Fuel Tank(s) Question on 1976 Brave

captcashew · 10-17-2008, 05:07 AM

Hello all! This is my first time posting and I'm a relative newcomer to RV'ing, so please be patient. I'm still getting up to speed. Last year, we got an old 1976 Winnebago Brave D21 and overall, we like it. It wasn't that much, had a working generator and was generally in good condition, although several of the RV systems are in disrepair. But for what we use it for, it does a pretty good job and runs good (after sinking a bit of money into it).

Anyway, the RV came with most of it's original manuals but there is one question that I can't seem to find in any of the documentation and I know it is probably basic for someone who has had experience with the Brave from around it's era.

Basically, the fuel gauge can be a bit iffy. Sometimes it looks like it's working, sometimes not. From the manual, it says the total for both tanks is 50 gallons. But does anyone know what the size is for each tank individually? Is it an equal 25 gallons for the main and the aux?

And this one might be dumb, the rear tank, I assume is the Aux tank and the generator runs off of that. And the front tank (near the door and engine), is the main tank. Is this correct?

Finally, for when the fuel gauge does seem to be working, I don't see much movement (if any at all), when I change the switch from main to aux. Does the gauge show the total from both tanks or is it supposed to change from one tank to the other (e.g. one can show full, one can show empty). I would assume the later, but like I said, I'm a newb, so I wanted to make sure.

Thanks for any help in advance!

captcashew · 10-17-2008, 05:07 AM

Hello all! This is my first time posting and I'm a relative newcomer to RV'ing, so please be patient. I'm still getting up to speed. Last year, we got an old 1976 Winnebago Brave D21 and overall, we like it. It wasn't that much, had a working generator and was generally in good condition, although several of the RV systems are in disrepair. But for what we use it for, it does a pretty good job and runs good (after sinking a bit of money into it).

Anyway, the RV came with most of it's original manuals but there is one question that I can't seem to find in any of the documentation and I know it is probably basic for someone who has had experience with the Brave from around it's era.

Basically, the fuel gauge can be a bit iffy. Sometimes it looks like it's working, sometimes not. From the manual, it says the total for both tanks is 50 gallons. But does anyone know what the size is for each tank individually? Is it an equal 25 gallons for the main and the aux?

And this one might be dumb, the rear tank, I assume is the Aux tank and the generator runs off of that. And the front tank (near the door and engine), is the main tank. Is this correct?

Finally, for when the fuel gauge does seem to be working, I don't see much movement (if any at all), when I change the switch from main to aux. Does the gauge show the total from both tanks or is it supposed to change from one tank to the other (e.g. one can show full, one can show empty). I would assume the later, but like I said, I'm a newb, so I wanted to make sure.

Thanks for any help in advance!

Trek-Cyclist · 10-17-2008, 06:03 AM

We had a Brave some years ago a 1979
The Main and Aux tanks are not equal the main tank is larger but I can't recall the ratio.
the Fuel gauge reads the level in the tank your running on.
Your best bet is to go to a older Winnebago dealership and they might have microfesh (spelling) they can look it up. Or go on the forum on IRV2 for older MH's
Sorry that's all I have...

captcashew · 10-17-2008, 06:12 AM

Thanks for the post! I'll post it over there (I didn't notice the vintage forum before).

Wallaby Dan · 10-17-2008, 03:29 PM

Welcome to the forum!! As to your question, There are several ways it could have been rigged. One would be like trek-Cyclist said. Another could be both tanks are on the gauge at the same time. That would have been easiest for them if the switch went bad and they couldn't find another. You can still fill both tanks but it has a tee somewhere under the home, Most likely near the original switch and maybe did the gauge wiring there too! There may be no switch available for that model anymore. Good luck and let us know what you find. Dan

captcashew · 10-19-2008, 07:48 AM

Dan-

Thanks for the reply. I'm still not sure what the deal is with the gauge. I'm tempted to say that they both are included in the gauge reading. What I did do is just measured the tanks and figured I could get a ballpark guess on how much each tank holds that way. My measurements were rough, but even still the front tank was about 31 gallons. I'm pretty confident of those measurements. The rear tank was the bigger question. It looked pretty huge and wasn't a perfect cube shape (the back end was skinnier than the front part), but I'm assuming it is all part of the rear tank. With that said, and rougher measurements, it still came out to be 36 gallons or so. The total is way over the 50 gallon total the RV is supposed to have.

We were using it for a while yesterday, but with minimal driving, mostly using the generator. According do the generator manual (assuming it is correct), it should use roughly 1 gallon per hour and we ran it maybe 3-4 hours. So with tanks that big, it may take a while to figure out what is going on. I topped both tanks about a month ago, which looking back seems pretty dumb. But at the time I had no idea how much anything was going through and I still didn't trust the fuel gauge. We'll probably only use it maybe 2 more times, so I'll just have to make sure I put in some fuel stabilizer before it sits all winter long.

One question I'm not sure if I've heard the answer to yet though. Am I right that the front tank is probably what is referred to as "Main" and the rear is "Aux"?

Thanks again

-Bill

Wallaby Dan · 10-19-2008, 03:17 PM

Not to sure but I would say that is correct. I would guess based on how much gas you put in and add stable and then top it off and run it home and run the generator. That keeps the gas in the carb's from turning to shellac. Later,Dan

new-to-rving · 10-19-2008, 04:59 PM

to help with your gas teank question. the rear tank in betweenthe frame rails is the main tank from to chassis maker, the other is put in with the coach company, along to rail you will find the switch valve, check to power and groungs to the switch valve also trace the wiring to each sending unit of each tank, testing resistance of the units should be 90ohms at full and 0 ohms at empty, an open circuit or poor connection in either unit or the switch will cause the gauge to read full. good luck !!!! you may need it!!!

Walkerbunch · 10-22-2008, 04:22 PM

In our 76 chieftain we noticed, if it says 1/4 tank..Its empty. The gauge might be stuck so you might have to "guess" until you can fix it. They might both have the same amount of gas in them. I would add some stabilizer. (reminding me I forgot to grab some at store grr) So many things.. hard to tell without diggin in