18 gallon tank in 1LE?
#1
On Probation
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2017
Location: Holly Spring NC
Posts: 353
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Car: 1987 IROC-Z Camaro
Engine: 305 TPI
Transmission: T-5 5 Speed
18 gallon tank in 1LE?
Hey guys...so I personally from reading older post on here believe I know the answer to this question...but a friend of mine who use to own a 1LE says that his had an 18 gallon gas tank...he said that he even filled it up once and the the gas pump said 17.5 gallons and has a receipt to prove it...if u notice the pic it says specific fuel tank with high wall reseior??? Which he claims is the meaning of a larger fuel tank...his car was a 89 I believe GTA...have to double check on that one
#2
On Probation
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2017
Location: Holly Spring NC
Posts: 353
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Car: 1987 IROC-Z Camaro
Engine: 305 TPI
Transmission: T-5 5 Speed
Re: 18 gallon tank in 1LE?
Hey guys...so I personally from reading older post on here believe I know the answer to this question...but a friend of mine who use to own a 1LE says that his had an 18 gallon gas tank...he said that he even filled it up once and the the gas pump said 17.5 gallons and has a receipt to prove it...if u notice the pic it says specific fuel tank with high wall reseior??? Which he claims is the meaning of a larger fuel tank...his car was a 89 I believe GTA...have to double check on that one
#3
Supreme Member
iTrader: (58)
Re: 18 gallon tank in 1LE?
Hawg wash. It never existed. The high wall reservoir is just the plastic tub the fuel pump sits in. Below 1/4 tank of fuel in a thirdgen without the "1LE tank" the pump will starve for fuel as it sloshes around the tank. So they added the larger tub and baffling, the "dual" pickup (actually just a longer filter sock), so that the fuel stays around the pump near the end of the tank.
What happens is you get an excited nitwit writing an article for a magazine, and an excited GM engineer raving about the special project they worked on, and a comment about a "reservoir" designed to suck every drop of full out of the tank under cornering, gets understood as a 2 gallon "reserve" and some ***-clown adds 2 gallons onto the 16 gallon tank.
You can seriously trace myths like the 18 gallon 1LE tank back to the magazines and how the articles are worded. It basically comes down to miscommunication, misinterpretation.
FWIW EVERY MPFI thirdgen in 1991-1992 got the baffled tank and 1LE spec internals, even the 3.1L Firebird I'm rebuilding.
What happens is you get an excited nitwit writing an article for a magazine, and an excited GM engineer raving about the special project they worked on, and a comment about a "reservoir" designed to suck every drop of full out of the tank under cornering, gets understood as a 2 gallon "reserve" and some ***-clown adds 2 gallons onto the 16 gallon tank.
You can seriously trace myths like the 18 gallon 1LE tank back to the magazines and how the articles are worded. It basically comes down to miscommunication, misinterpretation.
FWIW EVERY MPFI thirdgen in 1991-1992 got the baffled tank and 1LE spec internals, even the 3.1L Firebird I'm rebuilding.
#4
Supreme Member
Join Date: Jul 1999
Location: Alberta, Canada
Posts: 1,455
Likes: 0
Received 57 Likes
on
31 Posts
Car: 1989 Camaro-1LE
Engine: TPI(s)
Transmission: 5 speed (MM5, MK6)
Axle/Gears: 3.45, 3.73
Re: 18 gallon tank in 1LE?
Lots of pics here of the pump and pickup.
https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/hist...nk-1989-a.html
If you search, you can find pics on the different baffles over the years. Early TPI cars had a low multi-wall one. Later had the high wall one. (some seemed to have none).
But no real 18 gallon tank ... just access to more fuel in the existing tank.
Now add the Imperial to US Gallon conversion and you get another source of the 18 gallon tank!
Mark.
https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/hist...nk-1989-a.html
If you search, you can find pics on the different baffles over the years. Early TPI cars had a low multi-wall one. Later had the high wall one. (some seemed to have none).
But no real 18 gallon tank ... just access to more fuel in the existing tank.
Now add the Imperial to US Gallon conversion and you get another source of the 18 gallon tank!
Mark.
#5
Senior Member
Re: 18 gallon tank in 1LE?
It's already a tight fit back there I don't even know where a larger tank would fit in our cars.
#6
On Probation
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2017
Location: Holly Spring NC
Posts: 353
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Car: 1987 IROC-Z Camaro
Engine: 305 TPI
Transmission: T-5 5 Speed
Re: 18 gallon tank in 1LE?
Lots of pics here of the pump and pickup.
https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/hist...nk-1989-a.html
If you search, you can find pics on the different baffles over the years. Early TPI cars had a low multi-wall one. Later had the high wall one. (some seemed to have none).
But no real 18 gallon tank ... just access to more fuel in the existing tank.
Now add the Imperial to US Gallon conversion and you get another source of the 18 gallon tank!
Mark.
https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/hist...nk-1989-a.html
If you search, you can find pics on the different baffles over the years. Early TPI cars had a low multi-wall one. Later had the high wall one. (some seemed to have none).
But no real 18 gallon tank ... just access to more fuel in the existing tank.
Now add the Imperial to US Gallon conversion and you get another source of the 18 gallon tank!
Mark.
Trending Topics
#8
On Probation
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2017
Location: Holly Spring NC
Posts: 353
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Car: 1987 IROC-Z Camaro
Engine: 305 TPI
Transmission: T-5 5 Speed
Re: 18 gallon tank in 1LE?
Wait a minute...help me out...ur saying that a GTA could not have a 1LE package huh??? Can u elebrote more...so his was what other than a GTA....what did they call them in the players series...just trans ams...
#9
Supreme Member
Join Date: Jul 1999
Location: Alberta, Canada
Posts: 1,455
Likes: 0
Received 57 Likes
on
31 Posts
Car: 1989 Camaro-1LE
Engine: TPI(s)
Transmission: 5 speed (MM5, MK6)
Axle/Gears: 3.45, 3.73
Re: 18 gallon tank in 1LE?
Info Sharing ... Take note of fuel tank part numbers and capacity over the years, and then the standard number from 89-on.
Last edited by Mark_ZZ3; 09-17-2017 at 11:24 AM.
#11
Supreme Member
Join Date: Jul 1999
Location: Alberta, Canada
Posts: 1,455
Likes: 0
Received 57 Likes
on
31 Posts
Car: 1989 Camaro-1LE
Engine: TPI(s)
Transmission: 5 speed (MM5, MK6)
Axle/Gears: 3.45, 3.73
Re: 18 gallon tank in 1LE?
And for pump. (My pump from a genuine 1LE appears to be no different than other pumps. Part number does not show any unique parts thus far)
#12
Supreme Member
iTrader: (2)
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Houston, TX
Posts: 2,118
Likes: 0
Received 14 Likes
on
11 Posts
Car: 1989 GTA
Engine: SuperRam 350
Transmission: Pro Built S/S TH700R4
Axle/Gears: 3.27
Re: 18 gallon tank in 1LE?
Fuel tank capacity seems to be a strange one. The 4th gens came with the same 15.5 gallon capacity that our cars came with. But most 4th gen people have no problem getting 13-14 gallons in every time.
My 89 GTA seems to be 12 gallons to fill from empty to full. I'm talking fuel pump humming, gas gauge on E all the way to full. The most I've gotten in was 13.2 gallons. And that was dire low fuel. I recall somebody on TGO running out of gas and only getting 13.x gallons in the tank after.
Yet I've seen another 89 GTA show me a receipt for 16.1 gallons on the way to the car show. And he mentioned he never has any problem getting 14 gallons in.
Officially both cars are 15.5 gallons. When I got a new fuel pump, I put the 1LE fuel sock in there. (Just a double wide sock, costs about $3 more than the standard sock). Capacity still is the same at the gas pump.
Despite this, I have no basis to believe that 1LE came with any larger size tanks than stock. They just had the walls to keep the fuel from flopping around in there. As for 1991-92 cars all being 1LE tanks with walls. Some are, some aren't. There is no rhyme or reason for it.
My 89 GTA seems to be 12 gallons to fill from empty to full. I'm talking fuel pump humming, gas gauge on E all the way to full. The most I've gotten in was 13.2 gallons. And that was dire low fuel. I recall somebody on TGO running out of gas and only getting 13.x gallons in the tank after.
Yet I've seen another 89 GTA show me a receipt for 16.1 gallons on the way to the car show. And he mentioned he never has any problem getting 14 gallons in.
Officially both cars are 15.5 gallons. When I got a new fuel pump, I put the 1LE fuel sock in there. (Just a double wide sock, costs about $3 more than the standard sock). Capacity still is the same at the gas pump.
Despite this, I have no basis to believe that 1LE came with any larger size tanks than stock. They just had the walls to keep the fuel from flopping around in there. As for 1991-92 cars all being 1LE tanks with walls. Some are, some aren't. There is no rhyme or reason for it.
#13
Senior Member
Re: 18 gallon tank in 1LE?
I would believe there was .5 left in the tank. This was filling up my 91 T/A L98 one night. BTW sorry about the pics, not sure why the forum post them at a 90 degree angle.
#14
Supreme Member
Join Date: Jul 1999
Location: Alberta, Canada
Posts: 1,455
Likes: 0
Received 57 Likes
on
31 Posts
Car: 1989 Camaro-1LE
Engine: TPI(s)
Transmission: 5 speed (MM5, MK6)
Axle/Gears: 3.45, 3.73
Re: 18 gallon tank in 1LE?
2.8 MPFI engine Camaro (1985 I believe). same reservoir as my 1988 A4U car.
1LE High wall reservoir. From my 1989 1LE car.