I think I have a leak in the fuel lines close to the tank of my 95 ranger fly extended cab. It may have been there prior to a front crash with body damage that I’m still working on. Upon checking, I see the frame is wet right there at the tank but haven’t checked close yet. It’s not noticeable when just parked. I started noticing it now when I had the engine running and it was still parked. I’m not driving it yet so wanted to find the issue and fix it. Are there any connections in the line or rubber in that area?

 

1995 Ranger has 2 fuel lines
An OUT from tank to filter and then to engine
And a Return line from engine to tank
Both lines terminate on the top of gas tank
Except for the OUT line and its 2 connections at the filter in the frame rail
These are Nylon fuel lines and rarely "rot" from age

If there was gas in the tank and a sudden stop(accident) the tank could have shifted slightly causing plastic fuel line connection at the top to leak
Gallon of gas weighs 7 pounds, so 10gal is 70 pounds which is quite a bit of potential energy in a sudden stop

Most common fuel leak is by far the Filler tube, it is rubber and does crack and leak as it gets older, but not a pressure leak

 

Thanks for the information. I went ahead and pulled the bed off. I had replaced the fuel fill hose about 5 months ago because it leaked each time I added gas to the tank. Anyway, since the crash, the truck has been sitting and didn’t smell of gas. I have cranked and let it run twice, and both times I started smelling the gas. This last time I was checking it over to find the source of the smell and I saw the frame was wet with gas right at the point where the frame goes from the bed to the cab. I can’t see into the c channel of the frame but it is full of leaves, dirt and acorns. It is quite wet and does have a gas smell, although not as strong as I would have thought. I don’t see evidence of a leak on the top of the tank. There are two hoses on top where the pump fits in, and one hose in another spot on the very top of the tank. I’m hoping I can pull that 3 hose ribbon out while feeding a new one in. Any thoughts?

 

Reads like thats where fuel filter is

Need to clean that area out in any case or it will rust faster

You can repair the nylon lines, they are 5/16", Dorman sells repair kits

The lines on the tank usually use a 3/8" connector on the OUT from pump line and a 5/16" connector on the return line, but the lines are both 5/16"

 

Thanks. I will look into those repair kits. maybe If I can get some of the fuel lines pulled out some where I can get to the area that I suspect may be the issue, i check it and use a repair. I'm trying to avoid dropping the tank but I may have to. Tank is full of fuel so yeah, heavy, and may have been the cause of the line break during the crash. Its times like these that one comes to understand a lot of the safety devices, shutoffs, and whatnot that are built into vehicles.

 

I was looking at the repair kit and am a bit skeptical. Even though this is a low buck project, I dont feel comfortable with a repair just yet. Since I cant see the potential problem point, Im dropping the tank so I can get to the line, remove it correctly and inspect it. I fear the problem point is in what looks like a tight, close to metal area that I cant see nor get my hands into. Ive siphoned around 17 to 19 gallons of fuel from the tank and will remove it probably tomorrow and see whats cooking. I see the factory line is available for 70 to 100 dollars F37Z-9J279-C . Someone correct me if Im wrong for a 95 ranger xlt ext cab 3.0L Im wondering if its possible for me to roll my own with off the shelf parts for less.

 

Yes, you can buy 5/16" nylon fuel line and the Ford Ends and make your own

The method is to heat the nylon hose so it gets soft, i.e. HOT water or heat gun(but be careful)
Then push on the connector and let it cool down, it will get very tight

You can try cutting off the hose on the current connectors and reuse them

 

Any tips for removing the tank? I have the straps unbolted, the lines and wires disconnected. Tank is empty. I can shift it backwards, and the rear of the tank drops down some, but hits the rear axle before the front of the tank clears the cross member up under the cab. Then it wont slide back any further. Id like to get it completely removed for easy access to the frame to clean ad replace the fuel lines nd to see the brake lines as well.

On another note, the truck has roughly 210,000 to 230,000 miles on it. I dont know if the fuel pump is original or not. Should I replace it just because im there, or should it last for quite awhile longer?

 

I went ahead and purchased a factory fuel line. Put it on and it’s working like it should. I cleaned the area between cab and bed where the frame and tank are close together because it was full of leaves, acorns, dirt. I added some rubber to the tank hold up strap since it had some sharp area to it. I actually had to jack up the truck frame in order to get room to move the tank out of my way to get to the line hold down clamps. Never could remove the tank but was able to shift it back and to the side enough.