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Fuel Capacity on an XL45
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I discussed this Prevost Reps and they didn’t have all the answers, but promised to get them.
They did say the pick-up tube rest an inch from the bottom of the tank and that’s why state the fuel capacity is 90% or 95%, I forget which.
I said I’m looking for similiar data on what is full. They didn’t really know if the stated capacity is the physical tank capacity or the tank capacity at full.
They did say their fuel gauge is conservative such that no one should run out of fuel. They said the low fuel level alarm should still yeild 30-50 gallons of usable fuel.
When I here more, I’ll post.
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30 gallons of fuel X 7 miles to the gallon! No need to even think of fueling up til the low fuel light comes on!! Rick
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Why would anybody want to run their bus that low on fuel? I’m just asking and not trying to be a smart ass. I just like to fuel up to get out and move around and wash the bugs off the windshield. I just want to relax and not worry about if I’m going to run out of fuel. My 2 cents.
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I agree with you Sid, one time I was in Kentucky going to Tennessee and didn’t what to pay the prices I was seeing so I drove on looking to more stations next thing I know the generator would not run anymore (fuel below it’s pickup point) and then I was not seeing any stations I could pull the bus into. I white knuckled it into a RV park somewhere around Graceland. Next morning I was afraid to start the engine because I feared running dry so I made two trips in the toad to a station to get 10 gals of diesel. In the long run it was not worth it to pass up on what I thought was expensive diesel. Unless someone can tell me that there is a big difference in MPG between 1/4 tank and 3/4, I fuel up at the most convenient station I see when I am between 1/4 and 1/2 tank.
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Everyone has a different tolerance level for risk. Because of that what works for me may not work for someone else.
I have mentioned our previous coach allowed us to go as far as 1800 miles between fueling stops and that was nice because we rarely fueled anywhere except at our local Pilot. We never had less than 50 gallons (theoretical) on board. Now as I learn our current coach I have established 900 miles as my limit between fuel stops. At 6 MPG and a 208 (theoretical) gallon tank I should have 50 to 60 gallons on board when we fuel.
I do not have the guts to wait for a fuel warning light and in over 22 years of ownership I have never seen one. But assuming the warning lights work and are reliable I can understand why some onwers would use that as a guide to when to fuel. I just lack the ability to let my fuel get to that point.
That’s my 2 cents.
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I feel the same way, Jon. I have never seen the low fuel light in 4 1/2 years and do not intend to. I was trying to make it to a familiar place to fuel up last week and my needle was bouncing lower than normal and I was more than a little nervous about it. My tank is 208 gallons and I put in about 150 gallons that day.
I have put in 163 gallons on 2-3 occasions but I have never seen it register as low as last week. That is another reason why I use the gauge as guide but not as the gospel truth.
When I was younger I knew exactly how far my cars would run After they died the first time. Not going there in the bus!
DKO
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The reverse of this discussion is how much fuel can you safely pump into the bus. Topping off is an issue which has been discussed in the past but is usually limited by the fact that fueling with a high volume truck pump results in a tank burp which can cause a mess and sometimes a diesel bath. For this reason I have always carefully teased as much fuel as possible into the tank prior to allowing the auto shut-off to cause the big burp.
Last week as we left the POG rally in Las Vegas we refuelled at a local Shell station whose fuel price was considerably cheaper than a nearby truck stop. Using my normal top off practice with the standard car type filler hose I was able to top off right to the brim…..no problem, right?
When we left the station and joined the freeway on-ramp, I felt a bump
and the rear of the coach felt like it momentarily got loose. Thinking I
may have hit something or there was a problem with the toad I pulled
into the shoulder and stopped. When I opened the door there was a huge
flow of diesel coming from under the bus and pooling at the curb. We
immediately dialed 911 and I looked under the bus to see a hose hanging
down with fuel gushing from it. Luckily I had a pair of vice-grips
handy so I slithered under the bus and nipped off the hose. Taking a
diesel bath is not fun. Emergency handled.Aftermath. During the rally I had learned there is an excellent bus
repair facility named the Bus Depot located very near the Las Vegas
Motor Coach Resort, the site of the rally. After obtaining directions
to the Depot from the 911 responding Nevada DOT Mobile Highway
Assistance driver, we left the scene. On arriving at the Depot I called
Bill Jensen who had been present at the rally. After explaining the
problem, Bill asked me if our fuel tank was a welded stainless steel or
polypropylene tank. In our ’98 XL the tank is poly. Bill explained
that over time the top of these tanks sometimes collapse slightly and
that it’s possible for the tank vent to be submerged below the fuel
level when the tank is full. When the Bus Depot mechanic re-opened
the vent over his pit he only got a few drops of fuel. We came to the
conclusion that the combination of an OVER-FILLED FUEL TANK, the
centrifugal force of the on-ramp curve and the angle of the bus being
parked on the shoulder all contributed to the start of a siphon from the
tank. Along with the fire truck crew, we estimated approximately 20
gallons of fuel were in the curb along side of the bus.This was a huge lesson for me and I felt it worthwhile to pass along. DON’T TOP OFF. Besides I’ve subsequently learned, it’s actually illegal in some states.
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In the FWIW department I can say this with conviction. Our 97 would burp a fairly large splash of fuel at the end of the fueling cycle at the truck pumps. I would estimate my needed fuel, fill to within 30 gallons of that point and then go to the lowest truck pump setting on the nozzle. It was a rare day when the nozzle did not shut off…….wait about 2 or three seconds……..and then burp a generous splash of fuel.
But there was a truck stop I used that had the normal truck islands, but on the end it had a car nozzle, apparently to accomodate pickup trucks. When I used that island I stopped pumping from the satellite pump when near full so it would not splash and then allow the auto nozzle on the driver’s side to shut off. It always took quite a few gallons more than I anticipated when using truck nozzles. Apparently the slow flow of the auto nozzle allowed much more fuel into the tank than the higher flow of truck nozzles. My guess is that contributed to Brian getting very full.
I NEVER tried to give the nozzle a few more squirts after it shut off because that was a recipe for a diesel bath, which I got on my first fueling and never wanted to repeat. It was that unanticpated 2 or three second delay between shut off and the burp that got me the first time.
The current coach has never puked and I never intend to try to squeeze more into it either.
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I too don’t really like to run too low on fuel. If you don’t know what the usable fuel capacity is on your coach how can you be confident that a 150 gallon or 163 gallon fill on a 208 gallon tank leaves you with plenty of fuel?
I’ve been told that the pickup tube is 1″ from the tanks bottom and that 5-10% of the capacity is below that fill tube. So, a 208 gallon tank has no more than 198 gallons (208 – 5%) and may only have 187 (208 – 10%). Keep in mind that when the coach is being driven on rough or uneven roads the pickup tube will suck air even soon.
I’ve been told the burbing we experience on our 45s is due to the filler neck being mounted below the top of the fuel tank. This would result in the burbing without a large enough vent, so I tend to believe this explanation. If the filler neck in the tank is just 1″ below the top of the tank we may lose another 5-10% of the rated capacity. I doubt the rated tank capacity is anything other than physical capacity the tank could hold IF it could be completely filled. It’s possible but not likely the rated capacity accounts for the dead air gap above the filler neck.
If 1″ of tank capacity equals 5% of the rated capacity and the filler neck is 1″ below the top, then our 208 gallon tank has a usable capacity of 198 gallons (208 gallons – 10%). If you are like Jon and I, I try not to fill the tank at truck pumps because of the burb. So, the usable capacity is something less than 198 gallons.
It could be that 1″ of tank capacity is greater than 5% and the tank filler neck may be lower than 1″ from the tank’s top. The bottom line is that not knowing the usable capacity of the tank doesn’t allow anyone to manage their filling interval, regardless of what the fuel gauge may be indicating. My risk theshold says I need fuel before I have used 150 gallons until someone can confirm the usable capacity of my tank. Generally I fill when I need between 100 and 120 gallons,
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I’ve set 1,200 miles or 1/4 tank as my mark for now.
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I have not let My 96 Liberty go below 1/2 tank. And it takes 115 gals to fill when the needle shows 1/2 . It might hold 250 ? Or ? Not sure at this point . I might run it down to 1/4 in the future on a long trip. But That is far enough for Me !
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I am the one that had fuel stolen in Gillette Wyoming from the freshly fueled tanks of my bus. Some A hole thief was just sitting and watching for someone to fuel, then park, and then head out to the resturant while they did the dirty deed.
As a result I felt my tank gauge and the female advisor were giving me erroneous info when stating “Low Fuel” and the dash lights stated “Low fuel”. I kept driving like I had good sense till it died. Called the local road service provider- he brought 10 gallons.
he Got me started and traveled less than a mile to the exit and bought 215 gallons of fuel for a 208 gallon capacity tank that already had 10 gallons from the road service dude. Go figure!
Do you think it was their pump calibration?
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They used East Tennessee calibration…
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Stopped at a gas station today to get gas for my lawnmower, 5 gal container with a mark on the side that says “FULL” to keep from overflowing…I guess. Well,the pump said 5.2 gal? Hmmm
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