Community Forums

ghamblen · 08-04-2007, 05:56 PM

I have kept close tabs on my fuel useage for awhile and this is what I have found out about the Workhorse fuel guage in our motorhome. After filling the tank you must use about 15 gallons of fuel for the needle to come off the full mark. After that it is fairly linear, each one quarter tank mark is 15 gallons. For example, if the needle is showing one half tank you will require about 45 gallons to fill it, 15 gallons to get off the full mark and 30 gallons for the top two one quarter tank indications. Just my observations. Any feedback on the accuracy of your fuel guage?

ghamblen · 08-04-2007, 05:56 PM

I have kept close tabs on my fuel useage for awhile and this is what I have found out about the Workhorse fuel guage in our motorhome. After filling the tank you must use about 15 gallons of fuel for the needle to come off the full mark. After that it is fairly linear, each one quarter tank mark is 15 gallons. For example, if the needle is showing one half tank you will require about 45 gallons to fill it, 15 gallons to get off the full mark and 30 gallons for the top two one quarter tank indications. Just my observations. Any feedback on the accuracy of your fuel guage?

Avalondanes · 08-04-2007, 06:10 PM

ghamblen, that is about the same as I have seen with my fuel guage, give or take a couple gals. I now have just over 50,000 miles on my coach and 1/2 tank is 40 to 47 gal.

Richard

Clay L · 08-05-2007, 06:01 AM

Sounds close to mine.
I don't pay much attention to it since I got a ScanGauge though.
After calibrating the ScanGauge to the engine and tank, the miles to empty, gallons used, and gallons to fill are pretty darned accurate.
It's usually within two or three gallons of what is actually needed to fill the tank when I fuel. Seems to depend a lot on how level the motor home is.

Avalondanes · 08-05-2007, 07:29 AM

Clay L, how close is the scanguage with MPG as opposed to pen and paper figures? I know the dash display is off, some times way off !

Richard

travel · 08-05-2007, 08:26 AM

Recall notice to Reflash insturment panel for some reason, they fixed our fuel gauge too. Must have been an accident BUT works great now!

John-D · 08-05-2007, 11:45 AM

I have had, over the years, many cars and trucks

And not one of them ever had an accurate fuel gage

Some: When the gage says empty you still have many miles left. Others when the gage said around 1/8th tank you better be filling up. Most all of them took quite a while to come off the pin after a fill up, and then dropped quickly.

There is no such thing as an accurate fuel gage at least that I've seen.

That said... Today they have devices that can measure fuel flow and meter what comes out of the tank.. Likewise you can meter what goes in to the tank. and thus it should be possible to build a very accurate gage.. But nobody has done it yet. Or even a strain gage on the tank supports (Again, very accurate)

**Petro** · 08-05-2007, 12:35 PM

Mine is about the same as the others. I reset my trip odometer at each fill and plan to fill around the 400 mile reading. It gives me some latitude at that point. The bottom 1/2 goes faster than the top 1/2.

Don

Richard F. · 08-05-2007, 08:38 PM

On our 2002 Dolphin LX W22 Workhorse chassis, I put just over 50 gallons in the tank today when the gauge was reading 1/4 full.

I don't care to run it much lower.

Richard in Oregon today.

Clay L · 08-06-2007, 06:43 AM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Avalondanes:
Clay L, how close is the scanguage with MPG as opposed to pen and paper figures? I know the dash display is off, some times way off !

Richard </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

The averaged number for mpg is not usually too far off. It usually seems to be within about .2 to .4 mpg of the real number. I believe the ScanGauge calculates the average number for each day traveled.
My lifetime average for this motor home (about 30,000 miles) is 7.2 mpg but I see tanks that range from a low of 5.34 to a high of 8.5 depending on grade, wind speed and direction, and how level the motor home is when being filled.
The instantaneous number is of course off by a lot since it reflects grade information (80 mpg going down hill and 2 mpg going up hill).

M&EM · 08-08-2007, 06:31 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by ghamblen:
I have kept close tabs on my fuel useage for awhile and this is what I have found out about the Workhorse fuel guage in our motorhome. After filling the tank you must use about 15 gallons of fuel for the needle to come off the full mark. After that it is fairly linear, each one quarter tank mark is 15 gallons. For example, if the needle is showing one half tank you will require about 45 gallons to fill it, 15 gallons to get off the full mark and 30 gallons for the top two one quarter tank indications. Just my observations. Any feedback on the accuracy of your fuel guage? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Gary, I too confirm your observation at just off the full mark. In addition last fill at 1/4 mark required 60 gallons indicating I had 15 remaining. This has been fairly consistent occurrence in mine.

I have also notice good agreement with miles to empty display and the current average MPG, once the gage gets off the full mark .
Marty

bazza · 08-11-2007, 08:36 AM

Clay, how do you calculate with the scangauge if you have been running your generator. Do you just guess or does it make miles till empty etc just not valid.
Bazza
03 trek 2610 p32

Clay L · 08-12-2007, 05:44 AM

That's a good point.
My generator uses about .3 to .6 gallons per hour depending on how hot it is outside and how much the AC is running.
The Scangauge can't account for that but it doesn't represent too much error since I only drive for 4 to 5 hours a day.
I don't bother trying to account for it while driving.