Hi. Please excuse my lack of expertise and experience on this site, but I've read so many helpful things on here and I'm at a stand still. Im going to include all the information I can and I'm looking for where to start.... I have had a rough go at it the last few years, my truck has taken a beating, and it's at the mercy of my auto repair skills, or lack thereof.

2015 f150 5.0v8, 4x4 super crew. Great truck, strong motor, put through hell. 150k, oil changes have been mobile 1 extended most the way through, and 90% of its operation has been on premium fuel. It may be relevant, but it has 4000 engine hours, half of which have been at idle. Don't ask.

Couple years ago I used a gas can in a pinch that had debris in it when I ran out at night. It led to me bout being able to pump gas for longer than a couple seconds at a time. Eventually I disassembled the inlet and cleared leaves and **** out of what I thought was a catch screen at the tank. Later I realized there is none so it was just that much debris at the tank opening. Slo there's likely crap still in tank. That may be the problem, pump and filter but dropping the tank seems difficult.
I've had two light impacts, one on each side of front end, and one caused a small radiator crack, which I've repaired, drained, and refilled. I also had one of those stupid coolant hose t,'s fail which I improvised on and it has been sound for a year.
I've replaced the starter, several batteries to what I thought was an overcharging problem but haven't had issue in a couple years, my tensioner is going out, and I replaced a check valveto the 4x4 system that made my truck sound like it was going to drop an axle. I've also found several cracks and splits in hard plastic vacuum hoses that go to air box, evap, and may grande poorly patched those, I've also replaced the purge valve.

THE CURRENT ISSUES

For some time, my truck has jumped and shutters like it was running out of fuel starting about 50 miles to e and would actually die when it said 30 m to e. This has been consistent, but recently my exhaust has been super toxic like im running rich and fuel mileage is on average 11mpg. When I have half to full tank, runs perfectly, but exhaust still gnarly and mpg slightly better.. i feel the ticking in the valve area is loud, even though everything i read say it's normal. Bought the truck new, seems loud now.

I was going to try and clean or replace the map, but that is crazy work. I got all the way to the intake manifold abs couldn't budge it. Good thing, because im not confident in moving past that plus I think you're supposed to replace gaskets which I did not have in my possession.

Got myhands on a scanner, banks 1 and 2 lean, banks one and two cat below threshold. So im running rich. How rich? My short and long fuel trim it's pinned at -100, and doesn't budge upon opening the throttle. My evap is at 47%, and does not change when I pinched off purge tube.

I FRIED my brain learning and deciphering what the cheap Chinese scan tool was trying to tell me, and from what I gather my cats and o 2 sensors could be toast, and that could be the problem or a result of the problem. Here is some of the live data numbers I got off the scan...

Load pct 20%
etc97°c
Shrtft3,longft3,shrtft4,longft4 all -100%
Map 27kpa
Spark adv(°) : jumped around 10,11,12,9,1,14
Iat; 56°c
TP: 9.8%
O2LOC B1S12 B2S12
02B1S1 NA
SHRTFTB1S299.2%
SHRTFTB3S2 99.2%
MILDIST 3550
EVAP PCT 17.6%
F.L.I. 38.8%
CLR DIST35.927KM
EP BARO 99KPA
O2S11(MA) JUMPED AROUND 0.067,.71, 0.24, 0.5, 0.129, .004, AFTER A LITTLE THROTTLE .208, .114


02S31(MA)
CATTEMP11(409°C)
CATTEMP21(411.5°C)
VPWR(V) 14.036, 13.9
LOAD ABS 12%
EQRAT .971
TP_R 1.2%
AA1.15°C
TP B 9.4%
TP C NA
APP D 15.7%
APPE 7.5%
APP F NA
TACPCT 1.6%
MIL TMF ? CAN'T READ MY SCRIBBLE
OBD PWR 13.8V

Ugh thanks

 

What would you want from this forum, that would correct all those issues?
What you describe is a truck run into the ground.
It will take a gang of work, time and money to get it all cleared up by someone who is competent to do the work.
To many things left go too long.
I'm sorry to tell it like it is, and not what you want to hear.
Good luck.

 

Welcome..
.

 

If, in fact, you have that much debris in the tank, you are likely starving the engine for fuel. This can usually be checked with a fuel pressure gauge. You probably have a partially blocked fuel filter, and possibly fouled injectors. It will probably run better with a new fuel filter but that is a short lived fix.

You will be pulling the pump at some point. My guess is that you partially clogged the pump inlet which is causing suction issues when you are low on fuel. If the fuel filter is clogged, the fuel pump is working harder and getting hotter. Since fuel is used to cool the pump, running it low on fuel, which it appears you do regularly, causes the pump to not cool as well as it should. Both of these will contribute to a much shorter pump life and you will have a $300 to $400 bill shortly.
Did it throw any codes?

I would start with the known problem- Debris in the tank. I would clean it out, put a new fuel filter in it, and run injector cleaner through it. You may have other issues, but this is a known issue that is relatively cheap to fix.

I haven't had the "pleasure" of pulling the pump on my F150, but in general it is more dangerous than difficult. Run the truck to near empty to reduce the weight and support the tank from underneath. There is going to be a filler tube connection, a couple of wires and two or three feed lines along with the support straps or bolts. You and a friend can work it off the supports, or if you have access to a hydraulic jack, put a wide board under the tank and drop it down with the jack.

Finally, it sounds like money is tight. Consider running 87 octane. That saves me about $15/tank and I really haven't had a problem using it. I do try to run a top tier detergent gas though.

 

I’m curious why you’re running your truck to the point it’s showing 30 miles to empty, that’s +/- 3 gals before you run out of gasoline, are you trying for some sort of contest from the Guinness Book of World Records I’m not aware of?

 

If you want this truck to last, why are you attempting homebrew repairs? A proper repair isn’t a patch or “make it hold” scenario. It’s replacing the damaged component(s) with quality parts and restoring to factory spec.

The first step is taking this to a qualified mechanic at a real shop - not your buddy’s garage - and letting them perform a proper diagnosis. After they give you that diagnosis, let them do the work and make no attempt whatsoever to cut corners on parts or labor. The DIY route is clearly not working out for you. It’s okay to get help.

 

What I wanted from this forum I recieved by the third response. What I didn't need is what I recieved from everybody else. I don't need, yet would come to expect after reading enough on this website, would be the commentary on what I already know about my situation. I bought the truck new for 45k. In the past 2-3 years **** kinda happened in the world. Well 2-3 years before that **** happened, **** began happening in my world. Including my loss of employment, disability, homelessness, and a million tiny little struggles that come with all of that and a world wide pandemic. If I had the money, I wouldn't have the need to repair things myself. If I had the resources, I wouldn't need the advice or to make subpar solutions to problems as they occur. And if I had the knowledge or experience I lack, I would be on here complaining about the service department giving me the runaround and seeking affirmation instead of actual insight.
My truck is run into the ground, my fixes are not sound nor are they even necessarily done with care. However, they have sufficed in the face of much more important problems... like tending to basic survival needs that never would have been imagined when I drove out of the dealership in my first new vehicle.

Thanks for your opinion and reiterating what i understand and conveyed in my antecedent to yours and several other unnecessary responses. That being said, it was worth a legitimate response, even if only one.

 

thanks for the advice, very helpful and I will attempt those suggestions asap.

 

Thanks for the kind words. I may have overstated the danger of removing the tank. It is mostly because depending upon how much fuel you leave in the tank, the tank is heavy and unwieldy. Just don't get directly under it when you drop it. Ask how to change it on this thread: https://www.f150forum.com/showthread...7&goto=newpost. I am sure somebody there will tell you what is involved.

Again consider 87 octane. If the engine doesn't ping, you will not affect longevity, only performance. And if you drive reasonably, you will not even notice that. You should see minimal if any difference in gas mileage.

 

All this trouble over a contaminated gas can. Sorry that you are having so much fun.
I'd go with what gfsch listed.
It's expensive to idle a 5.0L, but you wouldn't be doing it if you had better choices.
Good luck.