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Fuel capacity
On my recent trip to the Tetons I was coming home through Missoula and decided to fill up with cheap Montana gas. My guage read just barely under one quarter full. Owners manual says my tank holds 55 gallons but I put in 53 gallons to fill it. I don't usually fill up due to weight consideration and I have let the tank get much lower before putting in my usual 25 gallons so I know it's not a faulty fuel guage. Did these things come with a larger fuel tank option? I have the 23.5 FL.
Discuss anything with anyone and disagree agreeably. Always be polite and respectful.

Re: Fuel capacity
Reply #1
On my recent trip to the Tetons I was coming home through Missoula and decided to fill up with cheap Montana gas. My guage read just barely under one quarter full. Owners manual says my tank holds 55 gallons but I put in 53 gallons to fill it. I don't usually fill up due to weight consideration and I have let the tank get much lower before putting in my usual 25 gallons so I know it's not a faulty fuel guage. Did these things come with a larger fuel tank option? I have the 23.5 FL.

55 gallon is the standard size tank in E450s. Have never seen a bigger tank and there isn't the room for a much bigger one in your 23.5' FL.
The tank is shoe-horned in-between the frame rails (and a pain to remove and replace).
I have never put more than 50 gallons in what should be an empty tank, according to the gauge, nor do we partially fill it, wanting to always have reserve fuel, the added weight will not result in noticeable decrease in fuel mileage.
Same goes for carrying only a small amount of water. Nothing like getting to a remote campsite to find out the water has been turned off for some reason and the LD's water tank is empty.

We consider the LD to be our urban escape vehicle, for use in case of an earthquake or other emergency.
Keeping the rig fully watered and fueled makes good sense.

Larry
Larry
2003 23.5' Front Lounge, since new.  Previously 1983 22' Front Lounge.
Tow vehicles  2020 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, 2001 Jeep Cherokee
Photo Collection: Lazy Daze

Re: Fuel capacity
Reply #2
Oh my! Anything below a 1/2 tank and I’m looking for fuel. The only time I go below that point is when I’m heading back from Big Bear and I know Costco is just down the street from the house.

I’m with Larry, urban mobility is key. And fuel and water weight no longer concerns me. Fill ‘er up.

Where fuel gauges and tank capacity are concerned, gauges are often prone to being slightly off the mark. It’s been my experience with my sedan that the lower the gauge reads the less accurate it becomes. Just another reason to keep it above 1/2 a tank while traveling.

Kent
2015 27' RB "MissB.Haven"


Re: Fuel capacity
Reply #4
Could be the gauge was wrong at that particular gas station or there was some orevious owner modification.
Maybe repeat the test or fill from a gallon can and see how much it really takes.

I agree with others that fuel gauges become inaccurate - we had an older car that could be up to 10% off reading higher than what the tank actually had.
So it was safer keeping it above 25% for around town driving.

Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPhone
Jane & Scott
Currently have a 1989 TK  LD we did a lot of upgrades on.
Bigfoot 25RQ Twin on order with early summer 2024 ETA

Our smartphone autocorrects into very poor English.
 We disclaim the illusion of ignorance this creates as we have enough ignorance we rightly claim.

Re: Fuel capacity
Reply #5
Well from what I'm reading here I better not let my guage get below one quarter because it appeares to be erratically accurate after that point or the gas station was ripping me off which doesn't seem likely. I rarely fill up because I'm a bit OCD on Yankee frugal thinking. I travel with just enough water for the road and fill up when I get where I'm going. I rarely fill up the gas tank unless I'm heading into an expensive state like California. Usually on those trips I fill up in Klamath falls and try to make that gas last as long as possible. When in California I put in just enough gas to get out and get cheaper gas. I even do things like park on a hill when I have a standard transmission so I can roll start instead of using the starter motor. Gotta make that starter last ya know, LOL.
As far as urban escape vehicle goes I live where an urban escape person would escape to but I do fill up the gas tank for storage periods to reduce tank condensation.  Now I have to go check if my Romeo slippers are dry yet. I re glued the soles on last night where they were separating in the front. They are only 35 years old and with proper maintenance will last until I die. Did I mention I'm a bit OCD on the yankee frugal thing?
Discuss anything with anyone and disagree agreeably. Always be polite and respectful.

Re: Fuel capacity
Reply #6
I'm glad you live in a place where disasters never occur and you know your well stocked home will always be available.
The rest of us live in places where Mother Nature can throw a ton of bricks on your life whenever she feels like it.
Our rig is ready to bug out on short notice, it's comforting to head off into uncertainty with full tanks.
I wouldn't want to be living in the Carolinas with near empty tanks.

BTW, jump starting your car by rolling down a hill is tough on the clutch and motor mounts.
It might be cheaper in the long run to use the device designed for this purpose .

Larry
Larry
2003 23.5' Front Lounge, since new.  Previously 1983 22' Front Lounge.
Tow vehicles  2020 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, 2001 Jeep Cherokee
Photo Collection: Lazy Daze

Re: Fuel capacity
Reply #7
I'm glad you live in a place where disasters never occur and you know your well stocked home will always be available.
The rest of us live in places where Mother Nature can throw a ton of bricks on your life whenever she feels like it.
Our rig is ready to bug out on short notice, it's comforting to head off into uncertainty with full tanks.
I wouldn't want to be living in the Carolinas with near empty tanks.

BTW, jump starting your car by rolling down a hill is tough on the clutch and motor mounts.
It might be cheaper in the long run to use the device designed for this purpose .

Larry
Only disaster where I live would be a forest fire which is a constant concern in summers. We only have one escape route and it's a slow and rough 3 mile dirt road. If I had to bug out my LD would unfortunately be left behind to burn.
On the roll start thing I had that debate with many friends over the years and the question was finally answered to my satisfaction one day when I was listening to Car Talk with Click and Clack the Tappet brothers. I loved those guys! Some guy called in saying he did exactly the same as me and I cheered out loud at the call. He said his wife was telling him he was doing more harm than good and it was a constant argument. Click and Clack got a good laugh out of it as they always did and then said he was right and his wife was wrong. Apparently starting your motor like this is just fine. I miss those two and really enjoyed their show. One of them died but I'm not sure which one it was.
On my well stocked home, it really is. I'm not exactly a survivalist but I do realize how fast grocery store shelves would be empty and gas unavailable if there was any kind of major transportation disruption. We get our water from a spring about a hundred verticle feet above the house so our gravity water system is self sufficient. My wife gardens and cans and I always keep six months of gas and propane available for our appliances and generator. We also have solar panels and batteries and are completely off grid so if electricity goes off we won't even notice. We  keep a good supply of rice and other food stuffs that you could live on for quite a while and I have guns for hunting. The more I talk about this the more I sound like a crazy survivalist but really I'm not! LOL
Discuss anything with anyone and disagree agreeably. Always be polite and respectful.

Re: Fuel capacity
Reply #8
Quote
Only disaster where I live would be a forest fire which is a constant concern in summers. We only have one escape route and it's a slow and rough 3 mile dirt road
In areas like that, you'd be crazy not to have some survivalist tendencies.  That and an above average realization of how friable our infrastructure really is.
Joel & Terry Wiley
dog Zeke
2013  31 IB   Orwan   / 2011 CRV Tow'd LWEROVE

Re: Fuel capacity
Reply #9
Sawyer - I smiled reading your reference to Click and Clack the car talk guys - I loved listening to them for many, many years - and actually cried when I heard the news that Tom had died. I miss the laughs that show brought me every week.
2019  31 IB

 
Re: Fuel capacity
Reply #10
Sawyer - I smiled reading your reference to Click and Clack the car talk guys - I loved listening to them for many, many years - and actually cried when I heard the news that Tom had died. I miss the laughs that show brought me every week.
I listened to them every day at lunch time. Very informative and even more funny. They had a real joy of life that was contagious
Discuss anything with anyone and disagree agreeably. Always be polite and respectful.