Ford diesel vans have a steel
gasoline tank which Ford painted on the inside so that the diesel would not react with the zinc on the inside of the galvanized tank when installed in the
diesel vans.
The paint flakes off after about 10 years, clogging the in-tank mixing screens, causing a fuel starvation issue which will ruin your injectors and possibly your engine.
Read this:
Ford Painted the Inside of the Fuel Tank ! ???
http://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/11837 ... -tank.html
and do the hutch mod immediately then add a Racor PS120 3/8" series screen strainer filter on the frame rail just behind (i.e., on the suction side) of the fuel pump.
The 7.3 is a great engine in the van.