buffaloman

iTrader: (5)

I have a 1984 firebird with the Iron Duke 4cyl.
How big is the tank?
My gas gauge doesn't work and need to know the size of
the tank so I don't run out until I can fix it.
Thanks

ringo234

I just filled mine every 150 miles, but I got about 12 - 14 MPG with my 305. My tank is approx. 15 gal.

coolram62

iTrader: (2)

From the service manuals I have for my '83 Z28('83 factory service,Chilton's '82-'85,Haynes '82-'84 & '82-'92)it looks like all models(I4,V6,V8)use a 16 gal(US)tank.I've seen 15.8 listed in a few places also.I have to find my '83's owner's manual to see what's listed in there.
I have a problem with the fuel sending unit too so I use the trip odometer(and regular to be safe).I would figure 13 gals to be safe but that is what I do.

j dezzy

iTrader: (12)

I think that all the 3rd gens have 15.5 gallon tanks. i know all 4 of mine have so far.

buffaloman

iTrader: (5)

Thanks to all. A trip odometer is nice, but the base firebird speedo doesn't have one. I have to write the miles down. Only gauges you get is a speedo and gas. This is the car I purchased last fall on this forum with no interior. I drove it 150 miles this week and only took 3.2 gals to fil up. 37,000 miles on the car. Still had the factory shock on it. Yes I replaced them with some I had from parting cars out.

Klortho

Mine took 17.4 gallons to fill up, at three different gas stations, I'm starting to wonder how accurate the pumps are at 3+ bucks a gallon.

TTA 1387

You're not filling up the tank or your speedo is whacked. The mileage and the gallons used should have told you that. No Camaro/Firebird has ever gotten anywhere close to 50mpg, even a 4cyl.

j dezzy

iTrader: (12)

wow. I've never seen a 3rd gen with anything other than a 15.5 gallon tank...but that's just me...

buffaloman

iTrader: (5)

Well, lets not get on the milage thing just yet. This was the first week I drove the car and I may have written the milage down wrong. Put I do know this. It is 28 mile to work. Tuesday and wednesday drove back and forth to work 112 miles. Thursday drove to work and to the bank 38 miles I also made a test drive Monday day before going to work. Not sure how far it was. I'm going to fill up Monday morning and just drive the car back a forth to work and I can then tell if the speedo is correct.

Reid Fleming

iTrader: (2)

Must be nice. There are quite a few of us (me included) who have the 12 gallon tank instead.

AmorgetRS

iTrader: (6)

I don't think anyone has every shown real documentation that a Thirdgen got any different gas tank then the standard "15.5" gallon. The earlier ones with the external fuel pump held a little more gas, but were the same size. The later baffled tanks just allowed you to drive for a bit longer because it kept the pick up submerged. GM documentation on that let to confusion that the tank was actually bigger.

Iroctopless

Klortho

Not really, I'm beginning to think this is where the gas stations are making their money. I know that I have a 15.5 gallon gas tank. But to take 17 gallons to fill it up, someting flags

Jay

iTrader: (2)

I have an 18 gallon tank in my car. It came from a 92 Formula 350 that I bought for parts. If it was an original tank or not, I don't know.. but it IS an 18 gallon tank.

AmorgetRS

iTrader: (6)

How do you know that?

Reid Fleming

iTrader: (2)

Did the 92 Formula have A/C?

Reid Fleming

iTrader: (2)

This shows 3 different tanks for 3rd gen Firebirds.

http://www.1aauto.com/1A/GasTanks/Pontiac/Firebird. Some are 53 Litres, some are 59 litres.

The most I've ever put in was about 2 weeks ago. 45 litres. (11.9 gallons) And that was squishing an extra 2.5 litres in after the click. I could hear it coming up the filler neck to where the nozzle goes in. I have an 89 GTA. Talked to another person with an 89 305 GTA and he pulls out a gas receipt showing 61 litres of fuel. Both of our cars are air conditioned cars. So no 1LE difference. How he put so much more in, I don't know. I'm lucky to even be able to put in 40 litres most of the time.

Apeiron

.

Apeiron

..

okfoz

It appears that the Export gast tanks were the largest when they were equipped for "Leaded" gasoline....

I have to wonder Why?


I do KNOW for a fact that the Actual tank from an 87 LB9 and 87 LG4 cars are close enough to where I was able to swap the sump from one to the other... My donor cars tank was horribly rusted, so I used my original tank which was almost like new...

John

j dezzy

iTrader: (12)

hmmm...my 87 and 84 TAs both have LG4s and they have 15.5 gallon tanks, my 91 bird had a 3.1 and it had a 15.5, my 87 camaro had a 2.8 and it had a 15.5...I've never even heard of a different tank size since this thread....

coolram62

iTrader: (2)

Looking at the '83 Camaro brochure it lists fuel tank capacity at 16.2 US gals.But cars with the L4 or CFI V8 have a capacity of 15.8 US gals.

Jay

iTrader: (2)

Because when I originally swapped it in, it had zero gas in it. I put less than 1 gallon in.. was a 2.5 gallon can, which was less than half full. I started the car a few times, testing other things, drove it up and down the driveway a few times.. I had done a rear end swap at the same time. Drove it to the gas station finally which is about 2 miles away, and put 18.1 gallons in it. On other occasions I have put similarly high amounts of fuel in.. 17+ gallons.
I have owned several thirdgens and all the fill ups would be in the 14-15 gallons range. This is the only one that I have seen a larger capacity.
The tank is close to empty now.. I just replaced the fuel pump. lol I'd be more than happy to have someone come fill that tank to verify, when I get the transmission and rear end back in.

I'm pretty sure it did. I think I still have the HVAC control in one of my parts piles.

Reid Fleming

iTrader: (2)

Hmmm, those pictures that Apeiron posted are rather interesting. Seems to show that the 1LE cars don't have 18 gallon tanks.

okfoz

THe difference may be accounted for by the sump system, If all things being the same a few tubes compared to the pump, filter, this that and another thing may easily equate to .4 gal...

I am not sure how they rate the capacity of the fuel tank. If they rate it by the tank ONLY then the filler neck may account for more fuel. I know I can actually get more fuel in my Firebird if I park on a slight slope where the left rear of the car is the highest point. Because the way the filler neck goes into the tank, you can evacuate more air while fueling. Although I would not think that the filler neck would take 2 gal it may add 1. THe other option is if your tank is deformed somehow, if you were to take the tank and expand it, you should get more volume... not sure how well it would fit in the tunnel, but its possible.

JOhn

coolram62

iTrader: (2)

Thank you Okfoz I had a feeling that was the answer since those were the only 2 motors for '83 with EFI.
One variable to consider in filling a tank is weather conditions.I know the tank capacity is a fixed value and this may sound like a silly idea.But tempature,humidity,elevation and even moon/tide cycles can affect how much you can put in at refuel(though granted the difference may only be in tenths).

Jay

iTrader: (2)

Looks exactly like the tank I took out, and it actually seemed to fit in better than another tank I swapped in a different thirdgen. I forget which straps I used. I only swapped because the original tank was leaking at the filler neck. This one was like new.

Iroctopless

Brochures are not a good source of accurate information. They are a rough guideline as to features, options and specs. And they change quite frequently, even during the same production year.

Here's another '83 Camaro bruchure that states 13.3gal / 60.5L!
That's almost a 3 gallon difference from the one you sourced from. Pretty crazy.
http://www.camarosource.ca/new_site/...roch_page6.jpg
Can you provide your brochure documentation? It would be cool to compare, just for curiosities sake.

Reid Fleming

iTrader: (2)

Well this Sunday, I pulled into a car show with low fuel. By the time I got out of the show later I was on the yellow line. Drove on the highway for 15 minutes and was down past the yellow and on the empty line.

The car was running rough on the highway. Jittering back and forth. Like the brakes were sticking on and off. Pulled into a gas station on fumes annnnnnd:

45 litres again. Just a hair under 12 gallons. *throws hands up in the air*
I don't know what to say. I can't imagine driving another 2 gallons like this and then filling up like some of the posters are saying. This was a constant 55 mph on the highway and it was still straining to get the last of the fuel in. It wasn't like I was doing hard cornering and stopping.

Car has had the small tank since brand new. It's always been like this. So I don't think it's that something is blocking anything down there. No sludge.

12 gallons.

DJP87Z28

No matter what amount of gas you put in or think
the size is. IT STILL IS A 15.5 GAS TANK DUMMY.

Randy82WS7

and im sure that the manufacturer didnt count the entire tank including the fille rneck as the actual filling capacity of the tank either

most likely

may be able to put 17 in it but it still rated 15.5

as per manufacturer specs

export probably had different sizes, so it seems

who knows what they had in them

regulations and rules differ country to country


hell in some countries they have to have amber lenses in the rear regardless of the make and model



theres some real funny stuff out there