How to drain the fuel tank

[Yfx4]

several searches came up empty.

Other than riding it dry, what is the best/easiest way to empty the tank of fuel?

[Chrisj CMA]

several searches came up empty.

Other than riding it dry, what is the best/easiest way to empty the tank of fuel?

Syphon Hose

[Chrisj CMA]

If it's good enough gas to run, why do you want to empty it?

[Yfx4]

If it's good enough gas to run, why do you want to empty it?

Because I wrecked it and I don't want the gas to sit while I fix it. I will empty the tank, put in stabile then run it to make sure the jets don't gum up.

[Paladin528]

REmove the tank.  Apply vacuum to petcock.  catch fuel in bucket.

[hubcapsc]

REmove the tank.  Apply vacuum to petcock.  catch fuel in bucket.

This sounds like a great idea... taking off the petcock and trying to get it to all
come out didn't work so well for me, there's channels and stuff inside there or
something... the place where the vent tube comes out the back for example,
that's not just a place to hook a hose up to a hole in the tank...

-Mike

[Valkpilot]

Both the siphon and the petcock suggestion will work to get most of it out, but as noted, there will be a signficant amount that can't be extracted this way.

You've got an IS, so you could remove the fuel sender and have another opening to get some more out. 

You still won't get it all.  My suggestion would be that once you've gotten every drop you you from the above methods, leave it outside without cap or petcock and evaporate the rest.

[Yfx4]

Both the siphon and the petcock suggestion will work to get most of it out, but as noted, there will be a signficant amount that can't be extracted this way.

You've got an IS, so you could remove the fuel sender and have another opening to get some more out. 

You still won't get it all.  My suggestion would be that once you've gotten every drop you you from the above methods, leave it outside without cap or petcock and evaporate the rest.

Great ideas!. I figured I could never make it totally dry without evaporation.

Thank you all

[Cracker Jack]

I've has good success getting the last bit out by putting an absorbent rag on the end of a wire (coat hanger) and holding the tank so the last bit is in a corner accessible to the filler opening.

[shortleg]

  I used my Mity Vac to get Vacuum on tank and the put a longer piece
of fuel line on tank and turned valve to On and drained into a gas Can.
      shortleg[Dave]

[dragonslayer]

You might think this is crazy but when I cleaned my tank out I took a small shop vac and wedged the hose in the filler hole,put the other end in the outlet side of vaccum and turn it on.It will force warm air into the tank so do it outside in fresh air and it will totally dry the inside of the tank.Put about 2 cups wd40 or some other water despersent in the tank and roll around to coat the inside.Forgot to say REMOVE petcock before turning on the vaccume.Really easy way to evaperate gas from the tank.

[Yfx4]

Good idea!

I planned to siphon the bulk of it, then remove the tank, dump the rest. Th vacuum idea will make quick work of the little bit left. Thanks for the WD40 idea!!

[hubcapsc]

I can't help but think the vacuum cleaner idea is a recipe for
blowing up. 

-Mike

[dragonslayer]

the only thing going in the tank is warm air at a slow rate,whats to blow up.If you ride in the hot sun for a day the tank will get hotter than the air from the vaccum.Forgot 1 thing "DON"T" look in the tank holding a match.

[hubcapsc]

the only thing going in the tank is warm air at a slow rate,whats to blow up.If you ride in the hot sun for a day the tank will get hotter than the air from the vaccum.Forgot 1 thing "DON"T" look in the tank holding a match.

Sounds like you're sucking gasoline fumes from the filler tube and blowing
them back into petcock with a piece of electrical equipment... maybe
I didn't understand...

-Mike

[gordonv]

When I sold my IS tank, I dumped the gas, gave it 24 hours open to evap, then used a oil fogging agent and sprayed inside the tank, be fore shipping. I don't recall my smell of gas, and also would leave it free of rust.

[dragonslayer]

NO,not sucking the fumes.The other end of the vaccume hose goes into the discharge port of the vaccum which blows warm air into the tank.No boom just fumes escaping from petcock hole and totally drying the inside.A small shop vac works best.

[Paladin528]

Drain as much as you can the dump in some isopropyl alcohol and swish it around.  Drain that out and it will evaporate faster than the Gasoline.

[MarkT]

I will soon be brazing the bung on my tank for the belly tank.  Incidentally, there's a guy on youtube who welds on his car tank with gas in it.  He got away with that by running exhaust from another engine into the tank to displace the air with inert gas.  Even so, the hole where he was welding, the fumes ignited outside the tank - yellow flame several inches long.  To me, kinda crazy, don't think I'll try that even if it seems plausable.

Anyway, the process given in several places varies some, but it amounts to siphoning as best as possible, then actually filling the tank with water a couple times.  Then using argon gas - that's inert gas used in MIG and TIG welding - to displace the air inside before welding.  It's dangerous w/o getting the oxygen displaced.  Even if you think it's totally empty, some gas permeates the metal pores and gasses out when heated, and explodes like a bomb.

I'm not doing the water thing.  But I will siphon, then remove the filler bezel and invert the tank.  Then air it out with a vacuum blower hose for 20 minutes to evaporate what remains.  Then displace the air inside with argon for 10 minutes, then keep the argon running while brazing.  Silver Shield (Argon/CO2 mix) is heavier than air, so theoretically running it into the tank will displace the air up, want to have an opening upwards.  In practice, doesn't matter much because it's only slightly heavier than air  - it will mix and exit in any direction anyway.