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  #1  
Old 10-17-2008, 04:24 PM
JBG JBG is offline
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Ran out of fuel, gauge just below 1/4 tank

I know some of you despise WVO and those of us who run it in our Benzes, but it saved my a** today.

Fuel gauge was just a hair under 1/4 tank, was gonna go get diesel tomorrow on the way out of town where it's 20 cents cheaper, but as I got onto the freeway today I ran out!! Luckily the car was up to operating temp and I had 1/3 tank of WVO, so I switched. After ten or twenty seconds of flooring it and no response, it kicked in and I avoided plugging a lane of traffic for god knows how long (no shoulder at that particular point).

Went to the nearest fuel station, paid $3.59, not too bad. My main concern is why the hell I'm running out of fuel when the gauge reads just shy of 1/4 tank!?!?! If there was crud in there, wouldn't it block fuel flow? How can there be crud in the tank and it still send diesel no problem, and not clog my diesel filter? Plus I've run bio in there and presumably that loosened/passed any crud into a previous filter.

Any ideas? The gauge tracks fuel use normally, i.e. it goes to the "F" when I fill it up, and decreases as I go through the tank. The gauge used to continue to drop down past the 1/4 tank line before running out--that was more like right at "R" or slightly before it.

Bad sender?

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1985 TD wagon, 228k
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  #2  
Old 10-17-2008, 04:26 PM
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How many gallons did it take to fill up?
the wagons hold 18.5 gallons
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  #3  
Old 10-17-2008, 04:34 PM
JBG JBG is offline
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Yes, I left that part out......the pump kicked off at 13 gallons.....WHAT THE HELL COULD BE IN MY TANK?!?!?!

Like I said, I'm not clogging filters, and diesel runs thru just fine.

???
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1985 TD wagon, 228k
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  #4  
Old 10-17-2008, 04:36 PM
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I am having the same issue.

my only suspiscion is the tank strainer.


Driving is like playin roullette these days
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  #5  
Old 10-17-2008, 05:09 PM
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Never had the problem myself, but others have said that if the intake & return are swapped, you start sucking air at about 1/4 tank. Dunno if it's true or not, just what I've heard.
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  #6  
Old 10-17-2008, 05:26 PM
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Your sender could be stuck, or you could be pulling from the fuel return line.
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  #7  
Old 10-17-2008, 05:27 PM
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Check tank strainer

I had a similar problem with fuel depletion at around the 1/4 mark on my fuel gauge. My strainer was completely blocked. See the attached side-by-side comparison of the blocked strainer versus a new one.

I performed this repair around 275,000 miles and the strainer appeared to have never been removed. I run on diesel and B85.
Attached Thumbnails
Ran out of fuel, gauge just below 1/4 tank-clean-area-3-114.jpg  
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  #8  
Old 10-17-2008, 05:27 PM
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Probably have to and fro fuel lines mixed.
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  #9  
Old 10-17-2008, 05:50 PM
JBG JBG is offline
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what do you mean, "mixed"? In the engine bay, going to the IP? Or do you mean back at the tank? The two steel lines coming up into the engine bay are kind of stacked one on top of the other, I'm pretty sure the top one is return, here is a picture (the solenoid in the picture routes the return fuel back to the steel line, so in the picture below it is connected to the steel line "on top"):

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  #10  
Old 10-17-2008, 05:57 PM
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Try swapping them.
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  #11  
Old 10-17-2008, 06:06 PM
JBG JBG is offline
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What would happen after I switch them if they're in the correct formation now, though? I'd run out of fuel at 1/4 tank?

And wait--what's the difference between the return/send line anyway? Position at which they draw from/return to the tank? Couldn't I just trace them from the engine bay back into the tank by wrapping a piece of twine around one and tracing it?

I guess there is no standard positioning for send/return fuel lines...?
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  #12  
Old 10-18-2008, 02:37 PM
JBG JBG is offline
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Um, anyone?
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  #13  
Old 10-18-2008, 02:43 PM
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On my 210.020, the return flow powers venturi pumps within the tank which pick up fuel from the lowest points and directs the fuel toward the outlet. This keeps air from entering the supply line when the tank is low and you go around a corner. I've seen gassers which used a separate electric pump to do this job.

If your tank screen is clear, and you also have venturi pumps in your tank, they may be plugged with debris preventing them from pumping. The return fuel will then sit in the low parts of the tank and not at the outlet screen.
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  #14  
Old 10-18-2008, 04:22 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JBG View Post
What would happen after I switch them if they're in the correct formation now, though? I'd run out of fuel at 1/4 tank?

And wait--what's the difference between the return/send line anyway? Position at which they draw from/return to the tank? Couldn't I just trace them from the engine bay back into the tank by wrapping a piece of twine around one and tracing it?

I guess there is no standard positioning for send/return fuel lines...?
The return line does not draw from the bottom of the tank, and does not pull through the tank strainer.
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  #15  
Old 10-18-2008, 05:56 PM
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From personal experience with WVO...

I have never been stranded using WVO however, I know from experience - some of my oil was only filtered to 10-15 micron and I used a 2 micron filter BEFORE a CAT diesel filter BEFORE the stock spin on filter. On the road I made a fuel tank sock cleaner after a low flow situation (gradually lost power on the highway after 5 miles) out of a plastic papermate pen shaft and a $5.99 12v tire air compressor -on sale- from harbor freight. Blasted air back though line to fuel tank and was back on the road within 15 minutes. Gotta use what you have with you, you might also be able to blow back in the same line. I have done this a couple times - I know I have to clean the tank out, but if you let it build up pressure a couple seconds BEFORE you take out gas/diesel cap it may give a little extra boost. OF COURSE AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!

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