1995 Ranger Fuel Leak!

[tsahlin489]

Hello everyone, my apologies for a lack of introduction to the forum I am simply looking for a quick answer to a big problem.
I own 1995 Ford Ranger XL, automatic trans, and purely a DD/Parts Hauler.
Upon filling her up tonight, I heard a leak and saw a steady stream of fuel coming out of the bottom region of the tank. Due to my frustrations of the issue and lack of extensive knowledge in the realm of Fords I assumed it was a crack in the gas tank.
I did a bit of research and came across the seemingly common problem of cracks in the filler nozzle and whatnot. What is the likelihood that this is my problem? The leak was a very steady stream for approximately 4-5 minutes.
I had topped the tank off a bit more then usual, however have never encountered any problems similar to this before while filling it all the way up.

Thanks in advanced,
Trevor

 

[Chris M]

It very well could be. Need to inspect filler neck hose, tank and fuel lines. best way to do this is pull the bed off. Three screws at the filler neck, six tork bolts in bottom of bed, and an electrical plug just over the rear bumper. You will need help to lift off the bed. This will give you full access to inspect the whole area and find out what the problem is and not have to replace the tank straps.

 

[adsm08]

I'd say filler neck is 75% likely, tank 25%, given that the tank in your truck should be plastic and I've never actually seen one of those break.

 

[straycat]

Do a pressure check on the tank if you can. I used a vacuum cleaner on my buddies '01 F150 three weeks ago to find his leak. I just reversed my craftsman vacuum and pressurized the tank. Found the leak very fast. He had a small crack in the tank. He got it fixed.

 

[97RangerXLT]

On the advice from the transient feline above... be extra sure that you have the vacuum reversed, because if you have it sucking in gas fumes, it can and likely will explode...

But I am going to say more than likely you have a bad filler neck.

Get the $40 one from ebay, it works great. I had to do this repair on my 97 last year. and pull the bed, it will make your job much much easier than dropping the tank. 6 bolts, 3 screws around the filler neck, and unhook the taillight harness and two people can lift it off.

AJ

 

[tsahlin489]

Thank you everyone for the timely responses.
I'll be heading to the service station of which I had to leave my truck at shortly, and with any luck will discover it's the filler neck. I would/will be able to see visible cracks without removing the bed, correct? I will I have to remove the bed to diagnose the problem?

 

[swynx]

It'll be a hell of a lot easier with the bed off. My filler beck used to leak the entire time I filled it with gas. Recently it just stopped leaking, now it acts as if it's plugged and I have to very slowly put gas in.. All I'm saying it's a pita to diagnose with the bed on.. After all you can only see the bottom of the tank and hose

 

[tsahlin489]

Well upon returning to the gas station today I was pleasantly surprised to find no fuel under my truck, no fuel on the tank, and the gas gauge reading full.
I drove it about a mile and parked, looked under to find the gas tank to be wet, and fifteen minutes later found a wet circle of fuel approximately a foot in diameter beneath the tank. Drove the truck home, and while the tank is still wet there is no visible dripping.
Could it be that there is a crack towards the top of the fill nozzle and it leaked because it was so full, and the fuel pressure while driving is making it seep out?
Attached are 2 pictures from last night, one of the fuel that leaked and one of where I saw the drip. The other picture is the wetness of the tank currently.

 

[PanamaExpat]

More than likely you just have a dry rotted rubber coupling on the filler neck. You can only imagine what a 20 year old chunk of rubber hose looks like.

As was recommended lift the bed off and take a look. If your filler neck is like mine you only need to buy a bit of hose to replace the bad coupling. Mine is metal and is two pieces coupled with the rubber chunks.

 

[straycat]

On the advice from the transient feline above... be extra sure that you have the vacuum reversed, because if you have it sucking in gas fumes, it can and likely will explode...

But I am going to say more than likely you have a bad filler neck.

Get the $40 one from ebay, it works great. I had to do this repair on my 97 last year. and pull the bed, it will make your job much much easier than dropping the tank. 6 bolts, 3 screws around the filler neck, and unhook the taillight harness and two people can lift it off.

AJ

Good point, Bro!!! That is why I said reversed!!! I now have a hand vacuum pump that I use to preassure test radiators and gast tanks...no electricity involved...lol. Those cat claws can scratch!!!! lol

 

[AgPete139]

I had the same problem some 6 years or so ago.

Best sure way, seriously, is to pull the bed off. It's not nearly as bad as you think, especially if you have another guy friend (or maybe even a 3rd spotter) look out and guide it over past the bumper.

I ended up using black RTV sealant on it. It's oil resistant, so I figured it'd be good enough for gas as well. It worked really well, and never had any complaints. You can see where the cracks on the filler neck are, and even if you're not sure, lather it up anyway. I spent less than $1.00 to fix it.