To Drain or Not Drain Fuel Tank
06-26-2016, 02:34 PM
#1
Melting Slicks
Thread Starter
To Drain or Not Drain Fuel Tank
I am getting ready to replace the electric fuel pump on my '82 and need either advice or a confidence check concerning the fuel tank. It is full. Should buy a hand pump and five 5 gallon jugs to drain it, or simply exercise the appropriate amount of caution, move the car to a well ventilated area, disconnect the battery and do the job? What have been the experiences of forum members? Thanks for any advice.
06-26-2016, 07:20 PM
#3
Race Director
FOR WHAT THIS IS WORTH:
You are aware that a fuel tank with a gallon of gas in it is MORE explosive than one that is full...and this is due toe VAPORS which are what you are more concerned about than the actual liquid.
WHY did I reply like this. because back in the day...when in Charlotte the World of Wheels car show would come to town...the Fire Department made it KNOWN that ALL fuel tanks had to be full ( not to the brim) ...but full and then TAPED OFF.
I have done MANY fuel sending units on customer cars that would come in FULL and I have never drained the tank to do this.
When I do get the sending unit out...I do have a water dampened towel that I will cover the opening while I am replacing the sending unit...and YES....I do this outside my shop.
NOW...Not knowing if you are going to be 'upgrading' the pump with the higher pressure one. IF I am doing that..I also replace the rubber hose with the hose I get from an auto parts store that is the bio-fuel hose that is rated to like 220 psi. The reason I do this...even though I know that normal 3/8" fuel hose is rated to 50 psi....I prefer to go to the extreme so I do not have to worry. IF I am also using the higher pressure pump. I double clamp the rubber hose where it attaches to the sending unit itself just like what GM does on the 1985-1996 Corvettes. And this also means the hose at the engine is changed and double clamped on the pressure side.
AS you may know the sending unit will come out the opening at your fuel door when you remove the door and bezel. Getting it out is a bit tricky and you use an 'unthreading' type action ....so you spin it around to get it out. It just will not come straight out...or at least I have never had one come straight out.
If you are doing a hose swap...I prefer to remove the rear bumper cover to make the hose change out a bit easier.
ALSO..not knowing whose pump you are using....I do know that I like to use that bio-fuel hose at a higher pressure where the fuel pump is joined to the sending unit INSIDE the fuel tank. Some of the rubber hoses that companies give with the fuel pump may seem to look good and stout...but in time they get soft and do not hold up.
DUB
You are aware that a fuel tank with a gallon of gas in it is MORE explosive than one that is full...and this is due toe VAPORS which are what you are more concerned about than the actual liquid.
WHY did I reply like this. because back in the day...when in Charlotte the World of Wheels car show would come to town...the Fire Department made it KNOWN that ALL fuel tanks had to be full ( not to the brim) ...but full and then TAPED OFF.
I have done MANY fuel sending units on customer cars that would come in FULL and I have never drained the tank to do this.
When I do get the sending unit out...I do have a water dampened towel that I will cover the opening while I am replacing the sending unit...and YES....I do this outside my shop.
NOW...Not knowing if you are going to be 'upgrading' the pump with the higher pressure one. IF I am doing that..I also replace the rubber hose with the hose I get from an auto parts store that is the bio-fuel hose that is rated to like 220 psi. The reason I do this...even though I know that normal 3/8" fuel hose is rated to 50 psi....I prefer to go to the extreme so I do not have to worry. IF I am also using the higher pressure pump. I double clamp the rubber hose where it attaches to the sending unit itself just like what GM does on the 1985-1996 Corvettes. And this also means the hose at the engine is changed and double clamped on the pressure side.
AS you may know the sending unit will come out the opening at your fuel door when you remove the door and bezel. Getting it out is a bit tricky and you use an 'unthreading' type action ....so you spin it around to get it out. It just will not come straight out...or at least I have never had one come straight out.
If you are doing a hose swap...I prefer to remove the rear bumper cover to make the hose change out a bit easier.
ALSO..not knowing whose pump you are using....I do know that I like to use that bio-fuel hose at a higher pressure where the fuel pump is joined to the sending unit INSIDE the fuel tank. Some of the rubber hoses that companies give with the fuel pump may seem to look good and stout...but in time they get soft and do not hold up.
DUB
The following 2 users liked this post by DUB:
Bigredwing (06-27-2016),
lowbuck72 (05-19-2019)
06-26-2016, 08:44 PM
#4
Zen Vet Master Level VII
I am getting ready to replace the electric fuel pump on my '82 and need either advice or a confidence check concerning the fuel tank. It is full. Should buy a hand pump and five 5 gallon jugs to drain it, or simply exercise the appropriate amount of caution, move the car to a well ventilated area, disconnect the battery and do the job? What have been the experiences of forum members? Thanks for any advice.
It made a HUGE difference in how my engine responded- it is like a whole new car.
I've done mine with 3/4 full most of the time in a well ventilated area with the battery unplugged.
HINT: your hoses (There are three- vent, fuel and return) may fight you a bit as the area is very cramped and it it tough to get a hand on them.
What I did was loosen the hose clamps, and unbolt the sending unit. I was able to gentle move the unit back and forth, with an occasional slight twisting action and the hoses pulled right out.
Installation was real similar but I added a touch of WD40 to the insides of the hoses and the metal clamps, putting the hoses on first then bolting down.
Also, the fuel and the return are different sizes, so mark them lest you try to force the smaller fuel onto the larger return.
I've done it a couple of times now so I have it down to 10 minutes out and 20 to put back in.
The following users liked this post:
Bigredwing (06-27-2016)
The following 2 users liked this post by terry82:
Bigredwing (06-27-2016),
ColdLogic (05-18-2019)
05-19-2019, 07:27 AM
#7
Race Director
to drain or not. even a full tank has enough vapor space to make a fire worthy of a Bruce Willis movie. are you removing the tank? 10 gallons is 80 lbs. 80 lbs that will run to the low side immediately and make the tank jump off the jack. i just did a fuel pump on a dodge pickup yesterday. took 2 jacks and a bunch of finesse to get it back up with fuel in it. i didn't have anything to drain gas into. it was a yard job for a friend. if removing the tank, get the fuel out...
05-19-2019, 10:26 AM
#8
Team Owner
Follow DUB's advice...
05-19-2019, 11:09 PM
#9
Le Mans Master
my factory hood shuts fine.. these air cleaners are from a local auto parts store.. they are 9inch across.the fiters are two inches. high.you would need to make a bracket from the factory stud to one that puts the stud in the center.i also made a thin plate on the bottom of the round air cleaner to fit the throttle body.this thread was started back in 2016