Its a GAS

[jello_jeep]

On my machine, I was told not to go below a 1/4 tank on fuel, and also told the generator would cut out around a 1/4 tank so you could not suck all your fuel out with the generator while stopped, then have no fuel to hit the road.

From what I read, I have a 160 <+-> gallon capacity. I ran down to a 1/4 tank, but it would only take about 85 gallons (about half).

I don't really want to stop for fuel more often than necessary, but darn sure don't want to run out!

I asked the fellow @ Prevost when it was there for service, and he said that it was a built in reserve amount, and to run it until it indicated empty then look for fuel. He is saying @ empty I have around a 1/4 tank x 8mpg = about 300 miles more or less.

Is that what you guys expreience? Or do you show something different ? :confused:

Thanks

[Jerry Winchester]

Warren,

I think you are somewhere close to right. I don't think my coach is exactly correct and the error is in favor of having a reserve. But the downside is two fold. You can't imagine the pain associated with running out of fuel in either the road engine or the generator. In fact, the generator might be a little easier because most have an electric supply pump. Secondly, the last time I ran mine that low, I was driving down I-10 in Louisiana and the road was so rough that it really got the fuel in the tank sloshing around. So much so that it stirred up whatever had been benignly resting on the bottom of the tank and it plugged up the fuel filter(s). Not good.

[Jeff Bayley]

Warren-

I have run my coach down to the red fuel light coming on several times and my generator still worked. I think it is more like 1/8 of tank or something considerably less than 1/4 tank for the gen to cut out. Ben can comment on this also as I asked him about it when I saw him recentley but forget his specific answer.

I also ran my coach out of fuel when I first got it while making a u-turn which incorpated getting my coach on a bank suffecient enough to starve the fuel since the tank was low enough. It was super tight and I was doing the D,R,D,R thing. I manged to stall the coach and subsequently completley block all entry and exit from the police sub station in Carlsbad, CA. An hour later when we got diesel in and got it started there was about 10 patrol cars some with prisoners waiting on me. What is strange is that not one of them bothered asking for my registration or drivers licence or anything of the sort. They mostly were laughing at me I think. It was hard to restart the coach but I didn't have to prime it from the engine bay or anything like that. Mainly, just being careful not to burn up the starter especially with the extra presssure of the cops tapping the fingers waiting on me. I would guess it took about 20 or 30 tries to start it but it finally started so if this (the worse) should happend to you know that your not going to have to call a mechanic out. I guess I could imagine that one could exhaust the coach batteries in this process and since the generator won't run to use the on board 24 volt charger then you might need extra juice before your done from an outside source.

I guess this post covers my &quot;I admit I'm a meatball&quot; catagory as well or whatever that subheading on the forums is. I'll have more I'm sure.

[Ray Davis]

Warren,

Might you have a bigger tank than you expect? Mine is 160, and I've filled up at various full levels, and I'm pretty sure that I get about 40 gallons for each indicated 1/4 tank.

I've taken mine down only to 1/4 tank (hearing the same as you), and at that point it took about 120 gallons. Bad thing on an 8V vs Series 60, that comes at about 600 miles, rather than 800 miles!

[merle&louise]

Jeff,

Did you ever think of writing a book!:cool:

[Gary & Peggy Stevens]

Jeff,

Did you ever think of writing a book!:cool:


I'd buy that book for sure ! :D

I know I gots lots to learn !!!!!!:rolleyes: :eek:

[Lee Bornstein]

My 40' Liberty has 160 gal tank and I never go below 1/4 tank. Most I've ever put in is 105 Gallons. Usually rely on ProDriver to tell me what I've used and re-fill when I reach 100 Gallons.

Lee

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Warren,

It is safe to assume you have at least 160 gallons, and if you have the auxiliary tank you may even have 250. But one of your worst days will be when you run out of fuel. Jeff's saga is amusing, but I'll bet at the time it was anything but.

Until you have had your coach long enought to know your capacity, and the rate you use fuel it will be very worth while to record your mileage and fuel added, and use your odometer instead of the fuel gauge to schedule fuel stops. My fuel gauges have been fairly accurate and if your's is not you probably do not want to put much faith in it.

Most coaches are built so the generator cannot deplete the fuel supply, so you can probably drive for fuel after your generator quits,

[MangoMike]

Warren,

FYI. My generator runs of out fuel when my gauge his 1/4. Don't ask me how I know this. But I know it twice. My guess is, and it's only a guess, when the guy who's installing the generator and fuel line in the tank at the converter shop just takes a piece of fuel line eyeballs it and gives it a approx. cut thereby determining when you genset is going to run out of fuel.

Mike

[truk4u]

Warren,
My Marathon is just like yours, 160 gallon and at 1/4 tank it takes about 85, same as yours. Do you have the Pro Driver? Mine is real accurate, usually within a few gallons. I would love to take it down to the light comes on and see where I'm at, but that ain't gonna happen!:eek:

[Petervs]

Jeff Bayley has posted a nice little story in this thread, and Merle and Louise have asked that he write a book. I think if we all contribute our chapters the 'book' will be a lot more interesting, and after all, isn't that what POG is all about?

So here is my story. My name is Peter and I am a Run Out Of Gasoholic.

Our bus is a 94 XLV and I was told it had a 208 gallon tank. So, based on 7 mpg you should be able to get 1400 miles on a tank, right? We had owned it for a year or so, and I had always filled it before it got too low, but I was never able to get more than 160 gallons in on a fillup, and besides, the red low fuel light had never come on and when it did there must still be a little reserve, assuming Prevost designed it like the rest of the coach.

Well, one Sunday we were returning from a trip and I calculated we could make it to the Flying J in Troutdale Oregon, which is the last one we pass on the way home. I was watching the gauge carefully for the last few hours, and it looked like it would work out about right. We would be at about 1240 miles since the last fillup when we got there. The needle never reads steady, rather it jumps back and forth about 3 needle widths, but as long as it was moving I figured it still had fuel sloshing around. On we went. It was a nice sunny day. Things are looking good.

About 50 miles from the Flying J the red low fuel light went on. Well, if it has but 7 gallons left I reasoned, we would make it fine. They must have designed the low fuel light to give a person 50 miles to find a station, right? On we went. Things are looking good.

About 40 miles out I noticed a very minor hesitation, nah, it can't be low fuel yet, but maybe we should look for a diesel station. None in the area. Then more sputtering. Things are looking bad. It kept running enough to get to the next offramp and as I rolled off the freeway the engine died, but I was able to continue downhill for a half mile and rolled to a stop at the curb in front of a Shell station that sold diesel in the friendly town of Cascade Locks, Oregon. Only about 25 miles from the Flying J. Things are looking good. Bought a 2 gallon gas can, and proceeded to make 15 trips back and forth so as to put enough in to be sure it would start since we were on a bit of a slant. Took about an hour. &quot;Are we having fun yet?', my dear wife asks? I admit she has been along on several previous run out of gas excursions.

Time to start the engine. Crank a while, no luck. Call Prevost, the answerman tells me the procedure to prime the system, basically, unscrew the fuel filter and fill it with diesel, then try again. If that does not work, remove the fuel line and fill it with diesel then crank. Well, I did all that but was not able to make the engine run. I decided to try it all just one more time. By now the 1 inch wrench that fits the fuel line is slippery with diesel, and oops, it slipped out of my hand and landed with one end on the starter terminal where the electric cable attaches, and the other end on the chassis. Sparks ahoy! Things are looking bad. The wrench turned bright red because the current flow was so high and the thing basically became a welder. I grabbed another tool and banged the wrench hard enough to dislodge it, things cooled off and did not start a fire. Things are looking good. I inspected the batteries, and one battery post had melted 80% off, again, due to the rapid discharge of the battery. Things are looking bad.

At this point I decided to throw in the towel and call for professional help. I called a mobile truck repair guy, he showed up pretty quick, and he used a nifty electric pump to prime the system. Then we cranked ( the melted post did not seem to affect the engine cranking at all) , but it would not start. He tried all his tricks, no luck. Then he shot some ether in the intake and it fired immediately, but would not run on it's own. He finally gave up, and charged me Zero$ since he did not succeed. Things are looking good or bad, depending on your point of view.

My next call was for a tow truck. Found a great one, he showed up an hour later, and we were towed to the Detroit Diesel dealer near my home. He disconnected the drive shaft, and picked up the front axle with a cradle on his truck. He tapped into the air system to keep the emergency brakes off and the airbags up. He knew what he was doing. The tow was about 65 miles and the charge was $540. I call that tuition and I think it is deductible with the IRS, whereas those towing insurance policies are surely not deductible. Things are looking good.

OK, so now the bus is at the dealer, they are closed for Sunday, we went home. Went to see the dealer first thing Monday morning and they said the coach was running fine, it just needed new batteries. I asked them how they got it started and he said there was just one breaker tripped in the engine electrical panel.........Things are looking good again. I suspect the electrical sparks caused the breaker to trip during my priming experience. Later that day the bus was finished and I went to the station for a fillup. I can't remember how much it took exactly, but after it was full, the low fuel light remained on. It remained on for about 125 miles, then went out. I have only seen it on one time since then ( while within 2 miles of the station I was driving to), and it exhibited the same behavior after the fill. I never want to see that light come on again!

I have learned not to ever run out in the bus. I have previously learned that in my airplanes too. In cars, well, heck, what's the use of having a big gas tank if you don't use it all once in a while? I admit when we were at POG II we were driving back from Taos and trying to get back in time for the final dinner, and well, we made it to 1 mile from Santa Fe Skies resort when the toad ran dry. Thanks to my good friend Brian who was also there, we were rescued in a matter of minutes and made it to the dinner.

Like I said, I am a Run Out Of Gasoholic! But I am trying to reform, really!

[Ben]

My generator has never run out of fuel even though I've run it when the coach was dangerously low on fuel (way, way, way below 1/4 tank). Without running the tank empty, I think I'll never know if it cuts out before the tank is empty.

[jello_jeep]

Jerry, hadn't thought of a sediment issue. I can see rusted crapola right in the filler neck, so I suppose there must be some about...

Jeff, count your lucky stars you didn't do that in the driveway of the San Diego area command of the CHP, I don't think you would have seen the smirking and friendly guffawing as much :p

Ray, I don't know for sure, as far as I know it has 160 like most of the other 40ers. I will have to check out the build order when I get back to AZ, I am sure an aux tank would be noted there :confused:

Lee, I am going to have to learn more about the pro driver. I have the basics down, but have not gotten to where it gives you distance to E. More reading necessary on my part :)

Jon, good thinking on tracking the fuel & mileage.. I am going to have to start a maintainence log as well.

Mango, yours sounds like it is functioning as designed!! (Twice :) )

Tom, yes ours should be the same for sure.. I do have the pro driver, but like I mentioned, I have not gotton it to projecting miles to E. Is there a quoted standard that the low fuel caution lights up??

Peter, wow that is a saga.. Lucky you didn't get crispy with the glowing wrench! Which breaker did you pop exactly? That would be a VERY handy reference for poggers in the midst of an on road emergency!!

I guess its clear you don't want to run out, but obviously 75 gallons remaining is a bit on the side of caution.. Just to guess, 75 remaining, 65 usable is about 500 miles, and thats a furrrr stretch! I dont wanna be on a hook, but fueling 500 miles early could affect your fuel cost quite a bit too, if you are taking on fuel in a more costly area just because you don't want to run out... If that makes any sense.

Thanks for all the comments/stories/pictures... Very interesting indeed~~

[lewpopp]

My 2 cents.

I ran out once and it only took 144 gallons and I supposively have a 160 gallon tank. I now, after figuring out how far I went on that mistake, only go about 600 miles on a tank. I takes about 110 -120 gallons so that's okay with me.

I can remember when I could pull in and it would cost me $80.00 . Shortly after that the price escalated and I have found a way to keep the cost down to that figure. Listen closely my feathered friends. I stop after going about 270 miles and the price is still about 80.00. Someone esplain it to the redneck from Tesas. Git-er-done, JDUB.

Lew

[garyde]

Its a quandry. My book says 208 gallon tank for the XLII-45 and 250 Gallons for the XLII-40. So they must have increased the tanks with the XLII.
I usually stop when I get under half full on my guage. It usually will take 100 gallons to top it off.
My mileage says 6.7 miles per gallon average. So , I should see about 1400 miles total for the tank but I feel too uneasy when it gets down to 1/4.
Finally, Fuel guages are notoriously unreliable, so its always better to err on the cautious side. Gary

[merle&louise]

My coach holds 262 gallons in one tank. The most that I have ever pumped was 190 gallons and at that level the engine started missing in a left turn; that leaves 72 gallons remaining in the tank.

Does anyone think that I would be making a mistake by lowering the fuel line deeper into the tank? I would like to have about 20 gallons remaining in the bottom of the tank when the gauge shows empty. I just feel that 72 gallons is a little too much to leave in the tank forever.

It's not that I need a 1700 mile range (242 X 7 mpg), but it would nice to be able to drive thru California without buying any expensive diesel. Steve w/California Coach Company, was telling me today that diesel is $3.09/gallon in CA today.:eek:

[matsprt]

Tuga,

That price might be true in the &quot;local&quot; market areas (Steve is in the high rent district). But Flying J's in California are running 2.809 to 2.919. No where near $3.00 yet, give them another week..:rolleyes:

Michael




My coach holds 262 gallons in one tank. The most that I have ever pumped was 190 gallons and at that level the engine started missing in a left turn; that leaves 72 gallons remaining in the tank.

Does anyone think that I would be making a mistake by lowering the fuel line deeper into the tank? I would like to have about 20 gallons remaining in the bottom of the tank when completely empty. I just feel that 72 gallons is a little too much to leave in the tank forever.

It's not that I need a 1700 mile range (242 X 7 mpg), but it would nice to be able to drive thru California without buying any expensive diesel. Steve w/California Coach Company, was telling me today that diesel is $3.09/gallon in CA today.:eek:

[Jerry Winchester]

But Peter, that sure was a nice looking town you ran out of diesel in.....

And don't listen to Lew. He stops after 270 miles becuse he needs to pee. No other excuses needed.

And MangoMike has an electric fuel priming pump, he just doesn't know it. With a few aux fittings, the &quot;Cold Water Down the Crack of Your Ass&quot; make due fuel pump can fill that need. I just hope I'm not there to rig it up.

And if Tom4crackkills wasn't such a eunuch, he would run Big Red until the light came on just to prove he has a pair.

[Jeff Bayley]

Regarding the towing pictures, when my engine blew up (I hate to start a story with the words &quot;when my engine blew up&quot; ).....instead of disconnecting the driveshaft and lifting the front end, the tow truck driver lifted the rear up and towed it (5-10 miles was all). The engine doors scrapped the top of the bumper from an obvious yet minor jilt. The front is obviousley much lighter than the rear. So when your getting towed don't let the driver talk you into that method.

I'm running my generator right now dry camping with under 1/8th of tank. Stand by for AM horror stories.

Remind me never to buy a plane.

[Orren Zook]

Flying J posts the days fuel prices for each of their truck stops every morning, so finding the cheapest fuel on your route shouldn't be a problem. Even if you don't fuel at Flying J, the other truck stops in a particular area should be priced similarly (www.flyingj.com). What's the plan if/when you get caught in a traffic jam for a couple of hours without A/C or Webasto because there's not enough fuel to run it?

[merle&louise]

Now there's a scary thought: Bayley in an airplane.

Jeff, would you try landing on Fifth Ave @ 2:30 AM?

If you do: please take a picture and post it on POG.

You're the man!

[truk4u]

Great story Peter! That should pretty much end the thought of anyone stretching thier fuel supply.:o To bad we didn't know about the toad running out of hyrdo carbons while at SF, it wouldn't have been pretty. That Brian can sure keep a secret.

Warren - I use the Pro Driver to keep track of fuel used, I don't think it has the capability to calculate remaining fuel unless someone can correct me.

For all you newcomers at POG, never trust the Flame Snuffer from Texas, aka JDUB, Anaconda Boy (picture below, he didn't want his identity shown bribing Mildred). His MOA is to get you to use MORE fuel in hopes of a fire somewhere east of sandbackistan so he can make a gazillion Lew bucks while woofing down a goat cheese sandwich watching his guys snuff the fire. He always needs more 100LL for the forked tail doctor killer he fly's and Lew bucks are just no problem. He also is the expert in poop. Just read his posts, most have a reference to butt or poop related issues.

611

[ken&ellen]

The gauges in my Mooney had a mind of their own......I used the old time and distance method of fuel management. We still do on the Liberty. Since we run the interstate systems there is always a Flying J or Love's figured into our flight plan. I always schedule fuel at or above 100 gallons which usually coinsides with a rest stop or bathroom break. Prior to leaving our home we program our Co-Pilot gps system with all our scheduled stops. After all the posts of horror stories about running out of fuel....I make sure not allow that to happen. :eek: Ken

[Loc]

Warren

When I picked up my bus in Indiana for the drive back to Texas it filled it up somewhere in Illinois. By the time I reached the Texas Oklahoma state line, the guage was at 1/4. By the time I reached Dallas, it was between 1/4 and E. Stopped and put in 130 gallons. I thought that the bus must have a 160 gallon tank instead of the 250 claimed in its spec sheets. I stopped at Prevost to have everything checked and they confirmed that it did have the auxillary 90 gallon tank for a total of 250 gallons. Driving conservatively I can get 500 miles on half a tank (via the guage). The next 200 take it down well below 1/4. Each time I stop to fill up, it never takes more than 180 gallons (always about 5 miles to the gallon). I am convinced that the guage is a little conservative in my bus. However, I tend to stop for fuel after 750 miles regardless becuase my wife would not be my wife if I run out of fuel and I have grown fond of her. The easiest way for me to be comfortable is to use the 5 mile to the gallon rule and fill up when I need 150 gallons or so.

[win42]

Fuel Fill: My theiry is the fuel gauge serves only to fill the hole in the dashboard. My co-pilot keeps a log and updates it at every fillup with gallons, milage and mpg. Generator use is seldom, but noted use is taken into consideration. I plan my next fuel stop before starting the bus. When you get as much white hair (wisdom) as Lew and I you tend to err on the safe side. I fuel about every 80-100 gallons, leaving a mysterious 60 gallons left.

[Jeff Bayley]

Regarding the 160 gallon vs. 225 vs. 250 gallon size on the tanks and not being sure or trusting what is in the manual, I can say that for my bus I know it is close to 250 gallons because I have personally put 225 gallons in the bus before so it's probabley 250. I think I recall that the maximum size tank Prevost puts is like 225 and the aux. tank (added by the converter?) adds the other balance. The small tank is not a reserve of course unless you have a buttom to mash to activate the reserve of course. I'm certain the plane guys are intimatley familiar with this. The small aux tank on the bus would be described more like a &quot;feeder tank&quot; I believe. Are you guys sure that some of you only have 160 gallons ? Is this on 93 and older chassis maybe ? I think my 94 45 foot also had 250 gallons.

I haven't run out of gas yet and I'm below 1/8 of a tank.

Tuga- I would deffinitley be a canadidate for street landings if I had a full size plane. I got crazy into R/C plans and choopers and still have a big collection, dormant at the moment. I crashed a load of planes from low receiver batteries. They used to call me &quot;crash Bayley&quot;. I was good at stunts, bad at maintainence. Luckily I didn't build any of those planes and I only watched a few hundred buck get what they call &quot;re-kitted&quot; instead of watching all the time go down with the plane. I used to fly the birds until I ran out of gas and glide in and all sorts of stupid stuff like that. I rented a helipoter once for an hour of flying lessons and the instructor advised that I keep crashign the models instead. I can give an R/C chooper demo at POG III if eveyone has on bomb squad gear. One of the reasons I want a trailer with a workshop is to get back into the planes and go to events and contests and have a place to haul them and tinker with them. It also doubles as a safe house for the observers.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

If you folks had the wisdom to buy a well equipped Liberty you wouldn't be moaning and groaning.

With 298 gallons of fuel on board, even with OTR air and four cruise airs, Ole A1 buys fuel because it is cheap, not because I have to.

Eat your hearts out.

[jello_jeep]

Well, seems the thing to do is verify the fuel capicity of the bus, then start paying attention to the pro driver & mileage and work out a compromise.

I still feel that 48% is a bit too much reserve, and 20% would be more like it (32 gal to spare), round it to 50 maybe...

I have heard our baby 20KW generators burn about a gallon every two hours as well, to add into the calculation

Thanks for all the good thoughts & comments!

[rfoster]

613
Even at the best price this is still the way I feel

[Joe Cannarozzi]

The folks in this club never cease to keep me laughing. Very good Rodger where did you come up with that guage, thats hilarious!

[rfoster]

Is that Jon's Hummer?
615

[Gary & Peggy Stevens]

If you folks had the wisdom to buy a well equipped Liberty you wouldn't be moaning and groaning.

With 298 gallons of fuel on board, even with OTR air and four cruise airs, Ole A1 buys fuel because it is cheap, not because I have to.

Eat your hearts out.

So do all Liberty's have 300 gallon tanks, Jon, or just yours? I read the 150 reasons to buy a Liberty and don't remember it saying anywhere, that Liberty promised you would never run of of fuel if you bought a Liberty????:D

Gary

[Jerry Winchester]

I think the spontaniously combust before you have to refuel them.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

At one time Prevost coaches had a 160 gallon standard fuel capacity. Most converters equipped their coaches with only the standard tanks. At that time we had our 1987 Liberty and we had the 160 gallon tank, and also the optional 90 gallon auxiliary tank.

Then I believe Prevost went to a 208 gallon tank as standard, but also offered an optional 90 gallon auxiliary tank, which our Liberty has. It is my understanding converters order the shells equipped as they want them so the amount of fuel you carry relates to how the shell was ordered by the converter.

I used to run with a Marathon owner and it was a pleasure listening to him whine and cry because he was out of fuel and I was still showing around 1/2 tank. Apparently nothing has changed.

JDUB is just jealous. Of course he drives a plane that carries enough fuel for a half hour flight also, not like the big boys.

[Toy Box]

My previous bus [ Liberty] had total fuel capacity of 250... current one also Liberty has 208.