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Fuel Gauge Warning Light
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Tom is right. I wasn’t being critical, at least I wasn’t trying to. I found it “odd” that the low fuel apparently did not come on in spite of the coach running out of fuel and wondering why the light had not come on. There might be a lesson in this for all of use. Maybe a wire was pulled loose because its in a vulnerable location, maybe there is a bad ground someplace that is systemic to the Prevost coaches.
Jon … if the opportunity is right sometime, remind me to explain the situation to you. Anyone who lived in the Tulsa area during the early 1980’s probably saw my picture on the front page of the Tulsa paper.
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Okay, my confession.
I’ve seen the low fuel warning light twice. Both times while trying to make it to a truck stop of choice and ending up being glad to take what I could get. My fuel gauge is not accurate, but it is consistent and dependable it seems.
It takes it a long time to come off of full, but about when it hits 1/4, the top of the red arc, the low fuel light starts to flicker and then comes on steady shortly thereafter. One time calculations showed that there was 20 gallons left in the 208 gallon tank and the other time 18 gallons. The coach is a 1999 XLV Country Coach conversion. The policy now is to pit for fuel when the gauge flickers below 1/2 a tank. I realy don’t like “sitting light in the seat” at this point in life. Besides, you really need to get up and walk around every now and then.
You really don’t need to run a diesel dry but once to not want to do it again. My time was a lot of years ago on a D-6 Cat.
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Who drives more than 600 miles and does not need to get out and walk around a bit that’s about half a tank so fuel up , I would never drive more than 600 miles in a sitting so I fuel up , how can you let it get to 1/4 tank I don’t get it , fuel is every where , what happens if there is a road closer or something like that and you have to sit somewhere and the gen running , if you run the gen for 5 days 24 hours a day it will use about 60 gals at about 1/2 gal a hour so that will leave you about 148 gals out of 208 gals so maybe you use 115 of fuel left that’s about another 747 miles , I just don’t get it why run it so low ???? What happens if you have a break down and you have to sit waiting for help to come for a day or two for parts , why chance it , plan ahead and you will be all good!!!!!
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No harm Dick, I understood your question.
I have a Silverleaf Digital Dash, there is no Low Fuel Light on my bus. Whatever driving screen I use, each has a fuel guage of some type on it and they all change colors as fuel is used. They display fuel quantity in 1% increments and go from green to yellow to red as fuel is consumed. The Fuel displays turn red at 50%, but when I have to use about 25% of the tank before the guage begins to move, seeing it yellow or red doesn’t get much of a rise out of me. Plus, I’ve driven about a hundred thousand miles with the fuel sender not working at all, so my dash showed 0% in red for all of those hundred thousand miles. I guess it was just one of those times when I was driving and not paying much attention to the guages. That is why I refuel by mileage, just like Peter.
And yes, I ran completely out of usable fuel and the engine would not restart. I had to enlist help in order to start the bus.
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Using the 1/4 tank rule I should have appox 60 gals usable fuel left, 235 gals. tank. With a fuel log you can determine miles driven. Sometimes with a tail wind or headwind this can be factored in using more or less fuel.
I really don’t see any problem with using a 1/4 tank rule as a guide.
Maybe some like sitting in fuel lines at truck stops.
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It’s time to take your Med’s. Al. Lol
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I am currently in western NY and my day was 654 miles. I fueled a little bit before stopping for the night and the needle was planted on E. I took on 158 gallons from the last refueling so I had ample fuel remaining, but no warning light.
Sorry Dick, the question seemed critical in nature, but I obviouisly misinterpreted it. I do want to hear all about how you can run a plane out of fuel. I know it can be done, but ……well you know.
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I’ll share the story some time with you. Good No Ralley, Ralley material.
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Tim, my owners manual pg. 44 states I have 12 galons or 45 liters of fuel remaining when light illuminates. I have an H3. Fuel capacity 235, shell 2007, conversion 2008 Marathon #1135. Owners manual, Prevost VIP.
Bill S.
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Peter, you’re absolutely right. At times I come down with a case of the dumb ass and get my tail in a crack. As I said, my “confession” and I don’t think I’ll let it happen again. Most all low fuel situations occur due to a case of “getthereitis” whether it be plane, train, automobile or bus. Lots of excuses, but no good ones. And you’re absolutely right again, nobody needs to sit in the seat that long.
“Low Fuel” is a missnomer with my bus. It should say, “You’re Out”.
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A lot of great response on this.
As as a follow up though, when you fuel up, does the pump shut off at the tank’s limit or somewhere below the limit? I have no reference except for my cars which always held the full tank capacity.
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Roughly 90%. Geo.
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I have two tanks connected by two crossover pipes which eliminates any burping when I fill up. I can fill up to 100%
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Tim,
Mine seems to be pretty full when it kicks off, probably 90% as has been stated. The exception to that is on the very rare occasions when I have been fueling from both sides at the same time. That seems to make the pumps shut off way before the tank is full.
Davy
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Part of the reason fuel shuts off when it does is the Prevost fill tube design which I suspect has three different designs based on how each of my coaches filled and clicked off. But to Davy’s point I suspect with the two side fill the foaming is twice as much so the earlier shut off. I run full speed fill now and when it clicks, I pause a few seconds and resume filling at the slowest speed and have gotten as many as 5 more gallons because I minimize or prevent foaming.
I don’t think we have a lot of control over the volume because I suspect the 10% head space is designed into the fill tube design to compensate for the increased volume fuel occupies as it warms up.
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