How much gas does this thing hold?

I was told the tank holds about 21 USG but the light flickers when it feels like it and that the basic rule is once it is on solidly you have 50 miles - do not take this as gospel until you have double checked it however !

 

(Said in truth and humor) Well, that all depends if you are taking a hard right or a hard left turn at the track when the light comes on. If it is a hard right and coming on, you better gas up soon. If it is a hard left and the light just flickers on you got about a 1/4 tank+.

Ok, smarta$$ mode off. These are hand built cars and i have a feeling the 'basic' assessment is that at a stop light if the light just starts coming on you have about 1/8th a tank (50 miles or so is a good guess as greyboxer mentioned).

 

In search of a more dependable fuel gauge reading, I replaced the sending unit. No difference. When full, my guage reads above "F." Any motion up, down, left or right can cause swings of as much as 1/2 tank. My odometer is my gas guage. I also use it as a diagnostic tool, calculating mpg each time I fill up. I get between 14 and 16 mpg with a mix of freeway and "spirited" driving. I generally gas up at around 200 miles, which ends up being a little more than once a month

 

Same here. I reset my trip odometer on the 328 when I fill the 20-gallon tank. I don't let it get much below 1/3 tank and I try to add 10 gallons so it's not too full.

The gauge fluctuates too much, dakharris said, to inspire much confidence.

 

My experience with my ’83 QV is similar. Owner’s manual says the tank holds 18.5 gallons; the warning light starts to flicker with around 5 or 6 left, except with hard cornering, when it may flicker almost anytime. I’m getting around 13 or 14 mpg. Using the odometer to double-check when it’s time to fill up gives some extra peace of mind.

When I bought the car the gauge would register empty when it was half full, due to a bad tank sender. See http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=86985 for details.

 

My 89 328 holds 18 gallons---2-- 9 gallon tanks!

 

John, Is that 18.5 Imperial Gallons? = 22.2 US gallons.

 

Mike:
The manual says 18.5 “U.S. Gallon” or 70 “Litri”. At around 3.79 liters per U.S. gallon, 18.5 gallons = 70 liters so it seems correct (or at least consistent). It also says the reserve is 4 U.S. gallons or 15 litri. I’ve never run it to empty so don’t know the actual capacity.

 

my gauge needle doesn't function but the lite does. to be safe i put 20 or 30 in whenever i go for a drive and i keep a gallon plastic can in the trunk, an old habit from my vw days.

 

FYI, I had a failure in the wire behind the dash for the gauge. Spliced in a new wire where it passed near the fuse box, then ran that to the back of the IP. It was a surprising diagnosis!

 

I think this right. My Jeep holds 20 and I might have been confusing the capacities.

 

Maybe none of my business, but I’d reconsider this idea. Gas tanks are at least theoretically designed to maintain integrity in a crash; gas cans in the trunk are not. A gallon of gas going up in a fireball can kill you.

 

not only kill me but it would ruin my new paint job. don't worry it's empty. i keep it because they won't let you fill your pockets to carry gas back to the car. don xvi...po had dash recovered so there's probably a wire pinched somewhere in there.