Fuel Guage Accuracy

[OldForester]

Our '06 fuel guage consistently shows more fuel in the tank than exists, for the first 1/2 of the tank.

In cross-checking when I fill the tank with diesel, when the guage says 1/2 full we add 65-70 gallons instead of 55, which would be correct with a 110 gallon tank. When we're at 1/4 tank on the guage we add 95 gallons instead of about 80.

The Silverleaf is reasonably accurate on fuel consumed; it's just the guage which isn't.

Do others have this same issue, or is this typical?

Asking because I'm taking the coach to the factory this summer and I'll see about getting the sensor changed if this is not typical.

[OldForester]

Our '06 fuel guage consistently shows more fuel in the tank than exists, for the first 1/2 of the tank.

In cross-checking when I fill the tank with diesel, when the guage says 1/2 full we add 65-70 gallons instead of 55, which would be correct with a 110 gallon tank. When we're at 1/4 tank on the guage we add 95 gallons instead of about 80.

The Silverleaf is reasonably accurate on fuel consumed; it's just the guage which isn't.

Do others have this same issue, or is this typical?

Asking because I'm taking the coach to the factory this summer and I'll see about getting the sensor changed if this is not typical.

[VAGABONDMAN]

WELL, I HAD A SIMILAR PROBLEM ON MY '03 AND SOLVED IT BY REPLACING THE SENSOR. IT WAS AN EASY CHANGE.

[Chet Yancey]

My '05 does the exact same thing. I had it in for warranty work and was told the gage and sender were changed the summer before last. Didn't do a thing for it. It reads the same as it did out of the factory. I'm going to give WRV one more chance at it in the near future. In the mean time I figure 15 gallons is unusable fuel and I get a safe 6.8 miles per gallon. I start looking for a fuel stop around 600 miles and have made it ok so far. Chet

[Ted III]

Chet, mine reads exactly as yours and I start looking at 600 miles also. I pushed one time to 680 because I was to stupid to stop a little earlier and then could not find a fuel stop.I was extremely uncofortable.As it turned out I took 92 gals. so if the tank capacity is correct I was okay. 19 gallons of fuel and pushing some 30,000# is not in the least appealing to me.

[Old Scout]

Fuel guage on our 2003 hasnt worked correctly from day one--top half of tank always reads high. Had the sender in tank replaced one time but no help. So 600 miles or the next Flying-J, which ever comes first.

[gjstacy]

We have the same problem in our Yukon, so I don't think this is unique to motorhomes. Maybe the industry hasn't figured out how to make decent sensors...just like for our water tanks!

[gator67]

Add me to the list! When we got our coach, the fuel gauge didn't work at all. We got the sensor replaced and now it isn't accurate, but it is consistent. When it registers half a tank it takes about 65 gallons. Another variable is that all the literature says I have a 115 gallon tank but WRV says I have a 100 gallon tank. I'm NOT going to test that out myself! I monitor the mileage rather than the fuel gauge and rarely exceed 500 miles between fillups.

[Kori & Fred]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">OldForester </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Our 2000 FDS has the same fuel gage problem as described by "OldForester"� and ever since we bought it, second owner, we have learned to ignore the gage and simply rely on our mileage calculations. As a matter of fact, we do the same as "Chet"� does, every 600 miles or so fill it with fuel.

[Jim A]

My gauge is similar to OldForester, in that the first half the tank lasts much longer than the second half. But even at near the 1/4 mark, it only takes 70-75 gallons. I won't go lower. I don't know how much of that 100 gallons it will pick up before it runs out, and like Ted, I have no interest in pushing 30,000 pounds!

I download the diesel prices off the 5 major truck stop websites, and load them into an Access database I created. Then I can print a list of the truck stops in the states we will be going through, sorted by state and then by interstate. When I get about 300 miles on the tank, I start looking to see where I can stop next about 200-300 miles down the road. If prices are cheaper in one state, I might stop early, or wait if the next state is cheaper.

I pay attention to the miles I have driven when I get to the 3/4 mark. If I have driven &gt;300 miles, I know the mileage is reasonable. I might push to 600-650 miles. If I have &lt;300, I know the mileage is off due to headwinds or a heavy right foot. Then I might stop closer to 500 miles.

[Gary M. Smith]

When I fill my old coach to the brim (I can see the diesel in the filler spout), the guage registers about a needle's width from F. I almost always refill at 1/4 indication - ~60 gallons (once 66 gallons). I'm glad the guage errs on the conservative side; might save me from trying to push to the nearest fill-up!

[Richard and Cris]

My 04 gauge doest work either. Neither did my 98. I replacedmy 98 sending unit with a new one from Transflow,Chico,Ca. Same as OEM. Worked pretty well. We shouldn't have to replace junk on a newer coach. I just refill at 500 miles and worry about the next one on my list.

[J.S.Eddy]

I'm just like Richard and Chris, in that I drive, and refill by the mileage driven. I know what my mileages are for the days driving, and plan to stop ahead where there are either Flying J's or other reasonable fuel stops.

The gauges are close, but not exact on my '03.

[Tom and Patty]

I let my VMSpc tell me when to fill up. If it screws up....I'll be pushing .

Mostly my guage is pretty accurate, 1/2 tank is about 45 gallons.