Truckers' Trucking Forum | Message Board | Discussion - The Premier Truck Drivers Forum!  

Trucker MySpace - Truckers Making Friends. Chicken Truckers Come Meet Other Truckers!

Good Trucking Jobs - Forget Those CRAP Trucking Jobs & Find A Good Trucking Job!




Go Back   Truckers' Trucking Forum | Message Board | Discussion > The Garage > Trucks [ Eighteen Wheelers ]

Truckers' Trucking Forum/Message Board - The Premiere Truck Driver Forum
Sponsored Links

Important Truckers Forum Notice!

Trucks [ Eighteen Wheelers ] Roll On Big Mama. Forum/Discussion about Eighteen Wheeler Trucks. What truck do you like or dislike? Is your favorite truck a Mack, Peterbilt, Kenworth, Marmon, Volvo or Freightliner? Which diesel engine do you prefer; Detroit Diesel, Cummins, or...

Reply
 
Thread Tools Rate Thread Display Modes
  ^ Top   #1  
Old 07.12.2008
Medium Load Member
 
Last Seen: 1 Week Ago 05.25 PM
Member Since: Dec 2007
Location: Portland, Or.
Trucker? 50 Years
Posts: 391
My Trucking Photos: 0

Thanks: 77
Thanked: 88 Times
Fuel Tank Capacity

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.
Reply With Quote
Remove This Ad By Registering. Join Our Truck Forum and Trucking Community For Free. Sponsored Links:

  ^ Top   #2  
Old 07.12.2008
550hpW900L's Avatar
Truck Forum Supporter
 
Last Seen: 1 Hour Ago 12.02 PM
Member Since: Jan 2008
Location: Watervliet, MI
Trucker? WannaBe
Age: 24
Posts: 4,553
My Trucking Photos: 0

Thanks: 213
Thanked: 597 Times
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.
__________________


LOAD EM LIKE RAIL CARS, DRIVE EM LIKE RACE CARS!!!!
Reply With Quote
The Following User Says Thank You to 550hpW900L For This Useful Post:
Native Dancer (07.15.2008)
  ^ Top   #3  
Old 07.12.2008
heyns57's Avatar
Heavy Load Member
 
Last Seen: 17 Hours Ago 08.46 PM
Member Since: Dec 2006
Location: Coloma, MI
Trucker? 40 Years
Age: 66
Posts: 810
My Trucking Photos: 0

Thanks: 108
Thanked: 99 Times
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.
Reply With Quote
The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to heyns57 For This Useful Post:
Big Duker (07.15.2008), Native Dancer (07.15.2008)
  ^ Top   #4  
Old 07.12.2008
550hpW900L's Avatar
Truck Forum Supporter
 
Last Seen: 1 Hour Ago 12.02 PM
Member Since: Jan 2008
Location: Watervliet, MI
Trucker? WannaBe
Age: 24
Posts: 4,553
My Trucking Photos: 0

Thanks: 213
Thanked: 597 Times
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.
__________________


LOAD EM LIKE RAIL CARS, DRIVE EM LIKE RACE CARS!!!!
Reply With Quote
  ^ Top   #5  
Old 07.15.2008
Light Load Member
 
Last Seen: 19 Hours Ago 06.38 PM
Member Since: Jun 2008
Location: Iowa, LA
Trucker? 35 Years
Posts: 183
My Trucking Photos: 0

Thanks: 37
Thanked: 13 Times
Quote:
Originally Posted by Native Dancer View Post
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.
If your fuel tanks are like most, the filler caps are not at the absolute top, but more like 7/8 up . This prevents the tanks from being filled to their full capacity, allowing for fuel expansion due to temperature changes.

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 by droy; 07.15.2008 at 09.51 PM. Reason: added another comment
Reply With Quote
The Following 4 Users Say Thank You to droy For This Useful Post:
Big Duker (07.15.2008), Captain Canuck (07.15.2008), Native Dancer (07.15.2008), Ron-MARS Trucking (07.15.2008)
Remove This Ad By Registering. Join Our Truck Forum and Trucking Community For Free. Sponsored Links:

  ^ Top   #6  
Old 07.15.2008
Medium Load Member
 
Last Seen: 1 Week Ago 05.25 PM
Member Since: Dec 2007
Location: Portland, Or.
Trucker? 50 Years
Posts: 391
My Trucking Photos: 0

Thanks: 77
Thanked: 88 Times
Thanks to everyone for your input. I'll check out the valves and lines this weekend.
Reply With Quote
Reply

Truckers Forum Bookmarks - Like This Thread? Tell The World!

Truckers' Trucking Forum/Message Board
Truckers Accessories


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools
Display Modes Rate This Thread
Rate This Thread:

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are Off
Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Trucker Forum Replies Last Post
Fuel tank leak ? 2hellandback Ask An Owner Operator 6 05.04.2008 01.26 AM
Builds His Very Own Tank Cybergal Car & Truck Talk 2 04.08.2008 08.09 PM
Enterprise Tank big daddie Trucking Jobs 0 04.04.2008 08.46 PM
Feds focused on second Windsor bridge; Minister says Ambassador at capacity Cybergal Canadian Truckers Forum 0 03.03.2008 10.05 AM
Tank of Bad Fuel In Portage Wisconsin Burky The Truck Stops Here 13 01.08.2008 02.48 PM


.


vBulletin Forum Software, Copyright ©2000 - 2008, Jelsoft Enterprises Limited.
Copyright © The Truckers Report - Trucking Forum & Message Board - Truck Driver Discussion - Truck Forum

Trucker Forum Disclaimer: All content, information and opinions (collectively, the "Material") presented on Our Trucker Forum Discussion Board at TheTruckersReport.com are those of the authors of posts and messages (collectively, the "participants") and not The Truckers Report. The Truckers Report does not guarantee the reliability, completeness, accuracy, timeliness or up-to-date-ness of the material presented on the Truck Driver Forum. The material is published "as is," and does not represent the official views and opinions of The Truckers Report or any company. Any reliance upon the Material presented on these forums shall be at User's own risk. The Truckers Report does not review the substance of the content posted by users on these forums and is therefore not responsible for any of such content. The Truckers Forum merely provides a space for its users to express and exchange their own opinions.


Search Engine Friendly URLs by vBSEO