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Fuel capacity question

Songsay

Active member
Joined
Oct 21, 2010
Messages
43
Location
Anchorage, AK
I did a search but couldnt find any info on the fuel capacity of the Galant.
My owners manual says the tank can hold 16 U.S. gallons, but since I have owned this car about
three weeks now, been able to fill up twice and all I can seem to pump into it is 11 gallons
from complete empty till it wont pump any more.

What are all of everyone elses experience with fuel capacity?
 

Brunoboy

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 25, 2008
Messages
2,880
Location
San Bruno,CA Home of SFO
Ive pumped most 15.1 gallons
 

slugsgomoo

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 16, 2003
Messages
3,776
Location
Tacoma, WA
the gauge isn't entirely accurate. throw a 1 gallon gas can in the car and drive it until it runs out /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/devil.gif
 

jepherz

Staff member
Joined
Aug 8, 2004
Messages
7,877
Location
KC, Missouri
I've maybe put in 12 gallons on a full fill up too. I assume that is just the gauge accuracy as well.
 

slugsgomoo

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 16, 2003
Messages
3,776
Location
Tacoma, WA
for what it's worth i've put in over 13.5 and I still have a feeling I could've gone a lot further. I was just on a cross country trip and couldn't afford the time & hassle of running out of gas in the middle of nowhere /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 

Songsay

Active member
Joined
Oct 21, 2010
Messages
43
Location
Anchorage, AK
So has anyone come to the conclusion of whether its the guage on the dash or the float in the gas tank that causes the discrepency?
 

Whoodoo

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Joined
Jul 11, 2009
Messages
927
Location
Binghamton, NY
Probably both. I've put in just over 15 gallons before, but lately the light is coming on at around 11 or 12. I had tried to figure it out before, but never opened up the tank, so I don't really know. When I do my fuel pump rewire I might try to look into it.
 

misterfixit

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 4, 2004
Messages
1,596
Location
Midlands, UK
65 liter tank on a 2wd, and 60 liter on a 4wd. I've driven mine till the needle is a whole thickness past the lower mark (ghetto spec, felt the warning light burning into my forhead) and managed to get to within 5 litres of the published capacity!

Not recommended as you'll collect all the sh*t out the bottom of the tank.

Rich
 

Songsay

Active member
Joined
Oct 21, 2010
Messages
43
Location
Anchorage, AK
So what are you averaging mileage wise from full tank to gas light comes on?
I am getting 21 miles per gallon city driving from what I can tell is 11 gallons. My odometer read 240 miles when the needle was at the bottom. I didnt want to risk running it further.

If we can all come up with an average, I wont mess with the electronics and just base my fuel capacity on the mileage. If I can safely assume 15 gallons x 21 miles per gallon = 315 +or- 15miles, per tank.
Next fill up, Im going to experiment to see if my assumption is correct.
After that, I will assume the sender unit on the float is grossly inaccurate. Might need to bend the arm or something to adjust it. Assuming the resistors are correct.
 

Brunoboy

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Joined
Apr 25, 2008
Messages
2,880
Location
San Bruno,CA Home of SFO
once i got to 280/300 before the light turned on, after that, it has never happened again.
-Shane
 

DR1665

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 19, 2005
Messages
4,642
Location
Iowa City, IA
Quoting misterfixit:
60 liter on a 4wd.


So 15.9 gallons, then, or 16 gallons as listed wherever. Shame the dummy light comes on just below the halfway mark on the gauge. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/applause.gif

Quoting misterfixit:
Not recommended as you'll collect all the sh*t out the bottom of the tank.


It's been at least a year since I've dicked with a Galant fuel pump assembly, but isn't the whole piece of kit located within a box-type structure raised up off the floor of the tank. A hard right can toss enough fuel to that side of the tank and cause the light to dim in my experience. Still, a few miles of rally stage roads is enough to knock some of that bottom feeder sh*t loose and block a fuel filter!
 

Songsay

Active member
Joined
Oct 21, 2010
Messages
43
Location
Anchorage, AK
My 3000gt is almost 20 years old and I have had the pump in and out of that thing many times, I was surprised by how clean the inside of the fuel tank is.
I do not know what the inside of my fuel tank on the Galant looks like though.
Im assuming we are speaking of rust and perhaps a bad batch of fuel for some as the "stuff" at the bottom of the tank?
 

number3

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 26, 2001
Messages
7,623
Location
KoP, PA
There is a drain plug in the bottom of the tank if you really want to know. (We used this all the time to drain the street fuel out to put in race fuel.)

The light would be on with about 4-5 gallons in the tank.
 

Funny you posted this no matter how much fuel I poured into the galant my needle would never read full all the way to the right? This after filling it so much that fuel runs out(I know) but it was a test, as far as can recall about 15-16 gallons is the max.I thought maybe its just my car but seems everyone has a different input on this. By the way for the last few fill ups the needle now reads full what I do is when the automatic shut off on the pump clicks I wait a few seconds then fill some more do this a couple of times and you can get another 2gallons or so in after the pump clicks.Its a fine line though so be careful you will spill some fuel from time to time so be very careful. As for miles per tankful 270 miles is the best I have gotten but at times from my calculations I average 16-18mpg I would love to get 300+ miles per tank full buy my right foot wont let it happen lol. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rofl.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rofl.gif
 

If you are full after only 11 gallons then
A:your fuel tank was not really empty
B:your gas dummy light is going off prematurely
C:someone put a smaller tank in your vr4 /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif

quote name=Songsay]I did a search but couldnt find any info on the fuel capacity of the Galant.
My owners manual says the tank can hold 16 U.S. gallons, but since I have owned this car about
three weeks now, been able to fill up twice and all I can seem to pump into it is 11 gallons
from complete empty till it wont pump any more.

What are all of everyone elses experience with fuel capacity?

 

Songsay

Active member
Joined
Oct 21, 2010
Messages
43
Location
Anchorage, AK
Blown1, my needle never reads fully to the right either.
Well it sounds to me like its not an isolated problem, not that its really a problem, just a Galant-izm.
Yeah, im guessing the tank was not completly empty each time I filled up.

Thanks for all the input everyone.
 

Songsay, since we are in the same area I get about 21-22 mpg driving to Wasilla and back daily. Most times the light comes on and I fill and it takes about 12 gallons. I have gone as much as 14+ gallons a time or two. But I don't like running out so I have never pushed it. Hope your having fun with the GVR4.
 

2of9

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 29, 2007
Messages
869
Location
IGH, MN
If I remember correctly, I have filled 14.8xx gallons into the car once. Fuel light was on for a while and I seriously thought I wasn't going to make it from school to home.
 

mitsuturbo

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 2, 2008
Messages
3,544
Location
Near Seattle, Washington
Quoting Blown1:
If you are full after only 11 gallons then
A:your fuel tank was not really empty
B:your gas dummy light is going off prematurely
C:someone put a smaller tank in your vr4 /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif



Or the car was jacked up with a floor jack on the tank... i've seen a tank crushed to a much lesser capacity in this manner, on a dsm.
 

Oh one more comment is that when it starts getting cold (teens and below) I drop to around 19 mpg.
 
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