System and method for balancing fuel levels in multiple fuel tank vehicles

A motor vehicle comprising:

• A) a fuel-consuming engine for powering the vehicle;
• and
• B) a fuel system for fueling the engine, wherein the fuel system comprises:
• i) two fuel tanks, each for holding liquid fuel for the engine, and each disposed at a respective side of a chassis of the vehicle;
• ii) for each tank, a respective sender for indicating the level of liquid fuel in the respective tank;
• iii) pumping apparatus for drawing fuel from the tanks and delivering the drawn fuel to the engine;
• iv) for each tank, a respective fuel draw conduit through which the pumping apparatus draws fuel from the respective tank;
• v) for each tank, a respective fuel return conduit through which excess fuel is returned from the engine to the respective tank;
• vi) a valve mechanism controlled by the senders for disallowing return fuel flow to a tank whose sender indicates that the level of fuel is greater than that indicated by the sender of the other tank by some defined amount while the pumping apparatus continues to draw fuel from both tanks through the fuel draw conduits.

A fuel system of a motor vehicle that is powered by a fuel-consuming engine, the fuel system comprising:

• A) two fuel tanks, each for holding liquid fuel for the engine;
• B) two senders, each for indicating the level of liquid fuel in the respective tank;
• C) an engine-driven fuel pump that is able to simultaneously draw fuel from both tanks and deliver the drawn fuel to the engine so long as the engine is running;
• D) two fuel draw conduits through each of which the pump draws fuel out of the respective tank;
• E) two fuel return conduits through each of which excess fuel returned from the engine enters a respective tank;
• and
• G) a valve mechanism controlled by the senders for disallowing return fuel flow to a tank whose sender indicates that the level of fuel is greater than that indicated by the sender of the other tank by some defined amount while the pump continues to draw fuel from both tanks through the fuel draw conduits.