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Old 09-21-2009, 12:32 AM   #1
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stupid spare fuel tank!!!!!

My bus has 2 fuel tanks. The second fuel tank I dont believe has a fuel guage on it. A while back my girlfriend and I were talking about the second tank. I remember my dad saying he didnt know if the fuel switch over worked or not so he never used the second tank. Well, me being Mr. Curious had to know. I did know it was empty so we fired up the bus and let it run. I hit the switch and let the engine run. After a short bit, it ran out of gas and died. COOL! I assumed the switch worked and could use the tank if the need ever arose. ALMOST end of story. BUT>>>> Last week I loaned it to my cousin for his son to use for this past weekend in Winfield KS at the Walnut Valley Bluegrass Festival. My family has worked Security there for almost as long as the festival has been going on. Anyway.... Got the brakes fixed and stuff and got it all ready to go. Stopped to fill up the fuel tank on the way and the Idiot who put gas in it (ME) wasnt paying attention to what he was doing and filled up the SPARE tank. Got back on the road and noticed that the fuel guage didnt go to full after filling. GREAT! Another thing to fix next week!! After thinking about it while I was driving, I decided I had filled the wrong tank. OK no biggie, if I run the front tank dry I'll just reach down and switch it over to the back tank and down the road I go. Right??? NO!
I made it down there just fine on what gas was in the front tank. But she was showing right on E.
So today I went and brought it home. Being the smart guy I am I KNEW the front tank was almost empty so I switched the tanks over to run off the back tank before I left. I got the bus fired up and turned around and drove around to get it lined up to leave and cough cough sputter and it died. OH CRAP!!! Evidently, the fuel line or filter is plugged up. Now I have 35 gallons of fuel I cant use and an almost empty fuel tank I CAN use. We couldnt find a siphon hose ANYWHERE but I did come up with 3 5 gal cans and my cousin bought me 15 gallons of fuel for use of the bus. YAY!! tomorrow I will be stealing gas from one tank and topping off the other. A chore I'm not excited about.
Moral of the story.... PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT YOUR DOING!!!

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Old 09-21-2009, 07:57 AM   #2
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Re: stupid spare fuel tank!!!!!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Smitty
Could always be worse......it could have been diesel you pumped into the wrong tank Look at the plus side, atleast the tank didn't leak.

Smitty
Could always be worse....

Joni and I had to borrow a friends truck to get some wood for our kitchen cabinets, before we returned it we went over to the gas station to fill it back up. (As good friends do.) Without thinking I just grabbed the pump and started filling. Unfortunately, we were completely unaware, it had two fuel tanks, the second of which leaked, and thus wasn't used (no note / no markings...). So a bunch of gas started pouring out all over the ground. It didn't start trickling until it was almost full.

So we're at the gas station, some guys tells us, "I think you got a leak there." At that point it is a continuous pour spout onto the ground. We immediately shut the pump off and pull it ahead off to the side of the lot, spread kitty litter on what was spilled and let it drain out for a while. When it gets to a trickle we get with a good mechanic friend, stab a hole in the tank with a screwdriver (didn't do much damage there...) drain it into a bucket, filter it and put it in the working fuel tank. All together, we were able to save half the tank (~$35 worth of gas) over about a half-hour of visitation.

Anyways, sorry to hear about your clogged gas line.
John
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Old 09-22-2009, 03:10 PM   #3
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Re: stupid spare fuel tank!!!!!

I have the same set up on my Grumman; an auxiliary tank with a gauge and a main with no gauge. I use both. Just be sure to use the main tank first, switch over when dry, then watch the gauge to judge your next fuel stop. Fille 'em both, switch back and away you go!
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Old 09-25-2009, 11:45 PM   #4
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Re: stupid spare fuel tank!!!!!

Yep Ob Its just another addition to stuff to fix. New hose should work just fine. At least the switch is switching!! (I think)
Fortunately for me Smitty, that particular gas station doesnt have any diesel! Still havent siphoned the tank yet. Too annoyed with myself to go remind myself how dumb I was. I hate fixing stupid mistakes that shouldnt have been made in the first place. There just happens to be a little padlock hasp on each of the doors on the tanks. I think I may utilize the one on the spare tank to keep stupid people (me) from making mistakes again.
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Old 10-16-2009, 05:46 PM   #5
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Re: stupid spare fuel tank!!!!!

Why don't you get it working, then there wouldn't be any more foul ups. On long trips you can Google the cheap gas stations and save money from state to state. The 2 50 gal tanks on my bus are tied together with a hose so they always maintain the same level as long as you don't park on a hill. You do have to fill them seperately because the 1/2" hose won't fill the empty one fast enough to fill both from one thank. sportyrick
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