We own this van. Occasionally we could smell gasoline vapor for quite some time after a fill-up, then there was leakage when refueling that we mistakenly thought was only from overfilling, and now the fuel gauge has stopped working.
We have been doing research on replacing the fuel gauge sending unit and were told we would have to buy the pump and sending unit together as a module; and that the vapor valve assembly also had to be replaced. Big bucks!
Checking the manual, we wondered if the lock ring seal might need to be replaced and maybe not the entire pump and sending unit module. If the lock ring seal is bad, would that cause enough pressure loss for the fuel gauge to work improperly? Or, could a hose connection lose enough pressure to cause malfunction of the fuel gauge sending unit? Either fault might produce possible loss of pressure, fuel leakage, and vapor smell.
Can anyone think of any other possibilities we should check out before initiating a major project?
Thanks in advance for any help.
Roncie@aol.com
The lock ring seal between the pump assembly and the fuel tank has nothing to do with fuel pressure.
I have no idea where the gas smell is coming from as it could be in the tank vapor system, leaking seal, or leaking fuel line.
If the tank was dropped to change or inspect anything for leaks then I would change the pump anyway due to the age of the vehicle.
The pump/sender modules can be a bit pricy, but if you do the work yourself a little ingenuity can go a long way.
The vehicle has a V-8 so simply price bare pumps around for comparable V-8 engines and go from there. Most will interchange with nothing more than a wire connector or insulator modification.
When the fuel pump dropped in my Lincoln several months back most of the pump assemblies were in the 350-500 dollar range with a Motorcraft unit being 750.
Since my Lincoln has a 4.6 I used a fuel pump for a 1998 Mustang with a 4.6. This pump was available for 79 bucks and has had zero problems.
They all look alike and work on the same priniciples.