Thread: gas gauge

Originally Posted by pockets

Oh and I forgot its throwing some code that has to do with the fuel air ratio or at least I believe that is what he said. Could that be causing the gas gauge to not work properly?

No, but I would find someone with an OBDI scanner and figure out what code it is and get it fixed. Where is the vehicle coming from? The 91s are older and have less technology in them, do taking the bed off and removing the sending unit might be the ticket.

Originally Posted by pockets

My buddy I'm buying the truck from is supposed to take the truck to the shop and have the code fixed this week. He was going to do it last week but never did. Cause it won't pass safety / emissions if it's not fixed

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Taking the bed off shouldn't be to hard right?

Nope, it's usually only held on by 4 bolts anyways I believe. Maybe a few other hooks or something too, but not too bad to remove.

I think Ryan is right. Just four carriage bolts and then the gas filler neck. You need two people, but it is MUCH easier than dropping the tank.

Originally Posted by masonic

I have never heard anyone say something negative about seafoam. Can you explain?

Seafoam is useful as a cleaning agent, that's it. I've used it to clean an intake manifold when I was rebuilding an engine. It removes carbon buildup pretty well. But to put it down vac lines, brake booster lines, fuel tanks, and oil- you'll (read: RISK) mess something up. These engines were designed to run as-is. Ask Ford if its a good idea to stuff liquid down those lines. They and ever other automotive manufacturer will tell you no. The only thing that is supposed to go through a gas tank is gasoline. The only thing designed to go in an oil pan is oil. Same thing for vac lines- air only. If you suck it up a vac line, you risk hydrolocking the engine. Not to mention it will foul plugs, erode your piston rings, and also ruin your O2/cat converters (despite all the marketing by Seafoam saying its safe, I've got a $500 bill from Ford saying otherwise). I've used seafoam once, and it costs me over $500 to replace the O2 sensors and rear catalytic converters. Secondly, when do you introduce it to the internals of the engine, you change the stiochiometry since naphtha burns differently than 87 octane fuel. So you're risking pinging/predetonation. Now it WILL remove that carbon buildup you're trying to get to, but guess where it is going? Through the combustion chamber. Introduce a slag of carbon big enough, and you'll have a expensive paperweight in your truck. I've got a shelf of aviation maintenance publications, and part of one of them discusses fuel/engine additives such as Gum-Out, Seafoam, etc (aviation engines are A LOT more sensitive than automotive engines) and basically all of them are a no-no.

Seafoam is a snake-oil that was introduced to take advantage of the lesser-informed automotive enthusiast. If you're going to do something, do it right. If you need to clean your intake, take it off the engine first. Your injectors can be cleaned using Techron which is used in Shell gasoline. If you have blow-by of your rings, its time to rehone your cylinders and re-ring your pistons. A simple $5 bottle of flammable substance with a lot of marketing isn't going to fix every problem on your vehicle.

Disclaimer: The above writing is my opinion and mine only. I have met mechanics who love Seafoam and everything to do with it while others (myself) wouldn't run it through a weedeater bought from a yard sale. Like all other things found on the internet, take the above writing with a grain of salt.