Gas tank capacity

[El Camino W]

I have an 84 elky, anyone know what size gas tank it has? I ran outta gas yesterday and carry a 1 gallon can with me full of gas. I put that gallon in and then put 15.5 gallons in when I got to the gas station a block later. I know there was an optional larger tank... don't think mine has it judging from yesterday's situation.

Also my gas gauge only reads 3/4 full when the tank is totally full. I checked the ground and it seems to be good... could it be a gas-logged float? I bought it a month ago and it seems like the previous owner changed the sending unit (it has a new label with a "2008" on the ground wire out of the tank). I am willing to drop the tank, especially because it smells of gas and the gasket is probably bad or installed improperly. What tools are required to do this, I've done it before, but I don't remember and I'm in Florida with limited tools. I can see the two bolts that hold the straps... what else besides that?

THANKS.

['81ELKYSS]

I dont know if its the same for all gbody el caminos but mine has the 18 gallon tank and there was an optional 21 gallon tank.. My fuel gauge is completely off too.. Mine says it full right now even though there is only about a quarter tank in there.

One of the easiest ways to go about finding how much your gas tank hold is drive it till your vary low. Then go to a gas station and fill up your EL Camino all the way until the pump stops. Then that will give you an estimate on how much your EL Camino can hold.

[darbysan]

I think they came standard with 17 gal tanks. There was an optional 22 gal tank. I think this started with the FI cars, like 86 or 87. The tank is exactly the same size- the difference is where the filler pipe attaches to the tank ( higher in the 22 gal job). Note: I bought a new 22 gal tank, and as others on here have mentioned, it is a bear to get full. I think the filler pipe is sitting at an uphill angle at the tank, not allowing the gas to run in properly. Think about it before you go this route!

To remove the tank, you will need to remove the two bolts at the front of the tank (15 mm deep socket). A jack ( unless you can bench press 300 lbs) is also needed. Otherwise, it will drop down pretty easily. Can't temember, but I think the fuel lines are atached to the frame rails above the axle, and will have to be released as well. To remove the sender, most people recommend a brass drift/punch, to prevent sparks. Sender should read 0-90 ohms through full travel. If it's new, then it might be getting stuck inside the tank. If your tank is empty when you remove it, you can try turning it over while measuring the ohms. Gasket is a little finicky to install. Newer ones have a tab to keep them in place, available from your local chevy dealer for $12. You can also try some vaseline to lube it and the sender prior to installation.

[ELCaminoGuy2]

Hey Ernie that (17.7 gallon as the owners manual shows) or (17.6 as the shop manual shows) was on the V6 right?

Both the owners manual and the shop manual agree on the base V8 that it is 18.1 gallon with the optional tank being a 22 gallon.

Anyway not that much difference between the V6 and the base V8 tank surely GM did not make two different tanks that close together the 17.7 or 17.6 gallon tank was the same tank as the 18.1 gallon with just a different way of measuring maybe?

['81ELKYSS]

If I was near my car I could go out and look, I was just guessing, mine has the original 81 owners manual and I remember reading in there one day thought it was around 18 21, either way it seems that its somewhere in that area.

[87ElCamino]

My data comes from the Chevrolet Truck Data Book. It is a dealer only book that covers all light duty truck models. There was one book for each model year. All of the 78-87 books state 17.7 gallons as standard and 22 gallons as optional. There was no difference between V6 and V8 tanks. I believe there was a slightly different tank in 83-84 for the diesels. When FI started in 85 there were baffles added to the tank.