can of gas in my VW bus, bad idea? SOLVED

Virum

Ok, so the gas gauge on my '71 bus is broken. My current method of deciding if I need to fill up is by taking the cap off and shaking my bus and seein how much it swishes.

Crude, I know. Sadly, I don't know the miles per gallon I get and while I saw a post on Samba about MPG people seemed to have anywhere between 15-25 with a rare 30 in there.

So basically, I'm considering keeping a brand new gallon gas can of gas in the bus in case I run out so that I don't have too much downtime and hopefully it'd get me to the nearest gas station.

But I'm concerned; I don't know how safe that is. It doesn't sound really dangerous, but I don't know if static electricity can build up in a plastic container and ignite the gas or what.

It doesn't sound terribly risky, but I really don't know. I know I could keep an empty gas can so I could walk to a gas station and walk back, but that sucks.

Thanatos

The risk is more for the vapors than from the liquid itself.

And not only is it not a good idea, it's almost certainly illegal. Check your local laws, but in general, you can't store gasoline in an enclosed space.

EDIT: You're in California. Make that definitely illegal.

Fats

I wouldn't want one of those plastic containers anywhere near my vehicle. If you can find a metal jerry can, those are nicer and they don't leak fuel and vapors everywhere. You could even mount it to the top or the back of your van. Still, fiery death and all that.

Or you could, you know, track your mileage over a few fill-ups. It's simple. Only one of my vehicles even has a gas gauge.

Cycophant

The easiest way to rectify this problem is just to get the gas gauge fixed, but there are some other, legal alternatives it seems.

This was the only example I could find online, but there are California-legal jerry cans out there. For starters, if you're keeping it in your vehicle semi-permanetly, I would suggest metal, period.

Secondly, to keep it legal in California it looks like it has to have proper seal to prevent leakage and vapour emission. But they can't be air-tight either, otherwise they'd explode. Chances are, if you can find a metal jerry can for sale in a Californian auto shop, it's probably legal.

Finally, you'll need to add gas stabilizer every month or so if you don't end up using the gas, lest it turn to varsol essentially.

Thanatos

To be clear: I'm almost positive you have to mount the can to the outside of the vehicle.

Just fill up, go 150 miles, then fill up again. That'll give you a good low-end estimate on your usage.

blincoln

I agree with Thanatos. You almost certainly have to carry it on the outside of the vehicle, and even if for some bizarre reason you're not required to, you should do it anyway.

And yes, take the minimum normal MPG for your bus, multiply it by the size of the fuel tank, and use that. If you can't afford to have the gas gauge fixed, you shouldn't be taking risks like assuming you get better fuel efficiency than that.

freek

After running out of gas twice in the same day while driving my Bug, I learned how to gauge really well. I never thought about the legality of carrying gas so I always carried a little red tank in the trunk. It stunk the car up, but I knew it was there if I needed it.

My suggestion: Fix that gauge. Go to pick and pull if you have to. It's a '71 so I know they're pretty cheap. Even if it's the floater, it shouldn't take that long or that much to fix.

Virum

I'd get it fixed, but to do that the engine needs to be pulled which makes it hard for me to do myself (I don't have the tools to put it back in).

Any ideas how much it'd cost to fix?

I'll just go with the notepad.

Catcher

Virum wrote:

Ok, so the gas gauge on my '71 bus is broken.

Yeah, it might not be the best idea to be driving around cars from that long ago. When cars turn thirty-five it might be a hint to a get a new one, maybe?

drxand?

Catcher wrote:

Virum wrote:

Ok, so the gas gauge on my '71 bus is broken.

Yeah, it might not be the best idea to be driving around cars from that long ago. When cars turn thirty-five it might be a hint to a get a new one, maybe?

since when did classic vehicles become a crime?

clsCorwin

It never did, some people just have no appreciation. Does your odometer work? I don't trust my gas guage worth shit, so I just go by odometer.

_X_

Gas milage will also vary depending on highway driving or city driving. It's about 150km difference for my car between highway and city, mainly due to having to drive without overdrive the whole time.

khain

_X_ wrote:

Gas milage will also vary depending on highway driving or city driving. It's about 150km difference for my car between highway and city, mainly due to having to drive without overdrive the whole time.

It would be best to take the lowest in this case. I'd just fill up and then do your normal driving for a couple of days and record the mileage and when you refill calculate your gas mileage.

Also nothing wrong with driving a car from the 70s, as long as the car runs that enough.

Virum

clsCorwin wrote:

It never did, some people just have no appreciation. Does your odometer work? I don't trust my gas guage worth shit, so I just go by odometer.

Odemeter works fine to my knowlege. I guess it could be innacurate, but I have no reason to believe it is so far. I know the distance to my work, I'll pay attention next time.

I'll buy a notebook and keep it in the glovebox and just be responsible with filling it up. :P I've always been one of those that drive the car till the empty light comes on; I'll just have to develop better habits.

And no, I won't be upgrading. I plan on completely restoring it eventually. It runs well enough (brand new engine and shifts pretty good usually), but it could use a new paint job.

Thanks guys, consider this solved.

Gotcha Force

isnt there some way you could measure to the bottom of the tank (string with a rock on the end then measure the wet mark)? just measure how much it goes down over 10 miles or w/e and you have your reference point

The Savior

Virum wrote:

I'd get it fixed, but to do that the engine needs to be pulled which makes it hard for me to do myself (I don't have the tools to put it back in).

Any ideas how much it'd cost to fix?

I'll just go with the notepad.

Pulling the engine on a 71 bus does not require much in the way of tools:

* Pile rocks or something similarly solid under the engine * Unhook the hoses and remove 4 bolts * Push the bus forward; the engine will stay on the rocks * Your tank is the thing mounted right behind where the engine was * ??? * Profit

If you want to get all fancy, you can use an actual engine jack instead of cheaping out and using rocks, but the idea's the same.[/list]