Help with filling up on the highway
Thread Starter
Member
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 188
Likes: 3
From: Denver Metro
2017 GLC 300 Coupe'
Help with filling up on the highway
Had to do an emergency trip (600+ mi round trip with only a 30 min stopover) a couple of days ago. Had a problems filling up twice.
1st was a truck stop. Nozzle was correct size but the pressure of the pump was either very high or the back pressure in my tank was very high? Could only get a few gallons in holding the lever ever so gently. Got 3 gallons in and said the heck with it.
2nd was a gas station that had both large diam and small diam diesel nozzles. Used the smaller one and it started to fill fine but clicked off when the car was 3/4 full. Maybe took 5 gallons. Kept doing that so quit filling (I had enough fuel to get home just better prices)
3rd was at a Sinclair station in a small urban area that had diesel. Everything was normal and it filled OK.
What should you do when on the highway and away from a large urban area? What am I missing?
BTW, I have some back issues and never in my life would I have dreamed that driving over 600 miles with one 1/2 hour break (besides a couple of very quick aborted fill ups) I could get out of a car and NOT have my back in severe pain. This car is amazing. Standard power seats and suspension to boot.
1st was a truck stop. Nozzle was correct size but the pressure of the pump was either very high or the back pressure in my tank was very high? Could only get a few gallons in holding the lever ever so gently. Got 3 gallons in and said the heck with it.
2nd was a gas station that had both large diam and small diam diesel nozzles. Used the smaller one and it started to fill fine but clicked off when the car was 3/4 full. Maybe took 5 gallons. Kept doing that so quit filling (I had enough fuel to get home just better prices)
3rd was at a Sinclair station in a small urban area that had diesel. Everything was normal and it filled OK.
What should you do when on the highway and away from a large urban area? What am I missing?
BTW, I have some back issues and never in my life would I have dreamed that driving over 600 miles with one 1/2 hour break (besides a couple of very quick aborted fill ups) I could get out of a car and NOT have my back in severe pain. This car is amazing. Standard power seats and suspension to boot.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 1,152
Likes: 29
From: Sydney, Australia
190D 2.5 (x2), 190E 2.6, W202 C240,W202 C43 (C55), W210 E55, W212 E250CDI
Truck stops mostly have "high-flow" diesel pumps. They pump at much higher flow rates than a standard pump so when you are filling a car they will keep clicking off. There isn't much you can do about it, it's just how it is.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 1,332
Likes: 4
From: Toronto
2006 E320 CDi, 2008 3/4 Ton Suburban, 2007 "rice rickshaw" Accord 5 speed
Had to do an emergency trip (600+ mi round trip with only a 30 min stopover) a couple of days ago. Had a problems filling up twice.
1st was a truck stop. Nozzle was correct size but the pressure of the pump was either very high or the back pressure in my tank was very high? Could only get a few gallons in holding the lever ever so gently. Got 3 gallons in and said the heck with it.
2nd was a gas station that had both large diam and small diam diesel nozzles. Used the smaller one and it started to fill fine but clicked off when the car was 3/4 full. Maybe took 5 gallons. Kept doing that so quit filling (I had enough fuel to get home just better prices)
3rd was at a Sinclair station in a small urban area that had diesel. Everything was normal and it filled OK.
What should you do when on the highway and away from a large urban area? What am I missing?
BTW, I have some back issues and never in my life would I have dreamed that driving over 600 miles with one 1/2 hour break (besides a couple of very quick aborted fill ups) I could get out of a car and NOT have my back in severe pain. This car is amazing. Standard power seats and suspension to boot.
1st was a truck stop. Nozzle was correct size but the pressure of the pump was either very high or the back pressure in my tank was very high? Could only get a few gallons in holding the lever ever so gently. Got 3 gallons in and said the heck with it.
2nd was a gas station that had both large diam and small diam diesel nozzles. Used the smaller one and it started to fill fine but clicked off when the car was 3/4 full. Maybe took 5 gallons. Kept doing that so quit filling (I had enough fuel to get home just better prices)
3rd was at a Sinclair station in a small urban area that had diesel. Everything was normal and it filled OK.
What should you do when on the highway and away from a large urban area? What am I missing?
BTW, I have some back issues and never in my life would I have dreamed that driving over 600 miles with one 1/2 hour break (besides a couple of very quick aborted fill ups) I could get out of a car and NOT have my back in severe pain. This car is amazing. Standard power seats and suspension to boot.
A fuel tank sensor fault is the most likely reason for what you described.
Member
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 139
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From: little rock,ar
E-320 Bluetec
Here in Little Rock so many folks drive big diesel pickups that diesel is available at most all service stations. Out on the road, I look for Flying J, they most often have a separate island for Rv's, and ULSD at their pumps. I've had a harder time finding ULSD at Love's, but that is not an issue with your CDI.
Junior Member
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 42
Likes: 1
From: St. Johns, Florida
2024 GLC 300
Found diesel, unfortunately not ULSD
My '07 E320 Bluetec recently received an unhealthly dose of about 4 gallons of LSD, not ULSD. As soon as we discovered this, we filled the tank with ULSD making a mixture of about 6 to 1 ULSD to LSD. I called the MB service dept and was told we should be OK, and might notice a slight bluish exhaust for a short period. I estimated we've about burned the LSD out of the system, while insuring that as soon as we could pump 3 or more gallons into the almost full tank, we did so, to just continue to thin it out the LSD. I believe we escaped a potential problem, but wont be sure until we've pilled up some real mileage. Fingers still crossed.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 1,332
Likes: 4
From: Toronto
2006 E320 CDi, 2008 3/4 Ton Suburban, 2007 "rice rickshaw" Accord 5 speed
Got LSD Mr. Timothy Leary?
My '07 E320 Bluetec recently received an unhealthly dose of about 4 gallons of LSD, not ULSD. As soon as we discovered this, we filled the tank with ULSD making a mixture of about 6 to 1 ULSD to LSD. I called the MB service dept and was told we should be OK, and might notice a slight bluish exhaust for a short period. I estimated we've about burned the LSD out of the system, while insuring that as soon as we could pump 3 or more gallons into the almost full tank, we did so, to just continue to thin it out the LSD. I believe we escaped a potential problem, but wont be sure until we've pilled up some real mileage. Fingers still crossed.
This illustrates my point on "Freedom Diesels" or pre-emission equipment diesel engines. They can burn almost anything oily. No worry about putting in the wrong stuff and losing thousands of dollars. The new ULSD has one and only one reason to exist - to please the Anti-diesels. All the new technology that existed because of the new rave (high pressure piezzo injectors, common rail & electronic throttles) can be applied to LSD or dirtier stuff resulting in increased power AND mileage.
New California mandated diesels are unsuitable in really heavy duty situations. MB can show off their Bluetecs in Texas under controlled conditions but would the US military use Bluetec diesels in Afghanistan or Iraq? I bet they are using all non-catalyst diesel engines that can run on any fuel and use any lubrication oil, not some fancy stuff like the CJ-4 synthetics that the 2007 on Powerstroke diesel engines.
They will never risk losing a big dollar battle tank and its crew just because someone in California thinks they should.
