Old gas

I have a 74 Charger SE with 318. It's been sitting for just over 2 years with about 1/4 tank of gas in it. How can I take care of the old gas without dropping the tank. On a very tight budget.

The tank might be the least of your worries. The lines themselves are sitting with gas in them also.

So are you saying that the lines need to be replaced?

Does the car run? Welcome to Moparts.

No, but they need to be cleaned out really well or they'll just end up gumming up things. I'm not sure how bad gas gets over 2 years though.

My car sat since atleast 1991 until i got it last year. I dropped the tank (im on a tight budget too) used acetone? however you spell it, ran some in the lines and blew them out with the air compressor and replaced the fuel pump and all of the rubber lines. Also put a good fuel filter on the car. My car runs now, im sure there are others that wouldnt agree with the way i did it but thats what i had to work with and my car runs happily.

Oh on a side note, might want to rebuild the carb if gas sat in that for 2 years.

My car had sat for more that 5 years. What I did was disconect the fuel line at the pump and install an electric pump with the output run to a 5 gal gas can. After I drained all the old fuel I hooked it all back up and put fresh fuel in. I then drove the car. I've had no problems. As for the old fuel I mixed it with some fresh and used it in my lawnmower.

Inspect and Clean Everything!! We just had a Ford Taurus come in the shop for a fuel pump and it had sat several years. They put a used pump in it themselves and it ran about a day before the valves stuck open and spit the pushrods. The gas that was in the tank had dried up and the fresh fuel broke down the varnish and gummed the valves. We had to pull the top end of the engine and clean everything....flush the lines - replace the tank, fuel pump, injectors and filter. I worked on a /6 Dodge P-Up a few years ago with the same circumstances but nothing like this Taurus. Todays gas starts breaking down within a few months. It may start and run fine on old gas but the intake valves will get gummed up while running and once they cool they will stick open and/or bend a pushrod. If it were mine I would inspect/clean everthing and flush the lines and install a new filter before starting.

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I have a 74 Charger SE with 318. It's been sitting for just over 2 years with about 1/4 tank of gas in it. How can I take care of the old gas without dropping the tank. On a very tight budget.

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Is the gas "bad" as in it won't run on it?

If it will run with the old gas, I'd say run it...
Add some fresh gas, the higher octane the better, to help dilute the old fuel.

As long as it hasn't turned to varnish you shouldn't have to tear it apart.

If it has the suggestions already mentioned are good.

-Or- You can pick up a fluid transfer pump from harbor freight cheap.
Pump out the tank from the filler tube.
Disconnect the line at the tank and at the pump, connect the HF pump and pump fresh gas (from a clean container) thru the line.
Do the same from the pump to carb line also.

Or easier yet... pump out the tank, add fresh gas, disconnect at carb, prime carb with fresh gas, take disconnected line from carb and put into 5 gallon bucket (or other suitable container), then run car at idle and let the pump suck fresh gas from the tank to flush the system.

If the carb is gummed up with varnish that's gunna be another project in itself...


Disclaimer:
Just suggestions to help solve your problem in an inexpensive way.
Be sure to use common sense with flammables otherwise your problems will grow as fast as the fire does...