Fuel station mystery

mrendahl

Member
I have run my fuel station dry two times now and each time I fill it I get only 20 gallons. The label attached to the side of the tank indicates the capacity is 30 gallons, all paperwork that came with the trailer says 30 gallons, a Heartland Rep back in Indiana told me it should be 30 gallons and in fact told me Heartland does not even use a 20 gallon tank. So...am I crazy or what? Anyone else experiencing this issue? What is going on here? Mike..any suggestions?
 

Mike Aplin

Well-known member
You have me stumped on this one because we do use a 30 gal. fuel cell. Their is a possibility that the fuel guage probe has "slipped" or moved inside the cell. When we fill here at the factory to check them, we usually get a total of 28 gal. minimum in the tank because of the fuel line. The vendor that we use is ECI and you could contact our customer service for any other guidance or check your owners manual for the contact info for ECI. Take care, Mike
 

mrcomer

Past Ohio Chapter Leaders (Founding)
There could be a clog in the vent line for your fuel tank causing you to only get 20 gal.
 

Bob&Patty

Founders of SoCal Chapter
Is there a possiblity that the fuel pump pick up tube is toooo short and the fuel pump starts sucking air with 10 gal. left in the tank??? Just asking.
 

Mike Repp

Member
I had the same issue with my Cyclone when we first got it. The filling port was mounted to low in the skirting, once the gas got to same level as the filling port it would not take anymore gas. Dealer raised the filler port in the skirting and fixed the problem. They had to replace that piece of skirting. All covered under warranty.

Mike
 

boxcar1511

Member
I pulled my tank on my cyclone 4012 last weekend because of some fuel pump issues... My unit would run empty after using 20 gallons, put 20 gallons back in fuel would come out of filler neck.. 20 gallon tank right.....gauge never shows full or empty always between 3/4 and full or right at 1/4 when empty... Ok when I drained the tank before removing it I filled 5-5gallon cans and 1- 2 1/2 gallon can.. 27 1/2 gallons, So it's got to be a 30 gallon tank. The fuel pick/up's on these tanks is a plastic tube with a spring inside to keep it from collapsing and a screen on the end to keep the trash out..my guess is that the tube is curling up or resting on the raised part of the tank that runs the length of the tank not letting it get to the botton 10 gallons..Now to the fuel gauge, it stops about 2 1/2 inches from the bottom of tank not sure how or if you can make anykind of adjustments to that sending unit. But i would really like to figure out a way to fix that issue.. the fuel pick/up was a easy fix, take the spring out and replace it with a piece of steel fuel line,or pvc to make the pick/up more rigid, leave the plastic tube factory length but cut the inner tubing shorter so it won't bind up when the tank expands or contracts, it is a plastic tank The fuel station and the generator pick/up are the same style setups ( 1 for the gen. and 1 for the pump staion.. 2 total pick/ups ) My guess is the floating pick/up is to keep from picking up trash from bottom of tank . I hope this helps you understand whats going on in your tank.
 

BruteForce

Well-known member
I have the same problem on my new 395. I can add about 21 gal. max before it begins dumping fuel out. Gauge on mine does show full though. I thought I had a 30gal too..
 

BruteForce

Well-known member
BUMP. This past week, I used the fuel station to add a bit of gas to my ATV. I noticed that the first bit of fuel looked very dark and dirty. I suspect that the open nature of the fuel hose is allowing the nozzle to collect dirt. Is there a preferred method to cover up the nozzle so as to keep dirt out of it?
 

porthole

Retired
I used the tank this weekend to fill my bike - and so this post after doing so.

So I didn't notice the first bit of fuel. But since you brought it up I will be covering the nozzle end with something. Might just be as simple as a piece of hose folded over and wire tied folded.
 

Lou_and_Bette

Well-known member
Hello, I know this tread is a little old but I think I have an answer for some of the problem with the amount of fuel going into the tank. Let me say this is my first post since I just picked up our 405RW 8 Nov 10 and love it. When the tech demo'd my unit, the dealer had added 5 gallons of gas to the tank and when they tried to show me the fueling handle in action no gas was dispended. The pump was working and fumes were coming out the nozzle but no gas. I think, like a non-fuel injected motorcycle with a reserve setting on the fuel petcock, there is a higher pick up to prevent pumping all the fuel out and there by disabling generator use. In other words, it reserves probably 10 gallons of fuel for the generator only and the remaining 20 gallons is for filling toys if desired. Just a thought but was the only solution we could think of on my new unit. Lou
 

truknutt

Committed Member
BUMP. This past week, I used the fuel station to add a bit of gas to my ATV. I noticed that the first bit of fuel looked very dark and dirty. I suspect that the open nature of the fuel hose is allowing the nozzle to collect dirt. Is there a preferred method to cover up the nozzle so as to keep dirt out of it?

I use a Nozzle Condom made of neoprene to cover my nozzle. Not a joke, here is the company's link DuneProducts.com. They also sell a Nozzle Mitt completely wraps the entire nozzle.
 

Attachments

  • Nozzle Condom.jpg
    Nozzle Condom.jpg
    15.1 KB · Views: 51

Johnnyfazer

Member
This is our 2nd toyhauler and this has always been a problem with the fueling station. I haven't done anything to prevent the problem from happening but after looking at the nozzle condom I think I have a DIY version - I'll use an old bicycle inter-tube - cut it to length and close off one end. I'll be sure to post a pic when I have my prototype made.
 

jimtoo

Moderator
This is our 2nd toyhauler and this has always been a problem with the fueling station. I haven't done anything to prevent the problem from happening but after looking at the nozzle condom I think I have a DIY version - I'll use an old bicycle inter-tube - cut it to length and close off one end. I'll be sure to post a pic when I have my prototype made.

Hi Johnnyfazer,

Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum and to the family. We have a great bunch of people here with lots of information and all willing to share their knowledge if needed. Looks like you have been a member for a while and just lurking.

You might want to check out the inner tube before you start using it like that... gasoline can have a bad reaction with some rubbers or compounds,,like turning it into gummy paste or goo. Just a thought before you contaminate your fuel system. Let us know how it works.

Enjoy the forum.

Jim M
 

Johnnyfazer

Member
Hi Johnnyfazer,

Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum and to the family. We have a great bunch of people here with lots of information and all willing to share their knowledge if needed. Looks like you have been a member for a while and just lurking.

You might want to check out the inner tube before you start using it like that... gasoline can have a bad reaction with some rubbers or compounds,,like turning it into gummy paste or goo. Just a thought before you contaminate your fuel system. Let us know how it works.

Enjoy the forum.

Jim M

Thanks for the welcome Jim. Even though I've been on the forum for a short time, I've already learned alot! Good idea to test the inner tube with gas before putting it on - that would be a mess if there was a bad reaction!
 

Johnnyfazer

Member
Thought I'd pop in for a quick update on the inner tube solution for keeping the gas nozzle clean. After six months of fairly heavy use I'm happy to report the solution is working very well! No deterioration of the rubber and the nozzle has been kept clean! One note, even though the nozzle has been kept covered, I still see a bit of dark gas come through at the very beginning of fueling. Not really sure what causes that.
 
Top