Forum Discussion

anon125's avatar
anon125
Explorer
Jul 14, 2016

check guages warning

We have a 2006 motorhome on a f series class A motorhome chassis.
It has about 20,000 miles on it.
Been sitting (mostly) for a year or so with a full tank of gas.
2 days ago we took it for a half hour run and everything was okay.
Yesterday on a 50 mile jaunt we got beeps and a check gauges message appeared.
The gauges were fine but as the gas gauge is often stuck at max we put 14 gallons of 87 in it to top it up. For the next 15 miles the warning was quiet.

Do these old v10 engines have the vehicle diagnostic sockets?
Would they help?
Does it sound if it does not like the gas?

In the past we have left it for 3 years without any additives or problems.
Thanks all
  • turbojimmy's avatar
    turbojimmy
    Explorer
    Jul 14, 2016
    anon125 wrote:
    thanks all
    BTW when 14 gallons tops up the tank it probably was not low on fuel!


    If all other gauges were reading normal,it probably thought it was low on fuel - particularly since you said the gauge is malfunctioning. I wouldn't worry about it. The CHECK GAGES light is really inconsequential.
  • turbojimmy's avatar
    turbojimmy
    Explorer
    Jul 14, 2016
    An OBD-II scan will not tell you why the CHECK GAGES light came on. It's just a dummy light to tell you that one of your gauges is showing a potential issue (running out of gas, running hot, etc.). A code scanner will typically only pull emissions-related codes (those that cause the check engine light to come on or for the ECM to store a code). I say "typically" because some of the more expensive ones will pull body and manufacturer-specific codes. None will tell you why the CHECK GAGES light came on.
  • anon125's avatar
    anon125
    Explorer
    Jul 14, 2016
    thanks all
    BTW when 14 gallons tops up the tank it probably was not low on fuel!
  • MEXICOWANDERER's avatar
    MEXICOWANDERER
    Explorer
    Jul 14, 2016
    High heat and high humidity affects gasoline a lot more than cooler and drier storage. Same for vacant room for condensation. A year long storage in Reno or Phoenix is a lot different than a year East of the Mississippi, or the South like Texas or Louisiana.

    IMHO Best to suck fault codes out out of the ECU and see what's going on.
  • Dutch_12078's avatar
    Dutch_12078
    Explorer II
    Jul 14, 2016
    To answer your other question, yes, your F53 chassis most definitely has an OBDII diagnostics port that can be scanned for error codes. The port is usually located on the right side of the steering column and can be difficult to see and connect to if the body manufacturer has not relocated it as Ford recommends.
  • turbojimmy's avatar
    turbojimmy
    Explorer
    Jul 14, 2016
    anon125 wrote:
    The gauges were fine but as the gas gauge is often stuck at max we put 14 gallons of 87 in it to top it up. For the next 15 miles the warning was quiet.


    I would guess that while your gauge is wrong, whatever computer that controls the CHECK GAGES warning is getting an accurate feed from the fuel tank sender. So you probably were low on fuel but the gauge wasn't showing it.
  • midnightsadie's avatar
    midnightsadie
    Explorer II
    Jul 14, 2016
    three yrs on old gas??? your lucky it started, even 6months is a long time on what they now call gas, put a can of sea foam in it, it,ll eat the goo up.

About Technical Issues

Having RV issues? Connect with others who have been in your shoes.24,210 PostsLatest Activity: Mar 02, 2025