Fueling Problem

[Bill/Kathy]

Our 2014 Chateau 35SW has 2 fuel tanks, both on the street side. The front tank is a problem to fill; it backs up causing the nozzle to shut off even when the pump is running as slow as I can get it.

I looked for kinks in the hoses and didn’t find anything obvious. I just had the state inspection done and asked the mechanic to look. He didn’t see any problems – no kinks and no low points. The only thing unusual that he saw is the very long run from the fill point to the tank.

Any other owners have this problem and did you find a solution?

[rskrbina]

Hi Bill/Kathy. On the front tank fill tube, make sure the vent tube is "higher", or on top of the fill tube. Many have had this problem, mostly with the 33 models. Good luck.

[Yosemitebob]

My hose was actually too long, it was shortened 2" and has worked sense.

[sikoriko]

if you didn't see any twists or kinks. how about sharp bends or 90 degree elbows? is it a straight run in the hose?

[Bill/Kathy]

Thanks for the responses. I’ll take another look at the fuel and vent lines. I sure hope something works. Since our first trip I’ve been using the rear tank, only switching to the front when I have to.

[Taking Flight]

There is a fuel fill cutoff sensor on most vehicles. Looking up F550 chassis you most likely have one. I had to 2 vehicles that needed replacement that were not your type with the same issue as very slow fill. One car a 2011 VW had to replace the fuel tank because the sensor was integral to the tank and the other was a switch. The other was a Ford Focus;its been a while I think they replaced the filler neck. One other probable issue is a kinked or blocked vent/ vapor line.


The last place to go is your friendly Ford dealer and hope it won't hurt the wallet too much.

Good luck

[Bill/Kathy]

Last month, before we started south, I crawled under the Chateau to take another look at the fuel vent line. I noticed two places where there was a dip in the line. It wasn’t much of a drop, only to the bottom of the filler line. I was able to raise the line even with the top of the filler line and on our way to South Carolina I was able to fill the front tank with no problems.

The problem seems to be fixed.