How to pump the gas out of auto gas tank?

My gas tank on my truck must have a small leak. For a couple weeks I always smell gas outside the truck, especially after I drive it. I know how to change it, but I'm looking for ideas how to pump out the gas. I know NOT to use anything that would spark, such as one of those little drill operated pumps, since the brushes in the drill motor spark.

One thought I have, is to disconnect the fuel line at the fuel pump, and just use that (in the tank) fuel pump to pump it out and into gas cans. Basically, remove the fuel filter and clamp a piece of fuel line to the line and insert it in a gas can. Then turn the ignition key to the START position.

Does anyone know if this will work? (Maybe those pumps are meant to shut off if the gas flow is high??? I dont know???)

In the old days, I would have used a siphon, but the old method of sucking it out with one's mouth is NOT an option. I did that when I was young and stupid and got gas in my mouth. I know they sell (or used to sell?) siphon pumps (a rubber squeeze bubble in a hose), but wonder if I can get it into the tank, since modern tanks have that little nozzle flapper in them????

  • Of course I'll let the the gas level get low before I attempt this....

Any other suggestions???

Reply to
Paintedcow
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I had the gas smell in a car once, it turns out is was an old dirty partly clogged fuel filter.

Reply to
FrozenNorth

I got one of these things

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to facilitate oil changes on my generators.

Been meaning to try using it to get some gas out of my F-150's tank....

I'm hoping maybe the hose is narrow enough to get past whatever is in the filler neck that stops siphon hoses.

It would certainly improve the generator fuel-storage situation.

Anybody tried something like this ?

Reply to
(PeteCresswell)

I just replaced the filter last week, because the engine was running rough. That's when I looked for leaking gas around the tank and did not see any noticable leaks. Yet the gas odor continues.

*The rough engine situation was later found to be a bad distributor cap. Besides the dist cap, I replaced the rotor and spark plugs too.
Reply to
Paintedcow

The concept is right.... Air powered is safe, but will it work, and can the hose get into the tank????

Reply to
Paintedcow

Ok, it was worth a shot.

Reply to
FrozenNorth

If you are going to replace the tank, just put a screwdriver through the bottom of the tank and drain into a pan.

Reply to
clare

I've found that small engines generally have an oil drain plug. I'd be using that instead of a suction rig. Gets the oil more completely, drains to the last drop.

Years ago, I saw a picture of some vehicle's anti siphon lock. It's a ball in a cage, and even small hose like this won't do.

Sounds like $46.50 spent on a good idea, but not going to get much use from it. Sorry.

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

I meant to ask about that. My 2000 Toyota doesn't have a flapper. Have they stopped using them or is mine broken?

I know when I changed caps, for the one with the spring-loaded hole in it, so I didn't have to remove the cap to add gas, I got a code. With the original cap, it's air-tight, or something, so maybe they don't need a flapper anymore.

Reply to
Micky

I drove over a chrome strip once, on my way to work, and when I was almost there, I slowed down and smelled something. But since I worked at a steel company, I figured I smelled work.

But a guy pulled up beside me and said gas was running out out of my tank.

So during lunch I borrowed a car and bought a repair kit for holes in gas tanks. The kind with a 4"x4" vinyl envelope that you bend (and thus break the divider inside) and tthen bend back and forth to mix it. It came with some fiberglass cloth. It all comes in a box. The hole was as big as a silver dollar. I put it on after work, but it was so hot out the epoxee hardened before I got it on right. I had to drive home with the leak. I could only hold a gallon or less and could only drive about 4 miles before I had to buy gas. But I still ran out of gas when I was 3/4 of the way home. Had to hitch to a station and back.

I probably took my bicycle to buy another kit, and I put it the freezer for 15 minutes, or some other length of time. That gave me more time to work, plus it was morning and nowhere near as hot out.

Patch worked fine, and was good for 3 years when I took my car to be painted. It leaked when I got it back, and I guess sitting in the paint shop with all those solvents in the air somehow ruined the patch. I still don't understand it, but it didn't seem like a coincidence.

I patched it again with the same product, and strange to say, that patch failed also after 3 years, almost the exact same length of time. So maybe it *was* a coincidence that that's when I had my car painted. Can't you watch the u nderside of the car to see if it's leaking.

Another car, I think I was getting bad gas mileage. I parked across the street to go to the library and I looked back for some reason and saw a wet spot on the pavement. It turned out the gas line was leaking near where it started to go over the left front wheel well.

No easy way to patch it so I used GE silicone. It worked for a couple months at least, but then the car was stolen so I don't know how long it would have lasted.

You don't have to buy something except a plain piece of hose to see if a hose will go down into your tank. If it does, then you can buy a siphon with a built-in pump. They work. You only have to get it started. After that the pump isn't needed. But you need containers suifficient to hold what, 18 gallons of gas??

Reply to
Micky

Per Stormin Mormon:

It's quite useful for my Honda gennies - both for draining fuel from the tanks and pulling oil from the crankcases. Convenience of oil change is not a strong point of Honda generators....

Reply to
(PeteCresswell)

It happens that (PeteCresswell) formulated :

Yep, I pulled the old tank and installed a 10 gallon aluminum tank in the truck bed.

Reply to
Eagle

First thing I'd do is locate the leak. They sell repair kits you can use wet. That is easiest if suitable in your case.

You can buy a siphon pump with a bellows so you don't have to suck on the hose. Problem is, many tanks have a baffle to prevent putting a hose down the filler pipe.

If you are going to replace the tank, get a pan and poke a hole with a screwdriver like the thieves do.

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

I wont know this until I empty it and inspect it. If it's all rusted out, I'll replace it. But if there is just a pin hole, a little JB Weld will fix it.

Reply to
Paintedcow

You must be a REDNECK of your gas tank is in the truck bed!

Unless you have an old truck with a carburetor and mechnical fuel pump on the engine, you have an "in the tank" fuel pump. How did you rig up the fuel pump on a removable tank? Besides the electrical wires to operate the pump, and for the gas gauge, you have a fuel line, return fuel line, and probably a vent line. (Total, 3 lines, at least 3 wires).

Reply to
Paintedcow

On the right track. To run the pump pull its relay from the fuse panel and jumper the correct pins. Got this idea from the service manual. Even happened to have a scrap of wire with crimp on spade connectors that fit the relay connectors.

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Reply to
Fake ID

Think 1968 Chevrolet C-10 truck with a short box. Got the picture? Now, think 632 ci big block, fuel injection, 2 speed auto trans with a

5K rpm converter with a trans brake, narrowed 9" ford pumkin with 16" Hoosiers. Who needs a 20 gallon gas tank behind the seat? :')
Reply to
Eagle

I guess you've never heard of "fraim rail mounted fuel injection pumps"? Commonly available aftermarket/racong part - also very common Bosch OEM part - also used on quite a few earlier Nipponsenso EFI systems, and some Hitachi systems.

Reply to
clare

snipped-for-privacy@unlisted.moc used his keyboard to write :

That would be a temp fix, but you should replace it asap.

Reply to
Eagle

I've repaired gas tanks in the past with JB Weld, and never had it fail. Normally if the tank is still solid, but has surface rust, I will sand off the rust, then coat the rust (or the whole tank) with undercoating, before I reinstall it. If I have to buy a new tank, I'll probably spray it with undercoating too.

Reply to
Paintedcow

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