1982 delta 88 gas tank problem
November 3rd, 2010 | 08:38 AM
#1
Thread Starter
80's Olds Club
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 80
From: Chicago
1982 delta 88 gas tank problem
Well my delta 88's gas gauge seems to stick at about a quarter tank when full. I don't know if it's the gas tank itself or maybe a spring in the dash gauge. But the guage does move when i'm running low on gas. So should i get a new oem gas tank? or is there a way to fix the thing that measure the gas amount? thanks in advance 
November 4th, 2010 | 06:19 AM
#3
Registered User
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 14,503
From: southeastern Michigan
I think that's a bit drastic as the first step. Of course, I should talk. I had a car that had a flat tire once. I decided it was too much trouble to change the tire, so I just got a whole new car.
It could be several things, and I'm guessing none of them have to do with the gas tank itself. You first need to check to make sure the dash gauge is working properly, and in all of this, an '82 Olds factory service manual would be invaluable in helping you trace wiring.
First, I would find the wire leading from the tank to the gauge and pull it apart at some point. Usually the wire coming from the tank attaches to the wire coming from the gauge with a connector which you can pull apart without having to cut wires. On my cars (a '73 and a '67), this connector is in the rear of the car near the license plate area. I don't know how things might have changed by 1982, and this is where a manual would help.
Once you disconnect this wire, put the ignition on, and the gauge should immediately go to the Full mark. If it doesn't, there is a problem with the dash gauge itself. If it does go to Full, then ground the wire from the gauge. It should immediately go to Empty. Again, if it does, the gauge is good, and if it doesn't, it needs to be fixed or replaced.
Assuming the gauge is OK, you next need to check gas gauge sending unit in the tank itself. This generally means dropping the tank, although I don't know if this is actually required in your car's case or if the sending unit can be gotten at without dropping the tank. Before actually trying to get at the sending unit, you should first check and make sure that the OTHER wire coming from the sending unit, the ground wire, is actually properly grounded. Again, for my '67 and '73 Oldsmobiles, these ground wires attach to the body near the front of the tank, but I don't know if this is true for an '82. The ground connection can get corroded over time, and a bad ground can always be the source of an electrical problem.
Assuming the ground is OK, it's time to go after the sending unit itself. If you do have to drop the tank, you might as well put a new sending unit in as the one that's in there is nearly 30 years old, and why go through the trouble of dropping the tank more times than you have to.
You don't say which engine you have, but rockauto.com does list fuel tank sending units (which also contain the fuel pickup and vapor return lines in one unit) for several of the '82 Delta 88s depending on which engine you have. I haven't checked with other parts sources, but I'm sure other places have them, perhaps even a local auto parts store. For example, the Autozone website shows availability of fuel tank sending units for your car, but it would have to be ordered at the store. You'd probably have it in a couple of days. Both rockauto and Autozone show prices of around $60 for the unit.
Dropping a fuel tank generally ain't fun, but it isn't as bad as you might expect, either. Once you have the tank off, it's kind of nice to be able to examine it closely for any damage or weak spots and clean it up.
It could be several things, and I'm guessing none of them have to do with the gas tank itself. You first need to check to make sure the dash gauge is working properly, and in all of this, an '82 Olds factory service manual would be invaluable in helping you trace wiring.
First, I would find the wire leading from the tank to the gauge and pull it apart at some point. Usually the wire coming from the tank attaches to the wire coming from the gauge with a connector which you can pull apart without having to cut wires. On my cars (a '73 and a '67), this connector is in the rear of the car near the license plate area. I don't know how things might have changed by 1982, and this is where a manual would help.
Once you disconnect this wire, put the ignition on, and the gauge should immediately go to the Full mark. If it doesn't, there is a problem with the dash gauge itself. If it does go to Full, then ground the wire from the gauge. It should immediately go to Empty. Again, if it does, the gauge is good, and if it doesn't, it needs to be fixed or replaced.
Assuming the gauge is OK, you next need to check gas gauge sending unit in the tank itself. This generally means dropping the tank, although I don't know if this is actually required in your car's case or if the sending unit can be gotten at without dropping the tank. Before actually trying to get at the sending unit, you should first check and make sure that the OTHER wire coming from the sending unit, the ground wire, is actually properly grounded. Again, for my '67 and '73 Oldsmobiles, these ground wires attach to the body near the front of the tank, but I don't know if this is true for an '82. The ground connection can get corroded over time, and a bad ground can always be the source of an electrical problem.
Assuming the ground is OK, it's time to go after the sending unit itself. If you do have to drop the tank, you might as well put a new sending unit in as the one that's in there is nearly 30 years old, and why go through the trouble of dropping the tank more times than you have to.
You don't say which engine you have, but rockauto.com does list fuel tank sending units (which also contain the fuel pickup and vapor return lines in one unit) for several of the '82 Delta 88s depending on which engine you have. I haven't checked with other parts sources, but I'm sure other places have them, perhaps even a local auto parts store. For example, the Autozone website shows availability of fuel tank sending units for your car, but it would have to be ordered at the store. You'd probably have it in a couple of days. Both rockauto and Autozone show prices of around $60 for the unit.
Dropping a fuel tank generally ain't fun, but it isn't as bad as you might expect, either. Once you have the tank off, it's kind of nice to be able to examine it closely for any damage or weak spots and clean it up.
November 4th, 2010 | 12:50 PM
#4
Thread Starter
80's Olds Club
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 80
From: Chicago
November 4th, 2010 | 12:51 PM
#5
Thread Starter
80's Olds Club
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 80
From: Chicago
I think that's a bit drastic as the first step. Of course, I should talk. I had a car that had a flat tire once. I decided it was too much trouble to change the tire, so I just got a whole new car.
It could be several things, and I'm guessing none of them have to do with the gas tank itself. You first need to check to make sure the dash gauge is working properly, and in all of this, an '82 Olds factory service manual would be invaluable in helping you trace wiring.
First, I would find the wire leading from the tank to the gauge and pull it apart at some point. Usually the wire coming from the tank attaches to the wire coming from the gauge with a connector which you can pull apart without having to cut wires. On my cars (a '73 and a '67), this connector is in the rear of the car near the license plate area. I don't know how things might have changed by 1982, and this is where a manual would help.
Once you disconnect this wire, put the ignition on, and the gauge should immediately go to the Full mark. If it doesn't, there is a problem with the dash gauge itself. If it does go to Full, then ground the wire from the gauge. It should immediately go to Empty. Again, if it does, the gauge is good, and if it doesn't, it needs to be fixed or replaced.
Assuming the gauge is OK, you next need to check gas gauge sending unit in the tank itself. This generally means dropping the tank, although I don't know if this is actually required in your car's case or if the sending unit can be gotten at without dropping the tank. Before actually trying to get at the sending unit, you should first check and make sure that the OTHER wire coming from the sending unit, the ground wire, is actually properly grounded. Again, for my '67 and '73 Oldsmobiles, these ground wires attach to the body near the front of the tank, but I don't know if this is true for an '82. The ground connection can get corroded over time, and a bad ground can always be the source of an electrical problem.
Assuming the ground is OK, it's time to go after the sending unit itself. If you do have to drop the tank, you might as well put a new sending unit in as the one that's in there is nearly 30 years old, and why go through the trouble of dropping the tank more times than you have to.
You don't say which engine you have, but rockauto.com does list fuel tank sending units (which also contain the fuel pickup and vapor return lines in one unit) for several of the '82 Delta 88s depending on which engine you have. I haven't checked with other parts sources, but I'm sure other places have them, perhaps even a local auto parts store. For example, the Autozone website shows availability of fuel tank sending units for your car, but it would have to be ordered at the store. You'd probably have it in a couple of days. Both rockauto and Autozone show prices of around $60 for the unit.
Dropping a fuel tank generally ain't fun, but it isn't as bad as you might expect, either. Once you have the tank off, it's kind of nice to be able to examine it closely for any damage or weak spots and clean it up.
It could be several things, and I'm guessing none of them have to do with the gas tank itself. You first need to check to make sure the dash gauge is working properly, and in all of this, an '82 Olds factory service manual would be invaluable in helping you trace wiring.
First, I would find the wire leading from the tank to the gauge and pull it apart at some point. Usually the wire coming from the tank attaches to the wire coming from the gauge with a connector which you can pull apart without having to cut wires. On my cars (a '73 and a '67), this connector is in the rear of the car near the license plate area. I don't know how things might have changed by 1982, and this is where a manual would help.
Once you disconnect this wire, put the ignition on, and the gauge should immediately go to the Full mark. If it doesn't, there is a problem with the dash gauge itself. If it does go to Full, then ground the wire from the gauge. It should immediately go to Empty. Again, if it does, the gauge is good, and if it doesn't, it needs to be fixed or replaced.
Assuming the gauge is OK, you next need to check gas gauge sending unit in the tank itself. This generally means dropping the tank, although I don't know if this is actually required in your car's case or if the sending unit can be gotten at without dropping the tank. Before actually trying to get at the sending unit, you should first check and make sure that the OTHER wire coming from the sending unit, the ground wire, is actually properly grounded. Again, for my '67 and '73 Oldsmobiles, these ground wires attach to the body near the front of the tank, but I don't know if this is true for an '82. The ground connection can get corroded over time, and a bad ground can always be the source of an electrical problem.
Assuming the ground is OK, it's time to go after the sending unit itself. If you do have to drop the tank, you might as well put a new sending unit in as the one that's in there is nearly 30 years old, and why go through the trouble of dropping the tank more times than you have to.
You don't say which engine you have, but rockauto.com does list fuel tank sending units (which also contain the fuel pickup and vapor return lines in one unit) for several of the '82 Delta 88s depending on which engine you have. I haven't checked with other parts sources, but I'm sure other places have them, perhaps even a local auto parts store. For example, the Autozone website shows availability of fuel tank sending units for your car, but it would have to be ordered at the store. You'd probably have it in a couple of days. Both rockauto and Autozone show prices of around $60 for the unit.
Dropping a fuel tank generally ain't fun, but it isn't as bad as you might expect, either. Once you have the tank off, it's kind of nice to be able to examine it closely for any damage or weak spots and clean it up.
November 4th, 2010 | 02:21 PM
#6
Registered User
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 14,503
From: southeastern Michigan
Well, the needle moving around a bit as you go around corners, especially when the fuel level is low, is more or less normal behavior. Doesn't really help us pinpoint the problem.
November 4th, 2010 | 02:28 PM
#7
Registered User
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 14,503
From: southeastern Michigan
Well, you didn't have to quote my entire message just to tell us that!
All this will help us with is whether or not rockauto or wherever has a fuel tank sending unit for you. You still need to get down there and start troubleshooting the problem.
Rockauto does show availability of a new fuel gauge sending unit for your car with the 307 V-8 for about $50 or $60. But you don't want to buy this until you've determined that you need to remove the tank.
If I had to take a wild guess, I would say that your problem likely is in the sending unit. There is a float on a lever that moves up and down as the fuel level in the tank changes, and it's connected to a variable resistor. It's likely that this has become corroded or worn out or whatever over the years, and you need a new one.
But check the wiring first because it's easier and it could be the problem. Time now to get out the tools, roll up your sleeves, and get at it. Let us know how it goes.
All this will help us with is whether or not rockauto or wherever has a fuel tank sending unit for you. You still need to get down there and start troubleshooting the problem.
Rockauto does show availability of a new fuel gauge sending unit for your car with the 307 V-8 for about $50 or $60. But you don't want to buy this until you've determined that you need to remove the tank.
If I had to take a wild guess, I would say that your problem likely is in the sending unit. There is a float on a lever that moves up and down as the fuel level in the tank changes, and it's connected to a variable resistor. It's likely that this has become corroded or worn out or whatever over the years, and you need a new one.
But check the wiring first because it's easier and it could be the problem. Time now to get out the tools, roll up your sleeves, and get at it. Let us know how it goes.
November 8th, 2010 | 08:23 AM
#8
Registered User
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 222
From: Charleston, SC
It sounds like you may just have a sender issue. After all, it's almost 30 y/o.
I had a very similar problem, it turned out that since my car had sat for so long without moving, the tank rusted heavily. That rust was also shared on the sending unit's metal parts. The crude would cause it to bind from time to time...
My solution was to replace the tank and sending unit. However, if your tank is not trash like mine was, a new sending unit might just fix ya right up. Before you buy on, check the wires and connections, make sure everything is tight, clean, and not damaged.
I had a very similar problem, it turned out that since my car had sat for so long without moving, the tank rusted heavily. That rust was also shared on the sending unit's metal parts. The crude would cause it to bind from time to time...
My solution was to replace the tank and sending unit. However, if your tank is not trash like mine was, a new sending unit might just fix ya right up. Before you buy on, check the wires and connections, make sure everything is tight, clean, and not damaged.
November 10th, 2010 | 08:18 AM
#9
Thread Starter
80's Olds Club
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 80
From: Chicago
Thanks for the input guys i'm going to get right on it as soon as i have some consecutive days off of work. the reason i havent gotten to it yet is because i was busy doing this ====> https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums...t-results.html
and i thought about it right now since i was under my car i could've looked at the gas tank and tested the wiring
and i thought about it right now since i was under my car i could've looked at the gas tank and tested the wiring
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