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Fueling problem
Just returned from a 3000 mile round trip to the so. Cal area. Our first long trip with the bus. On two occasions, I had great difficulty getting the bus to take fuel. The nozzle would very quickly shut off if run fully open. I noticed foam in the Tank fill tube. I removed the fuel vent cap on the opposite side thinking it wasn’t venting properly….no help. After thirty minutes of slowly feeding it I got 100 gals and gave up. The same thing occurred again a few days later. The other three times I fueled it was no problem. I noticed that the two times I encountered problems the fuel was biodiesel. Is this the cause or do I have a fuel tank venting problem. Has anyone had this problem and what can I do to fix it?
MMM
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7 Replies
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Michael, I had the same foaming issue with my ’90XL. I’m in California and all our fuel is Biodiesel. Not sure if that is the culprit or combination of that and the configuration of the filler tubes. I observed the problem to start upon the switch to low sulfur fuel a number of years ago.
The only way I could fuel my bus without experiencing your problem was to run the pump at the lowest volume setting for the entire tank fill. If you start out on high it will foam up right away and shut off, and the foam takes a long time to dissipate.
I do not have the problem with my current (MCI) bus at the same fuel stations I used for my Prevost. I can fill at full blast without an issue. For that reason I think the problem also involves the configuration of the fill tubes or the tank on the XL Prevost.
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Did you try fueling from the other side to see if you have the same issue?
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If you raise the coach on the side you are filling, and lower it on the opposite side that might help.
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I tried filling thru the opposite side with the slave pump and it did the same thing. You could actually see the foam come up the tube. May try tilting the coach next time .
Both of these instances occurred at Love’s. One in Tx and one in N.M.
Just filled the coach here at home (also at Love’s) and filled it full blast with no problem. (non biodiesel)
Thanks for the input.
MMM -
Well, more importantly Michael, how was your first trip in your new bus. Those of us with 9 to 5s like to hear about those of you out on the road.
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This was our first trip of more than three days and 300 miles and I was anticipating a few problems with a 20 year old coach. Other than the minor fueling problem we only had one other significant incident.
Preparing to leave the RV park in Roswell NM the wife and I went to our Traveling companions coach (new Winnabago Tour 44′ four slides etc) to see if they were ready to leave. Upon returning to our bus, the unlocked door would not open. The door handle just flopped as if it was connected to nothing. After surveying the bus for awhile, I decided the only way in was by removing the drivers window. Just happened to have my Dewalt power tools with me. (never leave home without them) Once the window was removed encountered another problem…..door will not unlatch from inside either. Only the top and right side screws on the door panel are accessable with the door closed. Removed all of the screws I could see and then was able to get my arm in just far enough to unlatch the door. After opening, discovered the latch pivot pin (cast in the back of the handle) had sheared off. Not sure why at this point. Could have been the 30 miles of extremely rough road we had driven over the day before. I fabricated a piece of all thread that would reach the door latch from the opened passenger window and we we were on our way.
I was plesantly surprised at how well the bus performed. I had to back off on the long hills to keep from running over my buddies Winnabago (450 cummins) He was pulling a Suburban and I was pulling a 6000# trailer loaded with 4 wheelers and gear. I was also pleased with the mileage, 6.4 over the entire trip.
We did have some major problems with the trailer I was pulling…..two blown tires, a broken spring and a failed wheel bearing but thats a whole other story.
However, getting comfortable driving the bus was a different story. I have driven OTR trucks for the last 40 years. Cabovers and coventionals with every engine / trans combo made except an automatic. What I did not realize was how much you relied on sound and feel driving the truck. You really don’t need a tach, you can tell by the sound when you need to get another gear. In the bus on the other hand, you cannot hear the engine at all and I have no gearshift. I was constantly glancing at the tach and Pyro to see what was happening.
I guess old dogs can be trained but it may take awhile to get comfortable. Other than that, the trip was great. MMM -
Great report Michael, and nice to have an OTR driver on the board. Do you have the 8V92 or the Series 60? Truckers seem to have fond memories of the 8V. I can’t tell you how many times after pulling into a rest stop with my prior bus a pro driver would tell me that his ears perked up as I jaked down the off ramp. That sound led me to meet a lot of nice people. I like the performance of the Series 60, but it is not a conversation starter.
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