approx fuel left when light comes on???

[clotus]

Hey guys I got a 2017 Winnebago Minnie Winnie 31K. The specs say it has a 55 gallon fuel tank. My fuel light came on while headed home. I drove about 15 miles to the gas station near home. I filled up a lil over 48 gallons and averaged 8.4 mpg.

Anyone know the aprox gallons left when the light come on?

My math shows it came on right around 9 gallons left, assuming a true 55-gallon fill.

Anyone know what Ford sets it at?

[klutchdust]

soren wrote:

klutchdust wrote:

IAMICHABOD wrote:

klutchdust wrote:

pnichols wrote:
When the light comes on - how much gas is left MAY depend upon much you put into the tank the last time you filled it.

Our Ford E450 55 gallon tank will take about 5 gallons more after most station pumps stop. I can slowly trickle-fill after pump shut-off and get at least another 5 gallons into the tank whenever I fill up. I always try to do this so as to get more travel miles between refills and to ensure we have plenty of fuel supply margin for running the Onan generator should we decide to dry camp.

I have gotten 7 gallons in my tank using that method. It sure makes a difference.

My mechanic just loves people that do this,that means that eventually they will have to have their evaporation/charcoal canister replaced.

They are designed to capture vapor but when overfilling they get full of gas and fail,This will lead to a poorly running vehicle, higher emissions and eventually a costly repair bill.

The vent tube does not fill with gasoline, the tank does. The vent tube is higher than the tank. Charcoal canisters are old school, the new style components are located in the frame rail and it will not have an effect, the vent is still venting.

The other issue with filling a large motorhome tank is that you are blasting a lot of fuel into what is essentially a coffin sized box. I can let the pump click off, wait a bit, then pump several gallons in, without slowly trickling anything. Just my guess, but between the action of evacuating the vapor to make space for fuel, and the fuel splashing and sloshing into the large box shaped tank, it takes a while after the first click off, before everything settles down to the point that it's ready to accept a few more gallons.

Exactly, I have the habit of slowing the pump down as it nears the full mark and then slowly add a gallon or two, that comes from my fueling my diesel and dealing with foam.

[soren]

klutchdust wrote:

IAMICHABOD wrote:

klutchdust wrote:

pnichols wrote:
When the light comes on - how much gas is left MAY depend upon much you put into the tank the last time you filled it.

Our Ford E450 55 gallon tank will take about 5 gallons more after most station pumps stop. I can slowly trickle-fill after pump shut-off and get at least another 5 gallons into the tank whenever I fill up. I always try to do this so as to get more travel miles between refills and to ensure we have plenty of fuel supply margin for running the Onan generator should we decide to dry camp.

I have gotten 7 gallons in my tank using that method. It sure makes a difference.

My mechanic just loves people that do this,that means that eventually they will have to have their evaporation/charcoal canister replaced.

They are designed to capture vapor but when overfilling they get full of gas and fail,This will lead to a poorly running vehicle, higher emissions and eventually a costly repair bill.

The vent tube does not fill with gasoline, the tank does. The vent tube is higher than the tank. Charcoal canisters are old school, the new style components are located in the frame rail and it will not have an effect, the vent is still venting.

The other issue with filling a large motorhome tank is that you are blasting a lot of fuel into what is essentially a coffin sized box. I can let the pump click off, wait a bit, then pump several gallons in, without slowly trickling anything. Just my guess, but between the action of evacuating the vapor to make space for fuel, and the fuel splashing and sloshing into the large box shaped tank, it takes a while after the first click off, before everything settles down to the point that it's ready to accept a few more gallons.

[Photomike]

clotus wrote:
Thanks for all the replies!!! Sounds like it’s a mystery. I generally never allow it to go under 1/4 tank, but since it is new I am trying to get an idea of the range and what not. I guess only poor planning and bad luck will I truly know how far I can go 🙂

Like others have said try not to get it down that low for a number of reasons.

For me I have always tried to fill by half if for nothing else than a break from driving. The other big reason is that in an emergency under half limits your options a lot more. I have had to detour to a road that was more miles and with no services. With a generator having to spend an extra day or two in a place that you can not easily get to a gas station (packing up and driving to get fuel only to return to the campground is not fun) or getting stuck in traffic. With having lots of fuel not a problem. I guess a lot of that goes to my be prepared mentality. Even today I have three vehicles my dd and two RV's and they all have their tanks full just in case.

[ctilsie242]

I am used to older cars where, as part of gassing up, you bounce the car a little bit, which allows you to add 1-2 more gallons. I also fill the vehicle up on a hill pointing downwards, which helps there.

I also wish vehicles had bigger fuel tanks, but I wonder if they were cut short so they would be less heavy to pass CAFE regulations. Realistically, a pickup truck should have at least a 55+ gallon fuel tank, or like the older Ford F-150s, two 20 gallon fuel tanks. I would rather have two fuel tanks, perhaps one with a hidden fuel fill, just due to people siphoning gas.

[pnichols]

IAMICHABOD wrote:

klutchdust wrote:

pnichols wrote:
When the light comes on - how much gas is left MAY depend upon much you put into the tank the last time you filled it.

Our Ford E450 55 gallon tank will take about 5 gallons more after most station pumps stop. I can slowly trickle-fill after pump shut-off and get at least another 5 gallons into the tank whenever I fill up. I always try to do this so as to get more travel miles between refills and to ensure we have plenty of fuel supply margin for running the Onan generator should we decide to dry camp.

I have gotten 7 gallons in my tank using that method. It sure makes a difference.

My mechanic just loves people that do this,that means that eventually they will have to have their evaporation/charcoal canister replaced.

They are designed to capture vapor but when overfilling they get full of gas and fail,This will lead to a poorly running vehicle, higher emissions and eventually a costly repair bill.

I have three vehicles that I trickle-fill because their gas tanks are not full when gas pumps shut off ... they have been fine with this type of filling for years, as follows:

1. 1995 GMC 4X4 pickup that I have been getting ~4 more gallons into it after gas station fuel pump shutoff - for around 21 years.

2. 2002 Lexus sedan that I have been getting ~1.6 more gallons into it after gas station fuel pump shutoff - for around 13 years.

3. 2005 Itasca E450 Class C motorhome that I have been getting ~5 more gallons into it after gas station fuel pump shutoff - for around 12 years.

For me gassing up is an unfortunate necessary evil, so I want to do it no more often than necessary. I wish vehicles came with larger stock fuel tanks than they do.

The DW and myself together once built a Dodge B250 van into a camper van. It had about a 26 gallon stock gas tank. I installed an aftermarket steel 40 gallon auxiliary gas tank on it for a total gas capacity of around 66 gallons. Since it's 318 V8 got around 17-18 MPG on the open road, we didn't need to refuel on camping trips for over 1000 miles ... what a great feature that was!

Ford and Chevy are right on with their 55 gallon and 57 gallon, respectively, gas tanks on their cutaway van chassis used under U.S. Class C motorhomes ... that's a step in the right direction.

[ctilsie242]

If the light comes on, I screwed up. Ford fuel pumps are notorious for failing and being very hard to replace (good luck dropping the fuel tank of a class "C".) Fuel is used to keep the pump cool, so running it low likely shortens the life by a good bit. I don't take chances, and try to keep fueling the minimum, over 1/4 tank, preferably 1/2 tank or more. Best way I've found is when on the road, look for an easy to get into gas station at 2/3 tank, and stop for earnest come 1/3 tank. I also like taking a fuel can or two on a rear cargo rack, just in case, as the added 20-40 miles can make or break things.

[klutchdust]

IAMICHABOD wrote:

klutchdust wrote:

pnichols wrote:
When the light comes on - how much gas is left MAY depend upon much you put into the tank the last time you filled it.

Our Ford E450 55 gallon tank will take about 5 gallons more after most station pumps stop. I can slowly trickle-fill after pump shut-off and get at least another 5 gallons into the tank whenever I fill up. I always try to do this so as to get more travel miles between refills and to ensure we have plenty of fuel supply margin for running the Onan generator should we decide to dry camp.

I have gotten 7 gallons in my tank using that method. It sure makes a difference.

My mechanic just loves people that do this,that means that eventually they will have to have their evaporation/charcoal canister replaced.

They are designed to capture vapor but when overfilling they get full of gas and fail,This will lead to a poorly running vehicle, higher emissions and eventually a costly repair bill.

The vent tube does not fill with gasoline, the tank does. The vent tube is higher than the tank. Charcoal canisters are old school, the new style components are located in the frame rail and it will not have an effect, the vent is still venting.

[clotus]

Thanks for all the replies!!! Sounds like it’s a mystery. I generally never allow it to go under 1/4 tank, but since it is new I am trying to get an idea of the range and what not. I guess only poor planning and bad luck will I truly know how far I can go 🙂

[IAMICHABOD]

klutchdust wrote:

pnichols wrote:
When the light comes on - how much gas is left MAY depend upon much you put into the tank the last time you filled it.

Our Ford E450 55 gallon tank will take about 5 gallons more after most station pumps stop. I can slowly trickle-fill after pump shut-off and get at least another 5 gallons into the tank whenever I fill up. I always try to do this so as to get more travel miles between refills and to ensure we have plenty of fuel supply margin for running the Onan generator should we decide to dry camp.

I have gotten 7 gallons in my tank using that method. It sure makes a difference.

My mechanic just loves people that do this,that means that eventually they will have to have their evaporation/charcoal canister replaced.

They are designed to capture vapor but when overfilling they get full of gas and fail,This will lead to a poorly running vehicle, higher emissions and eventually a costly repair bill.

[klutchdust]

pnichols wrote:
When the light comes on - how much gas is left MAY depend upon much you put into the tank the last time you filled it.

Our Ford E450 55 gallon tank will take about 5 gallons more after most station pumps stop. I can slowly trickle-fill after pump shut-off and get at least another 5 gallons into the tank whenever I fill up. I always try to do this so as to get more travel miles between refills and to ensure we have plenty of fuel supply margin for running the Onan generator should we decide to dry camp.

I have gotten 7 gallons in my tank using that method. It sure makes a difference.

[DrewE]

pnichols wrote:
When the light comes on - how much gas is left MAY depend upon much you put into the tank the last time you filled it.

Not typically, as the light is controlled either from its own float switch or from the sender for the gas gauge. If you put less in when you fill it, it just comes on sooner (the extra gas is of course at the top of the tank, not the bottom). Likewise, if you don't fill but only put in half a tankful, the light will come on at basically the same level. It's not counting miles from the fill-up generally. (A trip computer time to empty display, on the other hand, may work by tracking fuel use since the fill-up and so may be sensitive to how full it was filled.)

Being on sloped ground may affect when it comes on, just as it affects the gas gauge. In some systems where the sender for the fuel gauge is used, rather than a separate float switch or sensor, I suspect the voltage of the chassis 12V system may also affect it depending on how things are designed.

[MNRon]

What Wild Bill and others have said - I start looking at 50% when pulling. If I get to 25% I no longer look for something convenient, I grab what I see. Pulling is a ‘no stress’ joy for me; we use off roads, drive speed limit (or set cruise at 64mph on freeway and sit in right lane, don’t push gas gauge, and enjoy the scenery. I enjoy pulling the 5er more than driving without it.

Funny story on idiot lights. I bought a new Mustang in the mid-80s when they first started putting idiot lights on gas gauge. I was so enthralled I had to see it light up. Was driving in Phx with friends from out of state in car and passed several gas stations with gauge on ‘E’ but not light. Friends we’re getting nervous and complained a lot but I was insistent I had to see this ‘new fangled’ Light do it’s job....You guessed it, we were stranded on the side of the road because the factory hadn’t hooked it up properly....

[pnichols]

When the light comes on - how much gas is left MAY depend upon much you put into the tank the last time you filled it.

Our Ford E450 55 gallon tank will take about 5 gallons more after most station pumps stop. I can slowly trickle-fill after pump shut-off and get at least another 5 gallons into the tank whenever I fill up. I always try to do this so as to get more travel miles between refills and to ensure we have plenty of fuel supply margin for running the Onan generator should we decide to drycamp.

[WILDEBILL308]

Ford in tank pumps are better now but I wouldn't run the tank on one under 1/4 because you don't want to let the pump get hot.
Bill