My 1980 Fiat Spider refuses to use more than The first three or four gallons of it's gas tank. It will not start if it is less thin two thirds full. I can't figure out what is causing it, any suggestions?
My 1980 Fiat Spider refuses to use more than The first three or four gallons of it's gas tank. It will not start if it is less thin two thirds full. I can't figure out what is causing it, any suggestions?
Hole/crack in the pickup tube inside the tank.
That is what I think, people were telling me fuel pump, but I don't think it would run as well/consistently if it was the fuel pump.
Carb or fuel injected? Could be either that year. That is a weird one for sure. The fuel sending unit/pickup is pretty easy to do and not real expensive so it may be worth starting with that.
eary 80s were carbed.. late 80s were injected. Fuel pump on the carbed cars is on the block, run by the jackshaft. If it pumps fuel for the first several gallons.. it works fine.
I would pull the puckup/fuel level sender out of the tank. It is held in with 6 or 8 teeny tiny nuts and has both the float and the fuel pickup tube.
Unfortunately, I have not dealt with the fuel injected versions.. but again, I would think it is a broken or rusted pickup tube.
Wacky fuel gauge? 
the tank on the spider is whacky anyway. The top half holds about 2 or 3 gallons and the rest us under the trunk floor. This means you go through the first half a tank on the trip home from the gas station and then it takes forever to get to empty
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