Best / easiest way to empty gas tank? (1997 Series 80 Toyota Landcruiser)

[WCBlueSky]

Oh please. I have MIG welded on gas tanks that had fuel in them the same day.

Perhaps, but your statement doesn't show all the prep work/purging that you did to get it safe, which could be misleading to someone reading this. Many people have died welding on fuel tanks (even diesel), it is dangerous/lethal if not done properly (just use google to see all the fatalities). Here is just one sad example:

FACE Program: California Case Report 07CA006 | NIOSH | CDC

On May 19, 2007, at approximately 11:00 a.m., a 25-year-old Hispanic welder died from an explosion of a fuel tank on which he was welding.

www.cdc.gov

 

[e9999]

I leave several vehicles for over a year; usually with sea foam and a full tank but sometimes not. I think you're overthinking the gas issue. Pour in a can of sea foam, top off the tank with 93 and drive it.

You are very likely right, there may not be a problem at all doing that. The purpose of my asking here was to ascertain whether the tank can be drained very easily or not. If it can, then it is worth a few minutes of work to me to ensure that there is no chance of additional gunking up of my fuel system which would then likely take much longer to deal with later on. It is also good knowledge to have about my vehicle, I can think of circumstances when I may need fuel from the truck. And finally, added complication, I need to smog test it but can't drive it before that day on the street cuz well, I need to smog test it to register it, and if I fail it'll be a mess, so a good fuel system is important. So, yea.

As of now, it looks to me, based on some of the helpful info here, that using the pump to drain the tank may be the easiest way to deal with this, although one disadvantage is that it may gunk up the sock filter. This is also complicated a bit by my wanting to not have the fuel run through the main fuel filter under the manifold, as it is newly replaced, so not being able to use the lower pressure return line, but it looks like I can open up the hard fuel line near the wheelwell where there is a metal connector, and should then be able to put a flexible line on that assuming that the flow rate is not ridiculously high (another reason to jump the pump through the resistor I think). I have not yet looked at the electrical connections at either the resistor or the relay but that should not be too bad. All in all, if I'm right it should not take more than a few minutes to set up, which would be nice compared to opening up the tank inside the cab and dealing with fumes etc.

And yes, I will be very careful with the gas fumes regardless of how many folks have welded gas tanks. I like my skin, wrinkled as it may be.

 

[WCBlueSky]

I disconnected the rubber hose to the main tank and siphoned as much as I could, then drained the rest out of the plug in the bottom. However the siphon got stuck in the baffles and I had to open the top to get it unstuck. If I were to do it over again I would siphon from the top of the tank after removing the fuel pump. Make sure to use a large container to temporarily catch if you use the drain plug in the bottom, then carefully transfer that to a sealed gas can. Trying to use a funnel here made a big mess, the flow rate is too high. I had a fan blowing from a distance and the garage door open.

 

[e9999]

^ well, the return to the tank is (I think, from memory) a flex hose held with a clip on a metal tube going down close to the pickup filter, so removing that hose and connecting your siphon hose to the metal tube should work I would think, but that would still leave some gas in the tank when it stops sucking. But at least no chance of damaging anything or getting stuck. Of course you may need to remove the seats and all to get there.

 

[e9999]

Success! Emptied (mostly) the tank.

well, I went ahead and decided to use the fuel pump to drain the tank. I thought that would be interesting. It worked. A good way to do it, I think. Mostly benefits, a couple of drawbacks. I'll describe how I did it and why in the topmost post in case it helps somebody.

Now I can either put in fresh fuel or if I'm desperate to get the last few drops I could completely drain it with the plug which should be easy as there should be little fuel left.

Tally: 10 hrs on MUD ; 1 hr to do it this first time; 10 mins if I do it a second time...



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added: anybody knows how much fuel is left in the tank when the pump runs dry?

 

[SucioP]

Can someone post up the size and thread of the drain plug?

 

[SucioP]

Can someone post up the size and thread of the drain plug?

For the benefit of all, the drain plug is M12 x 1.25.

Going to see if I can’t rig something up to safely remove 10 gallons on 2 year old fuel….

 

[sreyes1103]

Where is the drain plug location on the gas tank and any pics someone might want to share?

 

[SucioP]

If you crawl under the tank, it’s literally the only bolt staring you in the face.

 

[sreyes1103]

really... ok ill look thanks!

 

[Malleus]

I just did this; I ran the tank dry, and then pulled the plug (remember to get a new plug gasket BEFORE you start this project). I was able to get all but 2 gallons through the engine. The remains wee nasty beyond words. This won't entirely clean the tank, you'll have to flush it to do that, but it'll get 99% of the crap out of the sump. If you really want to do the job right, and don't want to remove the tank, you'll need to pull the pump out of the top of the tank (it's under the rear seats) and run some cleaning fluid through the tank, after you drain it. I used a mortar tub from HD to catch the mess. Works like a charm.