Slow Filling Gas Tank

[DudleyDufort]

First I want to thank all the respondents to my question on an electrical issue. What a great forum with a very learned bunch!

Has anyone experienced a problem while filling their gas tank (other than the obvious, $) ?

I must hold the nozzle rotated to the 3 o'clock position and fill very slowly. Otherwise the nozzle will shut off as if the take were full. At a normal flow rate it gurgles and clicks off. With patience, the tank will ultimately completely fill but I have to hold the lever at a very slow rate.

Any ideas?
2005 Sea Breeze LX

[Richard S.]

I don't have a problem but I know it exist. Check your vent line and make sure that it is not hanging down or that it does not have a loop in it.

[Belgian]

I had the same problem with my Dolphin when we first bought it. One of the members here at Irv2 had the fix. Look under the MH where the fuel hose goes from the filler to the tank. There are two hoses, one large and one small. The two hoses run along the side of each other and are secured with clamps. Make sure the small hose is straight and higher than the large hose. Just loosen the clamps and rotate the hose to the new position and tighten the clamps. On mine I had to also remove the small hose a cut off about 1/2" of hose at the filler end. Once I completed the job the fueling went quickly at full nozzle pressure.

[DudleyDufort]

No luck with the vent tube.

The vent line is a rigid metal tube that runs parallel to and on top of, the fill tube. No loops. A nice straight run toward the tank. There are flexible rubber connectors for both the large fill tube and small vent tube where they transition to the fill spout. The fill spout is a one-piece manufactured unit that incorporates the main fill line with the vent tube entering the side. There is a very long run from the inlet to the gas tank. I'd guess 10 feet. Over that distance the fill and vent lines run along the top of a main chassis member. Both are essentially horizontal. That may account for the slow fill rate. If the front of the rig were downhill when filling the gas might flow faster. Bottom line; so far, I haven't found anything that will improve the vent line.

I guess that the next step would be to disconnect the vent coupling where it transitions to the filler neck, and try blowing compressed air in both directions. With an assistant I should be able to hear the air as it blows out the filler neck. Blowing air In the direction of the tank, I don't know what to expect. I guess I'll just check for back pressure.

Anybody got any other other ideas?

[Glenn and Kathy]

I usually only have trouble when the tank is nearly full. My cure is to raise the rear with the jacks when I fill. One time I filled without raising the rear, then raised it after the pump shutoff and got over 3 more gallons.

Glenn

[hardy1000]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DudleyDufort No luck with the vent tube. The vent line is a rigid metal tube that runs parallel to and on top of, the fill tube. No loops. A nice straight run toward the tank. There are flexible rubber connectors for both the large fill tube and small vent tube where they transition to the fill spout. The fill spout is a one-piece manufactured unit that incorporates the main fill line with the vent tube entering the side. There is a very long run from the inlet to the gas tank. I'd guess 10 feet. Over that distance the fill and vent lines run along the top of a main chassis member. Both are essentially horizontal. That may account for the slow fill rate. If the front of the rig were downhill when filling the gas might flow faster. Bottom line; so far, I haven't found anything that will improve the vent line. I guess that the next step would be to disconnect the vent coupling where it transitions to the filler neck, and try blowing compressed air in both directions. With an assistant I should be able to hear the air as it blows out the filler neck. Blowing air In the direction of the tank, I don't know what to expect. I guess I'll just check for back pressure. Anybody got any other other ideas?

I had a 2000 LaPalma that had that problem from day 1 and finally got tired of people at the pumps giving me hard looks. I called Monaco and come to find out that Monaco ran the fill tube lower than the tank which caused my problem. They re-ran the fuel fill and vent line and it cured my problem.

[wa8yxm]

The problem is that the tank is not far below the filler, but it is some distance away horzontally.. This means the filler pipe can not drain into the tank fast enough and soon fills with fuel, cutting off the pump. There are two solutions depending on your rig

if you have dual filler caps.. one on either side..Try removing both gas caps

Else you can try either parking so the pump side of your rig is higher than the other side, or you can try dropping the pump side jack (you want to tilt slightly away from the pump)

[two2go]

I loosened the hose clamps on the rubber hose connection piece that is between the smaller vent line from the tank and the filler assembly. It seems to be at a low point of the vent line. When I removed one end of the hose, about a half cup of gas drained on the ground that apparently was trapped in the line. After reconnecting the hose connector, the tank filled much faster. I had to drain it once more this year. I think there are situations where I am filling the tank so full, and the coach is at a particular angle that the overflow fuel comes back through the vent and gets stuck there. At any rate, after I drain it, most filling station nozzles work fine and only the most sensitive ones still auto shut off at anything more than a trickle. Maybe I will fix up an inline drain valve if the problem persists.

[DudleyDufort]

Wow! That sure makes a lot of sense. Trapped gas or any other obstruction in the vent line would certainly prevent venting.

We're on the road but I'm anxious to try that as soon as we get home. I'll let ya know what I find. I'm wondering why that situation doesn't "self correct" when braking or when the front is "down hill". You'd think that any trapped gas would drain forward into the tank.

The mystery continues!

A belated Merry Christmas to all.

Dudley & Laurie currently in Big Pine California heading to Paso Robles.

[DudleyDufort]

I followed two2go's suggestion and disconnected the rubber hose that joins the filler assembly to the long, horizontal, metal vent line. As he suspected, a small amount of trapped gas drained out. It was only a couple of ounces but I guess that was enough to prevent the tank from venting properly. On my next visit to the AM PM everything went smoothly. I handed my favorite, linguistically challenged, attendant 100 bucks. I kept my fingers crossed as I "pulled the trigger" on the pump. For the first time, hands-off, my Sea Breeze gulped up 100 dollars worth of hydrocarbons without so much as a hiccup.

Case closed! Thanks to all for your valuable input!

[Richard S.]

Love happy endings.

[Rr]

Hi Guys
Just spotted this thread and been reading with interest, I have a 05 Dolphin which I keep in the USA and have exactly the same problem filling up with petrol GAS. We'll be back over in April for another 3 month trip so will try the fixes advised

[two2go]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rr We'll be back over in April for another 3 month trip so will try the fixes advised

Hey Rr, the back of your Dolphin looks like the back of ours. Are you headed for the western US? Maybe we'll see you on the road sometime. Have a great 3 months.

[Rr]

Quote:

Originally Posted by two2go Hey Rr, the back of your Dolphin looks like the back of ours. Are you headed for the western US? Maybe we'll see you on the road sometime. Have a great 3 months.

No we went West back in April, May, June did 12000 milles between RV & toad best trip we've ever done including Asia & Africa. This time we're gonna head North and East from our base in Dover Florida. We plan to head up the coast towards Maine the back down the other side and take in the Great Lakes before heading back to FL in late June we've got about 10 weeks in all.

Just booking flights and sorting visa's now can't wait to get away from the terrible cold and snow we've got over here, we've been snowed in our house since before Xmas.