Have you experienced an E450 fuel pump failure?

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Have you experienced an E450 fuel pump failure?

January 31, 2022, 12:27:04 pm

I'm just curious about the experience others have had with their Ford E450 fuel pump. Some questions:

Has your fuel pump failed?

If so, did it fail slowly, allowing you to get to a service facility, or did it fail completely and suddenly, presumably rendering your LD immobile?

At what age and mileage did it fail?

If your fuel pump hasn't failed, have you replaced it preemptively, to avoid a future failure?

Finally, if your fuel pump hasn't failed or been replaced, how old is it and how many miles on it?

Thanks for your responses.

ps Our 2003 LD has 138,000 miles with the original pump working fine.

Re: Have you experienced an E450 fuel pump failure?

Reply #1 – January 31, 2022, 12:49:18 pm

It is just a matter of time.....do it when it is convenent for you or do it while on a trip and have to be towed.....motel...yikes!
Good time to replace all rubber hoses for evaporative systems that are on the fuel tank top of pump. Also a good time to replace fuel line from tank to generator. No need to take tank down later for an evap code or generator line leaking.... Inspect braces/straps/bolts that hold tank to body. If you are going to own an older rv do preventive maint to older parts that just havent failed ...YET.......I know one person who spent 5 to 8k on new carpet, upholstery, recovered front seats, refinished cabinets, mattress .....then had no money to fix LD when it left her stranded out west....sold it for less than 4k and Rented a car to get home. Stay safe...think ahead.

Re: Have you experienced an E450 fuel pump failure?

Reply #2 – January 31, 2022, 03:16:03 pm

"ps Our 2003 LD has 138,000 miles with the original pump working fine."

Terry

I put you in one of two categories... Very Fortunate & Dumb Lucky!

Your '2003 has served you well in so far as the fuel pump is concerned. I have a '2004 and I'm well along on my 3rd fuel pump. Fortunately, even though I had driven into a RV park on a Friday, come Monday morning the engine would not start. Luckily there was a garage not far away that effected the necessary repair. I had had no previous clues to the failure.

The second time I was cruising north on I-5 in Oregon when the engine began to stumble. It wasn't long before it quit altogether. After a lengthy wait I secured a tow into the next large town and was taken to a Ford facility who was able to swap the pump the following day.

An aside to that, after research here on the Forum, I had my RV Guru drop the tank, replace all the rubber fuel lines on the top of the tank and replace the fuel line to the generator with stainless steel. Fingers crossed, all's well for a while.

Re: Have you experienced an E450 fuel pump failure?

Reply #3 – January 31, 2022, 05:28:44 pm

Hi Terry,

We were part of the Lazy Daze Class of 2003 just like you. There sure were a lot of us getting new LDs in the early 2000's.

Regarding the fuel pump, we had some starting issues in 2011 while at high elevation in Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons. First thing I suspected was a dying fuel pump. We had it checked out in Jackson Hole and the repair shop said the pump seemed to be working fine and maybe I had bought some bad gasoline. I hate having problems on the road!

My local trusted service center said these things can stop without warning. The manager seemed surprised I would consider replacing it preemptively. I said, we either do it here on our schedule or it will end up being replaced far from home. So in 2017 at 131,450 miles, they installed a new fuel pump and genset fuel line. Having it done locally got me a warranty and some peace of mind.

Steve K.

Re: Have you experienced an E450 fuel pump failure?

Reply #4 – January 31, 2022, 05:35:58 pm

2007 LD 31 ft orginal owner. Ours failed suddenly at 53, 857 miles , needed a tow of 45 miles into Flagstaff, Az. No warning

of anything going wrong   Also, you won't believe this,but cat converted was bad discovered after new fuel pump was installed.

Vehicle has been WELL maintained thur the years, just bad luck.   Also last year, starter went bad while at home

An d so it goes,   Just came home from a trip, engine light came on, so off to thje repair shop.

Bob Wilsion

Re: Have you experienced an E450 fuel pump failure?

Reply #5 – January 31, 2022, 07:54:27 pm

70,000 miles and no failure. I have a second fuel pump mounted with fittings to replace the inline fuel filter as an emergency. I haven’t completed the electrical connection because I didn’t want to cut into the fuel pump power line.

Had I done so the switchover could be done in minutes. As it is I could probably be going in 30 minutes.

The main reason for the mod is that it is stored in the backyard where no tow truck could access it.

I did test that fuel would flow with an inoperative fuel pump.

The second picture shows the fuel filter in the background.

I carry a spare OEM fuel pump. Expensive little sucker with an extremely small motor, at least I thought so. The spare pump took a week to acquire.

Re: Have you experienced an E450 fuel pump failure?

Reply #6 – January 31, 2022, 07:58:29 pm

2003 - replaced in 2017 at around 70k miles.

It was acting up occasionally, intermittently not starting correctly, or at one point refusing to start at all (crank no-start). It then went back to working fine after a tow. Replaced and everything has been fine since.

Rich

Re: Have you experienced an E450 fuel pump failure?

Reply #7 – January 31, 2022, 08:07:11 pm

I replaced ours at around 95,000 miles after hearing several accounts of failure on rigs of the same vintage. The tank needed to be dropped, our generator's gas supply line and emission lines were badly rotted.
Fuel pump replacement | Flickr

It's a job I would rather do on my schedule, it could be tough to find a shop capable of safely dropping a full tank of gas out in the middle of nowhere, not to mention finding a fuel pump for a 19-year-old E450.

Larry

Re: Have you experienced an E450 fuel pump failure?

Reply #8 – January 31, 2022, 10:55:57 pm

Terry, my 2003 just turned 184,000 miles with no fuel pump problems. But after reading the responses to your post, my worry stone is out ... and knuckles bruised from wood knocking!!

Lorna

Re: Have you experienced an E450 fuel pump failure?

Reply #9 – January 31, 2022, 11:53:29 pm

Quote from: Bob Wilson - January 31, 2022, 05:35:58 pm

Also, you won't believe this,but cat converted was bad discovered after new fuel pump was installed. Vehicle has been WELL maintained thur the years, just bad luck.

The "bad luck" was someone didn't steal the converter before it was discovered to be bad, then the insurance could've paid for it ;^)

Re: Have you experienced an E450 fuel pump failure?

Reply #10 – February 01, 2022, 10:43:43 am

I have a question for the group…. So far all of the rigs with what I consider early fuel pump failure, range from 2003-2007. Is this a Ford design flaw and if so, has Ford fixed the problem? Thanks in advance for your reply.

- John

Re: Have you experienced an E450 fuel pump failure?

Reply #11 – February 01, 2022, 11:03:00 am

Thanks to everyone who has read this thread and those that have replied. The thread seems to have been read about 130 times, we have a handful of replies and, by my count, three reports of failed fuel pumps, two on the same rig. Any other reports would be helpful.

This seems to say that the fuel pumps are reliable, or at least not unreliable. I have experienced only one failure on other vehicles we have owned, our Jeep Wrangler, in which case, yes, it failed suddenly. I was able to get a neighbor with a tow rope to come to where that happened and we towed it a couple of blocks to my usual mechanic. Not so bad. But yes, on the LD this could happen far from help. But so could a lot of other things. So what to replace preemptively? There is Murphy's Law and also "if it ain't broke don't fix it."

One piece of advice I've read a number of times is not to drive on the lower half of the fuel tank, that the fuel in the tank cools the pump and heat is a killer for pumps. I've followed that advice, always driving on the upper half of the tank, usually the upper third.

There is also the question of the quality of any replacement pump. There seem to be a number of sources for replacements at varying prices and conflicting reports as to the reliability of each. It would probably come down to what's available at the time and the mechanic's preferences. The best one may the one on board and still working.

I'll be discussing this with my mechanic next time I see him. Thanks again for the input and any yet to come.

Re: Have you experienced an E450 fuel pump failure?

Reply #12 – February 01, 2022, 11:18:50 am

Quote from: Terry Burnes - February 01, 2022, 11:03:00 am

So what to replace preemptively?

Many of us got a 2-fer when replacing the fuel pump.

The infamous short section of cracked generator fuel hose typically requires almost as much work to get to as the fuel pump.

Replacing the fuel pump gave me some piece of mind and probably prevented a problem down the line.

Replacing that section of cracked fuel hose fixed all kinds of odd behaviour with my generator and there was no escaping that it needed to be done. (absent a work around like the old 'rubin splice' - Genset troubleshooting question - answered)

Rich

Re: Have you experienced an E450 fuel pump failure?

Reply #13 – February 01, 2022, 11:25:56 am

My 2004 RK had both repairs at different times , the cracked line was repaired for $200 while at home due to cavitation generator . Unfortunately the fuel pump went out at 54,000 miles while on a trip . Cost to replace was $1500 at a truck repair place with a two day wait for the pump to arrive . Made me want to carry a spare . I believe part of the problem was running fuel low in very hot summer temps. I have a 2013 RB now & try and fill up at a quarter tank . I think lazy daze had changed the Generator fuel line to stop the cracking by the 2013 year model

Re: Have you experienced an E450 fuel pump failure?

Reply #14 – February 01, 2022, 11:58:32 am

Ah yes, the Ruben splice. A member of the LD Caravan Club. The pump is relatively small, and evidently sometimes hard to obtain. So except for cost, traveling with a new spare on board and required gaskets (and some hose for us '99- '06ish years) might be prudent. RonB

Re: Have you experienced an E450 fuel pump failure?

Reply #15 – February 01, 2022, 01:37:26 pm

This is all great info!

If, for example, when I get my 2003 RB with 63k miles on it home later this month, I wanted to pre-emptively address this issue, is updating the fuel line to the generator a regular (and extremely trustworthy) mechanic will be able to do, provided they have the lift and space to allow work on RVs? While the tank is dropped, I mean.

I'm motivated by the report of decayed genset fuel line and Ford evap lines than the fuel pump, but would obviously strongly consider taking care of the fuel pump at the same time since the labor to drop the tank is already invested.

I know they can handle dropping the tank and the Ford fuel pump and evap lines (and I've seen RVs in their shop). What I'm interested in is whether other folks have had good experience with a vehicle mechanic replacing the line to the genset?

What kind of parts would I need to have on hand/make sure the mechanic has access to? Stainless steel lines? Filters?

This is a vintage RV we're buying, and while I have a reserve budget on hand to cover mechanical and coach issues (even what my inexperienced brain thinks of as worst-case scenarios), I really appreciate the mindset of having my trusted mechanic pre-emptively handle things vs having something stand us in the middle of nowhere with 2 small kiddos.

Terry, thanks for bringing up an excellent topic that, yet again, taught me and maybe even a few others something important.

Re: Have you experienced an E450 fuel pump failure?

Reply #16 – February 01, 2022, 01:45:12 pm

Quote from: SRQG8 - February 01, 2022, 01:37:26 pm

If, for example, when I get my 2003 RB with 63k miles on it home later this month, I wanted to pre-emptively address this issue, is updating the fuel line to the generator a regular (and extremely trustworthy) mechanic will be able to do, provided they have the lift and space to allow work on RVs? While the tank is dropped, I mean.

It's quite easy, if they know what to look for. It's a LD specific problem from a particular time period, so the average mechanic probably wouldn't know to look for it although mine was obviously cracked and probably would have been noticed during transfer from the old pump to the new one.

See this picture. Fuel pump | lw5315us | Flickr

The hose to be replaced is the short section of fuel hose on the right (older, dirty) pump. IIRC, this section had already been replaced which is why it looks to be in good shape.

Rich

Re: Have you experienced an E450 fuel pump failure?

Reply #17 – February 01, 2022, 03:54:08 pm

I seem to recall that newer Ford chassis fuel pumps are not replaceable. I may be confused on that point, though.

Re: Have you experienced an E450 fuel pump failure?

Reply #18 – February 01, 2022, 04:03:39 pm

Quote from: rich - February 01, 2022, 01:45:12 pm

It's quite easy, if they know what to look for. It's a LD specific problem from a particular time period, so the average mechanic probably wouldn't know to look for it although mine was obviously cracked and probably would have been noticed during transfer from the old pump to the new one.

See this picture. Fuel pump | lw5315us | Flickr

The hose to be replaced is the short section of fuel hose on the right (older, dirty) pump. IIRC, this section had already been replaced which is why it looks to be in good shape.

Rich

Thank you Rich. The photos (which I think I’d looked at earlier, but didn’t understand without the guidance you posted above) will help to make sure my mechanic knows what I’m talking about.

Jason

Re: Have you experienced an E450 fuel pump failure?

Reply #19 – February 01, 2022, 10:39:11 pm

"Replacing that section of cracked fuel hose fixed all kinds..."

I don't normally go around perpetuating urban legends but... the word from the bird says that Ole Ed Newton had a supply of the right diameter hose and wanted to use it up. Some even say that it was NOT fuel rated hose. But who knows? At any rate, those of us who acquired their LDs around that time, early 2000, had to learn the hard way!

Re: Have you experienced an E450 fuel pump failure?

Reply #20 – February 02, 2022, 09:14:40 pm

Quote from: HiLola - February 01, 2022, 03:54:08 pm

I seem to recall that newer Ford chassis fuel pumps are not replaceable.

All years of E450's, have similar replaceable fuel pumps, including the 2022 models.
2022 FORD E-450 7.3L V8 Fuel Pump & Housing Assembly | RockAuto

Larry

Re: Have you experienced an E450 fuel pump failure?

Reply #21 – February 05, 2022, 12:53:29 pm

We replaced our fuel pump and assembly last August at 124K on our 98~MB. We wanted it done on our schedule in a place and time of our choosing and not somewhere on the road. We have done the same with our spark-plugs being re-torqued every 20 to 30K.

   Karen~Liam
   98 ~ MB
   NinA

Re: Have you experienced an E450 fuel pump failure?

Reply #22 – February 05, 2022, 11:03:45 pm

I've decided to have my RV mechanic replace our Ford fuel pump preemptively at 19 years and about 138,000 miles and at the same time have the problematic rubber hoses on our generator fuel line replaced. This is all triggered by the refusal of our generator to start or run, though it cranks fine. Might be those hoses, might be something else, but there is no point fixing it without addressing those hoses, and no point fixing them without changing the fuel pump at the same time.

Thanks to everyone who participated in this thread.

Re: Have you experienced an E450 fuel pump failure?

Reply #23 – February 06, 2022, 07:41:34 pm

Introduce me to your mechanic! 😉
— Jon

Re: Have you experienced an E450 fuel pump failure?

Reply #24 – February 06, 2022, 10:50:17 pm

I had to replace the fuel pump on my 2004 Twin-King while on a trip. A slow decrease in acceleration, and then quit running with little notice. Luckily, I was near an interstate exit, and was towed to a nearby big rig shop. I was allowed to stay in their parking lot overnight, and the fix was completed early the next day. They used a pump recommended as better than OEM, and what they would use on a big truck. Cost was reasonable. My rig was 10 yrs old at the time, and the odometer read 50,000 miles as I drove away from the shop; currently at 127,548 and no issues.

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