Fuel line routing info needed

[The_Handier_Man1]

From: shoove  (Original Message)
Sent: 10/18/2004 6:17 PM

Hello all!

I have gone over the posts that pertain to fuel issues, and all have helped to some extent. Thank you. But I think I may have a unique problem, I hope not, I hope its just that I am confused, (at this point that wouldn’t be hard to do) I will try and explain the arrangement of fuel hoses and pumps on my 75 Brave D21. My elec. fuel pump is located on the inside frame rail pass side next to the main tank, and the fuel tank selector solenoid is attached in the dead center of the floor board (so far so good right) this is where I get lost! There is a place for three hoses to attach to the "solenoid" yet there are only two attached? The pump runs when the key is on and after a minute or less stops pumping (good right) their are two toggles on the dash to turn the pump on or off, and from aux to main (I read the labels) when I turn it off the pump stops running, but nothing happens (no change in the way the rig runs) when I switch to aux It takes a few minutes but the rig dies. I can see that the manual pump is still connected and now am wondering if the PO has configured the elec. pump to bring fuel from the Aux tank to the main tank? (Is this even possible?) Could this be the reason that the solenoid only has two hoses connected? I may never figure this out. Is there a diagram to be had of the original fuel line arrangement?<o:p></o:p>

PS there are no less than 9 wooden cloth pins (spread out evenly) attached to the fuel line that runs from the main tank to the manual fuel pump? I think the PO had lost his mind and now I am next!<o:p></o:p>

Your help as always is very appreciated

Mike 



From: denison
Sent: 10/18/2004 8:01 PM

Im sorry to say that I havent seen or heard of a diagram for the fuel system in the Winnebagos. Dodge built part of it â€" one tank and a line to the fuel pump. Winnebago added the aux. tank, and modified what Dodge built. They added a fuel selector valve/solenoid, and the 2nd tank, with a line from the second tank to the selector valve, and from the main tank to the selector valve. After some model year, like 74 for California, 76 for the rest of the country, there were also return lines to the tanks, because a vapor recovery cannister had become a requirement. The return lines were also routed via the tank selector, so it had to have twice as many hose connections, six instead of 3.
I think the original Dodge fuel system used metal lines most of the way from the tank. But in adding their 2nd tank, Winnebago used rubber lines, at least they did on mine. So from the two tanks to the inlet of the fuel selector there are rubber hoses. The line is metal from the fuel selector valve up to the mechanical pump, where there is an in-line fuel filter just beside the pump, and on its inlet side.
About the fuel tank selector; mine has the 3 connections. Two of them are in line with each other. The 3rd one is at right angles to the first two. The in-line ones are respectively the main tank inlet and the outlet going to the mechanical pump. The one at right angles is the aux. tank inlet.
Since the Winnebagos didn’t come with an electric pump as standard, it could have been hooked up however the prior owner or his mechanic saw fit. You will have to scope that out. As Winnebago made it, there would have been one hose from each tank, going to the two inlet connections on the fuel tank selector.
If the feed from one of the tanks stopped working, the electric pump might have been a work around. The electric pump might have been just to prime the system after the RV had been sitting for a few weeks, rather than spin the engine with the starter long enough to pull gasoline from a tank. Its hard on starters.
And unless you know for sure that the fuel hoses are recent, I would advise you to replace all of them.
One reason I havent added an electric fuel pump to mine, is that I don’t want to add complication to my fuel system. Wouldn’t it have been nice if the prior owner had made up a description of that fuel system!
Fuel pumps that are set up to move fuel from one tank to another have to be carefully plumbed, or they might provide a path for fuel to syphon from one tank to another, when you werent expecting it.
All I can think of about the clothespins is that they might have once held a heat shield to the fuel line.



From: lockman
Sent: 10/19/2004 10:26 PM

I think Denison may be on the right track about the electric pump used for priming the carb after sitting. We were planing on that very same thing out of frustration with very had starting after sitting one day or longer. The problem was actually rotten rubber fuel lines, especially on top of the gas tank. When all had been replaced, we have no problems starting or running. No need for a second pump. The PO's had not solved it either, but at least we benefited by having all new carb and mechanical fuel pump and marine style canister fuel filter when we bought 78 D23.