Len;
I had this same thing happen to my tank. The root cause was that one of the
two venting restrictors (there was one back at the tank & one up by the
carbon canisters) had become plugged. The suction of the fuel pump
eventually collapsed the tank down to about 5 gallons. I took mine to a
shop that fixes radiators and gas tanks and they fixed it up good as new.
Now I don't have to drive the car with the gas filler cap open to vent the
tank. :-)
Reid
'79 Spitfire (original owner)
-----Original Message-----
From: L&B Lubbers [mailto:lubbers@sympatico.ca]
Sent: Tuesday, August 22, 2000 6:06 PM
To: Spitfire (E-mail)
Subject: Puckered gas tank
Hi all
I sputtered and coasted to a gas station after only 195 kms the other day. I
thought: great, now I have a bench mark. However, today I ran out of gas
after only 158 kms (98 mi.). What? I thought the tank was 45 litres (10 imp.
gal.) but both times I have filled up when supposedly empty, the tank only
takes 25-28 litres (5.5 - 6.2 gal).
The fool gauge shows either 3/4 full when full or 1/4 when empty. So I
presume something might be wrong with the sender in the tank.
Here's the twist and the reason for the subject line. My tank looks like a
drink box after my thirsty toddler has taken a few swigs. The bottom appears
(from the front or rear) to be sucked up toward the top by a one to two
inches. The front and back are puckered in to match.
I would like to have a 45 litre tank like the rest of you. If I have to stop
for gas after 2 hours of driving, I might as well go back to a bike. It has
similar fun to drive and seating quotients.
Has this happened to anyone? Is this a signal that the tank is not
ventilating as it should? Lastly, can the tank be repaired. I would hope the
tank can be bellowed out to its normal proportions, without causing the
abnormal creases to leak.
Len Lubbers
Ottawa, Ontario
'79 Spitfire
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