Sunseeker 2300 Holding Tank Size

[Joebecky]

Recently purchased a new 2011 Sunseeker 2300. After our first dry camping trip, the Black and Grey holding tanks filled up faster than expected. Upon returning home, I measured the tank volume (adding water 2 gal at a time, draining after filling both to visually full, measuring tank dimensions and calculating volume) and found the tanks to hold about 20 gallons each versus the 30 gallons listed in the latest brochure, on the Forest River web site, and in numerous on-line dealer ads. The tank size was one of the main criteria in deciding which Class C to buy, so we are disappointed to say the least. The dealer has not been a lot of help so far, said that it may be a probe problem. He has not responded to my last e-mail where I stated the problem was tank size, not probe placement. The probe placement does have problems, but the tank size is what it is, 20 gallons not 30 gallons.
What is the best approach to resolving this problem, has anyone else seen this? I suppose the next step would be to contact Forest River directly.

[flyrotor]

I'll say it like I tell my co-workers with a problem... Pick Your Battles.

That said, confirm your facts, one more thing to do is fill your tanks to the hilt... such that your sinks no longer drain, and your toilet is not flushing. Do this with fresh water, then as you drain the tanks, catch the discharge in a certified correct bucket. (i.e. one gallon weighs 8.33 pounds at 20 degrees celsius)

If your final tests confirm that the tanks are inferior, then you have the ammo to fight the battle. Otherwise, you may find yourself embarassed when they test it and find it is correct.

If your tanks truely are smaller than advertised, you may win the battle.

For most of us here, what seems like moderate use can fill up rather quick. I don't know why but when my wife does the dishes, my grey tanks fill up much faster than when I do dishes... oh well, just have to dump them more often.

[Joebecky]

Thanks for the reply. I did fill the tanks until water was in the shower that would not drain and water in the toilet was up to the bottom of the bowl. i also made sure the RV was level. I did not verify that the bucket at 2 gallons was accurately 2 gallons. Weight is a good method, so I will redo and verify by weight.
I will be going back to the dealer next week, so will ask them to measure the tanks as well after I verify my measurements.
Thanks again for the advice.

[RubenZ]

The real question is what will you do if you are correct

[Joebecky]

RubenZ

If I am correct and it was an error in manufacturing, I will ask that the correct tanks be installed.

If it was a misrepresentation and all the 2011 Sunseeker 2300 have 20 gallon tanks versus the 30 gal specified, not sure what I will do. Right now, I will take it one step at a time.

[Al Fresco]

My wife and I were surprised that our 2011 Sunseeker 2300 (ordered new from the factory) is built on a Ford E350 Super Duty chassis. The specs for this model on the Forest River website are given for a unit built on an E450 chassis and that is what we thought we would be getting. I haven’t checked the capacity of the holding tanks, but would not be surprised if they are not what is listed on the website. You should also be aware that (if yours is built on the E350 chassis) the gas tank holds only 35 gallons, not the 55 gallons listed on the spec sheet.

As the fine print at the bottom of the spec page warns, Forrest River reserves the right to make any changes it so chooses. Switching chassis models was not one that we had anticipated.

On the positive side, the E350 chassis is claimed to give a somewhat smoother ride than the E450 and, because of a lower gear ratio, has a slight advantage in gas mileage. Our Sunseeker has performed beautifully, so the chassis switcheroo has not been a problem for us.

[Joebecky]

Al Fresco

Thanks for the info. I was aware of the E350 vs E450 chassis difference. As you wrote, I read that the E350 has a better ride and slightly better gas mileage due to gear ratio difference. The carry capacity is less on the E350 but still more than enough for the size of the RV and for the two (or occasional three) of us. I haven't towed anything yet, but the 5000 lb limit should be plenty. One other Ford chassis problem we have seen is heat buildup in the passenger side floor area wall forward of the engine cover (looks like an exhaust manifold runs close to this area and the insulation that is there is not sufficient).

My 2011 Sunseeker 2300 has the 6.8L V10 and the 55 gallon gas tank (fill ups are $$$). Maybe you have the 30 gallon holding tanks?

It seems that changing the specs listed in the Forest River web site would not take that much time. They do list specs for the chevy chassis option so adding specs for the E350 chassis shouldn't be that difficult though it looks like there may be sub-models within the E350 chassis as well. I think significant changes (such as E350 vs E450 chassis, 55 gal vs 35 gal fuel tank, and 20 gallon vs 30 gallon holding tanks) goes beyond what is intended in the fine print. At least they should make the dealer or purchaser aware of the differences in the specs.

If we only planned to stay at parks with full hook ups, the holding tank size would not be as significant. And if we had been aware of the tank size, we probably would have bought a different Class C.

Oh well, sorry for rambling. So far (after 2 months), we too have been happy with the RV except for the problem with the tank size. There have been a few other minor problems that have so far been corrected by me or the dealer and there are features I really like and the overall quality seems good.

[Al Fresco]

Joebecky,

After reading your comments, I checked the Ford manual that came with our Sunseeker 2300. It gives a fuel capacity of 55 gallons for the 158-inch wheelbase E350 Super Duty chassis on which our Sunseeker 2300 is built. We also have the V10 engine. What confuses me is the fact that when I fill the tank, the indications are that it only has a 35-40 gallon capacity. For example, if the tank reads about half full, it only takes 18-20 gallons to fill it. We have gone 150 miles since the last fill up and the gas gauge is reading slightly over one half full. Since my calculations show I am getting very close to 10 miles per gallon, I have consumed roughly 15 gallons to bring the gauge to just over one half full. Either the fuel gauge is not reading correctly, I am getting considerably worse mileage than I think, or the tank is not as large as the manual indicates.

So far we have not traveled in hot enough weather to determine if the heat from the exhaust manifold is a problem. Since it has thus far been unseasonably cool in our neck of the woods this spring and early summer, we have welcomed any extra heat we can get.

I agree that Forest River should be giving the specs for the Sunseeker 2300 built on both the E450 and E350 chassis. If they are going to use both chassis, they should include both on the spec sheet since some values vary substantially depending on the chassis model. As you say, it would seem that at the very least, if there are going to be significant changes from the listed specifications, they should indicate what they will be when a unit is ordered from the factory. When I contacted our dealer about the chassis switch, he wrote back saying, “Regarding the chassis, the manufacturers change those all the time.“ Was it naïve of us to think that what we saw on the official spec sheet for the Sunseeker 2300 is actually what we would get? Apparently so. (As far as I am aware, Forest River has not changed the website specifications for the Sunseeker 2300 for at least eight months.)

Be that as it may, my wife and I are also pleased with the quality of construction, handling characteristics, etc. of our Sunseeker 2300. After we got over the initial surprise of the chassis switcheroo, there has been nothing of any magnitude to complain about (so far).

[Joebecky]

Al Fresco

The two possible fuel tank sizes are 40 and 55 gallon with 55 gallon being optional for the E-350 158" DRW. From what you say, you may have the 40 gallon tank which still provides a decent range. As we have gotten older we have noticed a need to stop and stretch more often on trips.

My wife didn't notice the heat until the weather warmed up, I am looking at adding some thin insulation inside the cab in the area that gets hot.

[Al Fresco]

Joebecky,

Thanks for the clarification. I didn’t know there were two options for the size of the gas tank on the E350 chassis. Apparently, we got the 40 gallon version.

The temperature is supposed to be in the mid-eighties when we embark on our camping trip to Redfish Lake located in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area (in central Idaho) next week. This should provide an opportunity to evaluate the exhaust manifold heat issue.

Yes, as one experiences the “golden years” the need to “rest” more frequently becomes a fact of life. When I was younger, I was under the mistaken impression “golden” was referring to an improved quality of life!

[Joebecky]

Al Fresco

Looked up Redfish lake on the internet, looks like a beautiful area. Never been there myself, but camping should be great.

The heat my wife noticed was next to her feet on the engine side.

[flyrotor]

Redfish Lake is a very beautiful place, it is however the most popular place in the area and usually quite crowded. There are too many people in that area for me, but anywhere in the Sawtooth range is spectacular.

[davegood]

I also bought a 2010 Sunseeker 2300 and have been very unhappy with the black tank sensors and the fact that the black tank seems to indicate "full" far too soon. If in fact I do not have 30 gal black (and grey) tanks, I consider that outright fraud.
How exactly does one know when the black tank is full? Does the waste back up into the toilet? Can it actually enter the coach?

[Joebecky]

Davegood,

I have done some more investigation and the tanks in my Sunseeker 2300 do seem to be 30 gallon tanks.

There seems to be a different problem with the tanks instead of tank size (though the sensors are located in what I believe to be the wrong location, mine show 1/3 full after 2 gallons and 2/3 full after only about 8 gallons).
I leveled my Sunseeker in my driveway. To level the RV in my driveway, I put two 2x6 boards under the passenger side tires (raising the passenger side by about 3 inches) and was only able to put 21 gallons in the grey tank (so I thought the tank size was wrong). I then moved the RV off the boards, dropping the passenger side by 3 inches, and was able to add 8 more gallons for a total of 29 gallons!
I told this to my dealer who called their Forest River Rep and were told that this is a known problem related to how long the pipes are going into the tanks (he said the inlet pipe from the sink etc., but I think the vent pipe). Next I will call the Forest River Rep and see what happens.

Relative to when the black tank is full, you can tell by looking into the toilet, flush with the water pump off so you can look down, when it is getting up into the toilet toward the ball valve, it is full. Should not get into the RV. Note that the full indicators on my Sunseeker are correct, when the light is on, the tanks are pretty much full.

For me, the vent/inlet pipe problem is keeping me from filling the tanks and the sensor problem is keeping me from knowing when the tanks are really 2/3 full, which is important (8 gallons versus 20 gallons).

[zook]

Please keep us posted if you come up with a factory Fix for not being able to fully use all of the tanks capacity. We have the same issues with them not seaming to be big enough. We came from using a Toy hauler that had huge tanks.

Thanks.

[davegood]

I just found a label on the grey tank of my 2010 Sunseeker 2300. It says 430H Holding Tank.
Does anyone know what capacity that is?
The specs say it (and the black) should be 30 gal.

[Joebecky]

I also found the label 430H on the holding tank. Haven't found out what it means.

I believe the tanks are 30 gallon as the spec says and that my problem is related to how far into the tank the vent pipe was installed. I will post when I find out more.

[bclemens]

28.2 gallons according to the mfg promens.

[davegood]

Originally Posted by bclemens

28.2 gallons according to the mfg promens.

Thank you. Could you please confirm whether or not the black tank in the Sunseeker 2300 is the same. Also, to avoid any confusion (as I cannot find this tank listed on the promens site), could you find the Promens part number?
Nopnetheless, FR should state the tank sizes as 28 gal not 30, unless there is piping that stores an extra gallon or more.

[bclemens]

2300 should have the same tank sizes. We have standardized the tank sizes to streamline engineering and reduce stocked parts.

I have forwarded all the forum responses to engineering and as we can find weight savings we will do everything we can to try and accommodate larger tanks sizes. I have looked at other Class C, mfg's and they're all pretty close in size. Some have larger gray, but then smaller black or even smaller for both. We are always looking to improve however.

PS. Promens part number is 430H