Somehow you are fitting 17.9 gallons.... into a 16 gallon tank.
Is this a station you regularly use? If so, get a gas can and mark the level where 1/2/3/? gallon has been added. Take that to the station, and fill slowly. Check the mark on the gas can vs the indication on the pump. They should match pretty closely. If they do not match, check the pump for an inspection sticker as most states inspect the pump delivery volume vs the indicated volume.
An old friend had a family owned station. The inspector would come by and inspect one pump, and then get ready to put stickers on all the others. His dad said, "No, inspect them all. I don't want to cheat my customers, but I also don't want to cheat myself."
OTOH, FoMoCo may have been pretty cautious in rating their tank. The Escort was made with an 11 gallon tank. It was made small to get the 'as shipped' weight down for emissions rating purposes as I understand. Sure was not very convenient when traveling US 50 across Nevada. It would make it IF you filled up at the one station on the route near the middle. If you missed it, you would run out of fuel.
tom
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