Old stinky bad gas - help me get it out of the tank

What's going to work? How about taking a high-flow electric fuel pump, plumbing it in before the gas filter, and having it dump through a tube into a bucket? how fast would that go? What would you do? I have to get some bad gas out of three cars - stat.

electric inline fuel pump with long hose on one end, shorter hose on the other end, or 2 long hoses, pump's inlet hose in tank inlet, outlet hose in jerry can, pump it into a 5 gal gas can, dump it on the berry bushes or weeds you want to kill.

or leave the cars in the bad part of town, they'll drill a hole in gas tank, and no more gas, you'll just have to remove the tank to fix the hole.

Do you have enough containers for it all?
If its a few gallons per vehicle i'd just siphon it off.
Goes pretty quick with a decent sized hose.

I usually just disconnect the hose before the fuel pump and let gravity do the work. Put a 1 gallon ice cream bucket under there to catch it and use a vise-grip pliers for a shut off.
If the lines are blocked or broken then just run a hose down the tank inlet and siphon it out.
You can get a hose with a bulb to prime it at most Auto parts, or Hard Ware stores.

Dump it into a bigger container and repeat.
The filter should be after the pump, unless you have the modern electric pump in tank kind of set-up?

There are many ways Ive done it.

You can easily put 3 feet of rubber line on the front steel line and turn your compressor down to 5 psi and with your normal air blower and a red shop rag you can have it drained by pressure in a matter of minutes.

However one thing your going to miss by just draining it is the jelled up bad stuff in the tank if its really old, that sticks to the inside and then your buying the clear plastic filters by the 3 pack.

If its that bad, but you didnt mention how old it was.

Ive had 3-4 year old gas that reaked but I just diluted with new gas and ran out the old but kept a good clear filter on it.

Going back to if it has gotten really bad, drain it and drop it or drop it as it is, its not hard, two straps, a 2x12 on a floor jack or simply rest it on your knees.

Anyway you do it, its a nasty few hours work but when done your good to go.

But again, if its 3-4 years old, id consider dilute it and run it out, ive never had an issue with a pre filter.

Depending on how old the residue is, it might be a good idea to run some good additive through it for a while afterwards as the varnish sometimes works it's way into engine and can cause issues. Valve guides can gum up and cause major problems with pushrods etc. Seen it happen on a 383 once but was told it is more common in old mower equipment that sat a while.

Just wondering, what's the deal?
What kind of cars, how much gas we talkin' about, and not my business, but why? cause it stinks? you got a leak or something. It shouldn't be stinking up the place.
I've used 4 or 5 year old gas diluted with twice the amount of fresh myself without out issue. Never tried to save those tanks though.

Ask Scott Smith, he has experience with bad gas.

Cost you about 6 bucks...

Harbor Freight...

Yeah, That's the ticket.

I'd pull the tank and have it boiled and sealed (or replaced), and I's also get a new pick up, fuel pump, filter, and rebuild or at least drain the carb and clean it. If you don't you might be chasing bad fuel gremlins forever, I hear it A LOT from my customers who've tried to cut corners.

.02

I hear it A LOT from my customers who've tried to cut corners.

Of course your gonna hear that, your a carb guy, they dont come to you for foot problems do they? Bugs, maybe!

That's right way to do it.

The dirty way is an electric pump with fuel lines connected. Pump out as much as you can and then put in a can of Heet and some fresh gas.

I've offered to help before

So, to get rid of some "old stinky fuel" you'd automatically have him spend several hundred dollars...before you even know how old the gas is?

Nice.

And the OP is talking THREE cars, not one!

Replies like that sure make answering questions on Moparts a lot less enjoyable. No wonder so many well meaning and knowledgeable people have bailed from this place.

Good point. So were talking a couple G's then. Even better.

Thanks everyone. I agree with Scott that there is a right way to do this but right now I am just wanting to get the cars running enough to move them around. They're going going gone with any luck and they will all need work. For the fuel systems, it'll be from the the rooter to the tooter. The new owners can sort that out.

Thanks for the offer, Chris. Thing is, newly dealing with custody issues with my kids and working my job solo, I never know what 90 minutes of what day of what week I'll be free to work on things, and you've got a long drive to help me. I really do appreciate it! Meanwhile I found the fender tag for the 71 RR so if you want a closer look come on down.

***

So I get one car going and it sounds like it's running on 4 cylinders. That would be cool if it were a Plymouth Arrow, but it's a 383. So my old brain thinks cap, rotor, points, plugs, wires. That about right?

Thanks, Moparts!

I recently screwed about for a couple of hours attempting to remove all fuel from my motorcycle tanks using bulb type siphon devices and letting the cycles run until tanks were empty. These devices sort of worked,,,but difficult to maintain siphon for last 1/2 gallon or so.

Never again to waste this much time. Had a supercharged Jag XJR one time where both in tank fuel pumps had failed,,,,tank had to be removed to replace them,,,,yes I know it's a Jag,, and the tank had some 15 gallons of fuel in it. A real pain in the [censored].

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00QSPU0NS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Used this to refuel cycles with fresh gas from one of my cars. Yes likely cheaper to buy an electric pump,,,but like the idea of portability in a hard case that I can just throw in the trunk to help others or myself in an out of fuel emergency.

My $500 F150 has two tanks and hasn't been driven a lot. Now both tanks have the pickup screens plugged with rust, I suppose.

So I am going to use my method, which is to snake a rubber fuel line down into the tank and pump out as much as I can using a cheap electric pump I bought years ago. I use an inline filter after the pump, the $3.96 one from Walmart.

Then I will remove the old tanks and replace with new tanks, around $100 each if you know where to shop. The fuel pickups and senders I'll try my best to keep as they are original and we all know how good the aftermarket replacements usually are!

Yes, the fuel stinks, but it'll still burn. I mix with new gas, about 3:1, new to old. It does stink up the neighborhood. I am secretly proud of that, because 98% of people won't know what that smell is. I use it in my carbureted vehicle and have never had a problem with it, even old 40:1 outboard engine fuel.

I know there won't be any consequences for most of you, but in most places disposing used petroleum products by pouring on the ground is illegal, as it can pollute groundwater. If it's not illegal where you live, it is still immoral and most likely fattening. The stuff you pour on the ground today may not hit the water supply until your grandchildren are drinking it.

A fun thing to do with old gasoline is to burn it. Used motor oil and hydraulic oil will burn surprisingly well. This is, of course, dangerous so I am saying this merely as a joke. You wouldn't want to expose your loved ones to flames shooting 5' out of the burn barrel, although it is quite an arresting sight.

R.

Maybe I can start to dilute my old waste oil I spray on my driveway for dust control, with my old smelly gas.

Hey but waste oil from the newer cars is alot cleaner then 30 years ago... hold on doesnt oil come out of the ground from the start?

I recall it wasnt that long ago that the county did it on there own lots.

Ya know...even if I decide for whatever reason not to go the route that Scott proposed, isn't it a good things for Moparts that he explained the right way to do this? I think so and I'm glad he offered up that advice.

Its not "THE right way" to do it.
Its "A way" to do it.
Thats all.

Id say yes and no, your lack of info posted...

What's going to work? How about taking a high-flow electric fuel pump, plumbing it in before the gas filter, and having it dump through a tube into a bucket? how fast would that go? What would you do? I have to get some bad gas out of three cars - stat.


You never stated if they were old pos cars you just need to move, drive on a trailer, just see if they ran, good cars that your foolish self let get gummed up....

If the cars a $300 parts car or a 2k beater is the right way to spend XXXX amount of money. When a repop tank is $80 shipped?

As well alot of repop tanks off ebay... like this repop tank $79 shipped for a 70 duster, so is the right way still to take out the old oem one, pay to ship it to be cleaned, boiled, sealed?

Its all about perspective, the right way or the right way for the situation.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1970-1971-Dodge-Dart-Plymouth-Duster-Valiant-Scamp-Fuel-Gas-Tank-CR11D-/310708584961?fits=Year%3A1970%7CModel%3ADuster&epid=664196925&hash=item4857acc201:g:8WMAAOSwyZ5Uqxjh&vxp=mtr

Does your car need a cleaned, boiled, sealed tank at XXXX expense or would a $80 repop fit your needs?

I just want to start them so I can move them a few yards over inhospitable ground right now, that's all.

Can of gas and fuel line to the pump inlet. That way you avoid the smelly stuff completely.

bingo...Hill Billy fuel cell.

Hmm....I'll try that on the last car if it won't fire up. The previous one fired up just fine and then... (I'm asking on General to figure out where the problem might be)

If that is all you want, use a tow strap and pull them that far. Or use a winch if you have one, or even a cable come along.

I have a 4x4 truck and a tow strap but am not sure where to attach to the mopar to avoid damage.

We have a 63 MG Midget. It sits up in Babylon for our yearly visit from the islands. Once it sat for at least 2 years, maybe 3. We charged the battery, turned the key, waited for the SU's to prime, pulled the starter switch and off it went. Then smelled petrol and shut her off. Discovered the flexible (made in USA) fuel lines had turned into sprinklers. Changed the hose, fired it back up again and went on our way. Never smelled the gas in the tank directly so did no worry about it. So much for modern gas being the devil's best friend. Even if ethanol is in the gas, how bad can it be. We make our coffee with the stuff down here.

Seriously, dilution is probably best for the OP's situation, or as stated, a tow rope. If the tank is really bad, just replace it.

I'm flying into SFO Thursday around noon. If you want I can text you when I land and come over and help you push these things around. Way easier than trying to start them all.

Then we can talk about hauling the yellow one away

Grab the red one and the orange one for me while you are there Morti

I already grabbed a red one