Short time lurker here and I'm really appreciative of all of the knowledge you all have already shared on this forum. Thank you!
I recently purchased a 2003 XLT 2WD and I replaced the fuel tank in the first 3 weeks due to a pretty serious leak from the front vent valve but I'm expecting my used tank to fail eventually due to the same leaking issues. Looking around the forums, it seems others end up repairing this issue with some type of epoxy like JB Weld or Permatex, while one guy with a 1st gen opted for HDPE welding to fill in the cracks (https://www.expeditionforum.com/threads/need-to-replace-my-fuel-tank.47332/page-3).
I tried searching the forums for an answer to this already but couldn't find any results addressing my next approach to fixing this issue - I'm wondering if it's possible to cut out the old vent valves and replace it with something like the Dorman 911-061 vent valves that go in the 1997-2004 F-150 tanks. I recognize that there's a challenge with mounting that valve to the poly tank and doing it in a way that is safe around fuel, but is there something technically different about these valves that are sonic welded to our tanks vs the valves that are user replaceable from a similar Ford from the same era? Has anybody else found other solutions for this leaking issue that haven't already been shared? I kept my old tank with the hope that I can work out a more permanent solution. I'm a little bummed about this issue because I was excited about getting an Expy to accommodate my growing family, and this tank issue has me wondering if I just made a huge mistake.
I'm reaching out to Eaton to see if they can provide any technical data on the valves they supplied to Ford for manufacturing the fuel tanks. The markings I was able to make out from the valve were "EATON" "ANN ARBOR, MI" "VISTEON" "VP2LIU-9B595-AC" and "2E09B". Attempting to include a high-res picture below.
I recently purchased a 2003 XLT 2WD and I replaced the fuel tank in the first 3 weeks due to a pretty serious leak from the front vent valve but I'm expecting my used tank to fail eventually due to the same leaking issues. Looking around the forums, it seems others end up repairing this issue with some type of epoxy like JB Weld or Permatex, while one guy with a 1st gen opted for HDPE welding to fill in the cracks (https://www.expeditionforum.com/threads/need-to-replace-my-fuel-tank.47332/page-3).
I tried searching the forums for an answer to this already but couldn't find any results addressing my next approach to fixing this issue - I'm wondering if it's possible to cut out the old vent valves and replace it with something like the Dorman 911-061 vent valves that go in the 1997-2004 F-150 tanks. I recognize that there's a challenge with mounting that valve to the poly tank and doing it in a way that is safe around fuel, but is there something technically different about these valves that are sonic welded to our tanks vs the valves that are user replaceable from a similar Ford from the same era? Has anybody else found other solutions for this leaking issue that haven't already been shared? I kept my old tank with the hope that I can work out a more permanent solution. I'm a little bummed about this issue because I was excited about getting an Expy to accommodate my growing family, and this tank issue has me wondering if I just made a huge mistake.
I'm reaching out to Eaton to see if they can provide any technical data on the valves they supplied to Ford for manufacturing the fuel tanks. The markings I was able to make out from the valve were "EATON" "ANN ARBOR, MI" "VISTEON" "VP2LIU-9B595-AC" and "2E09B". Attempting to include a high-res picture below.
