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Old 07-23-2016, 06:40 AM   #41
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1/2 tank
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Old 08-10-2016, 07:42 PM   #42
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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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Old 08-10-2016, 08:05 PM   #43
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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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Old 08-19-2016, 01:01 PM   #44
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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.
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Old 08-24-2016, 06:18 AM   #45
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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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Old 08-25-2016, 04:18 PM   #46
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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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Old 08-25-2016, 04:29 PM   #47
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Originally Posted by kfd82 View Post
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?
I fill up at pilot/flying j in the truck lanes all the time and don't have any problems.
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Old 08-25-2016, 04:30 PM   #48
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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!!!!!
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Old 08-25-2016, 04:38 PM   #49
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Originally Posted by kfd82 View Post
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?
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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Old 08-25-2016, 04:44 PM   #50
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I start looking when I reach 1/2 tank.
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Old 08-25-2016, 04:51 PM   #51
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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?

Get the RV Plus Card. At least at Pilot and Flying J, you can pay at the truck lane pump.
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Old 08-26-2016, 01:02 AM   #52
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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.
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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Old 08-26-2016, 09:17 AM   #53
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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.
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Old 08-26-2016, 09:29 AM   #54
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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.
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.
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Old 08-26-2016, 09:58 AM   #55
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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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