New gas tank situation. (Page 1/2)
ketstang OCT 18, 05:39 PM
Working on my brother's 87 GT that had been sitting for about ten years. The gas tank was rusted like swiss cheese so I started my search for a replacement. At that time I couldn't find one online unless I wanted to pay $500 to get one shipped from CA.

I started calling local salvage yards and after about 50 calls I got a woman who said they may have a new one that someone had left in a Fiero they sold for scrap. She went and checked and it was still there and they wanted $75 for it. I immediately drove there and got it. It had 87-88 Fiero written on the outside. I was so happy!

Fast forward to today, after struggling for a while with the idling problem (that many of you helped me figure out, thanks) I decided to find out why the brand new sending unit I bought from the Fiero Store wasn't reading correctly. I remembered when I first put gas in the new tank it was reading 3/4 full. Over time it never seemed to drop and I really wasn't driving it just working on the idle problem. I topped of the tank last week and the gauge went to full so I was happy to see the gauge moving. But then I drove every day last week and the gauge dropped to 3/4 and stayed there. I followed the directions that came with the sending unit about being careful about the float hitting the side of the tank.

I decided to drop the tank today and investigate. I had compared the FS sending unit to the one I removed and they looked the same. I started digging deeper and noticed something different about the new tank. The baffle, which is steel on the new one is located closer to the sending unit hole by a lot. The distance from the center of the sending unit to the baffle on the old tank is approx. 6 inches, but the new one is only 3 inches. So when I installed the sending unit in the new tank the float arm is sitting on top of the baffle wall, hence the 3/4 full reading and never dropping.

One picture is old tank with plastic baffle, the other is the new tank. The red stuff is sealer I put in the new tank.

Has anyone ever seen this before. I have no idea who made the tank, there is no stamping or labels, but externally it matches the original tank exactly.

I'm trying to think of solutions now to fix this tank so I can utilize the sending unit functionality. So far my only idea is to cut two slits in the baffle and bend it back so the float will have room to travel up and down freely. My concern is how to cut the steel without creating a spark. Is draining and airing out the tank for a week good enough.
Patrick OCT 18, 06:30 PM

quote
Originally posted by ketstang:

I'm trying to think of solutions now to fix this tank so I can utilize the sending unit functionality. So far my only idea is to cut two slits in the baffle and bend it back so the float will have room to travel up and down freely. My concern is how to cut the steel without creating a spark.



Is cutting the tank a simpler solution than modifying the sender/float?
fieroguru OCT 18, 07:38 PM
Here is one solution. I did the same to mine prior to install.

https://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum2/HTML/143901.html
theogre OCT 18, 09:58 PM
bending the float rod is safer in other ways...

Mod'ed the baffle can make it weak & break later.
Even slotting it wrong can make the car "run out of gas" going down or up a hill.

Any time you run out & let pump to run dry, the pump Hates this & damage done adds up until it fails.

------------------
Dr. Ian Malcolm: Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should.
(Jurassic Park)

The Ogre's Fiero Cave

Vintage-Nut OCT 18, 10:16 PM

quote
Originally posted by ketstang:
after struggling for a while with the idling problem (that many of you helped me figure out, thanks)



Hey ketstang,

I asked in the end of the 'smoke test' thread if you got your high idle problem solved but I didn't get the 'memo.'

Smoke test help by ketstang (09-20-2023)
https://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum2/HTML/147204.html

Can you please 'close the loop' in this thread on your high idle problem?

Thanks!
VN

------------------
Original Owner of a Silver '88 GT
Under 'Production Refurbishment' @ 136k Miles

PhatMax OCT 18, 10:29 PM
I used Rodney’s tank . A little more capacity but boy was it a tight fit for the sending unit locking ring and putting it in the car. Very impressed with the overall quality.
ketstang OCT 19, 10:43 AM
Sorry, I have added a closure post to that thread.


quote
Originally posted by Vintage-Nut:


Hey ketstang,

I asked in the end of the 'smoke test' thread if you got your high idle problem solved but I didn't get the 'memo.'

Smoke test help by ketstang (09-20-2023)
https://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum2/HTML/147204.html

Can you please 'close the loop' in this thread on your high idle problem?

Thanks!
VN
ketstang OCT 19, 02:32 PM
I'm afraid my original post didn't do a good job explaining my situation. Bending the float rod isn't an option to fix this. I'm not having any issues with the float rubbing the sides of the tank. I went out to the shop and took some new pictures. The distance from the centerline of the sending unit forward to the steel baffle plate is about 3 inches so the float cannot swing out away from the pump.

I'm trying to show that if I install the sending unit into the tank with the float hanging free (empty state) the float is about 1/2 inch behind the steel baffle plate (see pic). Red line is on the baffle plate, blue box is the float, pump is to the right of the float.

Other picture, if I lift the float up (full tank state) when installing the sending unit, the float rod will sit on top of the steel baffle plate which is why the gauge reads 3/4 tank immediately. The red line is on the baffle plate, blue ellipse is the end of the float, you can see the silver float rod.

[This message has been edited by ketstang (edited 10-19-2023).]

theogre OCT 20, 12:06 PM
RD Tank? http://rodneydickman.com/pr....php?products_id=551 W/ better pic showing steel baffle.
Did you Read the page?


quote
NOTE: Some have told me the sending unit the Fiero Store sells may not fit as it should. The float hits the baffle tank. If you are using a Fiero Store unit you may have to bend the arm some so it does not hit the baffle.



If think can't make TFS unit work then return before you bent it & buy RD sender.
PhatMax OCT 20, 04:35 PM
FWIW the Rodney tank did not need to sealed. It was coated on the inside. I used the orig sending unit.