Has anyone else tinkered with the fuel filler neck to fix the fuel fill issue?

[ghunt81]

Whenever I tried to fill my truck, the gas would constantly back up into the neck and click off the pump, unless I actually held the nozzle completely out of the filler neck and trickled in gas. It would take 15 minutes just to get 10 gallons of gas in the thing.

I asked about it and got a lot of "Well, that's just how Rangers are," which I did not think was an acceptable answer. It seemed to me like a fuel venting issue.

Years ago I did a mod the filler neck on my old F250. They are notorious for this sort of problem because of how foamy diesel gets when it comes out of the pump, and they also used that old hose-in-a-hose style of filler neck. It pretty much involved gutting the filler neck and rollover valve, putting a new fitting in the rollover valve and in the filler neck and running a 5/8" hose as a vent.

I don't have any pictures but over the weekend I wanted to see what I could do with mine. I pulled the bed back and took off the filler neck and vent tube. It looks like the ID of the fitting at the tank where the tube attaches is only 1/8" which is pretty small for a vent.

I found an old vacuum tube with push lock fittings on the end from my Mustang that was laying around, and the push lock fittings just so happened to fit the plastic nipple on top of the tank perfectly. So, I cut the hard plastic line off the fitting so I had just the fitting, and it fit a 3/8" rubber tube pretty well. I also cut off the original vent tube from the filler neck, drilled out the hole, and put in a 1/4" npt elbow (JB Welded in place) and a nipple for the hose. So, I now have a larger vent tube running to the filler neck.

I got gas today at a station I could barely use the pumps at before, it still isn't great, working better than it was but I can still tell it's not venting as well as it should be. I'm now wondering if enlarging the two little slits at the top of the filler neck might help since that's the only place the air can vent from and it's also very small.

Has anyone else tried anything like this, what did you do? Sorry for the wall of text.

 

[rathr-b-cruisin]

this is on an 09 ranger? Sounds like an evap problem to me. the tank should have a vent that goes into the evap canisters. the tube from the vent to canister may be plugged. I went through some evap issues with my explorer.

 

[ProStreetRob]

It may not be a vent problem and instead may be a filler neck choking problem.
I've had (4) ProStreet Rangers and all 4 had relocated gas tanks so I cant give you much input on the stock system except.....

On my current 91 the Tank was relocated and the factory Filler Neck was used in the Bed (and sticking up way to much for my liking). The first time I went to fill it I experienced exactly what you described and it was dam near impossible to get fuel in it, I also had to hold it out side the filler neck and go slow, what a friggin PITA it was.

Since I wanted to shorten the neck I eventually took it off and decided to cut it down. I immediately noticed once off there's actually an inner and outer fill tube (a pipe inside a pipe) and I decided to cut it out. By the luck of the draw I picked the right spot and hack sawed it off right at the weld and the two piece just fell away from each other. I reinstalled the shorter oem neck WITHOUT THE INNER PIPE and Bam problem gone..... Now I can fill it up NO PROBLEM and it'll take the fuel as fast as I can pump it in

BEFORE

AFTER

Now that I've filled it many times and I know it works I'll pull it out one more time and put a completely flush filler neck in (a full size no pipe in pipe filler) like this...

 

[ghunt81]

this is on an 09 ranger? Sounds like an evap problem to me. the tank should have a vent that goes into the evap canisters. the tube from the vent to canister may be plugged. I went through some evap issues with my explorer.

Do you mean the tube that runs along the frame rail?

I'm not even sure how I could get that off to even check if it was plugged.

I also heard the charcoal canister itself could be plugged, but I can't find a replacement (even used) anywhere online, and when I took the canister off I could blow air though it, so... I don't really know how to approach the problem. I know there's a valve attached to the canister as well, but no idea how to check it.

 

[AndyB.]

I think you're going about fixing this the wrong way. That vent line is for when the gas tank heats up and builds pressure, then the check valve opens up and vents the pressure to the carbon canister.

I'm not sure about a 2009, but on earlier models there is a tube within a tube setup. The actual gas fill line is prett narrow and tapers towards the end. The outer tube vents the air out when filling.

 

[ghunt81]

Well...that's what I thought, how does the charcoal canister have anything to do with problems filling the tank? But that's what people told me. I feel like I've never gotten a straight answer to the question. 99% of the answers I've gotten were either that it was a clogged charcoal canister or "that's just how Rangers are."

BTW, Ford stopped using the tube-inside-a-tube design I think in the late 90's or early 2000's. My truck had a separate vent tube for the fill neck but it was tiny- 1/4" rubber hose and hardline. It looks like this one:

 

[enjr44]

My 02 had the exact problem you are having.

I don't understand exactly how the damn system works. And, I can't seem to be able to find anyone who does. I googled the heck out of it and still can't figure out how troubleshoot the system.

Finally took it to a shop and was told the vapor canister failed their tests. Still don't understand how that could be the problem or how they tested it; but, replacing it fixed the problem. It is the Evaporative Fuel Vapor Canister, in the back above the spare, and that fixed it. It is a big round thing that is about 2ft long.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/351347895678?ul_noapp=true&chn=ps&lpid=82 (for the 02)

There is a thread on here someplace about the whole BS.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Older systems just vented to atmosphere. As the fuel tank was filled the incoming fuel would squeeze the air in the tank out and it was burned it would suck in air as the fuel level dropped.

Nowadays to keep gas fumes from being fed directly into the atmosphere they are stored in the charcoal canister and then fed to the engine during certain running conditions. The vent and sometimes even the charcoal canister can become plugged up with dirt (especially on a vehicle that sees a lot of gravel roads) so it can't let the air out of an empty tank. The gas station pump senses that resistance and reads it as the tank is full and the pump kicks off. This is partially Ford's fault for having the vent for the charcoal canister above the rear axle where there is an ample supply of dirt in the air going down a gravel road.

If you get a cruddy new "EPA approved" gas can it will become painfully obvious why a vent is needed to let air get in and out of a fuel tank as it is filled and drained (especially drained with a gas can)

 

[ghunt81]

Problem is, I can find evap canisters for the older trucks (like pre 05) but can't find one for this 2009 anywhere. It's similar to the one enjr44 linked to, but not the same where the valve and other important stuff attaches to it.

When I had mine off nothing looked clogged, as I said I could blow air through the charcoal canister with my mouth...the hard line going to it is intact...I don't get it.

Plus...if the evap system vents air from the tank during fillups...then what the hell is the vent tube on the filler neck for?

On my F250 the ONLY vent to and from the tank was attached to the rollover valve, except for the crappy tube-in-a-tube system on the filler neck. Once I gutted the filler neck and rollover valve and ran the vent tube from it to the filler neck, everything worked perfect. I could even fill it up at the big truck diesel pumps that pumped a shit ton more fuel than a regular gas pump. I just don't get why it doesn't work.

 

[rathr-b-cruisin]

scotty kilmer has a video about blowing air in the line from the canister to the tank. you take off the gas cap and disconnect the line from the canister then blow some air into the tank with some compressed air.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7EcWwlhzBM

 

[ghunt81]

Well, I guess I need to look at that then.

 

[matt2003333]

Really good to know.My Ranger works fine but the Explorer is doing the same thing.They have Ranger filler necks for cheap on Amazon,

 

[enjr44]

Not trying to tell you the canister is your problem. Like I said, I don't understand it system. But, ......

http://www.ebay.com/itm/FORD-4L5Z9C985AA-GENUINE-OEM-VAPOR-CANISTER-/221959144491?fits=Year:2009|Model:Ranger&hash=item33adcbc42b:g:hzIAAOSw7aBVH3AS&vxp=mtr

And,

http://www.fordparts.com/Commerce/CatalogResults.aspx?y=2009&m=Ford&mo=Ranger

 

[Derrick1970]

I don't think it is your canister......my ranger was doin the same thing and I took off the fill tube to find there are a couple screens on the bootom of both the fill tube and the vent tube. My screens were plugged with crap......once i cleaned them out it worked fine again. Guessin yours miht be the same problem.

 

[ghunt81]

Nope, no screens on mine. I've seen pictures of ones that had them though.

Did they use the same evap system on all rangers from 2000 or so on? When I looked at the canister itself it didn't look the same, but I found some complete assemblies on ebay and they look exactly like mine does. I might just buy a used complete assembly and swap the whole thing out to see what it does, that will rule out the canister, valve, etc.