I just harpooned my fuel tank. I go long distances and fuel is hard to find sometimes so im trying the harpooning method, when I hit the fuel stop tonight or tomorrow I will get to see how much of a difference there is. I used the ratcheting pipe cutter from Home Depot part #T012, 639-179, bar code 026613117782 because it has a very thin side so it allows you to get closer to the tank wall, I was able to cut 4" off the filler neck and 2.5" of the vent. I just removed the front 6 torx bolts and left the back 2 half way in so I could raise the front of the bed and use the back 2 torx like a hinge and stablizer, worked great. Something that wasnt mentioned in the articles I found on this was that after you pull the 3 screws that hold the filler in the body, you also need to loosen a hose clamp on the filler neck that has a bracket wedged into it that attaches the filler hose to the body. Total time involved, about 1 1/2 hours, and I took my sweet time.

 

I have never heard the term "Harpooned" before, after reading your post I think I understand actually what you did. Make's sense, I will be doing the same thing soon!

 

That term is refereed to on a site about in tank mods. Welcome to guzzle's In-tank Hutch Mod Web Page

 

what is this suppose to accomplish or help? I read the article and was not sure what it was for....

 

Supposedly, the diesel trucks use the same fuel tank as the gas rigs, and because gas is so volatile it expands at a much higher rate than diesel, so Ford extends the vent tube and fill spout into the tank so that when the liquid level rises as you fill it, it will kick off the nozzle to prevent over filling once it reaches the protruding tubes, allowing for an air gap in the top of the tank. Diesel doesent expand near as much as gas so you can remove the excess that protrudes into the tank, now when I fuel, the tank can be filled all the way to the top with ease, before it would kick off about 4 gallons shy of full, and you had to trickle it in a little at a lime to get the last 4 gallons in, time saver is all it really is. I also found the float was bent a little so I straitened it, now I have more fuel in the tank than I thought I did, my gauge was showing almost empty and I measured 4 inches of fuel still in there. So the next time I go to the fuel stop I will see if "Harpooning the tank" actually works.

 

Update on the "harpoon" mod, Last week I stoped at my usual fuel stop, same place same pump, was on empty, needle stopped moving and the "lie o meter" said 0 for several miles before I stopped, I pumped in 34 gallons before it kicked off, then trickled in 2.5 more gallons. Now that I "harpooned" the tank and was again on empty, needle stopped moving and the "lie o meter" once again said 0 for the last several miles I hit that same fuel stop and pump again, pumped in 39.668 gallons before it kicked then I trickled in another 2 gallons for a grand total of 41.634 gallons, to the cap. 38 gallon tank my a**, LOL.