Seneca Fuel Problems

[JimDann]

I thought I would share a recent experience that might help some fellow RVers. On a recent trip at 10 pm I noticed I wasn't burning as much fuel as normal passing through the mountains of North Arkansas. My check engine light came on but no problems were evident and everything seemed fine. About 30 minutes later upon reaching the top of a large hill I lost power and coasted to the bottom of the mountain. I took a look at every thing I knew to check, my fuel gauge was showing 1/2 tank, but decided to take a look in the tank anyway. The passengers side was roughly 1/2 tank, but the drivers side was completely empty. This should not happen as the tanks should equalize and draw fuel from both sides. Since it was apparent the engine was running on the right tank alone and not sure why this was happening, I ended up calling roadside service and a very helpful and knowledgeable guy showed up and we siphoned fuel from the drivers side tank to the passengers side tank, then primed the fuel filter with the push button pump located on top, after a few tries the engined started, and he followed us in to the next town to refuel to make sure we made it. We continued on our way and the next morning while doing an Internet search on similiar fuel problems I found a post about checking the fuel vents. Each tank has a plastic tube running from the top of the tank down the side, mine are blue (2015 Seneca) and about 1/4" OD, this is just a tube completely open on the end. I blew in the right vent line and air passed through easily, then I moved to the left and it was completely plugged about 3 inches inside the line with what appeared to be a dirt dauber nest. I cleared the vent line with a flexible zip tie and now all is working fine. I was surprised there was no screen on the vent line opening to keep this from happening, I will be installing something myself to keep insects out. Hard to believe something so small could shut you down completely in the middle night. I hope this helps someone!

[RyRoRyan]

Thanks for the info, the more we know about these things the better. The less trips to the dealer the better.

[Mwade]

Yes, that happened to me on my dump truck! This must be a common occurrence! I think a screen would be a good idea!

[Mnwelsh]

Thanks for your post. Excellent information to know.