir/Filter.

Adding insult to injury, since it is on the driver's side which, in the garage, is adjacent to the storage shelves (so there is more room on the right side), that means the only access is from the passenger side. Its now time to re-think this whole project, so back to square one.

So, What are the options now?
Will have to think this over.

In my last post I wrote "Will have to think this over.". That was almost a year ago!

What happened in the meantime? Had to get a lot of outside work done on the house which was a bigger project than I thought it would be. By then, the weather had deteriorated enough that the mechanical work was not weather friendly.

Spring came, April and May were the two wettest months on record, along with cold temperatures. June was boat haulout for bottom paint and then the weather started to improve, but then I had an accident and recovery will take at least a couple months. However, I have found a mechanic that is willing to work with me (not for free) but I have to get some parts.

Parts update: I have both rear and saddle tanks (Spectra) along with their respective Fuel Pump/Sender units, so that much is accomplished.

Do need to get (1) Fuel lines, (2) Dorman Fuel line fittings, (3) Dorman Fuel Line Repair Tool, (4) Heat Shrink for color-coding the lines, (5) and fuel line covers, if need, to replace existing. (6) May need insulation like Gary used in his project if the lines go near the exhaust.

Dorman Fuel Line Repair Tool: Last year the cost for the tool which included an assortment of tool parts, cost $91.72 (via Amazon w/ free freight); when I checked the price using the link today, the cost was $69.96, and that was a surprise as everything else has increased in price. This has just been ordered.

Fuel Line Fittings: I'll do another post about the Fuel Line Fittings as the Shop/Ford Diagram indicates "straight-in" fittings to the fuel filter Reservoir, as opposed to my fuel filter Reservoir that has all angle fittings. I'll explain in another post.

Life has a way of getting between us and our projects.  So it isn't surprising that it has taken a while for you to get to this point.  But I'm sorry to see that you had an accident along the way, and hope you are healing quickly and nicely.

As for the tool's price coming down, that is wonderful!  That tool works well, but there is a bit of a learning curve.  And a little bit of heat on the end of the Nylon line makes it go a bit easier.

And heat shrink is a good idea for color coding the lines.  I used the same size for both supply and return and that made it difficult to tell which was which at times.

But angled vs straight fittings is surprising.  I'm anxious to see what you have found.

Gary Lewis wrote

Life has a way of getting between us and our projects.  ... and hope you are healing quickly and nicely.

Amen. And, come tomorrow, looking at switching doctors and working with a genuine physical therapist. Current doctor is a good one; however, his PA (physician assistant) is not a physical therapist. In consultation with a RN (registered nurse), she said that the first appointment with a PT (physical therapist) should be with a "Doctor of Physical Therapy" (maybe optional depending on severity?, I don't know) because they do the, can't think of the term, analysis (?) of what is needed. From that point, it can be decided if a physical therapist can take over. In this case, the doctor, who is a surgeon, didn't even see the patient because "he doesn't do surgery" on patients this old so had his PA-C (unlicensed PT) take over. Never went through this process before so it is all new. This is for info in case anyone else encounters something like this. Life is full of learning opportunities! Now, not to be sidetracked, off to "learning" about fuel lines!

Gary Lewis wrote

As for the tool's price coming down, that is wonderful!  That tool works well, but there is a bit of a learning curve.  And a little bit of heat on the end of the Nylon line makes it go a bit easier.

Lower price is VERY unusual. Wonder if there were a lot of this tool made but auto manufacturers made a change in the type of fuel lines, or connections, and the older vehicles are being sent to the scrap heap so this type of tool isn't needed so much? Or, if the previous price included a larger package of accessories? The link of the picture from last time is EXACTLY the same as the one yesterday so that couldn't be it. However, it is very odd.

As for heating the tube end, I do remember now that this was mentioned this before. Thanks for the reminder ... I need all the reminders I can get. This is another "The devil is in the details" item. "And heat shrink is a good idea for color coding the lines." and ditto that.

Gary Lewis wrote

 I used the same size for both supply and return and that made it difficult to tell which was which at times.

Was there "something" about using a larger return line because of ... situations where there was more fuel that needed to be returned than what the 5/16" line could handle? Or something like that?

QUESTION: Along the route of the pair of lines (supply & return) there are "supports". How are these typically attached to the frame rail? Bolts, screws? And, is one side of the "bracket" smaller than the other to make up for the difference in the line size?

Fuel line connectors, right angle or straight?
Reference: "FUEL LINES and RELATED PARTS, 1985 F 150/250 - 8 CYL. 302 (5 DL) - E.F.I.", drawing diagram P-18786.

The "(RESERVOIR)", as it is designated on the referenced drawing, has a screw-on fuel filter with a gasket. I've been calling this the "fuel filter" but since there are, or may be, more fuel filters, this can cause confusing. However, this is the item in the diagram.

Note: the fuel line connectors shown are all straight, while mine are all right-angle. For info, my installation does not have the 9J329 protective metal cover plate as this is on, if I remember, the 4WD version and my rig is a 2WD model.

Another item for discussion: Fuel Tank Selector [blue in diagram]
Hadn't noticed this before until seeing it in the drawing diagram. After seeing it on the diagram I'll have to look in that area on the frame rail. The diagram indicates it is almost right aft of the Reservoir but in reality it is probably a bit further than just aft, so more investigation is required on my part. [note to self: copy and save message before posting! Don't ask me why I do it this way!]

The picture is of my Reservoir (filter) and the diagram is of the above Reference:

John - I don't remember Big Blue having any brackets for the fuel lines.  Maybe I'm just not remembering correctly, but ...

As for the size of the return, I went with a larger return as I could get a roll of the line that would do both supply and return.  Then I found fittings that fit that size line and both sizes of fittings on the truck.

On your setup, if you have room I'd go straight in rather than 90 degrees.  What you have appears to put pressure on the line and I'd rather not have that.  But you'll have to have a bit of the line either side free to move so you can disconnect easily.

And I hope the new doctor and the therapist do what you need.  

Gary Lewis wrote

On your setup, if you have room I'd go straight in rather than 90 degrees.  What you have appears to put pressure on the line and I'd rather not have that.  But you'll have to have a bit of the line either side free to move so you can disconnect easily.

Here is a picture of the Reservoir (fuel filter) and the tank switch unit.
Unfortunately, the picture is "backwards" from the file picture and I couldn't get it to look like the file picture. Can not figure out how to undo this misrepresented picture so one will hopefully figure it out.

In this posted picture the view is of the inside left (driver side) rail. The Reservoir is shown upside down and the Midship fuel tank is shown to the right. Near the tank is the black tank switch unit that can be identified because it has little white "doohickies".

Just maybe, the short pieces of tube have right-angle connectors on them in order to install them easier in the short space? Or, maybe the assembly line decided to make a slight change in item locations? Just grasping at straws here.

Here's your pic the right way 'round.  I just rotated it in Paint.  And the issue is that when you take a pic the orientation of the camera is encoded in the metadata of the file.  Smart devices, like your phone, re-orient the pic when you open the file.

This forum is not smart and doesn't bother to read the metadata.  So you have two choices: First, always take the pic with the camera held right-side up, which on my iPhone X is with the On/Off switch up.  Or, do as I do and edit my pics to rotate them the way I want them.

Anyway, as close as the unit to the back is I think I would use 90 degree connectors like the factory did.  It would be a pain to get the stiff Nylon line to give on such short sections like that.

Ahh, another thing learned today:

Gary Lewis wrote

Here's your pic the right way 'round.  I just rotated it in Paint.  And the issue is that when you take a pic the orientation of the camera is encoded in the metadata of the file.  Smart devices, like your phone, re-orient the pic when you open the file.

Didn't have Paint, or at least Search didn't find it, BUT, decided to see what happens in Photos ... and it worked !
(made a Sample and Edited it:)

Gary Lewis wrote

Anyway, as close as the unit to the back is I think I would use 90 degree connectors like the factory did.  It would be a pain to get the stiff Nylon line to give on such short sections like that.

I concur.
More progress!

Next on the to-do list is a quantity take-off of connectors, or at least as close as one can get. The "Tube" wiring diagram isn't the sharpest in the world for figuring out connectors (and mine may be different as we just saw) so will give it my best guess and get a few extras. Really thinking of going 3/8" throughout but some (about half) of the connectors will have to be 5/16 > 3/8.

Onward....

I think the 3/8" line and then the right connectors makes it easier.  I used this 5/16 In. Steel To 3/8 In. Nylon connector and these 3/8 In. Steel To 3/8 In. Nylon ones.  Obviously they aren't 90 degree, but they make them as well.