jacwjames Posted July 2 Share Posted July 2 About 5 weeks ago my wife stopped overnight at a Walmart near Battle Creek MI. Earlier that day she filled up the motorhome. The next day she stopped at a campground for a couple nights and then went to a friends house, she tried to start the generator without success. So she revised her trip and went to her next stop at a friends house ~75 miles away. I told her she should stop and fill up with fuel and ended up pumping 112 gallons into a 128 gallon tank. Silverleaf said she should have had +50 gallons more. She was running on fumes, lucky she didn't get stranded on the side of the road. BTW, she had 11 dogs in the coach, it would have been a disaster since temps in MI were pretty high then. When she got to her friends house I told her to let the coach and generator run and look for any signs of a fuel leak, never found any. She started heading home a week ago and stopped several times to fill up with fuel knowing the tank was still pretty full, no indication of a problem. She left lower MI on Sunday and stopped in Lima OH overnight, only ran generator a short time. Made it home yesterday, Silverleaf said still had 50 gallons in the tank. I went and fueled up this AM, Silverleaf said I should pump 80 gallons and that is what I pumped. My Silverleaf has always been pretty accurate re fuel consumption. Unfortunately the dash gauge is not working, It worked on my last trip in Oct. So I've got to dig into that, but I seldom look at it but is probably would have triggered a LOW FUEL light on the dash. So it pretty much confirmed that someone pumped about 50 gallons out of her tank while parked at Walmart. She did say she went into the store to restock groceries. She then walked to the Sam's Club next door and got stuff. The thieves were probably watching and took advantage of this. So a word of caution. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cubflyer Posted July 2 Share Posted July 2 Sorry to hear of this happening, glad the DW did not run out, that would have been very bad! I know 'locks are for honest people' but my fuel tank fill ports have doors with locks on them (that I have never even tried to leave unlocked- guess it is possible). Was there any signs that the locks were tampered with (I know, they are cheap and pretty easy to pick)..? Ken 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacwjames Posted July 2 Author Share Posted July 2 The fuel tank is in the same bay as propane, so no locks on the basement door. The small hatch to access the fuel tank neck is locked but when you open the basement door you access to the fuel neck. We don't have locks on the fuel neck. Last Oct I suspect I had a fuel theft but only 15 gallons. I was parked at a Walmart also, I stopped while the sun was still up so it was pretty early and I spent that evening watching TV and surfing the web. I noticed a car meandering around where the RV's were parked, there were several. I was keeping my fuel tank pretty full, usually 3/4 full or more. So when I stopped for fuel and pumped quite a bit more then the Silverleaf showed I suspected theft. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cubflyer Posted July 2 Share Posted July 2 Yep, my fuel doors are in a panel that is secured by bolts, not a latch.... so a "little' more secure... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmw188 Posted July 2 Share Posted July 2 Do they even make a locking style cap? I wonder if a person could make up some sort of wire cable with a small loop on one end and fastened to the cap and another on a hose clamp that is clamped on the fill neck that wouldn’t allow you to turn the the cap with enough rotations to get it off. Not exact details but you get the idea. It might be hard to do on all coaches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacwjames Posted July 2 Author Share Posted July 2 When I first posted about this on in the Generator Won't Start thread someone posted a link to a lockable fuel cap that threads onto the fuel neck of the tank fill tube. I needed to wait to measure the threaded neck before I could try and find something but I think installing some sort of lock there would be the best option. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephenW Posted July 2 Share Posted July 2 (edited) This is what I got to use on our 01 Dynasty, found it on Amazon for about $50. 2” NPT threads to replace the OEM cap. I believe it is a Stant brand cap. Edited July 2 by StephenW add text 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmw188 Posted July 2 Share Posted July 2 That looks like a great option! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
96 EVO Posted July 3 Share Posted July 3 May want to get your fuel gauge working. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beemermcr Posted July 3 Share Posted July 3 16 hours ago, StephenW said: This is what I got to use on our 01 Dynasty, found it on Amazon for about $50. 2” NPT threads to replace the OEM cap. I believe it is a Stant brand cap. I use that as well, but it does leak if the fuel comes up against it if not level. The original does not leak. I also have a cheap alarm/siren system that goes off if the fuel door is opened. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timaz996 Posted July 3 Share Posted July 3 Another reason I have cameras on both sides of my coach. I would think your dogs would have been raising hell if someone was messing with your coach. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephenW Posted July 3 Share Posted July 3 The cap I got was vented so I plugged the vent hole to prevent any spillage. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacwjames Posted July 4 Author Share Posted July 4 6 hours ago, timaz996 said: Another reason I have cameras on both sides of my coach. I would think your dogs would have been raising hell if someone was messing with your coach. Asked my wife the same thing, she that there is so much noise on the inside they don't bother unless someone opens the door. But if someone came in and the Anatolian Shepard was out of his crate there would be a ruckus, the breed is a fierce defender of the "flock" in this case my wife and the other dogs. The breed has the strongest bite of any breed +700psi and at ~150 lbs he's pretty intimidating. 22 hours ago, 96 EVO said: May want to get your fuel gauge working. It worked on my last trip but has never been accurate even after trying to adjust it. I'm working on it now, it has voltage, terminals look pretty clean but I'm going to check them tomorrow and do the testing the Centroid recommends. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
96 EVO Posted July 4 Share Posted July 4 On 7/2/2024 at 10:40 AM, jacwjames said: About 5 weeks ago my wife stopped overnight at a Walmart near Battle Creek MI. Earlier that day she filled up the motorhome. Did she say how much fuel she pumped? Any chance foam or a splash back shut the pump down way early? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacwjames Posted July 4 Author Share Posted July 4 Just now, 96 EVO said: Did she say how much fuel she pumped? Any chance foam or a splash back shut the pump down way early? That's the good thing about the Open Roads App, they send a receipt quickly. I filled up before she left so it was full. She pumped 74.8 gallons, which seems correct, drove from E TN to Bloomington IN. So it was full. I know from fill up to fill up there can be some discrepancy but ~50 gallons seems high😁 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
96 EVO Posted July 4 Share Posted July 4 I once ended up with 3/4 tank when I got back on the freeway. Think it may have been the left / right slope at the pump. I now watch for that, and if it looks out, hit 'AUTO' level before I get out to fuel. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr4Film Posted July 4 Share Posted July 4 This reasonably priced one from Amazon ($45) is what I recommend using. It is non-vented so spills are not an issue. Our filler tubes are generally 2 inch NPT so you would purchase the Female one and use Thread Locker to install it. https://tinyurl.com/5n8h2fn3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank McElroy Posted July 4 Share Posted July 4 The pipe threads on our fuel tanks fuel fill tubes are actually NPS (straight) not NPT (tapered). 1 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr4Film Posted July 4 Share Posted July 4 Thanks, Frank. The ad states standard thread so assuming that means NPS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmw188 Posted July 5 Share Posted July 5 (edited) Will the fuel door close, it shows it being 3.25” overall? It would have to be NPS Edited July 5 by tmw188 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr4Film Posted July 5 Share Posted July 5 1 hour ago, tmw188 said: Will the fuel door close, it shows it being 3.25” overall? It would have to be NPS I will order one and find out if it is to big or not. Free returns so no loss if it doesn't fit. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dennis.mcdonaugh Posted July 5 Share Posted July 5 My 2000 Dynasty has a locking gas fill door. Unfortunately, it only has one fill which is a PITA because it’s on the right which makes using truck stops a royal pain. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr4Film Posted July 5 Share Posted July 5 23 minutes ago, dennis.mcdonaugh said: My 2000 Dynasty has a locking gas fill door. Unfortunately, it only has one fill which is a PITA because it’s on the right which makes using truck stops a royal pain. Chances are 1000's of RV owners have the same key to that door. I know for a fact that my fuel door key can be had on Amazon and eBay for a few dollars. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbr046 Posted July 5 Share Posted July 5 47 minutes ago, Dr4Film said: Chances are 1000's of RV owners have the same key to that door. I know for a fact that my fuel door key can be had on Amazon and eBay for a few dollars. I feel bay doors are the same. - bob 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivan K Posted July 5 Share Posted July 5 I like Beemermcr's idea to alarm the fuel door. Even though the whole swinging door can be lifted to gain access, I think opening or prying on the fuel door would be the first instinct. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now