1989 Georgie Boy Cruise Master Fuel Tank

[wjgilson]

Hi,
After troubleshooting my generator in my RV, I have determined that the fuel pickup inside the fuel tank or the fuel line going to the generator is bad.  I determined this by replacing the fuel pump (the generator would still not run more than about 30 seconds) and also running the generator with the fuel pump pulling fuel out of a portable gas tank (generator runs like it's supposed to).  The generator fuel pump pumps air and a little fuel when it is supposed to be moving fuel.  Does anyone have a diagram of a fuel tank that is in these RV's?  I would like to know what I'm getting into before I drop the tank.  Also, if the fuel pickup in the tank for the generator is broken or corroded, I need to know how much room there is between the bottom of the tank and the end of the fuel suction tube.

Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks

 

[Isaac-1]

Do you know what brand chassis it is on?

 

[Utclmjmpr]

If you know the tank gallonage, you can mathematically compute the distance from the tank bottom to the pickup tube to determine gallonage remaining.  If you are going to replace the tube you can adjust it any way you wish.>>>Dan

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Per RVIA design guidelines, the general idea is that the genset fuel pick-up is at the 1/4 tank level so that you cannot run the fuel tank dry using the generator.  But that's just a rough measure, since it relies on an assembly line worker to insert the pick-up only partially into the tank.  He may have done more or less on any given unit.

 

[jubileee]

If it?s a F53, you may be able to get hose pliers on fuel line coming off top of tank. You can on that vintage of Bounder. Clamp off fuel line, pull vacuum on line and determine if leak is external or internal.

 

[jubileee]

I might add that the first thing I do when dealing with your type of problem, is to make sure fuel line is open. Blow air through line.

 

[Alfa38User]

It is not likely to be the tank itself but could be the pickup in the tank or the rubber hose between the tank and the Generator fuel pump. I would bet on the fuel line.

 

[Old_Crow]

Gary mentioned it in his reply, but didn't really ask the question.  You do have more than 1/4 tank of gas, right?

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

The generator fuel pump pumps air and a little fuel when it is supposed to be moving fuel.

That suggests a pinhole or crack in the fuel line between the generator fuel pump and the tank, i.e. it sucks air instead of fuel.  That's a fairly common problem in old motorhomes - the generator fuel line simply dies of old age. I suspect you used a different fuel hose when running from the portable tank, thus avoiding the old hose.

 

[wjgilson]

Hi, thanks for the replys. If I was thinking clearly I would have answered those questions in my original post.  So, here they are:

Isaac-1  -- It is on the Chevrolet P30 chassis.

Utclmjmpr  -- The original brochure for the RV shows that it has a 60 gallon gas tank.

Gary RV_Wizard  -- The fuel tank is currently at 3/4 full.  Yes, I used a new piece of fuel line to draw a suction out of the portable gas tank.

jubileee -- Compressed air flows through the fuel line.  The tank is close enough to the floor of the house that I can not get to the gas line above the tank.  The only way will be to try to lower the tank to check the gas line or to drop the tank completely.

So looking at the replys, it seems like either the pickup in the tank is bad or the line has a pinhole/crack in it. Either way I will have to drop the tank to replace the line or fix the in tank pickup.  Either way, its gonna be an experience.  I gotta get about 30 gallons out of the tank and it can't be siphoned out (I already tried) and there is no tank drain that I could find.  When I couldn't get the siphon hose into the tank I looked under the RV.  The gas fill line has 2 - 90 degree bends in it and about 4 feet between them.  I guess at 5-9 miles per gallon I could just drive it around the county until its below a quarter tank.  I'll let you guys know what I find.  Maybe take some pictures to post.