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07-23-2016, 06:40 AM
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#41
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Brookings
Posts: 561
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1/2 tank
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08-10-2016, 07:42 PM
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#42
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2015
Posts: 239
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The reason I start at 1/2 is finding a station I can get into with a 32' C and a toad. Sometimes tough to find.
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Linda
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08-10-2016, 08:05 PM
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#43
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Monroe, NC
Posts: 402
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I start looking for the next diesel station as soon as my gauge hits the 1/2 tank mark. I also carry two 5 gal cans of diesel fuel with me just in case they are needed.
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Freddie & Linda
2015 FR Sierra 330RLS & 2003 Dodge 2500 4X4 Diesel
TMPS for Camper & TV
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08-19-2016, 01:01 PM
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#44
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2015
Posts: 494
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Regarding the fuel level to keep the pump cool, you do understand the fuel is being pumped THROUGH the motor, right? Yes, the pump picks up the fuel, sends it through the motor and on its way to the filter/engine.
I replaced the pump in our 2000 Four Winds one very cold day in January of 2013. Here's the pump/sender assembly:
You can see the generator pick up tube - it stops at the top of the white section on the motor. I've found through experience where this point is the 1/4 mark on the gauge.
The dark gray end is the pickup, and the white end is the discharge:
More pics of the project: Fuel Pump replacement project; Pump teardown Photo Gallery by B-N-Mac at pbase.com
I've heard the old song about not letting your fuel drop below 1/4 for that same reason, but because the fuel is being pulled through the pump, it is being cooled until there is no fuel left to pump.
Yet...
I fill at 3/8 to a 1/2 just to have sufficient reserve as we cover a lot of miles between stations - simply because the stations can be more than 100 miles apart in desolate parts of the country. I have run the tank on the Four Winds down to well below a 1/4 one time, but was getting a bit nervous as we had no idea where the gauge was in respect to the actual fuel level. It didn't die, but at fill up, it took 45 gallons with a capacity of 55 so we still had some reserve.
__________________
2016 Sunseeker 2250LE/Chevy
Formerly: 2000 Four Winds 26Q/Ford, '96 Kit Sportsmaster 22' 5th wheel, '91 Sunlite truck camper, Wildernest flip-top canopy
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08-24-2016, 06:18 AM
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#45
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2016
Posts: 297
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On our recent trip back east I refueled every day after we pulled out if each overnight campground. Some days I had to refuel along the way, anyway. I start to get nervous when the needle gets south of 1/2 tank.
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08-25-2016, 04:18 PM
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#46
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: Madisonville, TX
Posts: 251
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You diesel truck folks ever have issues using the nozzle at the pump in the big rig/18 wheeler lane?
I havent had a diesel truck since 2012, but it seems like most truck stops had diesel nozzles with a big ring on the end that wouldnt fit into a pickup truck tank. (I had Ford and Dodge diesels)
The rings were there specifically to keep pickups out of the 18wheeler lanes and force you to use the car pumps in the front of the store.
Do they still have these rings or are the diesel tank inlets bigger on the newer trucks?
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08-25-2016, 04:29 PM
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#47
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Southern NM
Posts: 9,518
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kfd82
You diesel truck folks ever have issues using the nozzle at the pump in the big rig/18 wheeler lane?
I havent had a diesel truck since 2012, but it seems like most truck stops had diesel nozzles with a big ring on the end that wouldnt fit into a pickup truck tank. (I had Ford and Dodge diesels)
The rings were there specifically to keep pickups out of the 18wheeler lanes and force you to use the car pumps in the front of the store.
Do they still have these rings or are the diesel tank inlets bigger on the newer trucks?
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I fill up at pilot/flying j in the truck lanes all the time and don't have any problems.
__________________
Scott and Liz - Southern NM
2012 Wildcat Sterling 32RL - w/level up (best option ever)
2007 Chevy 2500HD Duramax
Reese Fifth Airborne Sidewinder
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08-25-2016, 04:30 PM
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#48
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Greenfield, IN
Posts: 119
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I have been using the tractor trailer fuel lanes on our last couple long trips and never had a problem getting the nozzle in our 2012 F350. Though unless you have a fleet card or the Pilot/Fling J card, its a pain in the butt to fill up. Biggest thing to watch for is that those big rig pumps will fill your tank in only a couple of minutes. Don't lock the trigger!!!!!
__________________
2016 Vibe Extreme-Lite 315BHK
2012 F350 CCSRW 6.7l 4x4 LB
Nights camped in 2016: 26
Nights camped in 2017: ?
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08-25-2016, 04:38 PM
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#49
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Between Pickles Gap and Toad Suck, AR
Posts: 6,070
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kfd82
You diesel truck folks ever have issues using the nozzle at the pump in the big rig/18 wheeler lane?
I havent had a diesel truck since 2012, but it seems like most truck stops had diesel nozzles with a big ring on the end that wouldnt fit into a pickup truck tank. (I had Ford and Dodge diesels)
The rings were there specifically to keep pickups out of the 18wheeler lanes and force you to use the car pumps in the front of the store.
Do they still have these rings or are the diesel tank inlets bigger on the newer trucks?
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No problems. Most times, the "Truck Lane" is the only one I fit in. Someone decided all auto pump lanes would be perpendicular to the stations, not parallel...........and I no longer can get "out" once I get in, so I go to the truck lanes.
All nozzles fit fine.
What ticks me off is that truck lanes won't let you 'pay at the pump'....and secondly, they charge more per gallon for credit than 'cash'. Who carries that much cash anyway?
__________________
"Next to prayer, fishing is the most personal relationship of man" Herbert Hoover
"American by Birth, Southern by the Grace of God"Lewis Grizzard
FROG AR-0019-242
2016 GMC Denali 3500Dually--2017 CC 36CKTS
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08-25-2016, 04:44 PM
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#50
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: Newport News Va
Posts: 662
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I start looking when I reach 1/2 tank.
__________________
Chuck " still in Va "
2012 3065w Windjammer
2012 f250 lariat Crew cab power stroke (of course )
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08-25-2016, 04:51 PM
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#51
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Greenfield, IN
Posts: 119
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BandJCarm
No problems. Most times, the "Truck Lane" is the only one I fit in. Someone decided all auto pump lanes would be perpendicular to the stations, not parallel...........and I no longer can get "out" once I get in, so I go to the truck lanes.
All nozzles fit fine.
What ticks me off is that truck lanes won't let you 'pay at the pump'....and secondly, they charge more per gallon for credit than 'cash'. Who carries that much cash anyway?
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Get the RV Plus Card. At least at Pilot and Flying J, you can pay at the truck lane pump.
__________________
2016 Vibe Extreme-Lite 315BHK
2012 F350 CCSRW 6.7l 4x4 LB
Nights camped in 2016: 26
Nights camped in 2017: ?
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08-26-2016, 01:02 AM
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#52
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: Texas Coastal Bend
Posts: 844
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Quote:
Originally Posted by brucemc
Regarding the fuel level to keep the pump cool, you do understand the fuel is being pumped THROUGH the motor, right? Yes, the pump picks up the fuel, sends it through the motor and on its way to the filter/engine.
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There is some truth in what you say, but not in all applications. Fuel may be going "through" the pump, but it's passage is limited to the impeller, valves and associated passages. The heat generated by the electric motor driving the impeller is what we're concerned with, and that is absorbed by the motor's metal casing. For that heat to be sufficiently dispersed, it needs to be submerged in the fuel, which pulls the heat away much faster than still air.
I, therefore, belong to camp "Keep the tank 1/4 full or more"... if there is such a thing.
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08-26-2016, 09:17 AM
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#53
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Southern NM
Posts: 9,518
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If you do a little research (Google it) you will see needing fuel to keep your fuel pump cool is a myth. The pump is in a canister that always has fuel in it for lubrication and cooling until you actually run out of fuel. I did see one article that said if you run out of fuel often you might eventually damage your pump. We fill up in town when we reach an 1/8th to a quarter. On a trip we fill up at a half when possible.
__________________
Scott and Liz - Southern NM
2012 Wildcat Sterling 32RL - w/level up (best option ever)
2007 Chevy 2500HD Duramax
Reese Fifth Airborne Sidewinder
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08-26-2016, 09:29 AM
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#54
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2012
Posts: 10,907
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NMWildcat
If you do a little research (Google it) you will see needing fuel to keep your fuel pump cool is a myth. The pump is in a canister that always has fuel in it for lubrication and cooling until you actually run out of fuel. I did see one article that said if you run out of fuel often you might eventually damage your pump. We fill up in town when we reach an 1/8th to a quarter. On a trip we fill up at a half when possible.
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Remember that the pump is pumping far more fuel than your engine actually uses. The rest of the fuel is being recirculated back to the tank at a higher temperature than it left. So even though you have fuel in the tank, it gets hotter as the tank level drops. Does it heat up enough to stop adequately cooling the pump? I don't know for sure. I would hope not, but some people think it does.
__________________
1988 Coleman Sequoia - popup (1987-2009) - outlasted 3 Dodge Grand Caravans!
2012 Roo19 - hybrid (2012-2015)
2016 Mini Lite 2503S - tt (2015 - ???)
2011 Traverse LT, 3.6L, FWD
2009 Silverado 1500 Ext Cab, 5.3L, 4x4, 3.73
2016 Silverado 2500HD Dbl Cab, 6.0L 4x4, 4.10
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08-26-2016, 09:58 AM
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#55
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Mod free 5er
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Concord, NC
Posts: 24,702
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1/2 tank and start looking unless we're stopping within an hour for the night. Only drive one to one and a half tanks of gas a day. We're retired and are never in a hurry. We also stop at campgrounds, not Walmarts, Cracker Barrel for the night.
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