Fuel tank

[Bob O-WO]

Anybody else with a Itasc Horizon 40AD having a problem filling the fuel tank full so it registers full. The only way I can get it to read full is to let the last 30-40 gallons trickle in without it foaming back out the filler. This seems to take forever .I have had the coach to Freightliner in Florida three times for seven weeks because I could never get it past 3/4 full. They replaced the sending unit in the tank trhe second visit, then they took it to a filling station where they told me you "kind of have to play with it to get it full" They wouldn't put it in writing but basically told me it is a design flaw from Winnebago not them.

 

[Bob O-WO]

Anybody else with a Itasc Horizon 40AD having a problem filling the fuel tank full so it registers full. The only way I can get it to read full is to let the last 30-40 gallons trickle in without it foaming back out the filler. This seems to take forever .I have had the coach to Freightliner in Florida three times for seven weeks because I could never get it past 3/4 full. They replaced the sending unit in the tank trhe second visit, then they took it to a filling station where they told me you "kind of have to play with it to get it full" They wouldn't put it in writing but basically told me it is a design flaw from Winnebago not them.

 

[Harry B-THOR]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Anybody else with a Itasc Horizon 40AD having a problem filling the fuel tank full so it registers full. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

It seems that a lot of us are having that problem, as it has been brought up before. I for one am having the same problems with filling up. I have a 2005 Horizon 40KD so it does not seem to model specific.

 

[John_Canfield]

Welcome to the forum

- we have a good bunch here!

That's the way it is unfortunately. We have topped off our tank to the point where not another drop would go in dozens of times but you have to be patient. It is a little easier with the smaller car-type nozzles but it will still foam badly with those.

Our truck stop process (large pump nozzles):

- understand exactly how much fuel you need - we use VMSpc's "tank minder" gauge to keep up with mpg and fuel useage

- start the driver's side pump at a very low flow rate by use of the "fueling wedge" in the pump handle (pictures on our RV pages)

- start the passenger's side fuel pump on the first click

- go back to the driver's side pump and note when you are about 20 gallons from a full tank

- put away the satellite pump (the pump might have already clicked off on its own) and close the passenger's fuel fill

- when you are about 5 to 10 gallons away from full, pull out the wedge from the pump handle and hand modulate the flow until full

Sometimes when I'm lazy or the truck stop isn't busy, I'll just use the driver's side fill and fill slowly - slowly is about a tenth of a gallon a second or less. The last 10 or 15 gallons must go in *very* slowly.

BTW - my Freightliner fuel gauge reads about 10-15% low but it will indicate full so there is a gauge linearity problem. We have had our Info Center fuss at us several times because we are low on fuel - it will say 10% (or whatever) fuel left. When it says 10% fuel left (10 gallons) we really have about 20 gallons left. Of course I have no idea how much fuel in the tank is actually useable so filling up when it says 10% left is not actually a bad thing!

 

[rebelsbeach]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by John_Canfield:
- start the driver's side pump at a very low flow rate by use of the "fueling wedge" in the pump handle (pictures on our RV pages)
</div></BLOCKQUOTE>

It's worth the trip to his RV page to see his invention....

 

[ichn2go]

I had the filling problem with a 99, 35C Adventurer. I don't have the problem with the current Dieseel unit. I don't insert the nozzle very far and I use the second notch on the auto fill.
Don't insert the nozzle to far into the filler and don't try to fill it too fast.

With the gas model would put the filler side jacks down and then even turn the nozzle upside down. Both seemed to help. Good Miles

 

[glenda1908]

I've found that if you hold up the hose with one hand while holding the nozzle in the tank with the other hand, the fuel seems to not foam as much. I usually have to do it as the tank is approaching full. It looks a little "silly" to bystanders, but we can get a fuller tank this way. I also keep a tennis ball handy if there is not snap on the handle to keep it open. Just put the tennis ball into where the handle is squeezed and it will keep you from having to keep pressure on the handle.

 

[rebelsbeach]

Glenda, with John's wedge it's shaped like a door stop and thus the flow is adjustable...

 

[vicsryd]

Filling up in my Journey, especially on auto-pumps, is no where near the challenge being described here. On an auto-pump I'm able to set the pump to the second click on either side and it will fill to about -10 gallons. I wait 30 seconds and set to the first click and that will get it to the last two gallons. Slow trickle top off after that (about 1 gallon/minute). Truck pumps require a little more care but that's all.

This difference in difficulty between Journey and Vectra/Horizon might validate the comments relayed here by a Freightliner dealer that there is a design problem on the Winnie side in how they extend the filler neck to the body on the larger rigs with bigger tanks and the foaming backwashes up the neck more easily. On my Journey the filler necks (both sides) are pretty straight all the way around with only a 20 degree elbow near the top.

As far as the fuel gauge reading full I had similar problems as described here. In fact occasionally it would read 1/4 fuller than Full and other times it would read half full even if full. The FTL dealer ruled out the sending unit or a wiring problem and diagnosed it as a bad gauge. Freightliner replaced it under warranty and now it reads dead on all the way up and down (e.g. full is full immediately after fill up and half full = 45 gallon fill-up for the 90 gallon tank).

The tech said the telltale that lead him to diagnose the gauge was it's behavior at the time the ignition was first turned on when all the gauges go through a quick diagnostic/calibration mode. Instead of doing the expected zero calibration (needle goes full left) it "twitched" back-n-forth for about 1.5 seconds.