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how to siphon fuel?

funvtec

funvtec

NAXJA Forum User
Location
oak creek, WI
well i just dropped 56 bucks into the tank and as i'm walking back to the Jeep i notice a little puddle under the tank. sure shit i now have a fairly bad gas leak. i was thinking i just topped it off to far, i put 14.587 gallons in and my gas light wasn't on yet. but upon arriving home i crawled under to see if mabye its just a leak from the top ( hardly ever fill it all the way up) and it seems to be a leak from the drivers side bottom. can't see to much with the plastic cover on it. i believe this has been leaking for some time because i can see spots from where i park. it is leaking about 1 drip every second and i would like to get this fixed before something blows up or i waste all my money.


i'm confident i can drop the tank and do all the work no problem, except the J bolts are prolly gonna break. ( where to get new ones????) but i'm unsure of how i can get all the gas out, i mean lets estimate and say there is 16-17 gallons in there now. its gonna be very heavy and dangerous to muscle around.


whats a good way to siphon?


88 4.0 4x4
 
Go rent the movie "Lethal Weapon III" and watch how Riggs does it. Garden hose (or similar hose) is all you should need. For that much gas, you'll need a pretty big container though.

Stick the hose all the way down in the tank and start sucking. Or, you can get one of those handy little pumps at VatoZone and do it that way.
 
JNickel101 said:
Go rent the movie "Lethal Weapon III" and watch how Riggs does it. Garden hose (or similar hose) is all you should need. For that much gas, you'll need a pretty big container though.

Stick the hose all the way down in the tank and start sucking. Or, you can get one of those handy little pumps at VatoZone and do it that way.
Click to expand...


yeah thats the only way i know how to do it, was hoping there was another way
 
releive fuel pressure at maniold, disconect line at fuel filter, get a couple gas cans, disconnect your starter, "start" your jeep... the fuel pump will pump out the gas... might take a while but when i had to drop my tank i coulgnt get a line down far enough to get all the fuel to siphon it out... finger gets tired after a while...
 
Using the fuel pump, if you can do it, is a bit nicer than siphoning, because you have good control. If you have time, you can even make a temporary connection to the fuel pump to run it continuously, and run an extension hose out so that you don't have to be under the car as you fill the cans.

Most modern tanks have at least a rudimentary bit of hardware in the fillers to make siphoning difficult, and of course if you get it wrong, you get a mouthful of gas.

When (not if) you break the J bolts for the tank hangers, you have several options. One of the easiest is to make new ones out of threaded rod. If you can weld, you can also simply weld new stubs on to the sheared off ones, thus preserving the heads (3/8 coarse thread). Finally, if you have access to enough junkers, check out the bolts that hold the spare tire on an XJ. The same, head, bent and maybe a little shorter. The tank bolts are extra long to make reinstallation easier, but you could probably use the shorter ones if you jack the tank up tight enough first.
 
You cannot use a hose as there should be a roll-over valve in the filler tube. Usually a captured plastic ball that will seal up if the tank is upside down. Ususally a hose (unless it's 1/4 inch) will not pass through the area.

You will need to releve the fuel pressure at the fuel rail, remove the fuel rail valve core at the nipple and attach a hose with a clamp to the de-cored nipple. Not sure if the pump on your year keeps running with the key "ON" for longer than 2 seconds. Depends on the ECU. If it doesn't stay on, then locate the fuel pump relay and bypass the contacts with a wire from the battery direct to the pump contact at the socket.

Should be able to totally drain the tank in about 20-30 minutes this way if it's full.
 
get a concrete mixing tub place it under the tank area and release the locking ring. I had no choice but to do it that way a couple of months back becuse my gasket went bad. Really its not that bad to disconecnt the fuel pump lines and wires then get a floor jack under your tank. Loosen the two straps and drop the tank out. Your probably going to have to any way to get at the leak and now you could lean the tank to the pasenger side to take the presure off the leaky fitting.
 
Did this on the '89 when I installed the "Go-Jeep" gas tank extension.

There are two gas lines comimg out of the tank, one to the engine and one return. First have a couple of big gas cans ready. Raise the back of the Jeep to give yourself plenty of room to work. Install a nice new long gas line to the return side return side of the tank (the one not going to the filter).

Now here's the scarry part I discvovered on my own.

If you pressurize the tank using a small air compressor through the return line and then remove the pressure gas will come squirting out gallons at a time! If you need to stop the flow, remove the gas cap to let relieve the air pressure.

You don't need to remove the bolts all the way off the "J" hooks, you can loosen them just enough to raise them up and out of the upper hole.

Hope this helps, be carefull
Mike
 
Pick a nice destination about 100 miles away and go on a road trip. By the time you drive there, and back, and around town a bit, your tank should be pretty close to empty. No gas in mouth or sloshing around in "tubs". Not to mention you got to go on a road trip.

Then drop your tank and make the repairs.
 
x2 on pumping in air you could try using 5/ 8 or smaller vinyl tube (clear,hdw store)get it in as far as you can try to get a rough idea by following the path its going to take by holding it up against the neck and tank underneath or just guess when u think your at the bottom put the airhose in right at the top seal it by wraping a rag around tightly pump in the air gas will flow thru thehose as a way to relive to internal pressure in the tank once its flowing your good no more air is needed just observe normal syphon techniques, end of hose lower than gas tank etc better than sucking gas in your mouth and burping it for hours to come good luck
 
If it were me, I'd lower the tank enough with a floor jack and disconect the fill tube from the gas tank stick a hose in there and siphon. Making the pump empty the tank will take a long ass time!

To siphon, don't suck on the tube and get gas in your mouth!!! NASTY!
1. Stick a suitable garden hose (or whatever) into the gas tank as far as you can get.
2. Place your thumb over end of the hose to plug it.
3. With your thumb still over the end of the hose, pull the hose out of the tank as much as you can, but make sure the other end is still submerged in gas!
4. This will keep the hose as full of gas as it previously was in step 1.
5. This is the tricky part: As quickly as you can and at the same time, you'll release your thumb from the hose and thrust it back into the gas tank as far as you can, once you get to that point, put your thumb back over the end of the hose to plug it.
6. Repeat steps 3-5 untill nothing but gas is in the hose. This will basically look like your shaking the hose in and out of the tank until nothing but gas is in the hose. Then you can place the hose lower than the gas tank and let gravity take over. Voila! You have a syphon without a mouth-full of gas!
 
thanks guys. i couldn't get it to siphon probabally due to the valve. i ended up just poking a hole in the side of the tank and taking 5 gallon gas cans with a funnel to catch the gas. kinda messy but it got the job done.

now as far as these J bolts that hold the tank up. where the hell can you find them besides the dealer? their getting $28 bucks each for these. i have 2 on order but sheesh what a rip off!
 
Why not jumper the fuel pump relay? Jump it between B+ and the pump+ terminal.

Disconnect your fuel line at the filter, run a long hose to a can, then jumper the terminal under hood to a 12V power source.

Easy as pie, done it on a few vehicles......
 
funvtec said:
thanks guys. i couldn't get it to siphon probabally due to the valve. i ended up just poking a hole in the side of the tank and taking 5 gallon gas cans with a funnel to catch the gas. kinda messy but it got the job done.

now as far as these J bolts that hold the tank up. where the hell can you find them besides the dealer? their getting $28 bucks each for these. i have 2 on order but sheesh what a rip off!
Click to expand...
I guess if the order is in it's too late, but 3/8 inch threaded rod bent to an L shape with a nut on a very short leg of the L would do the job.
 
When I replaced my strap bolts I went to Fleet Farm down the road and got some long carriage bolts. Hope I spelt that right. Took a torch and heated up the bolt head end and bent them to fit. Worked great. HTH.

Kim
 
Depending on where the leak is, you may just be better off using some of that Victor branded gas tank epoxy to fix it until you get another tank.

Then you can plan it out so that you're not doing something stupid like keeping 15 gal of gas in a trash container :D

I don't recommend repairing the tank. I've done it twice, and it worked once.
The second time I ended up 10 ft way with everthing that was exposed singed. I looked just like Wylie Coyote when something blew up in his face.

I was lucky.

Staps are easy. All thread works. Carriage bolts bent on the end work, so does not busting them! ;)

Be carefull ! No smoking, or anybody else smoking while your working on that thing!
No torches, no side grinders, nothing which could create a spark. Use brass drifts/hammers if you need to bang on something.
 
Matthew Currie said:
I guess if the order is in it's too late, but 3/8 inch threaded rod bent to an L shape with a nut on a very short leg of the L would do the job.
Click to expand...


thats what i ended up doing, i welded a nut on 1 end applied heat and bent 90*. looks like it will work. i'll be able to get to work on it when i get out of work.
 
Considering the topic, I thing the Avatar is wildly appropriate! :D :roflmao: :D


Have a smoke!
 
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