'85 fuel pump upgrade/help

[brownranger]

Hi all. mew member here. I've been searching for days now and have read tons of stuff about the fuel pump/system. I still have some questions I'm hoping you can help me with. I can't find a diagram of the fuel system anywhere I have looked.

Some background: This is my first Ranger. I bought a 1985 Ranger with the EFI 2.3 and auto trans. It's been sitting since 1999. So, I decided I was going to pull the bed, drop the tank and replace it and the fuel pump. Inside of the tank is nasty.

The truck has one of those black reservoir or filter housings in line between the tank mounted pump and the in line high pressure pump on the frame. After reading all this stuff about the pump and reservoir, I've decided to scrap all that crap, as folks in the V8 conversion forum suggested to others, and install a single, newer vintage ('89+) in tank high pressure pump. Ya with me so far?

So, my questions are......

1) will the existing lines from the old in tank pump (with the old horse shoe style retaining clips) work on the newer style pump and be up to the job of the higher pressures?

2) What type of lines/fittings should I use to fill the void where the black reservoir and in line pump used to be?

3) Is there a diagram of these fuel systems, specifically the fuel line routing?

I'm used to, and much more comfortable with, old mechanical fuel pump systems. This high pressure stuff with these weird and stupid clip connectors concern me a bit. 5 or 6 different kinds of fittings......high pressure vs low pressure line and connector questions....etc., etc.

Thanks for your help and advice. I'm kind of a dummy who over thinks everything and generally has bad luck with every aspect of life. Today was no exception.

 

[Mark_88]

The 85 Ranger has the 35-45 psi return fuel system so you can, hypothetically use anything from a 1985 to 1997.

For what you want to do I would suggest going to a junkyard (or call around) and take the entire fuel system if intact.

The horseshoe clips work fine on those later systems as my 96 Ranger had the same fittings on the tank and the fuel filter.

There are actually tons of diagrams on the internet. I checked the Tech Articles section and there wasn't any there, but if you have a Chilton manual I believe they have one...but before you buy that I would check this collage...

https://www.google.ca/search?q=1996+ford+ranger+fuel+system+diagram&biw=1440&bih=734&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&sqi=2&ved=0ahUKEwiB48q-yprPAhVo7YMKHVi0BNQQsAQIGw#imgrc=Zx4DTyRz0hKTMM:

The single in tank pump systems are a bit cleaner as far as routing and all that...but you will need to find a complete system and that may be harder to do these days...junkyards are crushing everything older than 98 in Canada and I've heard the same thing was happening in the US...and they can be cost prohibitive to flat out buy the entire system...

I hope this helps you get moving forward...there are others more familiar with various systems and what is the best way to approach your problem...so maybe they can help more...

 

[tomw]

Scrapping the old system will be expensive unless you can do as above, and find a complete 'old' system that you can obtain at reasonable cost.
The 'reservoir' is actually the fuel filter housing. The canister will screw off, and you'll find a filter element. The shop and user manuals are definitely vague...
You can replace the 'in tank' pump, pump only, with a low pressure unit from an aftermarket source, leaving the sending unit and pickup assembly as factory.
The tank can be cleaned, which you should do anyway, and the hi-pressure pump might just be fine, as is.
You are jumping with both feet into new and un-explored territory, making your problem perhaps bigger than actually fixing what you have. Your choice, but KISS has worked better for me.
I have an 85 with the two-pump and filter in a can system. It still has the factory filter 30+ years on, and I have a new filter on the shelf. I tried one time to remove the canister, but failed as the wrench slipped. Next time, I'll try using two wrenches at the same time(oil filter type wrenches or strap wrench) to see if I can break it loose.
You can clean the sending unit, replace the in-tank pump for less than $100. You'll pay two or three times that for a new, in-tank sending unit assembly. Maybe, as the prices have dropped.
tom

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

The 'reservoir' is actually the fuel filter housing. The canister will screw off, and you'll find a filter element. The shop and user manuals are definitely vague...

I broke a reservoir apart trying to get at the filter....there wasn't any! From what I've read and experienced there may or NOT be a filter. And if you plan on reusing it be very careful as they are getting hard to find. I use one on my race truck so I don't have to use foam in the fuel cell [the foam prevents sloshing and starvation].

 

[brownranger]

The inside of the tank is totally trashed. Tons of rust and scale. I can buy a new tank for 100 bucks. Well worth it considering how much time and the mess of cleaning the old tank out. So, I'm 100% in for a new tank.

17 years of old gas resting in the fuel system has me concerned. I pulled about 5 gallons of nasty gas out of the tank. I'm wondering f the fuel rail and injectors will be messed up from this.

It's suggested to get the entire fuel system from a donor vehicle, if I go tot he newer system. Are suggesting the fuel rail and injectors also? I was thinking of starting from the engine side of the inline pump and working back to the tank with new lines to the new pump.

I guess I'll make a stab at opening up the canister and seeing what's going on in there first. That make be a deciding factor on how I proceed.

Any idea if the '85 fuel gauge would work with a newer (89+) pump and sending unit? Or is that why it was suggested to just swap the pump and leave the old sending unit?

Thanks for the help folks. This really isn't my thing so, I'm leery and unsure just what I'm doing.

I did a google search for the fuel system diagram, several days ago, and came up with very little. My brother lent me his Chilton manual and it has no complete diagram either.

 

[Mark_88]

You shouldn't need to change the fuel rail and a newer fuel rail probably won't work with your intake. There were small but significant changes over the years. The intake from some years might bolt onto your head without too much fuss but I would just pull the rail and if it is not too rusty clean it up and reinstall it with new O rings on the injectors.

A new tank is probably the easiest way to go...and cheapest...and replacing all the fuel lines and hoses is probably a good preventative maintenance step.

but before spending too much I would want to make sure the engine runs and doesn't burn oil...sitting for a long time can seize things up even though they are sealed. I would start by shooting oil into the pistons and crank the engine slowly by hand before trying to crank...

Changing all the fluids would probably help immensely too...

They are tough engines and can take plenty of abuse...but sticky rings and valves will kill them faster than anything...

 

[brownranger]

I pulled the plugs out and turned the engine by hand before I bought it. Not saying it might not still be a smoker but, it's not locked up anyway. Seemed to rotate freely with no real tight or sticky spots. But, hey, anything could be wrong with the truck. Who knows. But it ain't rusty and that's huge here in the salt belt.

If it's a smoker, maybe I'll sell it to someone who wants to drop a V8 in it or something.

 

[tomw]

Alwaysfloored... The original EFI system used the canister as the fuel filter housing. Later models left it empty as a 'surge' tank to supply the high pressure pump when demand was greatest.
I expect that if there is another filter in the fuel line, then the canister would likely be empty. If there is no other filter found, then I would expect the filter to be in the housing.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

Alwaysfloored... The original EFI system used the canister as the fuel filter housing. Later models left it empty as a 'surge' tank to supply the high pressure pump when demand was greatest.
I expect that if there is another filter in the fuel line, then the canister would likely be empty. If there is no other filter found, then I would expect the filter to be in the housing.

Thanks for the clarification.

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