ET RAM

Well after much hassle with my truck, I got the return fuel line fixed. The supply line would not go on so I measured the fitting and mine is 1/2 inch. I measured the hose and it too was 1/2. I tried hard to get the 3/8 hose on but it would not go on. I wound up putting the old hose back on. I'll change it later when I get a fuel heater prefilter kit. My problem was definately the return line as it had many hairline cracks.<br><br>For those contemplating this replacement here is how I tackled the job. 96 CTD<br><br>1. Disconnect the battery cables<br>2. For lower access removed starter<br>3. For upper access to hose and clamp bolt on rear of engine<br> Removed fuel filter<br> Disconnected and moved aside:<br> Fuel solenoid plug<br> Fuel heater and solenoid relay plugs<br> Oil dipstick tube<br> Main engine wiring harness<br> Two vacuum lines next to relays<br> Labeled everything for later assembly.<br>4. Old hose clamp screw heads are metric 6MM<br>5. Fuel return line 5/16&quot; 20&quot; long<br>6. The top hose clamp will give the most trouble as access is limited. I found that with a long screwdriver I could access the screw head from below between the engine and the fuel heater.<br>7. I used new SAE clamps with 1/4&quot; screw heads<br>8. I found that, if I pushed the new hose onto the steel line until it made the angle bend, I could position the hose clamp after the bend with the screw head between the engine and the hose. In this position I could hold the clamp with my right hand and with my left hand tighten the screw wtih a socket and long extension through a gap between the engine and the fuel heater.<br>9. The remaimder of the job was fairly easy compared to the top hose clamp removal and installation.<br>9. I filled the fuel filter with diesel before installing, bled remaining air and pumped up the fuel. The engine started and kept running on the third startup.<br><br>Not an easy job but doable if you go slow. No major cuts but some awfully bruised hands<br><br>

tmiller24

;D Nothing like a little 2 minute job is there?