Fueling Q and mileage

[Andy Illes]

I've been meaning to ask (and keep forgetting to) if anybody else has this irritating thing?  When fueling, I have to hold the nozzle at the very slowest possible flow setting or gas comes gushing right back out after a few seconds ... and even then, it will STILL often bubble out.  It takes FOREVER to gas up!!  I've been told this is common because motor homes aren't allowed to have vented gas tanks.  So is it normal, or is there something I need to check and fix?

Btw, I had been getting 9-10 mpg with my '76 360-engined Clip, which I thought was ok based on what most of you report (albeit mostly with 440s).  I did a complete tune-up before my Fla-NY trek and at a steady 60, averaged 12-14... woo HAH  :lol: !!!   I did bump the initial timing to 10*, instead of the book's 6*.  As expected, that did produce some very minor pinging on hard pulls in the mountains, but a top-off with high-octane took care of it.  What are you other 360 owners getting?

[dig]

I've been meaning to ask (and keep forgetting to) if anybody else has this irritating thing?  When fueling, I have to hold the nozzle at the very slowest possible flow setting or gas comes gushing right back out after a few seconds ... and even then, it will STILL often bubble out.  It takes FOREVER to gas up!!  I've been told this is common because motor homes aren't allowed to have vented gas tanks.  So is it normal, or is there something I need to check and fix?

Btw, I had been getting 9-10 mpg with my '76 360-engined Clip, which I thought was ok based on what most of you report (albeit mostly with 440s).  I did a complete tune-up before my Fla-NY trek and at a steady 60, averaged 12-14... woo HAH  :lol: !!!   I did bump the initial timing to 10*, instead of the book's 6*.  As expected, that did produce some very minor pinging on hard pulls in the mountains, but a top-off with high-octane took care of it.  What are you other 360 owners getting?

Wow - nice mileage. On my first trip a couple of weeks ago, I averaged a solid 8mpg. I had just done a tune up, but did not bump the timing, as I needed to get a smog test done. Passed the smog fine, and it did fine going over the mountains. I was hoping for a little more than 8mpg, but decided I was happy with it because it was a consistant 8 even going over the mountains.

I am able to fill mine at full blast - not sure what the difference can be (other than maybe different nozzle configurations from state to state). My irritation came in the form of not having a reliable fuel gauge. I would just fill every 150 miles or so, which worked out because I usually had to use the boy's room by then  :wink:



--dig

[bigray]

Hey..... look at it this way. At 12-14 miles/gal at least you are not filling up that often.

But to answer your question, I can't insert the nozzle all the way in otherwise the gas stops flowing. If I stick it all the way in and retract it a inch or two the gas flows good. I can't use the handsfree clips however. I don't really trust those things anyway.

I get about 7 miles/gal. I'm getting ready to do a tuneup and change to radial tires instead of bias!

If I can get 10 I will be turning cartwheels!

[Andy Illes]

Dig - don some grubbies and crawl under the back to clean your sender connection... failing that, a whole instrument cluster should be less than $50 at a junkyard.  My speedometer was goofy (I was pretty sure I wasn't doing 58 parked at Safeway) and it's an easy 4-screw change-out, and the electrical connectors only fit one way.

Big Ray - Tune up & bump your timing = Houston news item.... "EMT crew able to remove silly grin from local bean-counter found cartwheeling through town"

:lol:

[dig]

Dig - don some grubbies and crawl under the back to clean your sender connection... failing that, a whole instrument cluster should be less than $50 at a junkyard.  My speedometer was goofy (I was pretty sure I wasn't doing 58 parked at Safeway) and it's an easy 4-screw change-out, and the electrical connectors only fit one way.
...

Yea, figured I would give that a try. Adding it to the *long* list

haha - funny - while I have to try to schedule in time to remove the sending unit (and find the short in my cabin lighting, etc...), I was able to take a day to install a new stereo system in my rig  :roll:  Priorities are funny  :wink:


-- dig

[perrykolb]

I had the same fillup problem. I lowered the fuel tank and found the vent hose that goes to the filler neck was pinched flat. Replace the hose and be careful routing it when you reinstall the tank. Only took an afternoon and now I can fill-up fast and get it full,36 gallons.

[Andy Illes]

Thanks Perry.... so it IS supposed to have a vent line.  Guess I'll squirm back under there and put one in, that'll fix the problem.  

[Andy Illes]

Perry and all....

Damned WASPS!!!   I got under there, found the vent line, and guess what?!?!   Mom wasp decided the vent outlet was just the PERFECT place to build her nest and raise a family.  I guess the previous owner lost his gas-cap.   Next generation will have to find a new home.....         Can't WAIT for my next fill-up (except for the wallet part.... ouch).  Thanks again, Andy.

[bigray]

Man I love this site!

Perry, are you sure you can get 36 gals in your Clipper. I can only get 30. I recall a post where someone talked to Irv who said that the extra 5 gallons was for expansion and 1 gallon was in the line.

I would be good to get another 5 gallons in mine.

[Andy Illes]

Ray....

If I can get ANYthing in mine, in less than roughly an hour.... I'll be just tickled PINK....    And yup.... it's an awesome site.  Thanks again Shayne and all of our posters!!!!

Andy

[HPotter]

Re fueling, sometimes it helps to turn the nozzle upside down.
Harold, #886

[Andy Illes]

Harold.... are you serious, or just celebrating some Irish holiday again??

[HPotter]

Dead serious, Andy. Try it!
H.

[Andy Illes]

Guess I won't have to try Harold's "upside-down-nozzle" idea.  I filled her up this morning, and with that wasp nest out of there, no prob.... I'm giddy with joy  :lol:

Ray, I've always been able to get 34-35 gal in, assuming I let it get that low.... and also assuming I had the time (before).

[Horst]

been gone a few weeks - catching up on these great posts

12-14mpg!!
Man that is REAL good - as in almost unbelievably good at freeway speeds - my best is 10.5 - and I'm running pretty darn near perfectly as far as I can tell.
Maybe knocking that timing back to 10btd really helps? Not sure if I want to do that though....messed with timing and jetting  in a 71 Westphalia Camper Van once back in the 80s, and was bragging to my friend that I was getting 25mpg - he said - that's too good, you're paying for it somewhere - burned up the top end of that motor in about 10,000 miles despite regular valve adjustments, oil changes, etc.

Gas filling
On 36 gal polyethylene tanks...
You will notice that that the filler does not come in at the top of the tank - near the the top, but not at the top.
Thus once you get past the filler inlet in tank "fullness", the back pressure of filling through the filler hose increases incrementally the more full the tank gets. That is why you really have to take your time getting those last few gallons in there.
I am amazed that anyone can just fill the full 36 gals at full pump volume.