Hello all, could someone outline the process for draining the fuel tank? Is it a simple process? I’ve done the unthinkable and stuck a few litres of diesel in. I haven’t turned the engine on and am at home so I’m hoping I can fix it relatively easily (and cheaply)..
Technical Drain fuel tank
- Thread starter Bubins
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Technical Drain fuel tank
1) Disconnect Battery
2) Disconnect sender unit wire(s) from tank
3) Remove the feed line from the tank and cap off the outlet port
4) Unbolt and remove the two tank retaining straps and lift the tank out. It's only ~4.5 gallons, so you should be able to get it with one person - worst case get a helper
5) There's a drain plug on the bottom front of the tank. Sit it over a 5gal bucket (or similar). Unbolt the plug and drain.
6) Unbolt the sending unit, lift out and clean.
7) Install is reverse
Don't worry about getting it completely dry. Just get the bulk of the liquid out. A diesel film will be fine and not adversely effect the tank/system.
Above is exactly correct. I just had mine out to repaint it. Easy. If you have the original cavis fuel hose and it has hardened up, you may need to cut it off, but make sure you have enough remaining slack to put it back. For removal or reinstall of the cavis, you can use a hair dryer to soften it right up. (Not a flame, for obvious reasons!)
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Of course. I drained most of mine with a little transfer pump before R&R. There will still be a fair amount you won't be able to get with the siphon and need to 'pencil drain', but it will certainly get the weight down to make removal easier.
Would siphoning out as much as possible and then refilling with petrol be an option do you think? Or would even a little bit of diesel stop the engine running properly..
Get yourself a transfer pump or one of those pump can siphons - Google “topsider pump”. Drain all you can. Then slosh a couple gallons of fresh gas in there and drain again. Then refill. I’d be fully confident after that; any tiny bit of remaining diesel would be so diluted it would have no effect.
the hobbler
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A possibly simpler method is to pressurise the tank and simply let it drain out. I have found that If I have had my engine out, it usually means that I have to disconnect the pipe to the fuel-pump (and aim it into a fuel-proof container) get my small electric tyre-pump out and pressurise the fuel-tank by putting the hose from the air-pump into then tank, and simply sealing the filler neck by holding rag around the air-line. When I can hear the fuel tinkling into the container, I stop the pump, run round to the back of the car and re-fit the fuel hose onto the pump. I have also used this method to empty the tank to a greater degree when I have emptied the tank at the beggining of winter when I know that the car is not going to be used for some months ( to fit new drive-shafts to the gear-box, replace a snapped crankshaft etc, and other normal things!). If when the fuel stops running you fill up the tank with fresh fuel and give it a good run, all should be OK.
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Yes. Considering how crummy new gas gets here in the US I would drain it and clean the filter. It won’t take long at all to do. Disconnect battery, remove fuel line and and wires then remove the straps and drain it. The fuel pickup has a filter “sock” on it that may need to be replaced.
the hobbler
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There are 3 fuel filters in the system---1 on the fuel pick-up, 1 in the top of the pump and a small one in the top of the carb--you do NOT need to fit any more!
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The only “filter” you should need to buy is the sock type inside the fuel tank. The others are serviceable. You shouldn’t need an inline filter, but if you must, place it in the “frunk” just off the fuel tank, never in the engine bay.
Quoting The Hobbler:
"I have also used this method to empty the tank to a greater degree ... at the beginning of winter when I know that the car is not going to be used for some months".
Interesting... I have been doing exactly the opposite, that is, filling the tank full before its winter hibernation in order to minimize any condensation build-up in the tank. I suppose draining it and leaving the cap off could achieve the same aim.
the hobbler
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The 'sock' that Ryan (LiteRye) is talking about is the small tubular filter at the bottom of the fuel-tank level/pickup unit. I have lookedat just about all my contacts, and to be honest, I could not see this filter available as a seperate unit---as far as I can remember, it is bonded onto the fuel pick-up tube. It can, with care, be cleaned out.
Planning to add a fuel filter near the fuel tank. What size hose is that?
