I ran out of fuel yesterday as I was pulling up to the pumps. I sounded my drivers side tank and there was 2" of fuel in it. Draw and return are from drivers side. I didn't sound the passenger side. I have 2x150 gallon tanks, verified by size. Judging from when I last fuelled I should have been good for another 300 miles. I filled the tanks to the top and took 240 gallons. I find it hard to believe I'm packing 60 gallons of unusable fuel.
My fuel lines draw from the top. When I sound my tanks the passengers side is always higher. People I've talked to say theirs are the same way. Why? How does the fuel get from tank to tank with top draw? I parked at home on a slope and ran out of fuel. I rolled forward so the slope was the other way, let it sit for 30 minutes and it fired right up.
Fuel Tank Capacity
Discussion in 'Trucks [ Eighteen Wheelers ]' started by Native Dancer, Jul 12, 2008.
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The tanks will equalize, when you are parked and the truck is on a slope to the right it will pump all the fuel to the passanger side tank, even with truck off. When running it has a equalizing valve mounted on the frame, that valve has a little butterfly flapper in it, if it wears out after time it will cause to pump more fuel to one tank, in your case passanger. I would replace that and i would also take the fuel lines off the fittings from the tank and equalizing valve and blow em out with compressed air.
Ive had this happen on my old 379 and my newer W900, the W900 was different, my right tank rotated towards the frame do to loose straps, pinching of the feed line and blocking of fuel filler.Native Dancer Thanks this. -
You may have a fuel cross-over line on a fuel tank stabilizer rod connecting tank to tank. The cross-over line should have a shut-off valve. At the top of each tank is a breather to prevent vacuum from preventing emptying of the tank. The breather will have a tube that takes any surge of fuel to prevent it from splashing onto the visible parts of the truck. The neoprene tube may be plugged. Try to blow into it. If one tank remains higher than the other after being parked for a while, remove the cap. If the tanks then equalize, you have a vacuum and breather problem. If they don't equalize, the cross-over line or shut-off valve may be the problem. At least, that is how it was in the olden days.
Native Dancer and Big Duker Thank this. -
heyns there is no more cross over line on the newer trucks, its "illegal" nowa days even though i had it done on my old Pete since it was the only way to get it working right.
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Imagine filling your truck with diesel from a cool underground tank at ambient temperature, say 70 degrees, and being pumped into your truck where it is then circulated through the engine and returned to the fuel tanks at the engine's operating temperature, probably around 190 degrees. I'm guessing this temperature difference could mean a volume increase of one or two inches in the tanks, and possibly an overflow, (spill), if the tanks were totally filled with no air space. Most tanks have their capacity etched near the neck, along with a warning not to fill more than 95% of that capacity.
Also, as you noticed, the suction line does not extend all the way down to the bottom of the tank enabling the tanks to be completely emptied. This is intended to prevent any water, or trash to be picked up and carried into the engine's fuel filters.Last edited: Jul 15, 2008
RubyEagle, Native Dancer, Captain Canuck and 2 others Thank this. -
Thanks to everyone for your input. I'll check out the valves and lines this weekend.
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